Harvest Guide 2025

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MONITOR FILE

A welcome sign at the 2023 Deerfield Fair on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

inside

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Exploring Monadnock trails.......................................... Page 4 Corn maze comes to Pittsfield farm.............................. Page 6 Farmers prepare for picking season .......................... Page 10 Seasonal White Mountain activities ........................... Page 12 Fall fairs in the region.................................................. Page 14 A list of local orchards to pick from ............................ Page 17 A season of festivals and celebrations....................... Page 20

Harvest Guide

Copyright 2025 by the Newspapers of New England.

All rights reserved.

CONCORD MONITOR Monitor Publishing, PO Box 1177 Concord, N.H. 03302-1177 Advertising: ads@cmonitor.com Editorial: features@cmonitor.com MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT PO Box 36, Peterborough NH 03458 Advertising information: 924-7172, ads@ledgertranscript.com

Harvest festivals abound this fall, bringing fun for everyone See the story on pages 14 & 15.

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

A tractor sits in an open hay field off of Schoodac road in Warner against a backdrop of leaves turning a varity of colors. The Warner Fall Foliage festival starts on Friday through Sunday with open air concerts, two parades and a 5-mile road race. For more information go to http://wfff.org.

nature

EXPLORING MONADNOCK TRAILS

ASHLEY SAARI/STAFF PHOTO

A mound of quartz sticks up from the summit of the White Ledges trail.

Temple’s White Ledges are an easy hike

By ASHLEY SAARI

best vantage.

In 2023, I started my fall hikes with a short trail that still has some As fall gets into full swing, the great views – Temple’s White summer flowers fall to the wayside and a new landscape appears – Ledges. It’s a family-friendly hike suitable for any age that offers the brilliance of fall foliage. My hikes tend to take an upward trend views of surrounding vistas and to take in the new views from their mountains, without the strain of a

4

more intensive hike like Mount Monadnock.

Hiking in the fall is one of my favorite times of the year, not only for the beautiful views, but because the cooler weather and bug-free environment pretty much make it SEE TRAILS PAGE 18

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

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umpkins Apples & Pumpkins interVeggies Squash & Winter Squash Sweet Apple Cider & Caramel Apples Cider Local Wine & Hard Cider Hard Cider Jams & Jellies Simmered Here

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‘Huge for the town’ Corn maze comes to Pittsfield farm.

EMILIA WISNIEWSKI / MONITOR STAFF

Brent and Brynne Marston go through the entrance of the corn maze at Marston Farm.

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

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ive-year-old Brent Marston and three-year-old Brynne Marston ran around corn stalks three times their size on their family’s farm. Alongside their parents and their baby sister, Blair, the children have visited the field across from their home every day since the corn matured in May. The corn itself wasn’t what drew the kids’ interest — it was the dirt path between the stalks that led in every direction. Despite choosing the maze design, the family still found themselves stumped on the right way to the exit.

The Marston Farm in Pittsfield will open its first-ever corn maze to the public on Friday, Sept. 5 through Saturday, November 1 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Brent and Brynne’s parents, Ben and Brittni Marston, run the farm alongside Ben’s cousin Steve, his wife Kayla and his sister Sarah.

The farm dates back 250 years.

Ben, Steve and Sarah make up part EMILIA WISNIEWSKI / MONITOR STAFF of the 9th generation of Marston Ben and Brittnie Marston pose with their children, Brent, Brynne and Blair, in front of their new corn maze at their Pittsfield farm. farmers to work the land.

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“It is definitely a whirlwind of emotions,” Brittni said three days before the opening. “We are excited and nervous.

We hope that it’s as great a success as we’ve been trying to make it and hope that we have a good turnout.”

The idea of a corn maze cropped up around six years ago when Steve mentioned that his friends made a corn maze in Maine. The friend encouraged the Marstons to create one themselves.

Conversations had been ongoing among the family for years, especially with the rise in agritourism in the state.

“We decided that, ‘Why not? Let’s try it,’” Ben said.

The family sought out Utah-based agritainment company MAiZE to help plan and cut their corn field. The company had only worked with one other farm in New Hampshire, Sherman Farm in Center Conway, about 80 miles from the Pittsfield farm.

Brett Herbst, the founder of MAiZE, has helped design 4,000 mazes in 280 places since 1996 and described a corn maze as a “living labyrinth” that creates a unique experience for families.

“I can’t really think of any type of an

activity that creates that similar of a dynamic where all ages interact on the same level,” Herbst said. “It’s just a very interactive experience that really just bonds people together because they’re trying to figure out a big, giant puzzle.”

The Marstons grew five and a half acres of feed corn at the start of the year and watched it reach maturity in the spring. Out of thousands of templates from MAiZE, the company pitched a design to the family that pictured country singer Lainey Wilson holding a microphone, with horseshoes in the top left corner and a heart in the top right. “[MAiZE] had just signed some special deal with Lainey Wilson and they proposed it,” Brittni said. “We’re all Lainey Wilson fans too, so of course we’ll do Lainey Wilson.”

The company came to the farm and used a geographic digital map to carve out the path in the corn field — all done within one day. To ensure no corn grows in the path afterward, they sprayed the areas with herbicide.

In addition to the maze, the farm will have 22 food vendors, two smaller mazes for children, a sandbox with

corn kernels and a petting zoo with local baby animals. On its first Saturday, the maze will have a special full moon event open until 11 p.m. The lights will go out at 8 p.m., and attendees will be guided by the moonlight.

Getting the word out about the maze took many different forms: regularly posting on Facebook, putting ads in the paper and creating signage on the road.

This and “getting all the ducks in a row” with town regulations, Brittni said, was the most challenging part while pulling the event together.

“We all work full-time jobs on top of farming, so this has been a huge stressor for the entire family, making the time to get this up and running,” Brittni said.

She said she is excited to not only benefit the town and its businesses through revenue, but to also see “the community come together.”

“This is something huge for Pittsfield,” Brittni said. “They don’t really have any events besides the balloon rally, so this is going to be huge for the town.”

For more information, visit marstonfarmnh.com.

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An abundance of apples

Todd Larocque picks out the non-producing peaches at Carter Hill Orchard in Concord.

Carter Hill Orchard prepares for apple season

By Rebeca Pereira

berries. Business was just as leisurely inside the country store, Todd Larocque sat in an Adiron- where Larocque’s 15-year-old dack chair on a quiet July day over- daughter, Ellianna, staffed the register. Come September, though, looking rows of lush trees.

Larocque knew the orchard would Ahead, a family lingered in the jolt to life. shade of Carter Hill Orchard’s “On the weekends, it’s just wallgazebo after picking their own blue-

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Concord Monitor

Clapp Family Farm

to-wall cars. We have two or three guys parking cars just to keep the traffic flowing. There’s a line for the doughnuts because you sometimes can’t keep up. I just keep thinking sometimes it’s like I go into an amusement park on a busy day,” he said.

For decades, the same crop has drawn zealous crowds to the Concord orchard. People flock from far and wide to pick the fruit — shiny, vibrant, juicy and crisp — and purchase different treats made from it.

The Macintosh trees at the foot of the hill have yielded one of the or-

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A peach at Carter Hill Orchard is just starting to ripen.

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The orchard begins pressing apples at its on-site cider mill at the start of the season and treats the cider with ultraviolet light to kill pathogens before selling it under the brand name New Hampshire Cider Works. Apples that don’t wind up juiced and bottled transform into an array of favorite fall treats, mainly apple pie and apple cider doughnuts.

Operating the 60-acre orchard has saturated Larocque’s life with all things apple. As it turns out, there can be too much of a good thing.

“I take three or four bites on an apple and I’m done with it,” he said.

His daughter agreed. For her, similar to her father, the family business itself has been far more re-

warding than the crop.

Ellianna has fond childhood memories of hiding out in a box in the kitchen during the busiest days of apple season and pretending to rocket off to Mars while her parents interacted with customers. Now, it’s her turn to stand behind the counter. Between classes at Bishop Brady and dance after school, her weekdays are busy in the fall, but she reserves time on the weekends to staff the country store.

She might help to sugar the doughnuts or bring them out for customers to enjoy.

“I just like that I get to meet a lot of different people who come from everywhere. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.

Rebeca Pereira can be reached at rpereira@cmonitor.com

NEW BOSTON ARTISANS' HOLIDAY MARKET 24 Francestown Rd, New Boston, NH 03070 AT T H E C I D E R M I L L G A L L E R Y

Opening for the season with Fall Fest st Sunday Oct 5th Saturday, Oct 4th & 10am tto 10am o4 4pm pm 10 am 10 am to to 4pm 4p m Market will then be open every Friday through Sunday 10am to 4pm There will be vendors outside doing demonstrations 10am to 3pm

• Photo Photo board board • Food Food • Small Smal business meet & greet tent tent •

Come meet your local artisans, crafters, & business owners!

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Apples generally sweeten as the season progresses, and as a result, so does cider.

When each variety’s time arrives, Larocque brings apples by the crate into a large barn for selection.

Flooding the crates with water so that apples float onto a conveyor belt without much manual effort, a sorting machine then drops apples into bins by size. Blemished or bruised fruit goes to the cider mill, while grade-A apples are sold.

“Most of the time, a blemish is just a blemish. We know it could be from the apple rubbing on the leaf, from the wind blowing or rubbing the branch into the apple. It’s just the outside appearance and doesn’t change the flavor, but people generally like perfect-looking apples,” Larocque said

11

chard’s most popular varieties since the mid-80s. Younger dwarf trees chosen for the advantages of their height — smaller trees are easier to climb and maintain — climb the slope of the hill in compact rows.

Some are ready to pick as soon as early August.

The more tart varieties ripen first.

Macintosh and Paula Red are great for snacking, pie-making and applesauce. In September, Cortlands, Snow Sweet and Macouns have their moment. Galas, also in season, are sweet and great for snacking, while Empires are known for their creaminess. Fan favorites, like Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Honey Crisp, are typically available in October, as the weather grows colder and the season begins to wind down.

foliage

Autumn adventures A

JIM COLE / AP PHOTO

Cars drive into the White Mountain National Forest as autumn leaves begin to change colors in Gorham, N.H. Sunday Oct. 6, 2013.

For sweeping views, climb aboard the Mt. Washington Cog Railway or drive the popular Mt. Washington Auto Road to Mount Washington’s 6288-ft summit, where the panorama of autumn’s palette stretches for miles. Bring a jacket, though, as it can get a little windy at the top.

For a rush of adrenaline amid the fall foliage, dive into the region’s many other major attractions and soar above the trees on ziplines, ride through Crawford Notch or along the river on scenic trains. Take a scenic chair lift or gondola ride at one of the local ski areas, where breathtaking views of the autumn landscape unfold beneath you.

Autumn also brings festivals and local celebrations that perfectly

“Fall ” IN LOVE WITH WHITE THIS AUTUMN AT COUNTRY Bridals AND

complement outdoor adventures.

Favorites include the Sandwich or Fryeburg Fair, the Highland Games & Festival and Oktoberfest, both at Loon Mountain Resort, Happy Hauntings at Story Land, Holly Jolly Halloween at Santa’s Village and the whimsical Return of the Pumpkin People in Jackson.

These gatherings offer everything from regional food and crafts to spooky family fun in the cool fall air.

And what’s autumn without apples and mazes? Windy Ridge Orchard offers orchard picking, fresh cider, and hot cider doughnuts — all set against a backdrop of glowing foliage. Further east in Conway, Sherman Farm beckons families into its expansive corn

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maze, open weekends from late September through October. Just over the border from the White Mountains in Danville, VT, the Great Vermont Corn Maze sprawls across 24 acres of winding trails, bridges, and even an underground tunnel, making it the largest and most elaborate corn maze in New England.

In the White Mountains, fall isn’t just a season — it’s a living tapestry.

Whether you’re meandering beneath the foliage, exploring hidden gorges or savoring the warm aroma of fresh baked cider donuts, the White Mountains in fall offer an unforgettable blend of adventure, seasonal festivals and communities that know how to relish every crisp, colorful moment.

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

s September whispers its arrival and twilight comes earlier, the White Mountains transform into a technicolor wonder with fiery maples, golden birches and amber oaks painting the hillsides in breathtaking flourish.

But this isn’t just a spectacle of color; it’s the closing act to a whole season of adventure and celebration.

Begin your exploration with a journey through nature’s hidden corridors. At both Flume Gorge and Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves, boardwalks lead through gorges where rivers snake through boulder caves, disappearing beneath the surface only to emerge again downstream.

While you’re in the area, check out Clark’s Bears for some familyfriendly fun, including bear shows, train rides and a climbing tower.

The attraction park will be open for the season until mid-October, so make sure to pack in the amusement before then.

Or if you’re in the mood for a hike, Franconia Notch State Park has many to offer, from Artist’s Bluff with famous foliage views to the stunning Franconia Ridge. No matter where you go, the leaves will be stunning and the air will be wonderfully crisp.

In Littleton, stroll down the walkable Main Street to find boutique shops, cafés and local art galleries, creating the perfect blend of smalltown charm and vibrant culture.

The Littleton Canning Company offers a broad array of sweet treats, canned goods and kitchenwares — a marvelous place to stop for a souvenir.

White Mountain activities for the whole family to enjoy

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

events

Harvest festivals abound this fall, bringing fun for everyone

By Rebeca Pereira Concord Monitor

L

eaves are changing color and apples are sweetening to ripeness on trees across New Hampshire. Corn mazes, hay rides and lengthy lines for cider donuts have sprouted at farms and orchards. All around the air is crisp with fall.

These harbingers of the season

bring us another time-honored tradition: harvest festivals.

With thrilling rides and nods to New Hampshire’s history and agricultural industry, these local festivals infuse our days with celebration and fun.

Enthusiasts and first-timers will find that these festivals offer a range of activities from raucous demolition derbys to more tame,

Wool Arts Tour Map Saturday, October 11, 2025, 10 am - 5 pm Sunday, October 12, 2025, 10 am - 4 pm

Stop at all five picturesque farms on the map to catch a glimpse of fiber farming, meet new woolie friends, learn a new craft, shop local artisans and farmers and more! Go in whatever order works for you and enjoy the foliage!

Spinner Farm 192 Old County Rd, Deering, NH

Windfall Farm

family-friendly fun, including live music, petting zoos and historical exhibits.

Deerfield Fair The Deerfield Fair, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 25 to Sunday, Sept. 28, is one of New Hampshire’s biggest expositions. With animal shows, a stacked line-up of live entertainers and numerous special events, like sheep dog herding, it promises fun for all ages.

Admission for children 12 years and younger is free. Ticket information can be found at deerfieldfair.com.

Legion. Admission is free.

Warner Fall Foliage Festival From Friday, Oct. 10 to Sunday, Oct. 12, the 78th annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival will be in full swing. Saturday starts with a 5K race, a children’s parade and a farmers’ market. The festival brings a lobster dinner, food trucks and an ice cream eating competition as well, so bring your appetite. Admission is free.

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival

Thousands of pumpkins will take over downtown Laconia for this one-day extravaganza. Happening on Saturday, Oct. 25, the New A young fair with spiritual flair, the Hooksett Pumpkin Fest Psychic Hampshire Pumpkin Festival arand Craft Fair offers psychic read- rives just in time for Halloween and boasts a 34-foot tall pumpkin ings, hand-crafted gifts and a botower, more than 100 food and nanza of metaphysical items. The fair is in its third year of operation craft vendors, a beer tent, live and will take place on Saturday, music and lots of fun for everyone.

Admission is free.

Oct. 4 at the Hooksett American

Hooksett Pumpkin Fest Psychic and Craft Fair

5 Old North Branch Rd, Antrim, NH

PUMPKINS & PUPPETS

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• PYO Pumpkins and organic root veggies • Puppet Show • Hayride • Farm to table food tent • Cow Parades • Corn Maze • Children’s Crafts • Build a scarecrow and more fall fun!

Main Road is rt 31 Using your phone: Open your camera and scan this QR code to get to the website for more information. www.woolartstournh.com

Visit our farm store - open everyday year round!

250 West Road, Canterbury, NH 03224 | 603.742.4084 NE-472540

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Glory Be Farm

for more info visit brookfordfarm.com/events

Jose Sanchez of Miller Amusements prepares the lighted sign for the Orbiter ride at the Deerfield Fair.

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HIKING | GARDENS | EVENTS | BELL TOWER | MUSEUM

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ochards

MONITOR FILE

Gala apples hang on a tree on Gould Hill Farm in Contoocook on Thursday, September 4, 2014.

How do you like them apples?

Not every apple was created equal. Some of us have grown up to view the McIntosh and Cortland apples as the quintessential fruits of fall, due to their popularity and ubiquity.

Not so fast. A whole host of apple varieties are available this time of year in orchards all around us that have been around for a few hundred years before the spread of these more popular modern varieties.

When you get to your favorite picking pasture this year, ask about any heirloom varieties hiding in the back rows. Sometimes the fruit isn’t as large or shiny, but the flavors can be a world apart.

Consider going for one of the triple-threat varieties, which are good for eating fresh, squeezing into cider or cooking and baking. A couple of those are the Northern Spy, Gravenstein, Braeburn and Jonagold varieties. Perhaps walk on the wild side and see if they have any Hudson Golden Gems or pinkfleshed Redfield apples. If they do, your orchard life could be changed forever.

Here’s a roundup of a few of our favorite spots to pick apples and enjoy fall in the Concord and Monadnock areas.

Apple Hill Farm

580 Mountain Rd., Rt. 132, Concord. Phone: (603) 224-8862. Online: applehillfarmnh.com

Appleview Orchard 1266 Upper City Road, Pittsfield.

Phone: (603 )435-3553. Online: www.applevieworchard.com

Carter Hill Orchard 73 Carter Hill Rd., Concord.

Phone: (603) 225-2625. Online: www.carterhillapples.com

Gould Hill Farm 656 Gould Hill Rd, Contoocook.

Phone: (603) 746-3811. Online: gouldhillfarm.com

Hackleboro Orchard 61 Orchard Rd, Canterbury.

Phone: (603) 783-4248. Online: hackleboroorchard.com

McLeod Orchards 735 N River Rd, Milford. Contact: mcleodorchards@gmail.com. Online: mcleodorchards.com

Meadow Ledge Farm 612 Route 129, Loudon. Phone: (603) 798-5860. Online: www.meadowledgefarm.com

Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard 66 Mason Rd, Greenville. (603) 878-2101. Online: washburnswindyhillorchard.com

2 Capital Plaza ~ 57 N Main Street Concord 603-224-2920 • Goldsmiths-Gallery.com

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Concord Monitor

17

By Jonathan Van Fleet

TRAILS FROM PAGE 4

perfect for a walk in the woods.

Which, for much of the hike to the peak, is what the White Ledges hike consists of.

Also sometimes called the Kendall Ledges, this town-owned property isn’t the most-strenuous hike. It’s a little over a half-mile one way, with a trail easily traversed there and back again within an hour, and at a grade that’s accessible to most hikers, including children. The tradeoff is that there is essentially one view from the top, ASHLEY SAARI/STAFF A garter snake makes its way to a though it is a great view.

ASHLEY SAARI/STAFF The trailhead is off Howard Hill The White Ledges trailhead on hiding space after sunning itself on the trailside.

Howard Hill Road.

Road in Temple, a dirt road off the main highway, with a kiosk and small amount of off-road parking.

The trail starts on a fairly wide, well-maintained trail, traveling alongside some private fields. Almost all of the trail follows along some stunning examples of New England stone walls, including a long stretch that is multiple feet thick, with several layers of stones.

Perhaps the stone crop from the surrounding fields was particularly plentiful.

After passing a gate at the end of ASHLEY SAARI/STAFF the first portion of the trail, the A quartz found at the top of the White Ledges. hike becomes more wooded,

though the trail remains wide and clear. On the way up, I encountered a garter snake sunning on the trail, who scooted into a hole in the stone wall the moment it heard me coming – though I was able to snap a good photo before it disappeared.

An excerpt from “A History of Temple, New Hampshire, 17681976,” posted at the kiosk at the trail head, lays out the – at the time – recent gift of the ledges to the town’s Conservation Commission, to be used in perpetuity as public land.

The land was donated by Abbie Kendall Fish, wife of Charles Fish, and was deeded to the town in 1975 “to be maintained as a natural area for the benefit of all Temple residents.” The property had been in the Kendall family for nearly 200 years before being gifted to the town. The conservation area grew in 1978 with a donation from the Richardson family, making the entire parcel about nine acres, with a short trail leading to 500 feet of ledge with a sprawling view.

“This ledge, which is an outcropping of white quartz about two hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide, is now covered by a

18

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

The Greenfield Inn

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Rooms starting at $210/night

GreenfieldInnNH@gmail.com 603-547-6327 • 749 Forest Rd., Greenfield, NH

ASHLEY SAARI/STAFF PHOTO

A view from the top.

growth of trees and plants. After the building of the District 4 schoolhouse in 1855, schoolchildren used to climb up to this ledge, which is behind the site of that old school, to explore and carry home any pieces of the beautiful quartz that they could pick up or break off.

Sometimes the more rare rosequartz can be found as part of this

formation,” the excerpt reads.

It seems quartz-hunting is still a popular pastime for hikers on the ledge. After exiting the woods, there is only a short trail, lined with high-bush blueberries – and somewhat incongruously, a large grape vine I spotted midfield – and goldenrod gone to seed. You can see what the ledges are named for – a

large mound of white stone gleaming in the sun, perfect for a quick scramble to the top.

Exploring the ledge, as well as a small offshoot to the right, you’ll spot piles of quartz, either collected or broken off from previous hikers, perhaps looking for an example of the rarer rose quartz.

If you go

Temple’s White Ledges The parking area is located on Howard Hill Road, located off Route 45. Trailhead is about onetenth of a mile down the road, on the left. Some off-street parking is available.

This column originally ran in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript on Dec. 12, 2023.

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

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festivals

Fall: A season of festivals and celebrations

By JESSECA TIMMONS

Ledger-Transcript

20

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

Fall is the busiest time of year in the Monadnock Region. Every weekend brings festivals , celebrations and fairs. The challenge is trying to decide which one to attend!

The Keene Pride Festival is Saturday, Sept. 21, from noon to 7 p.m. in downtown Keene. The festival, which includes over 150 vendors and attracts around 5000 guests, is the largest pride event in the region. This year’s hosts are actor, singer-songwriter and comedian Kelly Mantle, drag legend Sherry Vine and Miss Ginger Soulless, a performer and founder of Keene Pride. The event includes live music, circus acts, drag kings and queens vendors, activities and more. For information go to:

NE-472643

https://www.keenepride.org/festival.

The 27th Winchester Pickle Festival is Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is rain or shine, and the canning contest starts at 11 a.m. The popular festival in the southwestern corner of the state draws about 5000 guests each year and includes a pickle eating contest, pickle parade, live music and vendors. For information go to winchesternhpicklefestival.org.

The Friends of the Greenfield Meetinghouse Oktoberfest is Saturday, Sept. 27 from 4 to 7 pm at Oak Park in Greenfield. The annual event raises money for renovations to the 230-year-old Greenfield Meetinghouse. The event includes local vendors, live music, local beer, Pickles for sale at the Winchester Pickle Festival. wine and mead, and a craft and

COURTESY

farmer’s market. For tickets or information go to greenfieldmeetinghouse.org The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour is Oct. 11 and 12. This tour includes five family-owned sheep farms in Deering, Bennington, Antrim, Greenfield and Lyndeborough. Farms will host demonstrations of spinning and shearing, wool craft, fiber arts and other farm products. For information and details about this year’s tour, go to www.woolartstournh.com.

The 28th annual Monadnock Art Open Studio Tour is Oct. 11, 12 and 13. The free tour, which was created by the friends of the Dublin Art Colony in 1995, includes the studios of nearly 70 artists who work in Dublin and surrounding towns. Artists include noted painters, ceramicists, collage and mixed media, photographers, book binders, illustrators, textile artists, woodworkers, jewelry makers and more. The opening reception, which will preview the art of every artist on the tour, is Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at Bass Hall at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture in Peter-

borough. The artists will be present, and the event includes refreshments and an art raffle.

The tour covers a wide geographic area and takes some planning; studios are well marked but can be far apart.

Profiles of all the artists and maps of the tour are available at monadnockart.org/monadnockart-open-studio-tour.

The Fall Foliage Art tour takes place the same weekend and includes notable artists in nearby towns which are not part of the Monadnock Art tour such as Temple, Swanzey, New Ipswich and Rindge. For information and a map go to fallfoliageartstudiotour.com/temple_artists.html.

Peak Into Peterborough 2025 is Saturday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free, familyfriendly festival in downtown Peterborough includes vendors, local businesses, food, music and activities for children. The popular annual Soup Contest will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; guests are invited to cast their vote for best soup, and the contest is free. Music will take place at Main Stage in Depot Park, behind Toadstool

COURTESY ASHLEY WADLEIGH

The Greenfield Oktoberfest raises funds for the historic Greenfield Meetinghouse.

Hannaford employees at the 2024 Keene Pride Festival.

COURTESY

Monadnock Art Open Studios Tour

A self-guided tour through the breathtaking fall landscape and picturesque towns of the Monadnock Region in Southwestern NH. A vast array of mediums and styles, and an intimate setting to chat with world-class artists in their element. Studios open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Information, Tour Map, and Artist Profiles at

www. monadnockart .org

21

65 working studios!

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

October 11–13 ~ 10am–5pm

Books. For more information go to business.greatermonadnock.com/events/details/2025peak-into-peterborough-52300.

October 10 through12 is also the annual Milford Pumpkin Festival.

The festival includes music, pumpkin-themed activities for children, food and drink vendors, the popular haunted trail by Haunted Spring and the Great Pumpkin Weigh Off. The opening ceremony, on Friday, Oct. 10, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. at the Milford Oval, features the annual lighting of the Town Hall pumpkin. The festival includes a dance jam, appearances by a Company of Witches, and beer, wine and spirit tasting on the lawn of the town hall. For more information go to milfordpumpkinfestival.org/activities-music.

The Keene Pumpkin Festival is Saturday, Oct. 18, starting at 2 p.m.

The youth and children-centered event includes vendors, activities, music and thousands of jack-olanterns hand-carved by volunteers.

The festival winds down around dark after the jack-o-lanterns are lit.

Find information at pumpkinfestival.org.

The Peterborough Viva Bach Festival. Peterborough’s annual Bach

COURTESY

Jack-o-Lanterns at the Keene Pumpkin Festival.

festival is October 24 through 26.

The first concert is Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at All Saints Church at 53

Concord St. in Peterborough. The programs. For more information or event includes performances by tickets, go to vivabachpeterborlocal youth, lectures., and education ough.org.

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Learn about ways towns and individuals are finding new uses for old properties.

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Squad hits rough patch.

$1 2024 2024 31,31, DECEMBER DECEMBER SDAY, SDAY, TUE TUE PETERBOROUGH, NH

H Heroes

conWhile the challenges tinue, so do the good neighworks done by our our bors, our teachers, our health care providers, many volunteers and so story. others. This is their is Savings Bank of Walpole the 2024 proud to support by members who were nominated of the MonHometown Heroes and selected by editors Hometown of the community pt. Nominate your adnock Ledger-Transcri t.com.

Hero today at ledgertranscrip

OUR 2024

director – as the emergency management ipt Hometown Monadnock Ledger-Transcr Hero for December. thing after the next “It has been one done for of what she has with her in terms

By BILL FONDA the town,” he said. Day met after he was Monadnock Ledger-Transcript Hall said he and 2014 to of retirement in asked to come out Day was on the Select to be done in serve as fire chief. for several If something needs a good chance Karen Board, and after they met became a Greenfield, there’s it. do Hall said she quickly Day will agree to hard to get,” she said. hours, he was trying to reforms the of “Volunteers are to do supporter the department. able, I’m willing introduce to “As long as I’m sleeves and worked “She rolled up her some things.” spirit that led retired with me tirelessly,” he said.

It’s that “can-do” nomito grandparents lived Chief David Hall Day ’s parents and SeGreenfield Fire member of the SEE HERO A4 nate Day – a former the Concurrently chairs lect Board who serves as and servation Commission

and volunteer Longtime town official December is Hometown Hero for

COURTESY PHOTO

Hall Fire Chief David Then-Greenfield Day with a plaque in presents Karen her for her work 2017 recognizing town’s emergency developing the management plan.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

PE TERBOROUGH

Year-end ritual returns

Nonie’s says farewell PE TERBOROUGH

Owners and longtime

customers talk about

restaurant’s departure

Labyrinth will be at Town House Dec. 31 and Jan. 1

By DAVID ALLEN

By JESSECA TIMMONS

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

of coming Recalling a half-century in PeterStreet to Nonie’s on Grove Grant of Peterborborough, Lillian the bakery case. ough pointed to out on the dough“I want to be laid nut shelf,” she said. longtime paOn Friday at Nonie’s, meals at the final its trons enjoyed their before it closed restaurant hours doors for good. has moved “The whole experienceGreg Smith owner me to tears,” said the lunch prep in as he oversaw that included seeing kitchen, which get any bits of his children didn’tof eggs they were shells in the bowl

of PeSince 1999, a group have terborough residents to create a come together reflect on space for people has passed the year that ahead. and the year coming Year’s New The to the Labyrinth will return House Peterborough Town31. The on Tuesday, Dec. to the open labyrinth will be 8 p.m. Dec. public from 1 to 5 p.m. on to a.m.

8 and 31 Jan. 1. and Admission is free, accepted donations will be cost of mamixing. breakfast and to help cover the are welSmith began serving ago, and has terials. Volunteers 24 years create the lunch at Nonie’s come to help 9 to 11 a.m.

I loved doing so. from that ago labyrinth years remove the “I told my father on Dec. 31 and a breakfast place. at 5 p.m. wanted to own labyrinth starting available, he said When it became on Jan. 1. the ‘Buy it,’” said Smith.

ALLEN Last year was comes from STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID PeterborThe name “Nonie’s” 25th year of the an earlier owner’s the name of on Friday. ough labyrinth. took it over, he memories at Nonie’s on New Year’s and mother. When Smith offerstarted meal the a “It to enjoy turn of the and Alison Weber commitment and brought some changes Eve 1999, at the In spite of this Lillian Grant, left, for ings. customers, multiSmith has a term buy corned some very loyal SEE L ABYRINTH A4 from this philosophy.

“Restaurants would it buy pre-packaged we made things brisket and boil restaurants that SEE NONIE’S A4 – can openbeef, but we’d buy and corned beef preciated that and processed ingredients off, to make reubens went to food scratch.” and no cartons “We Trays of fresh eggs reflect ers. hash,” he said. how to upgrade on a nearby table shows and learned I think people ap- of egg mixes the quality of things.

2 Calendar 3 Crossword 6 Obituaries

7 7 8

praises On way out, Sununu

NH politics

anywhere walked away. Never, that hapwould sides are literally from op- on both shoulder to shoulder, in this country, than New HampParenthood. Activists standing with pen other crowded the and it was in that moment posing sides the state, the outgoing shire. I sat there, because I as they de- literally while they’re After four terms leading council chambers the governor emotional for me private sector it that debate?” Sununu went, ‘God darn it, we do bated the contract. governor plans to rejoin One flooded having “The room was walked said. “They took the vote. and right.’” who side lost, seen a lot. mo- with just citizens else in the side won, one and one side SEE SUNUNU A4

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY One of his favorite the door. Where one side was OK, an executive in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript you get a divisive was upset, but everyone ments? He was to country can people and was about like that, where in govern- councilorfunding for Planned issue In his 14 years on Sununu has vote ment, Gov. Chris SEE DONATION A0

^D >> W Z

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025

Proposal would cap school

CONVAL

Budget set to go up 3.13%

H Heroes

District residents will vote on petition article in March

By DAVID ALLEN

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

ON THE TRAIL

ABOUT THE SERIES Each month, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript will recognize one of our region’s many Hometown Heroes. Follow along at ledgertranscript.com and learn how you can nominate a Hometown Hero.

WILTON

Jon Sargent leads tracking walk at Heald Tract

By DAVID ALLEN

SEE CONVAL A4

—STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FONDA

Erika Alusic-Bingham talks about her work with Community Action Partnership Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties.

MAKING AN IMPACT

"I think they’re the heroes, the kids. They’re Erika Alusic-Bingham strives to help so hard,” along with the families, she family members of all generations working said. “I’m just here for some suggestions and hand-holding.”

In nominating Alusic-Bingham, Peterborough

By BILL FONDA Sunshine Fund board member Katie Wilson Monadnock Ledger-Transcript lauded her for her work as family services coordinator for western Hillsborough County, including Erika Alusic-Bingham is the Monadnock after-school and summer programs for local Ledger-Transcript’s Hometown Hero for Janyouths and coordinating a holiday gift program uary, but she said the credit should go to the with the Sunshine Fund. youths and families she works with Community “She's been doing this work for decades and Action Partnership Hillsborough and Rockingwe feel she deserves the recognition and gratiham Counties. tude of a Hometown Hero,” Wilson wrote on be-

half of the Sunshine Fund board.

Alusic-Bingham has been with the former Southern New Hampshire Services since 1996, after having worked in special education at Peterborough Elementary School.

She first worked out of Riverview Apartments and Pineview Apartments, and now operates out of a room across the hall from Peterborough Food Pantry at the town’s community center.

Games and activities are stacked all around the room, and sayings such as “Be kind. It costs you nothing” line the walls.

SEE HOMETOWN HERO A4

OUR 2025 COMMUNITY PARTNER

While the challenges continue, so do the good works done by our neighbors, our teachers, our health care providers, our volunteers and so many others. This is their story.

Savings Bank of Walpole is proud to support the 2025 Hometown Heroes who were nominated by members of the community and selected by editors of the Monadnock LedgerTranscript. Nominate your Hometown Hero today at ledgertranscript.com.

éÎκº é >éÎ é×ļ>é d D E d é×

Luxury Mattresses, Power Chairs, Discount Prices

Some new-fallen snow allowed local residents to explore the Heald Tract in Wilton and figure out who else is meandering the region this winter.

Jon Sargent, an experienced tracker, led a group of curious hikers through the trails of the 1,492-acre preserve on a recent Sunday to see what other creatures had gone before them on a blanket of white.

“Could be a fisher cat, dog,” said Sargent about could be a some tracks found in the snow early on.

Sargent been tracking for more than three decades, and cited one catalyst for his interest book as a and early learning -- “Tracking and Seeing” by Paul Rezendes.the Art of drews of the Wilton Public Nikki AnFree Library was another and Gregg force behind this excursion, which is one brary ’s “Boots and Books” of the liseries of walks.

The Heald Tract is managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and includes land in Wilton, Mason, Greenville and Temple.

Between hikers and dog-walkers, it can be hard to find animal tracks in high-traffic areas, but Sargent told the group how to do so.

“Animal tracks cross trails, they

Can you identify tracks? To learn whatthese they are, see Page 6.

The New Ipswich Fire Department will be making a second try at creating a combined position that will include a firefighter, code enforcement officer and building inspector position, after a similar article failed narrowly last year.

The article was amended during Tuesday night’s deliberative session, held in the Mascenic Regional High School auditorium.

Jon Sargent

it’s

7 Calendar 12 9 Crossword 12 11 For the Record13 Classified14,15 Obituaries 16

try

By ASHLEY SAARI

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

teaches that distances STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN SEE TR ACKS A6 walking between an animal’s tracks or running. tell whether Opinion Arts Sports

NEW IPSWICH

Giving it another Warrant article would combine firefighter, code enforcement and building inspector positions

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

By JESSECA TIMMONS

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Sports 6 Classified14,16 Opinion 7 Crossword 15 House&Home 8 Calendar 15 Obituaries 16

district budget

tures to be put to voters in the disThe article seeking to trict. The budget recommended cap the bud- appropriate by get was informed funds based on a the School Board for by the School Dis- pupil the cost and average daily per- ready cuts six teachers. Property school year is $61,391,446,2025-2026 trict Governance Association atten- Committee Chair of New dance. an in- Hampshire, Jim Fredrickson of crease of just over 3% according to Blake over this year’s Minckler, Sharon said last “The calculation involved budget. The budget cap the (av- do not approve week that if voters warrant arti- member a Dublin resident and erage daily membership), cle states of the Dublin Education An initiative to cap which is trict will have the proposal, the disAd- 1,936 the ConVal shall not that “the School Board visory Committee.

School District’s budget The organization’s vidingstudents in the district, and di- would mean a default budget, which submit a recommended will be on the budget cutting more teachers. a school budget total website states that it is district’s ballot in March. that is higher than by that The default “Giving voters figure,” budget would be $60.5 Minckler lars per pupil costs times 29,000 dol- a voice by empowering elected A petition warrant school figure was arrived said. The $29,000 million. The School the average district article that daily membership Board does not officials to reclaim at by dividing the recommend would cap the budget in residence in the over control approved at $56,144,000 district,” the budget cap article. budgets and curriculum.”

2023-2024 budget garnered the 25 necessary allowing for an increase of Asked how both proposed $56,388,056 by the 1,936 for signa- inflation.

The warrant article budgets attendance could fare before voters, Dublin RSA 32:5-e, which allows references figure. repdistricts to The district’s budget proposal alSEE BUDGE T A5

crease from the current budget. It inmoney.”

Oeser said this year’s proposed cludes increases to teacher pay that budget gave her sticker shock, be- were part of previous collective bartween the proposed budget and war- gaining agreements. rant articles, which includes an upPrevious studies on the issue dated teacher contract. Oeser said Rindge residents can’t afford the conThe town has done two studies on tinued increase on their taxes, among withdrawal, both which ultimately reother issues she has with the district. sulted in keeping the district together The currently proposed budget for – one in 2000, and the other in 2019.

2025-2026 is $33.76 million, which is SEE RINDGE A4 about a $1.3 million, or 4.13%, in-

Health insurance and transportation are main reasons for increase

The proposal ConVal operating budget of approximately $59 million represents an increase of slightly less than $1.8 million over 2024-2025, or 3.13% increase.

Four members of the public attended the Thursday’s annual budget hearing, in which interim Superintendent Ann Forrest said the increase is mostly caused by rising costs in health insurance and transportation. In 2024, the district’s health insurance costs jumped 24%, causing the district to offset the cost to taxpayers with funds from the health care trust fund. The increase for 2025-2026 is 14%, and the cost of dental insurance went up 5%.

Roughly 75% of the district’s budget is made up of salaries and benefits, with 47.9% comprised of salaries and 27.4% of benefits. In total, the cost of benefits went up $1.066 million At a December budget hearing, the district an-

$1.$1 50

CONVAL

Petition article seeks withdrawal study Rindge Cooperative School Dis- trict, after determining the potential trict and analyze what it would cost expenses of the town striking out on for the town to educate its own stu- its own.

Oeser said it’s time to revisit that dents.

The petition, submitted by resi- discussion, saying that there were opdent Roberta Oeser, is similar to a tions left unexplored, or that circumBy ASHLEY SAARI withdrawal study done in 2019. At the stances may have changed in the past Monadnock Ledger-Transcript time, Oeser was a member of the Se- five years, making it a more-viable lect Board, and represented the option. She said there was one main A petition warrant article is asking Rindge Select Board on that commit- driving force behind seeking to redo Rindge residents to initiate a study tee. Ultimately, the committee voted the study now.

“It’s financial,” she said. “It’s on withdrawing from the Jaffrey- unanimously to remain with the dis-

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025

$1

RINDGE

Roberta Oeser says money is reason for studying JaffreyRindge departure

INTRODUCING New Single Family Homes at:

See page 14 for more details!

PETERBOROUGH, NH

Sports, Page 6

PETERBOROUGH, NH

Heroes.

ABOUT THE SERIES region’s many Hometown recognize one of our Hometown Hero.

Ledger-Transcript will you can nominate a Each month, the Monadnock t.com and learn how Follow along at ledgertranscrip

d, Day is there When there’s a nee

Sports Business Classified

The previous article called for a fire chief to be part of position, while this year’s the article asks for a “fire officer.”

Fire Chief Ben Hatcher explained that the officer would likely be of captain rank, would be able to address and the administrative work on the partment along with debeing ready to respond to active calls. Hatcher said staffing volunteer departments during the day is increasingly cult, citing a recent housediffifire when the Rindge department was only able to respond with SEE POSITION A5

CONVAL

Session focuses on withdr awals, spending cap

School Board recommends against all three proposals

from the ConVal School Dis- membership numbers trict; and Article 9, a budget to calculate the cap warThe motion to amend population of the district, rant article signed by the wording be changed to Jan. 34 Dublin resi- to Jan. 1 passed. dents.

1. Fredrickson also said

By JESSECA TIMMONS that The wording in the warrant the wording of the amendment The ConVal School board Monadnock Ledger Transcript article was stems from an does not problematic recommend any of the organization called the because “there three articles. rect correlation between is not a di- School District Governance Jim Fredrickson of Sharon, Public comment at ConVal’s Associalosing one tion of New chair of student and delib- the ConVal School Hampshire, which is advosaving $29,000.” erative session Tuesday Board’s Budget and cating for school budget night in the Property The cap is based on ConVal High School Committee, suggested caps articles spending of across gym focused on the wording that the state. The group’s Articles 7 and 8, of the budget cap warrant $29,000 per student. (See related story website which states: “Elected school on Page 1.) article, which Dublin and Francestown’s propose district officials now have a resource withdrawal school district stipulates that the “It does not work that devoted enuse Oct. 1 average daily way,” he said.

SEE SCHOOL BOARD A5

NEW LISTING AN

4 EASTRIDGE DRIV D OPEN HOUSE E, PETERBOROUG H

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NEW IPSWICH: Library set to offer new programs. Page 3 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: A taste of Japan in Dublin.

Page 9

SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE

175 YEARS

STATE HOUSE

NE-472675

22

-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

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Fall is in the air here at Steele’s Come check out all the new seasonal cards, gifts, puzzles and candles.

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GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL

lIÞ 0 ÞÜ/ ./ Þ" Þ - ÜÞ ./ 5 Saturday, September 27, 2025 • 11am to 5pm _ZaxÞIK]SGSapmÞ lKK\ÞPaaI· R>_I^>IKÞi>molSKm·Þ^pmSG· >_IÞ lKK\ÞI>_GS_QÞlSQRoÞS_ a_GalI»Þ lS_QÞxaplÞP>^S]x >_IÞPlSK_ImÞoaÞoRSmÞPp_Í ]]KI PKmoSu>]¶Þ->S_ÞalÞ.RS_K»

FREE ADMISSION! 68 North State Street Concord, NH (603) 225-2961 vvv¶Ra]xolS_Sox_R¶alQÃo>moKÍaPÍQlKKGKÍPKmoSu>]Ã *>l\S_QÞ>u>S]>F]KÞ>oÞ6>xmiaS_oÞ>_IÞ K^aGl>oÞ K>Ikp>loKlm

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One of the oldest fully operational farms left in New Hampshire

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-HARVEST GUIDE — September 2025

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We offer a discount to all U.S. military and first responders *Includes active duty, reserves and veterans