New Hampshire Magazine September 2017

N E W H A M P S H I R E M AG A Z I N E SEPTEMB ER 2 01 7

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NHMAGAZINE.COM President/Publisher Sharron R. McCarthy x5117 smccarthy@mcleancommunications.com Editor Rick Broussard x5119

editor@nhmagazine.com Art Director Chip Allen x5128 callen@nhmagazine.com

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Contributing Editor Barbara Coles barbaracoles@comcast.net

Food Editor Susan Laughlin sllaughlin@gmail.com

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Š 2017 McLean Communications, Inc. New Hampshire MagazineŽ is published by McLean Communications, Inc., 150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101, (603) 624-1442. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any mistakes in advertisements or editorial. Statements/opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, McLean Communications, Inc.: New Hampshire Magazine disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors. New Hampshire Magazine is published monthly.

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nhmagazine.com | September 2017

Contents 48 First Things 4 Editor’s Note 6 Contributors Page 8 Feedback

Features

56 603 Informer

603 Living

10 Apple Season

30 THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

76 Home

photo by Jenn Bakos

photo by Jim Salge story by Polly Tafrate

by Amy Mitchell

GUIDE TO FARMSTANDS

14 September Picks

MEDICAL SPAS

by Karen A. Jamrog

84 Seniority

35 Artisan O.H. HARRIS CABINETMAKER

by Susan Laughlin

FITNESS EVENTS

16 Our Town

37 Review

WALPOLE

by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers

SPICED CORN ON THE COB

NH IN THE NEWS

by Rick Broussard

SENIOR LEGISLATORS

by Lynne Snierson

86 Local Flavor

36 Blips

by Sarah Cahalan

LOCAL HOME GOODS

80 Health

34 Politics

by James Pindell

48 Swing Shift

from left: photos by kendal j. bush, jared charney and kendal j. bush

AND TRAIL ANGELS

LOSING THE SPOTLIGHT

Meet yo-yo competitor Mengwei Zheng of Keene.

by David Mendelsohn

56 Build Your Best You

66

603 Navigator

46 In Their Own Words

Don’t call it a comeback. Contra dance never disappeared, but now a new generation is discovering its charms.

by Tiffanie Wen photos by Kendal J. Bush

September 2017

by Susan Laughlin

88 Calendar of NH Events

ERNEST THOMPSON’S LOCAL FILMS

New Year’s is long gone, but it’s never too late to make a resolution to improve. Local experts offer tips for revealing your best self. compiled by the New Hampshire Magazine staff

20 Retail

by Rick Broussard

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS GEAR

38 First Person

by Madison Neary

edited by Sarah Cahalan

66 The Many Souls of Francestown

26 Small Bites

92 Dine Out

Author Anders Morley discovers that there’s much more to this small town than meets the eye.

by Anders Morley photos by Kendal J. Bush

by Susan Laughlin

by Susan Laughlin

22 Food & Drink DONUT LOVE

WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH

FOOD NEWS

28 Outsider FALL HIKES

by Marty Basch

GOOD EATS

CONTINUING EDUCATION

by Susan Laughlin

96 Ayuh

40 Out and About

by Mike Morin

THE SHOE GORGE

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE

ON THE COVER Illustrator Alexandra Bye created the “Build Your Best You” cover. See the feature story starting on page 56 for tips on fitness, beauty, fashion and more.

edited by Susan Laughlin

Volume 31, Number 9 ISSN 1560-4949 nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

2017 Annual Dinner

Health and Wildness

Featuring One of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World Today”

“In wildness is the preservation of the world,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. Now, physicians and scientists are suggesting that wildness may be the preservation of good health as well.

STEPHEN

PINKER

O

ur claim to Thoreau here in New exists even in our groomed spaces.

Hampshire isn’t very substantial.

Speaking of wild, an angry letter sent by a While his famous seclusion at woman from Alabama to the editor of the Walden Pond may have echoes in the people New Hampshire Union Leader back in June Wednesday, October 25 who move to the Granite State to “get away drove a number of locals pretty wild.

Radisson Hotel Manchester from it all, ” our primary concrete connec“The trails in the White Mountains are a Reception 5:00 pm/Dinner 6:30 pm tions to the naturalist are that his mother disgrace,” wrote Mary Altz-Smith, who said Tickets & sponsorship at grew up in Keene, and he based his first book she and her husband are “veteran backpackers www.nhhumanities.org on a trip that traced the Merrimack River to with 40 years of hiking experience.” its source in the foothills of Mt. Washington.

“You have to negotiate boulders and, basically, On the other hand, our claim to “wildness” hike rocky stream beds to gain the most meager is quite strong. We lead the nation (right after vistas and distance. These trails are dangerous Maine) in the percentage of our state that is and limit safe use to only athletes,” she wrote, NHH_nhmagazine.com ad_sept 2017.indd 1 7/10/2017 4:38:42 PM “tree-covered,” the top third of our state has a recommending that boulders be “reduced to population that hovers around one to 25 people proper steps.” The letter was loudly mocked, per square mile, and then there’s that berserker of but according to a response by David Brooks a state motto that we’re always so proud to quote. in the Concord Monitor, she had a point. Trails A story we ran a few months ago about a laid out west tended to have horse travel in health trend called “forest bathing” stirred mind and were graded accordingly. Our hiking up a lot of affirmative comments. Somehow trails are generally quite old. “Most famously,” we instinctively know that our own nature wrote Brooks, “the Crawford Path on Mount is revived when we expose it to real nature, Washington, first cut in 1819 for tourists, is and real nature, by definition, is wild.

Science often called the country’s oldest hiking trail in Open Houses 2017 seems to concur, even if you’re going outside continuous use.” Standards change over time.

October 12 & November 14 without seeking to get fit. Forest bathing, for Here’s more of that essay from Thoreau: Check-in 6:15 p.m. instance, involves merely hanging around with “Every tree sends its fibers forth in search of the trees in their natural state, not hiking through Wild. The cities import it at any price. Men plow them. Studies at Nippon Medical School in Toand sail for it. From the forest and wilderness come kyo suggest that simply breathing air rich with the tonics and barks which brace mankind. Our the oils and ions of a natural forest can enhance ancestors were savages. The story of Romulus and the immune system for a month or more.

Remus being suckled by a wolf is not a meaningless Maybe such wildness accounts for the fable. The founders of every state which has risen fact that we can be one of the very healthiest to eminence have drawn their nourishment and states in the country and simultaneously be a vigor from a similar wild source. It was because Call or email “drug-infested den” of opioid abuse, as was so the children of the Empire were not suckled by the Admissions today to inelegantly noted by President Trump. wolf that they were conquered and displaced by RSVP or for more information In this issue, we quote an expert on the children of the northern forests who were.” at (603) 777-1336 or mindfulness on how to be more attentive and Stay wild, New Hampshire. admissions@heronfield.org centered.

One technique he recommends is 356 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, NH simply to walk barefoot in your own backyard. www.heronfieldacademy.org That’s one way to discover how much wildness

Check out this awesome middle school!

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nhmagazine.com | September 2017

TAMWORTH GARDEN

WHITE MOUNTAIN GIN SCRATCH-MADE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Tamworth Garden White Mountain Gin combines traditional gin botanicals with a blend of Centennial, Citra, and Amarillo hops for notes of citrus and pine, resulting in a bright, fresh flavor. This gin pairs well with everything, while remaining smooth and interesting enough to sip on its own, making it a true New Hampshire staple.

15 Cleveland Hill Road Tamworth, NH, U.S. | TamworthDistilling.com

Please Imbibe Our Spirits Responsibly. Š 2017 Tamworth Distilling & Mercantile, Tamworth, NH

Contributors Kendal J. Bush shot the photos for both feature stories “Swing Shift” and “The Many Souls of Francestown.” Before calling the Monadnock Region home, she traveled the world as an editor and videographer for the National Geographic Channel and NBC. She combines years of experience as a photojournalist with her film school education to yield colorful, creative portraits and corporate, wedding and event photography. Her work is frequently featured on the cover of Parenting New Hampshire magazine and in the pages of New Hampshire Magazine’s Bride.

for September 2017

BBC columnist Tiffanie Wen wrote the feature story “Swing Shift.” Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, the Daily Beast and others.

Anders Morley, who wrote the feature story “The Many Souls of Francestown,” is a freelance writer and translator from New Hampshire.

Illustrator Alexandra Bye created the cover. She specializes in character design, hand lettering, graphic design, and traditional and digital media.

Susan Laughlin, our cuisine editor, wrote this month’s “First Person” and “Retail.” She also produces our monthly “Food & Drink” and “Artisan” sections.

Freelance writer Mike Morin, who wrote “Ayuh,” is a former morning radio host and author of “Fifty Shades of Radio.”

Freelance writer Polly Tafrate wrote “Trail Angels.” She covers a wide range of topics and has appeared in publications throughout New England.

About | Behind The Scenes at New Hampshire Magazine Greetings from Dublin

That’s Dublin, Ireland, not the much-closer province where our parent company Yankee Publishing is based. Like any journalistic periodical, we like to think we get around, and we encourage readers to take us with them and send back photos as proof of our reach. When local musician (and professional career advisor from New England College) Eugene Durkee went abroad in July, he had a particularly fun encounter. Durkee is known for his Celtic guitar stylings, and he had flown to Ireland for a tour of pubs where he could join sessions (Irish music jams) with local players.

He recounts his first stop after disembarking:

Dear NH Magazine: After a convoluted flight to Dublin and temporary loss of baggage, we found bartender Fergus in County Longford watching the Dublin-Kildare Gaelic football match with a copy of New Hampshire Magazine in his hand. Slainte! Cheers!

— Durk 6

nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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Send letters to Editor Rick Broussard, New Hampshire Magazine, 150 Dow St. Manchester, NH 03101 or email him at editor@nhmagazine.com.

Feedback

emails, snail mail, facebook, tweets

nhmagazine.com, facebook.com/NHMagazine & @nhmagazine

Keep it Classy

Great Review I was so pleased to see a page in your July issue telling about Ruth Doan MacDougall’s series of books [“Review”]. She is my dearest and best friend from junior high at Laconia High School. I have always admired her intelligence, her self-discipline and her explosive laugh that makes me feel witty and happy. She’s the only person I know who uses literary references in everyday conversations.

I’m sure you know about the hiking books she publishes every few years, as did her father, Daniel Doan. The books describe new trails and changes in the old trails that NH hikers want to explore.

I especially enjoy your interviews of NH characters and artisans who describe their love of New Hampshire. Have you ever done a piece on the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club? Every island and every shoreline on Winnipesaukee has a story to tell.

Sally Smith Barrett Bluffton, SC

Diplomatic Corrections The implication in “Rockin’ State Ambassadors” [“Politics,” July 2017] that the White House press release erred in identifying Scott Brown as a resident of Massachusetts lets him off the hook. The appointment process allows the nominee to designate his state of legal residence to the White House before it is announced for the US Senate to confirm. Scott Brown’s personal choice apparently was to be from Massachusetts instead of New Hampshire this time around.

I am familiar with the procedure, having 8

nhmagazine.com | September 2017

been nominated as Ambassador to Sierra Leone by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2004 as being “of New Hampshire.” Incidentally, New Hampshire is also home to many more former ambassadors than cited in the article, myself included, although not all were New Hampshire residents when appointed.

At any one time roughly 30 percent of US ambassadors are “political” appointees, while the vast majority are apolitical career senior foreign service officers nominated by the president for their diplomatic accomplishments. The article has the ratio reversed in stating that “most ambassadors are ... either big campaign donors or major political players,” and referring to “a few ambassadors who are career diplomats.”

It is true that most political envoys are appointed to comfortable capitals in Europe, the Caribbean, and, yes, New Zealand. Regardless of locale, however, all ambassadors share a responsibility to advance our national interests on complex issues. Although non-career ambassadors may be diplomatic neophytes in representing America abroad, this can be balanced by a political connection to the president, as may prove true for Scott Brown.

Thomas N. Hull, III Ambassador (ret.)

Grantham

Good Penmanship Award: Call us

old-fashioned, but every month or so we get a letter that takes us back to grade school in the days when “penmanship” was an actual subject that was taught and graded. We’d have to give Sally Smith Barrett an A for this one, if we had the necessary certification. Instead, we’ll just offer her a free one-year subscription to extend her own or to give as a gift. And just to encourage the disappearing art of handwritten letter writing, we’d love to make this a monthly thing.

So, letter writers, write on. You may see your calligraphy (i.e., beautiful writing) in a future page of Feedback.

Correction: In the August issue’s “Informer,” we misidentified the Manchester Mounted Police horses in the caption. They are identified correctly below. We regret the error.

Loving It I love your magazine. It offers so much for me as a transplant from Maryland. I love day trips, and this state is just beautiful. The coast is my favorite place to be.

Norma Lee Englar Manchester

photo by kendal j. bush

Another gorgeous, interesting issue although the phrase “whiny Arlo Guthrie” in “Psychic Salute” [“In Their Own Words,” August 2017] added nothing relevant to the feature. For me, it actually detracted.

New Hampshire Magazine is customarily so well-written and produced — that was gratuitous, a cheap shot and out of character.

Please keep up the great work. Let lesser media be snarky.

Completely respectfully, Chip Underhill Manchester

From left: Officer Kelly McKenney with General Stark and officer Paul Rondeau with Valor

ALEMBIKA

embraces femininity and flow Spot four newts like the one above (but much smaller) hidden on ads in this issue, tell us where you found them and you might win a great gift from a local artisan or company. To enter our drawing for Spot the Newt, send answers plus your name and mailing address to:

Spot the Newt c/o New Hampshire Magazine 150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101 Email them to newt@nhmagazine.com or fax them to (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Josie Reed of Bethesda, Md. August issue newts were on pages 7, 17, 33 and 117.

NEED A GOOD REASON FOR SPOTTING THE NEWT?

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This month’s lucky Newt Spotter will receive a collection of Maple Nut Kitchen’s Paleo Granola featuring Northern Berry Harvest, Eastern Apple Pecan, Southern Cherry Almond and Western Cocoa Cayenne. Maple Nut Kitchen creates specialty granolas in Keene. Each batch is hand-blended with delicious ingredients, including local maple syrup. They are proud members of NH Made (nhmade. com), the state’s official booster of locally made products. maplenutkitchen.com

Visit our Flagship store in the Lake Sunapee Region for the largest selection of woolens you’ll find anywhere!

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603 Navigator “What is paradise but a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure and nothing there but delights.” — William Lawson

Last fall, then-3-year-old Leena Marie Palmer enjoyed a fresh-picked apple at Mack’s Apples in Londonderry.

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Photo by Jenn Bakos

Events 14 Our Town 16 Retail 20 Food & Drink 22 Small Bites 26 Outsider 28

Fall Bounty

Where to pick your own apples If you’ve never tasted an apple plucked directly from the branch, then you’re missing out on one of the unique pleasures of living in New England. There is simply no comparison to a storebought apple. That perfect crisp crunch and bright, sweet juice are only found during fall while strolling through bucolic orchards or perusing the shelves of the farmstand.

There are many pick-your-own orchards in New Hampshire — far too many to list here. We’ve selected a few favorites, more can be found online at nhmagazine.com/fall and you can learn about Lull Farm starting on page 12.

Alyson’s Orchard

Mack’s Apples

Alyson’s grows everything from berries and peaches to plums and nectarines, but this 450-acre orchard (with 50 acres of fruit-bearing trees) is best known for its apples. Choose from more than 50 types of apples, including many heirloom varieties. When you’ve had your fill of apple picking, let the kids visit with the goats, play a game of bocce or just enjoy the beauty of this gorgeous orchard.

Mack’s Apples has an impressive history — this eighth-generation, family-run farm has about 400 acres with 100 of those dedicated to apples. In fact, the Mack family has continuously farmed the land since 1732. There are also lovely walking trails and both ice cream and farmstands. At the farmstand, you’ll find fresh vegetables, honey, pumpkins, squash, local maple syrup and many other items.

Applecrest Farm

Poverty Lane Orchards

This fourth-generation farm also grows a number of different fruits, pumpkins and gourds, but there’s a reason apples are its namesake — they have 220 acres of orchards growing more than 40 varieties.

Applecrest’s 43rd season of fall festivals begins the first weekend of September and continues every weekend through the end of October. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., they offer pick-your-own fruit and cutyour-own flowers, bluegrass music, old-fashioned ice cream with fruit from the farm, horse-drawn hayrides, face painting, pie-eating contests and more.

Specializing in heirloom varieties plus your familiar favorites, Poverty Lane also grows cider apples for the related Farnum Hill Ciders. These hard ciders are available in other stores, but nothing beats picking your own apples followed by a growler fill for the adults. The farm store also sells regular cider and other products. There are free weekend wagon rides (weather permitting), picnic tables and plenty of room for kids to play.

57 Alyson’s Ln., Walpole, alysonsorchard.com

133 Exeter Rd., Hampton Falls, applecrest.com

Stone Brook Hill Farm

128 Glidden Rd., Gilford, stonebrookhillfarm.com Enjoy an old-fashioned hay wagon ride into the orchard where more than a dozen apple varieties are available. Definitely don’t miss the lovely farmstand with its delicious cider donuts and fresh-pressed cider.

230 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry, macksapples.com

98 Poverty Ln., Lebanon, povertylaneorchards.com

Brookdale Fruit Farm

41 Broad St., Hollis, brookdalefruitfarm.com Established in 1847, Brookdale offers nearly every kind of fruit and vegetable, including 19 varieties of apples. Make sure you take the time to visit the large Best of NH award-winning farm store that sells the farm’s honey and produce, plus specialty foods, baked goods, local items and much more. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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603 NAVIGATOR

photo by susan laughlin

LOCAL FARMS

On Saturdays Lull Farm offers jerk chicken.

Harvest of Health

pastries, cider donuts and, of course, apple and other fruit pies.

If you just can’t get enough apple in your life, you can also purchase Lull’s applesauce, apple strudel and apple butter.

Saturday visitors will be treated to real Jamaican jerk chicken, seasoned for the BBQ grill by Jamaican employee Shaggy. The chicken he uses is raised right on the farm — it doesn’t get much fresher than that. Owner and farmer Dave Orde travels to Jamaica once a year to reunite with workers’ families who, over the past two decades, have become friends. It’s thanks to their labors that the vast and verdant fields are harvested on time.

Chicken and other delights aside, apples are the star of the season — and happily it’s been a good year for this fall favorite. Each variety has its own ripening schedule, but early September is prime picking season. Find the usual suspects such as Macouns and McIntosh, but also Snow, SnowSweet and Crimson Crisp as well. All types are clearly marked for their best uses, from sauce to pie to eating out of hand.

Eat one fresh from the tree and refrigerate the rest for the best keeping. Later varieties store the best, including Rome, Baldwin, Empire and Honeycrisp. NH

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SUSAN LAUGHLIN

Check it out

The beneficial delights of the farmstand

F

resh, local, lovingly produced: These terms associated with healthy food also characterize the bounty of the local farmstand. Even a cider doughnut, you’d have to think, is a healthier creation when munched out in the fresh air while deciding what veggies to steam with supper. Along with a variety of apples for your one-a-day-keepsthe-doctor-away regimen, Lull Farm in Hollis has it all at harvest time — fields of ripening pumpkins and a farm store that is more like an

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nhmagazine.com | September 2017

artisan food market than a farmstand. Peruse the impressive artisanal cheese case, shop for specialty foods including artisan salts, local ice cream and bulk olive oil or stop by the freezer case to pick up Lull’s own chicken and beef.

Fresh fruits and vegetables that are not grown on the farm are supplied by trusted producers.

The greens mix with edible flowers is a must.

Made-in-the-kitchen specialties feature homemade soups and meals, while bakery favorites include French baguettes, breakfast

Lull Farm Hollis Location 65 Broad St., Hollis (603) 465-7079 Open year-round 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily Milford Location 615 Rte. 13, Milford (603) 673-3119 Open seasonally from April-January 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily livefreeandfarm.com Visit the farm on Facebook for updates on pick-your-own apples.

LOCAL FARMS

More Farmstands Barrett Hill Farm The farmstand is located at the junction of Routes 31 and 124 in Mason.

Open daily from June through the end of September, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. barretthillfarm.com/home Selling farm-grown meats, vegetables, fruit and more Work Song Farm Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton (See the website for exact directions.) worksongfarm.com Pick up fresh vegetables at the farmstand and then take the kids to visit with the farm animals or take a walk through the corn maze.

603 NAVIGATOR

Spring Ledge Farm 37 Main St., New London Open daily; hours vary springledgefarm.com The stand is stocked with their own fruits, plants and vegetables plus many other local food items.

Picnic Rock Farms 85 DW Hwy., Meredith Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. picnicrockfarms.com Beautiful farmstand that specializes in fresh fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, NHmade products such as salsas, Christmas trees (in season) and more

Brookside Farm 8 Mammoth Rd., Pelham Open daily from May through October 10 a.m.-6 p.m. brooksidefarms.wordpress.com Stop in for everything from produce to freshly baked pie and their specialty item — mac and cheese.

Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm 58 Cleveland Hill Rd., Tamworth remickmuseum.org The museum store also sells the farm’s own grass-fed beef, pork and lamb, plus eggs, maple syrup and more.

Find even more farm stores around the state at agriculture.nh.gov.

Coppal House Farm 118 North River Rd., Lee Farmstand is open year-round from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. nhcornmaze.com Find the farm’s own produce, meats, eggs and more. Visit the website to see what’s available. While you’re there, see if you can solve the corn maze.

Devriendt Farm 178 S. Mast St., Goffstown Open daily from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. devriendtfarm.com They sell their own vegetables, herbs, fruits, pumpkins and more, plus McDougall Farm beef, maple products from Grant Family Pond View Sugar House and farm-fresh eggs from the Grant Family Farm in Weare.

Heron Pond Farm 299 Main Ave., South Hampton Open year-round. Summer hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. until Thanksgiving. heronpondfarm.com The farm’s vegetables are available all year long. Also selling local meats, eggs, dairy products and much more. Visit the website to see what’s available.

photo by susan laughlin

Manning Hill Farm 79 Old Manning Hill Rd., Winchester Open Monday-Saturday until 7 p.m.; closed Sunday. Opening hours differ — see the website for details. manninghillfarm.com Purchase “gently pasteurized” milk plus pasture-raised, grass-fed beef, pork, chicken and eggs.

Miles Smith Farm 56 Whitehouse Rd., Loudon The store is open year-round Wednesday-Saturday. Hours depend on the season, so check the website. milessmithfarm.com Located right at the center of the farm, they offer beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, turkey and chicken. Other local products can include produce, milk, eggs, baked goods and more.

You can pick your own apples at Lull Farm or purchase them all ready to go at the store. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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EVENTS

September | Picks

ntains by bike, kayak, Explore the beauty of the White Mou REI Outessa, a womenclimbing rope or sun salutation with d meals and happy hours only outdoor retreat. Chef-prepare d weekend, featuring are included in this largely self-style preferences and skill more than 200 activities to suit all to be had, but the point levels. There’s plenty of sporty fun start communing with is relaxing, so grab a hammock and re included. outessa.com your fellow females — Mother Natu

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outessa photos courtesy of tiny atlas quarterly

Be healthy and happy with recreational events for all

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EVENTS

Not too hot, not too cold — when it comes to recreational events, September is just right.

There’s something for all tastes this month, and if these don’t suit your fancy, worry not: There are even more in our calendar on page 88.

For the Kids

Fun Run at Story Land, September 4, Glen

Your little ones can meet their favorite characters and break a no-pressure sweat at this race around the North Country’s favorite theme park. Don’t forget to bring some books along — a book swap kicks off the morning. believeinbooks.org

For the Ladies (Pictured left)

REI Outessa, September 22-24, Waterville Valley

For the Extreme

Metallak Adventure Race, September 15-16, Colebrook

Formerly known as the North Country Endurance Race, this eight-hour sufferfest calls on participants to navigate, trail-run, bike and paddle through challenging but stunning Coös County terrain. Only the super-fit need apply, but there are some concessions: The mere mortals among us can opt for the four-hour route or participation as a relay team. metallakrace.com

For the Wacky

Southern New Hampshire BubbleBall Tournament September 16, Hudson

If you’ve never seen a BubbleBall game in action, we’d suggest looking up videos online — for educational purposes and for a good laugh. In this fundraising tourney for Family Promise of Greater Nashua, corral a team and suit up in person-sized inflatable orbs for the bounciest game of soccer you’ll ever play. annemariehouse.org

For the Holistic

Health and Wellness Fair, September 22, Concord

Once you’ve practiced some hands-on health improvement, slow the pace for a day of learning about what makes you tick. At this Health Club of Concord fair, peruse 70,000 square feet worth of vendors, demonstrations and holistic doctors ready to answer your most burning questions. healthclubofconcord.com

For the Yogi

Yoga with a View, through September 30, Newbury

All summer, Mount Sunapee Resort has held what might be the state’s most scenic yoga classes at the top of their namesake mountain. Hit the peak by lift or on foot and get ready to ooh, ahh and ohm. mountsunapee.com

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1 REI Outessa, Waterville Valley 2 Southern New Hampshire BubbleBall Tournament Hudson

courtesy photos

For the Cyclist

Seacoast Century Bicycle Weekend, September 23-24 Hampton Beach

At this beloved biking tradition, pick routes from 25-milers to the full 100-mile century that traverse such NH and Maine seacoast sights as the Nubble Lighthouse and historic downtown Portsmouth. granitestatewheelmen.org

3 Fun Run at Story Land, Glen 4 Metallak Adventure Race, Colebrook 5 Health and Wellness Fair, Concord 6 Seacoast Century Bicycle Weekend Hampton Beach 7 Yoga with a View, Newbury

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OUR TOWN

Wonderful Walpole It exemplifies the Monadnock Region

BY BARBARA RADCLIFFE ROGERS

W

alpole could be the poster child for the Monadnock Region, with its tidy cluster of white clapboard and brick residences and its stately public buildings. There’s even a bandstand on the well-mowed green and concerts on summer evenings. But this town overlooking the Connecticut River north of Keene is a lot more than a pretty face.

With café tables spilling out onto the long front porch they share with the post office and a grocery store, L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates and The Restaurant at Burdick’s combine to put Walpole firmly on New Hampshire’s foodie map. Either one is worth traveling for; together, they are irresistible. The chocolate shop serves rich, thick European-style hot cocoa along with coffees and pastries (featuring chocolate, of course) and sells a full range of chocolates, which are made right behind the shop. The restaurant features French bistro favorites (for lunch,

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try the Lyonnaise salad or their plate of house-made terrines and pâtés).

Across Main Street in an imposing Empire-style building is Mazziott Bake Shop, and beyond that are The Village Blooms flower shop and Walpole Artisans Cooperative, a small store filled with well-chosen art works, from beautifully designed silver jewelry to inlaid wood bowls and brilliantly colored fused-glass panels. In the other direction on Main Street is Cynthia-Reeves, an art gallery representing internationally recognized artists.

Crowning the hill opposite, the Greek Revival-style Academy houses the collections of the Walpole Historical Society, including those related to Louisa May Alcott, who summered in Walpole. The building was likely designed by Aaron Prentiss Howland, who was, according to the National Register, “the probable designer and builder of many of the architecturally-harmonious structures of the town.”

View of the Connecticut River Valley from Alyson’s Orchard

Dating even earlier — to 1752 — is the former homestead of one of Walpole’s founders, Col. Benjamin Bellows. The mansion, often remodeled, enlarged and modernized in the intervening centuries, is now the Bellows Walpole Inn, a luxury boutique hotel. The Inn Pub features a small-plate dining menu with out-of-theordinary specialties (braised rabbit salad, raspberry duck and scallops in ginger lime butter) along with more traditional crab cakes and lamb chops.

Walpole is not entirely devoted to fine art, fine dining and chocolate — agricultural traditions run strong here too. One of the most active agricultural communities in the state, Walpole has dairy farms, orchards, market gardens, working maple groves, a winery and a farm-stay B&B. A drive along Route 12 uncovers a movable feast. September is a good time to sample it at its fullest.

A metal sculpture of an apple tree marks the steep driveway of

photos by stillman rogers

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Historic Theater: 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, NH Loft: 131 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH B2W Box Office: 603.436.2400 • TheMusicHall.org /MusicHall @MusicHall /MusicHallNH

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Photo credit: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com

Impeccably turned wooden dishware at Walpole Artisans Cooperative

Alyson’s Orchard, and as you climb past the rows of laden apple trees, the view across the Connecticut Valley to Vermont gets better and better. Pick or buy apples and other seasonal fruits here, and stock up on cider or fruit wines. Below, on River Road, Boggy Meadow Farm has an honor-system dairy shop where you can sample and buy buttery Swiss, delicate maple-smoked Swiss, aged Tomme, pepper-spiked jack and other cheeses. Along with the cheese from their own milking herd, Boggy Meadow sells “Switchel” Cider Vodka, based on a traditional drink served to farmhands at haying time. This 21st-century version — made with boiled apple cider, ginger, a touch of vinegar and grain spirits — has quite the kick.

Stay on River Road to find Homestead Farms, a family market farm with a big field of pumpkins. In September, they offer both summer vegetables — tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and greens — and autumn decorations, including Indian corn, gourds, mums and cornstalks. At the northern end of the village on Route 12 is Pete’s Stand Vegetables, known for sweet, tender corn fresh from the field. Just north of Pete’s is Walpole Creamery, a frequent Best of New Hampshire winner for ice cream made from Walpole cream and locally harvested fruits and maple. In September, pumpkin ice cream should be on the menu.

On the east side of Route 12, the land rises in a series of hills, each level revealing more extensive views. Farms, many of them ac-

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Show Your Best Projects 2018

DESIGN magazine

Enter New Hampshire Home’s 2018 Design Awards now.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF GREG WEST

AWARDS

IN THEIR BEST LIGHT!

South End Revival, the 2017 Home of the Year. Architecture by Lisa DeStefano of DeStefano Architects in Portsmouth; interior design by Amy Dutton of Amy Dutton Home in Kittery, Maine.

Whether you’ve designed or built a spectacular kitchen, a beautiful bath, a unique outdoor space or a fabulous home, we want to see your most impressive work. For 2018, your best projects can be submitted in ten design categories.

For a complete list of award descriptions, judging criteria and information on the entry process, see NHHomeMagazine.com/DesignAwards.

Submissions are due November 3, 2017 and will be judged by an independent jury of design professionals from out of state.

The awards ceremony will be held Wednesday, January 24, 2018 (snow date: Tuesday, January 30, 2018) at the Manchester Country Club. Mark your calendar now— we look forward to seeing you there!

Sponsors of the New HampsHire Home 2018 Design Awards include

Showcasing the finest in home design in the Granite State

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photos by stillman rogers

OUR TOWN

tive, dot these hills, and one of them is now a farm-stay B&B. Guests at The Inn at Valley Farms, a 105-acre organic farm set on a hillside, can collect eggs from the hen house, visit the pastured pigs and cashmere goats, and learn about sustainable farming at their interpretive center. Antiques-furnished guest rooms overlook the large perennial gardens.

Even higher in the hills is Walpole Mountain View Winery, where the first vines were planted in 2004. In September, the vineyard is busy harvesting and crushing grapes, but there’s always someone available to serve tasting flights and appropriate accompaniments in the glass-enclosed tasting room. With views reaching across the valley into Vermont’s Green Mountains, it’s New England’s most scenic vineyard.

Almost at the line where Walpole meets neighboring Alstead, Distant Hill Gardens is a hidden natural paradise that’s a local secret. An environmental and horticultural learning center dedicated to the belief that humans can have a positive effect on nature, the gardens that began as a hobby for Michael and Kathy Nerrie now stretch to 58 acres of The bandstand tree farm, working sugar on Walpole Green bush, native plants and ornamental gardens. A ¾-mile nature trail is open to the public daily, and the gardens are open the first Saturday and Sunday of the month from May through October, or by appointment. NH Follow Barbara’s travels at worldbite.wordpress.com.

Check it out White chocolate mice at L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates

The Restaurant at Burdick’s (603) 756-9058 47mainwalpole.com

Alyson’s Orchard (603) 756-9800 alysonsorchard.com Bellows Walpole Inn (603) 756-3320 bellowswalpoleinn.com Boggy Meadow Farm (603) 756-3300 boggymeadowfarm.com Distant Hill Gardens (603) 756-4179 distanthillgardens.org

Walpole Artisans Cooperative (603) 756-3020 walpoleartisans.org Walpole Creamery (603) 445-5700 walpolecreamery.com Walpole Historical Society (603) 756-3449 walpolehistory.org

Inn at Valley Farms (603) 756-2855 innatvalleyfarms.com L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates (603) 756-2882 burdickchocolate.com

Walpole Mountain View Winery (603) 756-3948 bhvineyard.com

Boulder opal earrings with drusy quartz, petrified sequoia tree, tsavorite garnet and blue topaz in 22k and 18k gold.

Photo by Gabriella Marks.

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603.569.3994

nhmagazine.com | May 2017

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RETAIL

Show Your Patriots Pride The end-of-summer blues are softened by the appearance of the New England Patriots, who loom large each week on our flat-screen TVs. Show team spirit with jewelry, gadgets and kitchen conveniences. It all works in some magical way to keep our team on top. These items can be found on nflshop.com.

BY SUSAN LAUGHLIN

Fromage on the 50-yard Line The New England Patriots three-piece set with solid rubberwood base has a tempered glass lid and cheese knife with its own carved-out area in the wood base. It’s perfect for the team-loving hostess. $60. Also available at The Gift Shoppe at Salzburg Square, Amherst.

Keep the Faith Tasteful Alex and Ani New England Patriots charm bangle in silver. Includes that all-important Super Bowl LI-win charm. $32

Fidget for Gronkowski And hope he doesn’t get injured. Use idle time to boost the team with the New England Patriots three-way molded logo Fidget Spinner. $9.99

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nhmagazine.com | September 2017

Dress to Impress Show team spirit at your next dressy event with the New England Patriots team logo cufflinks. $64.99

Drink with Spirit Bottoms up with this Super Bowl LI 64-ounce glass growler with waxed canvas tote. $55

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To learn more, call 603-836-2302 or visit birchhillterrace.org

FOOD & DRINK

photos by liz davenport

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Taking the Leap

It’s all about family (and donuts) at Donut Love

BY MADISON NEARY

M

ike Oliveira stands in his home kitchen surrounded by eight dozen doughnuts. On his limited counter space, he balances cooling sheets, bags of flour, powdered sugar and one of his three sons’ forgotten rubber ducks. He works with a seemingly unconscious precision, dusting each cookie-cutter circle of bright blue Maine-blueberry-infused dough in a light coating of flour, then he enlarges the perfect cutouts into wide, donut-shaped cylinders. Without breaking the rhythm of his work, he reflects on a childhood spent watching his mother bake in their kitchen and her dream of creating a family business.

Last September, weeks before Oliveira’s youngest son was born, he lost his mother to cancer. With 12 weeks of paternity leave from the police force and a wish to pay homage to his mother, the North Hampton

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native began baking. There was one catch — he’d never made a donut in his life.

As it turns out, he’s pretty good at it.

When he fried his first donut about 10 months ago, he and his wife Steph couldn’t have imagined that the experiment would change their lives. Now, less than a year later, they are fullfilling his late mother’s dream by opening their North Hampton shop, Donut Love. It’s dedicated to her memory. (Note: As of press time in late July, Donut Love was scheduled to open on August 11.)

The journey from officer to baker wasn’t exactly a planned route. “We had no idea what we were doing,” says Oliveira, who figured everything out on the fly as word of his donuts spread.

In the beginning, Oliveira went from selling donuts at a farmstand across the street to personally delivering his goods

Top: Mike Oliveira in his home kitchen Above: A freshly glazed donut

right to customers’ doors. He found that clothing-sized gift boxes were the perfect fit for the larger door-to-door orders, a step up from the Hannaford baked goods boxes he used at the farmstand. He was making three types of dough — cake, traditional yeast and Maine potato — and bringing Steph, the baby and the 6-year-old twins along wherever he went.

They added farmers markets as far away as Amherst to the weekly routine, but soon the Oliveiras couldn’t make enough to keep up with demand. Lines would form at the

photo by liz davenport

For a fresh take on a

intessentially New England

casual dining experience,

The handmade potato donuts have a delightful irregularity to their shape.

The Pointe is unrivaled. markets, and some potential customers were Savor the area’s leftfreshest donut-less. One day in Newmarket, seven dozen doughnuts sold out in minutes. lobster & seafood selections Gradually, they increased production to 24 dozen, and even then the donuts were gone aking in a postcard-perfect in under fiveview hours. All of this was done out of their house, not in a professional kitchen. he majestic Piscataqua River.

Oliveira was frying just two doughnuts at a time in a small countertop fryer while Steph, baby in hand, glazed them by his side.

“It seemed like within 48 hours it went completely viral,” says Oliveira. At that point the small home kitchen operation was at a crossroads. His paternity leave was almost over, and Steph’s own fitness consulting business needed her attention. In March, Oliveira made the decision to leave his 15-year career as a police officer behind and focus everything on his newfound passion.

Taking some advice from the owner of the Holy Donut in Maine, which specializes in potato donuts, he focused on making one perfect potato donut. Store space was secured, a $10,000 fryer was purchased (the counter fryer has since been retired), and his donuts began appearing in cafés and restaurants around the Seacoast.

Donut Love’s donuts are made with only Maine potatoes and are free of artificial preservatives and flavoring. Everything but the sugar is sourced locally from New England. You won’t find the uniform, perfect round shape you’d expect at a commercial store. Oliveira makes his donuts by hand, which gives them a pleasing, slightly irregular shape (though always round) that lets you know no machine dropped these onto a conveyor belt.

The donuts are dense, perfectly sweetened and without any unpleasant oily residue.

This is in part due to the quality of the ingredients, but also because Oliveira

For a fresh take on a quintessentially New England casual dining experience, The Pointe is unrivaled.

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FOOD & DRINK

photos by liz davenport

Oliveira went from selling donuts at a farmstand across the street to personally delivering his goods right to customers’ doors.

Above: Mike Oliveira prepares donuts in his kitchen. Right: Making personal deliveries to Joe’s Meat Shoppe in North Hampton

Oliveira at Donut Love just before it opened. The shop is located at 112 Lafayette Rd. in North Hampton. Visit them on Facebook for more information.

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for the

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In the much larger kitchen at the Donut Love shop in North Hampton

fries the dough in canola oil instead of an animal-based lard.

Though their products are viral-attention-worthy, Donut Love is about more than just a really good sweet treat. The Oliveiras explain that they want to pay it forward, and will offer advice to anyone with hopes of opening a small business. The shop itself is decorated with the signatures of everyone involved in the process of making the shop a reality, the walls list the farms that supply ingredients, and the counter tells the story of the history and people who made Oliveira’s mother’s dream possible.

Opening the shop was certainly a big risk, but it’s one that Oliveira took with confidence.

“You have to take the leap. If I said, let me hang on and let me try and figure this out, I wouldn’t have worked as hard, I wouldn’t have gone all in,” he says. “I had to commit myself to saying, ‘That street is closed, it’s time to go forward,’ and I haven’t looked back.”

He wasn’t alone in his belief that it would all work out. “I just knew that it had legs and it was going to run,” says Steph. “Even if there was a lot of risk, I always felt in my heart that it was the right thing to do.”

Perhaps a little bit of fate was involved as well. Donut Love is located directly across the street from where Oliveira grew up, he signed the intent-to-lease paperwork on Mother’s Day weekend, and the move-in date fell on his mom’s birthday. All signs point toward something that was meant to be. NH

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FOOD NEWS

Small Bites Food news from around the state by Susan Laughlin

Meal delivery kits are a growing industry, but Beth Richards of Local Baskit

wine and beer pairings. They are shipped next-day UPS, delivered locally or can

has an edge with her local produce, quality seafood and grass-fed beef

be picked up at farmers markets in Keene and Bedford, Hermit Woods Winery

from Miles Smith Farm. Using the motto “Loyal to Local,” she provides three

in Meredith or her Concord Marketplace. The marketplace is the site of tasting

options: Choose from the Artisan Baskit with premium meats and seafood,

parties, wellness events and, on September 21, a beer and cannoli tasting with

the Fresh Baskit with quality meats or the vegetarian Simple Basket. Kits

Concord’s Area 23. New this fall will be a soup and salad kit in partnership with

include ingredients for two or four servings, recipes, and suggested local

lēf Farms of Loudon. Check her website for Seacoast pick-ups. localbaskit.com

New Release

Djinn Spirits has announced the release of its latest product, Henry Knox Gin. The result of three years of research into gin production, Knox is a clear, light and fragrant example of the American dry gin style. The required juniper is subdued and balanced against a light grapefruit presence with a cardamom and angelica base. This gin makes a lovely martini and is great in a classic gin and tonic or any one of the many traditional and modern gin cocktails. The distillery, gift shop and tasting room are open weekends from 12-5 p.m. djinnspirits.com.

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Event of the M. onth September 23, 1-6 p.m

Party at Nashua’s Holman Stadium at the 2nd Annual Southern NH Food Truck Festival, featuring live entertainment and beer sales along with a dozen trucks. at Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 . See the door or $20 for VIP access ls. tai Eventbrite for tickets and de

photos by susan laughlin

Local Meal Delivery

Care for the journey of life.

Count on CMC Primary Care for the personalized health care you want, when you want it, for the entire family.

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Convenient laboratory and outpatient rehabilitation locations Call our PRIMARY CARE ACCESS LINE at 603.314.4750 or visit CatholicMedicalCenter.org/My-Primary-Care to meet CMC’s primary care team.

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Fabulous Fall Hikes Start planning your foliage itinerary

BY MARTY BASCH

M

other Nature’s incredible annual display of kaleidoscopic color invites exploration. Though many find warmth and delight in the smell of woodstoves and the taste of sweet apple crisp, fall’s indoor delights are no match for its outdoor treasures, when we can breathe deep the invigorating air while wandering the woods.

Head outdoors and hike into a world of color bursting with bright reds, yellows and oranges before the muted hues and browns take over for twig season.

Fall in New Hampshire is also ripe with arbitrary “best” stories. Certainly there are hikes that are better than others but, during autumn’s splendor, virtually any trek yields rewards — from far-ranging vistas that can include high mountaintops freshly dusted with snow to the deep-probing thoughts that come with solitude.

New Hampshire is fortunate to have so many mountains to choose from. During

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fall, find a new one or return to one you have hiked in another season or on another trail.

Fall is a time when hikers must plan for what’s ahead of them. Fine temperatures and light winds at the trailhead could translate to wintry, windswept conditions at a peak’s summit, especially on one that’s exposed.

Layers are a must, as are essentials such as a hat and gloves. Sunsets come earlier, so flashlights and timing are key.

The Sugarloaf mountains — 2,539-foot Middle Sugarloaf and North Sugarloaf at 2,310 feet — by Twin Mountain are perky peaks with ledgy tops featuring sweeping Presidential Range views. The 3-plus-mile T-shaped hike is loaded with features, from a flat walk along the Zealand River to the towering trailside glacial erratics. Wooden steps lead to the summit of Middle, while North is home to a long-abandoned quarry where smoky quartz was once extracted.

Another double-fun hike is the 4.4-mile

The North Country bursts with color during a fall foliage excursion.

circuit over the tops of Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain. This trek near Waterville Valley is high on the popularity list of hikes in the White Mountains. Quite simply, the views are superb, and it offers an alpine feeling well below tree line. Welch is the smaller of the two mountains at 2,605 feet, but it’s the winner on views with its eagle-eye look down to the Mad River Valley. Dickey’s no slouch at 2,734 feet, and it offers open ledges and rock slabs.

Gorham’s 2,555-foot Mount Hayes is a great platform for a lovely view of the Androscoggin River Valley and northern White Mountains. A moderate 7-mile round-trip hike largely on the Mahoosuc Trail, this journey’s initial steps are on an old steel Boston and Maine Railroad trestle.

A side trip to Mascot Pond on the way back is worthwhile. The area was the site of the Mascot lead mine operation in the late 1800s, and the gated mine above the pond is a bit of a winter bat hotel.

An excellent White Mountains base camp, North Conway has a couple of uplifting near-town hikes. The popular trek up 2,369foot Black Cap Mountain, a relatively easy excursion, leads to a glorious landscape

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tend to like the 4-mile round-trip White Dot Trail on the southeast side, while the Marlboro and Dublin Trails provide a noteworthy 4.4mile round-trip alternative from the west.

The Upper Valley’s Smarts Mountain is an idiosyncratic place. Its summit is graced by a 40-foot-high fire tower with commanding views, a spartan former warden’s cabin, privy, a spring and a small tent site favored by Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. The strenuous 7.2-mile trek on the Ranger Trail/Lambert Ridge Trail yields some vestiges of ranger and fire tower life, such as an old garage.

Red Hill in Moultonborough is a little mountain with a big heart. Only 2,030 feet, the peak is a tiny stage for some wonderful looks at the area’s lakes and mountains. From its top, with tower and picnic table, gaze upon the many dot-like islands surrounded by shimmering water. A rope tow ski area once graced one side. The Red Hill Trail provides a 3.4-mile up-and-back passageway to a view that takes in the Belknap Range and beyond, certainly breathtaking in the cool of an autumn day. NH

eners • Yummy Straw

GLoRiouS GA RdEnS

A pair of hikers takes a break on the summit of Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey.

of ledges yielding sumptuous looks at the Whites. About a 2.4-mile round-trip jaunt through the spruce on the Black Cap Trail, this hike in the Nature Conservancy’s Green Hills is fit for all abilities.

Kearsarge North is a more moderate and longer effort. Take the Mt. Kearsarge North Trail to the 3,268-foot summit and find a sharp-looking fire tower and even a somewhat hidden al fresco privy. Don’t dismiss this as a banal 3,000-footer as the elevation gain may challenge some. Both North Conway hikes are off Hurricane Mountain Road.

Of course, the Granite State has more than one Kearsarge for hikers. Mount Kearsarge in Wilmot’s Winslow State Park is a dominant central New Hampshire peak at 2,930 feet. A pleasing 2.7-mile loop can be made by tackling the mountain from the north using the Wilmot and Barlow trails. Like its northern brother, there’s a fire tower on top of the bare summit, offering views to the White and Green Mountains and beyond.

Another popular centrally located mountain is 3,155-foot Cardigan in Orange, also called “Old Baldy” because of its ledgy crown above the rolling Shem Valley. Enjoy a 360-degree panorama into New Hampshire and Vermont with peaks like Ascutney and Sunapee. The 3-mile round-trip approach on the West Side Trail is popular, while the east contains an Appalachian Mountain Club lodge and a hearty 5.6-mile circuit via Holt, Cathedral Forest, Clark, Mowgli’s and Manning trails.

Mount Monadnock is a four-season favorite. Rising some 2,000 feet above southwest New Hampshire in Monadnock State Park, any trail yields glorious results on the often-windswept 3,165-foot mountain. Hikers

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“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied — it speaks in silence to the very core of your being.” — Ansel Adams

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Politics 34 Artisan 35 Blips 36 Review 37 First Person 38 Out & About 40

Walking the Trail

It gets tough in New Hampshire The 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail extends from the Appalachian Range’s Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

New Hampshire’s portion of the trail includes some of the most difficult terrain, including an ascent of Mt. Washington, where the hiker pictured here pauses to enjoy the view. Often helping hikers along the way are “Trail Angels,” volunteers who provide everything from supplies to hot showers and a soft bed. Learn about some of New Hampshire’s Angels on page 32. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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Trail angel Greg Cook is flanked by hikers Brave Turtle (left) and Castaway, who met on the trail and later married. Popping his head into the shot is a hiker known as Fancy.

Trail Angels

The kindness of strangers is not extinct

BY POLLY TAFRATE

N

orthbound thru–hikers (NOBOs in trail lingo) start in Springer Mountain, Georgia, so by the time they reach Norwich, Vermont, they’ve walked 1,700 Appalachian Trail miles. They know that 500 of the most challenging ones lie ahead, which makes the civilized hiatus in Norwich and Hanover most welcome.

Late summer and early fall are known as “bubble season” as hikers rush to finish the trail at the summit of Mt. Katahdin, Maine, before the October 15 deadline. When they reach Norwich, they follow the trail across the Connecticut River and up the hill to Hanover, NH. Hikers — once mistaken as vagrant or homeless — are now welcomed by communities of people who open their

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homes, hearts, cars and wallets to them.

An active group of volunteers called Trail Angels offers free acts of kindness to these hikers. Some provide them with shuttle services for buying supplies, visiting their mail drops, seeking medical attention or buying a new pair of boots; others invite them into their homes. Hiker boxes are a common sight — leave what they no longer need and take what they do.

For the past six years, each night Greg Cook has invited three hikers into his home. “I change a lot of sheets,” he says referring to the beds he changes every day.

His hospitality includes hot showers (soft white robes included), use of his washer and dryer, and pick-up and drop-off at

trailheads. “If hikers have dogs, and many do,” he says, “they’re also welcome.” Cook will drive them to the Hanover Co-op to buy the food they’ll need on the trail and the fixings for the dinner they’ll cook in his kitchen. “They usually invite me to eat with them,” he says with a smile.

The trail has a powerful grapevine, and hikers know to text Cook for a reservation a few days before their arrival. “Last year I hosted 111 and turned away just as many,” he says. “It takes a lot of trust and flexibility on my part as well as the hikers’, but so far it’s been a positive experience.”

Betsy Maislen hosts several hundred hikers each season. “Don’t put your car in the garage,” she warns her husband when he calls from the airport. “Two hikers and their dog are sleeping there.” That’s in addition to the eight sleeping on air mattresses in her finished basement and another eight on her screened porch. When she’s not working as a nurse practitioner at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, she’ll make the hikers hearty breakfasts and dinners, often using the bounty of her garden and the contributions of several farmers and stores. “Doing their laundry is easy,” says Maislen. “Hikers have two sets of clothing — one they’re wearing, one extra.”

Maislen and her husband love chatting with their guests, and she always includes how she became a Trail Angel. In 2007, their 19-year-old son Karl and his friend were thru-hikers. They’d gotten as far as the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee when a nasty blister on his heel became infected. A weekend hiker who was staying in the same shelter saw Karl trying to lance it. His truck was parked 8 miles away, and he offered to hike out with the two of them to see a doctor. During the week it took for the wound to heal, the hikers stayed with their rescuer’s sister. “They became part of their family,” Maislen says. “We were overwhelmed by their kindness.” She ends her story by asking the hikers to extend this kindness to others, either on the trail or later in life, and then asks them to pay it forward.

Local Trail Angels included the late and legendary Bill Ackerly. His two sons hiked portions of the trail and told him how appreciative they were of something as simple as fresh water refills. Since the trail passes a few yards from his home, Ackerly wanted to offer hikers more than that. Until his death in 2016, he invited hikers to pitch their tents on his lawn, use the porta-potty he rented each season and stay for as many “zero

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COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

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days” (days with no hiking) as they chose.

Sometimes he’d challenge them to a game of croquet — the only course along the AT. Throughout the years, he supplied hikers with more than 2,000 ice cream bars.

“He welcomed a rainbow of characters who happened to pop up on the porch,” says his son John. “Almost every hiker stopped. It became more of an open house.” In addition to a generous supply of Band-Aids, Ackerly had a box of materials for painting and drawing. He hung the resulting works of art from the porch rafters.

Trail Angels never accept monetary payment, even though some hikers offer. Instead, Maislen asks those staying a few days to help with household chores or stack wood.

Hurricane Irene stormed into Hanover in September 2011, closing the trail and stranding 50 hikers for more than a week.

Those who could fit slept on the floor at the Richard W. Black community center, which also became the receiving site for donated food from townspeople and restaurants.

Other residents invited hikers into their homes for meals and lodging. Howe Library was a busy place as they had lights, water and an internet connection.

But it doesn’t take a hurricane for these towns to rally. For a small fee, hikers can use the shower and laundry facilities at the community center. The libraries in both Hanover and Norwich offer free internet

Trail Angel Bill Ackerly is legendary for his kindness to AT hikers. He was known as the Ice Cream Man for leaving coolers filled with Eskimo pies and Popsicles and a sign reading FREE ICE CREAM. He distributed more than 2,000 frozen treats before his death last year.

connections as well as books and magazines from their discard pile.

The Hanover Chamber of Commerce website gives hikers basic information, such as where to store their packs while in town, buy fuel for their stove or get their eyeglasses fixed. Some merchants like Dan and Whit’s General Store in Norwich offer perks.

“We carry tons of supplies for hikers and are

603 INFORMER known to give away day-old sandwiches, loaves of bread and other items when we have leftovers,” says owner Dan Fraser. Lou’s Restaurant & Bakery in Hanover offers hikers a free donut or cruller, and Ramunto’s Brick and Brew gives them a free slice of pizza.

Not all Trail Angels are within the network.

One woman observed a young hiker limping down Main Street. She stopped the hiker to ask what was wrong and learned that she had a pain in her tailbone. Without hesitation, she drove her to an urgent care for treatment and a drugstore to pick up her medication, and then bought her to lunch before finding a hostel where she could stay until she recovered.

A phenomenon known as Trail Magic is a close cousin to Trail Angels. Hikers may find unexpected pleasures along the trail, such as a cache of cold water bottles in a stream, a metal container of cookies next to a tree or a bunch of tomatoes dangling from a sign. Former hikers or their families sometimes stage cookouts where the trail crosses the highway. “We take offense when a hiker refuses to stop for a hamburger,” one reports.

Hanover and Norwich are hiker-friendly towns. Last year, about 700 hikers made it this far. This year, Trail Angels are again helping them combat the challenge of hunger, fatigue, blisters, and aches and pains as they graciously welcome them. “The hospitality of Hanover’s Trail Angel network is unmatched,” says one hiker. NH

A Trail Angel’s porch becomes a social center when bubble season rolls around. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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POLITICS

Goodbye Spotlight Is Maine stealing our political thunder?

BY JAMES PINDELL

I

n the mid-1990s, after a century as a Republican stronghold, New Hampshire suddenly was up for grabs. It snagged the title of the most interesting state in New England to watch politically, and was on its way to becoming the most interesting in the entire country.

But 20 years later, the Granite State, while still very interesting, seems to be losing its fascination factor to Maine, which appears ready to undergo a major political transition itself.

In the 2016 presidential election, Maine split its electoral college vote for the first time in history. Just like the 1992 election in the Granite State, that could prove to be Maine’s harbinger of change — and the 2018 contests promise to be even more critical, possibly provoking the biggest political shakeup in nearly 40 years. But more on our neighbors Down East later.

In New Hampshire, we can pride ourselves on a great run of elections when our voters really mattered and all kinds of nonstop national media attention was lavished on the state. Following the 1996 election came the dramatic 2000 New Hampshire presidential primary, when Republican John McCain went all in for a charm-filled retail politician’s campaign, shocking the political establishment.

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In the 2000 general election, the Granite State was officially considered a swing state, and it lived up to the hype. Republican George W. Bush only won the state in a fluke of sorts — his margin of victory over Democrat Al Gore was by fewer votes than Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received.

Four years later, it was the same tight dynamic with a Democratic presidential candidate winning by a percentage point.

It would go on like this for every presidential cycle since, with very tight margins and a national audience. Combined with that were elections in other years that bounced back and forth between the parties.

In 2006, for example, New Hampshire Democrats had their biggest hold on power since the Reconstruction era. In 2010, New Hampshire Republicans had their biggest gains in state House seats in history.

New Hampshire was then dubbed “the swingiest state” in the country. As control for the US Senate remained tightly contested, the 2014 local contest between Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen and Republican challenger Scott Brown became the state’s most expensive contest ever. Two years later, that record was shattered by the race between Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte and Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan.

Here is the reality that even the biggest New Hampshire political junkie has to admit: Things are beginning to get boring and predictable. Democrats running for president have won the state six out of the last seven times and nine out of the last 11 elections for governor. While the nation saw Republicans getting a good result in the 2016 elections, New Hampshire voters elected, for the first time, an all-Democratic delegation to represent them in Washington.

There are pockets of interesting politics, like the future of Republican governor Chris Sununu, but, if history is any guide, he should be fine as a first-term governor seeking re-election in 2018.

In Maine, meanwhile, things are just heating up. The state’s Republican Party may be ascendant fighting back against a Democratic machine that has dominated politics.

In 2018, the state could re-elect an independent to the US Senate and make its other senator a governor. And should US Senator Susan Collins run for governor, it would set up the largest scrambling of politics since 1980 with, potentially, a US Senate seat and both of the state’s Congressional seats up for grabs, prompting a trickle-down effect to a number of state Senate and mayoral races.

The impact of all of this might mean that, by 2024, the national media may train its focus on New Hampshire only for its presidential primary — and look immediately to Maine after that. NH

illustration by peter noonan

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ARTISAN

“Escape Velocity” Walnut, fumed eucalyptus, holly-dyed veneers, shellac, varnish 46”W 33”H 19.5”D

No Trouble with the Curve With a steady hand and true patience

BY SUSAN LAUGHLIN

photos by bill truslow

P

eople often say they can’t draw a straight line. In woodworking, straight is easy, but curves are complex problems. Cabinetmaker and furniture artist Owain Harris claims, “Curves are my thing.” Indeed, he has designed and built cabinets for the curvilinear interior of an Airstream trailer, and he loves the challenges of curved inlays for his casework, admitting, “There is not much room for error.”

Harris, of Barnstead, started as a framing carpenter in his 20s. He “fell in love with making things” and went on to apprentice with a New Hampshire furniture and cabinet maker. Now working in a cooperative workspace in Deerfield, he custom designs mid-century cabinets, Arts and Crafts and French Art Deco entry doors, classic mantels and curved window sashes.

Eighteenth-century furniture makers, whose work is now in museums, were also

cabinet makers — the skills are virtually the same. Harris’ fine furniture pieces include elaborate casework with a modern touch using exotic and classic woods, while curves are seen in bowed fronts and whimsical holly wood inlays.

This year, Harris was invited to exhibit in the annual New Hampshire Furniture Masters Main Event, where all work is sold to the highest bidder at a closing auction.

His piece for the auction is the sideboard shown here, which he explains as “firework display in wood” created by the tension of the formality of the case visually forcing the inlay through the top of the cabinet.

Harris shares his skills by teaching each year at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, and is a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Contact him directly for commission work. NH

Find It

O.H. Harris Cabinetmaker Owain Harris 63 Nottingham Rd. Deerfield (603) 781-1315 harriscabinetmaker.com

New Hampshire Furniture Masters Main Event Exhibition: September 21-October 1 Exhibition Opening Reception: September 21, 5-7 p.m.

Main Event: October 1, 1-7 p.m.

3S Artspace 319 Vaughan St. Portsmouth furnituremasters.org nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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IN THE NEWS

Blips

“Cousins” Jay Leno and Vito Marcello

When Leno Met Vito

Jay Leno was here to drive a steam car up Mt. Washington — and eat

BY RICK BROUSSARD

E

ven celebrities get hungry while exploring our North Country. So, when Jay Leno and his entourage felt peckish while passing through, they did what most folks do and checked the internet. Some good reviews (and, no doubt, the presence of a “Best of NH” logo) led them to Vito Marcello’s Italian Bistro in North Conway.

But there was also just something about that name that inspired confidence.

“He said he liked that both my first and last names were Italian,” recalls Marcello. “I was in the kitchen when my mother came in and said, ‘Vito, you’ll never believe who’s in

your dining room right now. Jay Leno.’ So I say, ‘No way, get out of here.’ I didn’t go out there right away. I wanted him to enjoy his dinner, so I sent out an antipasta and said to tell him welcome to my restaurant and welcome to the White Mountains.”

Turns out Leno was staying at the Omni Mt. Washington Resort in nearby Bretton Woods. He had come north to film an episode of his popular “Jay Leno’s Garage” show in which he would drive a classic Stanley Steamer car up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. The episode is likely to be televised on CNBC in the fall.

Haters Gonna Hate

Hater, a dating app that matches people based upon what they hate the most, released its findings on what app users in each state most often hate. New Hampshire, the least religious state, lives up to its infernal reputation with “God” topping the list of dislikes.

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Marcello says Leno isn’t the first famous person to walk into one of his restaurants — he’s fed celebrities ranging from Richard Dreyfuss to JFK Jr. — but when he finally came to the table, he and Leno hit it off immediately. “I felt so at home with this guy, talking nonstop about L.A. and cars. I told him I once had a Viper. He said, ‘I’ve got one!’ I imagine he’s got 10,” says Marcello. People ask if he got anything signed by the star, but he says, “I don’t need his autograph. I felt like I’d see him again. It’s a small world and he said, ‘I’ll tell all my friends about your place.’”

Along with the antipasta, Leno’s group had Marcello’s signature arancini (deep fried rice balls stuffed with ragu, cheese and peas — Marcello uses a special risotto for his rice) with a tangy marinara. For his main course, Leno ordered chicken Parmesan.

“The guy loves to eat,” says Marcello, who can’t resist describing Leno’s choice in detail.

“We use our own fresh cutlets of all-natural chicken breast lightly pounded and breaded and sautéed, topped with my delicious basil marinara sauce and a blend of Italian cheeses baked to perfection. It was served with our house-made fresh pasta — Gigli Toscani, which looks like a Tuscan lily. Jay ate every bit of it and had no room for dessert. Told me he couldn’t fit another morsel!”

The other guests in the restaurant were aware of Leno’s presence but polite through the meal — and they were rewarded. After eating, the former host of “The Tonight Show” chatted folks up, posed for selfies and gave everyone who wanted it some time. On the way out, Leno found Marcello’s mother, Angela, and said something to her.

Afterward, she grabbed her son and exclaimed, “He said he thought I was your wife!” Marcello still chuckles. “He knew how to make everyone feel good.” NH

Driven to Protest

When Manal al-Sharif filmed herself driving a car in Saudi Arabia (where it’s a forbidden act for women) and uploaded the clip to YouTube, her act of defiance sent tremors through the Middle East. She was arrested and eventually released, We think it’s fitting to learn that it was here in the Live Free or Die State that the Saudi author and “accidental activist” actually learned to drive a car. No word on whether she wore a seat belt.

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Monitoring appearances of the 603 on the media radar since 2006

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Review (Stuff worthy of your time and treasure or we wouldn’t bother with it)

Ernest Thompson directs a film within a film in “Heavenly Angle.”

Starring the Granite State Here’s a chance to see what a local Oscar winner has been up to

BY RICK BROUSSARD

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W

hile the Granite State can claim a number of Academy Award-winners as its own, there’s only one responsible for rebranding an entire local body of water. He also created a mystique which, for more than 35 years, has lured tourists and romantics to our shores to hear the cry of the loons.

“On Golden Pond,” the beloved 1981 film that managed to squeeze three film titans into a small Squam Lake house, is a cinematic archetype of dysfunctional family love.

Ernest Thompson of Meredith is the writer who brought Ethel, Norman and Chelsea to life — and he has the golden statue to prove it.

Now, even with serious talk of a “Golden Pond” sequel in the works, Thompson seems just as excited to talk about his two latest movies, “Time and Charges” (2013) and “Heavenly Angle” (2014). Neither is likely to appear at Cannes or near a Hollywood red carpet, but both are filled with locations, tropes and characters that might

seem very familiar. In fact, there’s a decent chance you know one or more of the stars.

Neither film was made with anything resembling a Hollywood budget. In fact, they were made on the equivalent of a Yankee shoestring, the kind held together by knots. Both are examples of what Thompson calls community-based filmmaking, where actors and many of the technical roles are filled with volunteers doing it to learn the craft, for love of film or simply for the fun of it. Naturally, this impacts the quality of the movies in real and perceptible ways. Acting is uneven (or amateurish in spots), and props and sets and editing sometimes seem a little cobbled together. That’s no reason not to experience these works, though, if only to try to imagine how a cinematic veteran like Thompson negotiated the pitfalls and managed to still make you laugh, cry and yearn along with the characters.

Appropriately, one of the most endearing

figures in both films is played by Thompson himself, who takes the leading role in each. His power-broker persona and rugged good looks are put to good use as he portrays two successful men whose best days seem to be behind them, but who still have one more glory ride to take, either into the future (“Heavenly Angle”) or into the past (“Time and Charges”).

Which is not to imply that Thompson hasn’t remained vital and full of surprises since his early success as a writer. He has written for, directed and acted with a dozen Academy Award-winners or nominees, from Robert Downey Jr. to Shirley MacLaine, and made a passel of noteworthy films. His plays have appeared on Broadway and in theaters around the world. He’s written more than 100 songs and worked with composers including the legendary Carly Simon, multi-Grammy-nominee Joan Osborne, world-renowned Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster and New Hampshire’s own late, great Mighty Sam McClain.

“Time and Charges” is the more serious effort of Thompson’s community filmmaking oeuvre.

In it, a hot-shot New York money manager follows a handmade exit sign off a rural New Hampshire highway and enters the Granite Twilight Zone. There (here?) he finds a daughter he never knew and rediscovers the man he once was. “Heavenly Angle” digs for comedy and finds it in a cast of small-town characters who seem ripe for the picking by a down-on-his-luck movie maker out to bilk the town with some Hollywood razzle-dazzle.

Both films have had success on the festival circuit. They will be shown as a double feature at Concord’s Red River Theatres on Saturday, September 9, with Thompson on hand to answer questions. Who knows? Perhaps he’ll be casting for his next community-based film. NH HEAVENLY ANG LE

Ernest Thompson conducts workshops for writers, actors and directors at his farm in central New Hampshire. Both “Heavenly Angle” and “Time and Charges” were made to provide training to anyone of any age or background interested in learning about any aspect of the film business. For more information, visit whitebridgefarmproductions.com. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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FIRST PERSON

Destination Bucketville And I found a ticket to ride

BY SUSAN LAUGHLIN

T

here’s nothing worse than an empty bucket list.

Finally it arrives — that relished free time after working for half a century.

That’s 50 years of alarm clocks, commutes and deadlines, real or imagined. Myself?

Retirement, or even just downsizing the workload, could open up new avenues for exploration — a turn in the road that can lead to, frankly, wherever I wanted to go.

Or I could sleep in.

Rubbing the sand out of my eyes, I realized I wasn’t ready for that two-year trip around the world for a Zen moment on top of a mountain. The time had come not to count my past years, but to think about how many years were remaining. Strangely, I found myself seeking out nostalgia. Though I had

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always eschewed listening to the “oldies,” my bucket list seemed to be coalescing around what I had enjoyed doing in the past, but had left along the side of the road for work and family commitments.

First up, I sought out and bought a 1960s console record player. Soon I was playing the golden oldies — basically anything released before 1984. I scoured the Goodwill store for albums and eventually built up a pretty corny collection. Just had to get that Tijuana Brass “Whipped Cream” album that was on the shelves at G.C. Murphy, the local five-and-dime, when I worked there — my first job way back when.

My next itch was to do more painting or drawing or something with a tool that was not a computer. I had heard about RISE

(Rivier Institute for Senior Education) in Nashua before, first from a fellow with a double doctorate in physics and math who wanted to teach there after retiring, and then from my fellow Friends of Symphony NH member, Ginny Nedved Cook. She is a wonder, and a great role model for putting real gold in the golden years.

I had passed the minimum age requirement of 55 years for RISE attendance, so I headed down to the open house information session, which is held about a month before each fall and spring term. It was a beehive of activity with poster board displays of classwork, textbooks or great novels to be read.

The facilitators, as they call the instructors, were there to explain and describe their class offerings. Turns out most classes are easy to sell. In fact, a few you may only get into by lottery. Former satisfied customers, the RISErs from years past, were back again

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FIRST PERSON

illustrations and photos by susan laughlin

Above: A view from the writer’s desk at a RISE class Left: Some of the writer’s sketches and class materials. Also pictured is Hannah Dustin, a newfound genealogical link.

for more classes. Yes, it was a sea of gray hair and fields of bald spots — and maybe even an aluminum walker or two — but there was lots of chatter. These folks were excited about their next learning opportunity. RISE Coordinator Cathy Lewis says about 400 people attend each session.

Class offerings were diverse and to the point. Classical drawing. Check. Intermediate pastel painting. Check. Climbing your family tree. Check. To fill in gaps in my knowledge spectrum — politics and conflict. Check. The secret roots of Christianity. Check. Science du jour. Check. American quandaries. Check. There are also many choices in literature (figured I didn’t care what other people thought about a book), writing (too much like work), and computers and photography (again, way too much like work). They offered physical fitness, but figured I wasn’t quite ready for chair yoga — though, to be honest, tai chi sounded interesting.

It was a crisp September morning — the first day of classes. At this point, I wished I had kept a journal. “Dear Diary, today I leapt back 40 years with a single tuition check for $130.” It seems silly, but it was fun to walk the Rivier campus paths along with the frosh and soph and the not-really-seniors. They didn’t seem to mind sharing the sidewalk, and I was soaking up their youth. From my perspective, I was one of them. From their perspective, I was probably the walking dead. (The math majors were most likely calculating in what year science would have to step in to prevent the same malaise from happening to them.)

I just hoped they appreciated their youth and the road ahead — and that they’d be able to pay off their tuition loans.

I slid into my student desk in the classroom, happy that I could fit into it just like any other coed. The room was a sea of boomers and beyond, some topped with dapples of Clairol for a bit of color diversity. Several RISErs had iPads or notepaper at the ready for capturing important knowledge. Lord knows there aren’t too many of us with Memorex memories anymore, myself included — I took copious notes. It was just like a regular college class: vociferous questioners, attentive listeners and a few dozers. I had to laugh when Ginny started passing me notes in class.

The variety of classes was a perfect storm of nostalgia and knowledge. One instructor, David Wray, was a typical facilitator. He retired a few years ago and decided to devote his remaining years to his hobby — coin collecting. He wrote a book about ancient history based on the icons depicted on the ancient coins and is now sharing that information, for only gas money, to students, many of whom are also well-read on the topic. It seems the facilitators are as happy to teach as their students are to learn.

The family tree class inspired me to get all those yellowing photos and missing pieces into my Ancestry.com site for all of posterity who might care (hi, Betty). I even found an interesting link connecting Hannah Dustin, a Massachusetts woman born in 1657, to my grandmother in Wisconsin. Seems a mischievous Dustin left New Hampshire to help populate the Midwest, my birthplace. I came back to New England to complete the circle.

Of course, all the drawing classes were a great chance to buy art supplies. I just love pencils and colored pigments and good paper, especially when it all comes together into a socalled work of art or a sketch of a grandchild.

It was a proud moment when the facilitator held up my self-portrait for all the class to see.

Most were there to dabble; I was there to see if I could rekindle my art school days.

Outside of class, I took advantage of other campus amenities available to RISE students.

I picked through the all-you-can-eat offerings at the cafeteria, first tempted by gallons of Gifford’s ice cream, but stayed on course with selections from the salad bar or steam table.

I’d give the food a B-minus.

On my way to the campus gym, I stopped to read the inscribed bricks in the pavement.

There it was, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. “‘Better fit than not.’ — Ginny Nedved Cook 1975.” As a Rivier grad turned RISE student, she has been there since day one, and by now has taken just about all the classes that didn’t involve homework.

One afternoon leaving class I ran into a regular Rivier teacher I knew from contra dancing. I mentioned, “Hey, when you retire, you can teach RISE classes.” He quipped back, “You mean teach students who really want to learn.” Enough said.

Classes will start back up again in early September, and I will surely enroll in another round of learning, laughing and enjoying. I found the RISE class opportunities to be like a train station with many outbound destinations. The tickets are cheap, fellow travelers are genial and the journey is time well-spent.

Eventually the tracks do end. Glad I got aboard now. NH To find out more about RISE, visit rivier.edu (put RISE in the search box).

About the Author

Susan Laughlin was New Hampshire Magazine’s art director for many years.

Though she’s now “retired,” she still writes and photographs for the magazine as our food editor. She also regularly contributes “Artisan” and “Retail.”

nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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SCENE

Out and About

2

1

7/21 Salute Our Soldiers

The Seacoast Chapter of Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals dedicated to providing financial support for service members and veterans of all eras, held its 5th annual S.O.S. Salute Our Soldiers fundraising dinner at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kane of North Hampton. A total of $436,000 was raised on behalf of Veterans Count and the New Hampshire military community.

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Snapshots from events of note

1 Keynote speaker Major General (Ret.) Kenneth Clark 2 Nearly 50 veterans from the Vietnam era were given special recognition during a pinning ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that conflict. 3 Guests watching a fireworks display over the ocean.

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7/18 Van McLeod Building Dedication

1 From left: State Senator Dan Feltes, House Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff, daughter Chelsea McLeod, wife Joan Goshgarian and Gov. Sununu 2 Elizabeth Muzzey, state historic preservation officer and director of the Division of Historical Resources 3 State Librarian Michael York 4 From left: Chelsea McLeod and Joan Goshgarian

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photos by jemi broussard

Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill renaming 19 Pillsbury St. in Concord the “Van McLeod Building.” McLeod served as the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Resources from 1992 to 2016, and three of the department’s divisions — Arts, Film/Digital Media and Historical Resources — have offices in the building.

McLeod was born in the same building 71 years ago when it was the maternity ward of the Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital.

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New Hampshire Magazine’s Guide to Wills and Estate Planning

Ask the EXPERTS M

aking end-of-life arrangements, such as appointing executors, divvying up assets and identifying someone to make important decisions in the event you become incapacitated, are important elements in arranging one’s financial affairs — and doing so can ease the burden on family members and loved ones.

“Often, people find the subject difficult to deal with and so they procrastinate taking action until it is too late,” Jeanne S. Saffan, of Upton and Hatfield says. “Clients who procrastinate about setting up an estate plan tell me they feel like there is a great weight they are carrying around. Once their questions are answered by a knowledgeable professional and the plan is established, I am told they have a sense of relief and wish that they had taken care of matters sooner, especially since it is generally an uncomplicated process.”

We asked five experts to identify some of the most important elements of wills and estate planning. Our panel: Thanda Fields Brassard, of Fiduciary Trust of New England; Stephanie Burnham, of Hage Hodes; Elise Salek, of Sulloway and Hollis, Christopher R. Paul, of McLane Middleton; and Jeanne S. Saffan of Upton and Hatfield.

What kinds of things are discussed during the estate planning process?

Stephanie Burnham: “Estate Planning is the process in which a plan is implemented to control how assets are passed when someone dies, using a variety of methods such as beneficiary designations, documents such as last wills and testaments, trusts, and powers of attorney, and types of ownership of those assets like joint tenancy with rights of survivorship.”

Thanda Fields Brassard: “The individual’s personal and financial goals are taken into consideration in this process. Once all of this information is gathered, attorneys draft documents that carry out the client’s objectives and take into consideration what assets they have. Tax planning is part of this process, as estate planning is usually done in a manner that is as tax efficient as possible, which means that transfer taxes are minimized to the extent possible when wealth is transferred from one person to another.”

Christopher Paul: “As with many legal concepts, ‘estate’ can have several meanings.

Most people may think of a person’s estate as all the money and property owned by the person.

However, in New Hampshire, a person’s probate estate generally consists only of assets that are not held in trust and does not include assets that

have specific beneficiary designations, such as life insurance, retirement plans, certain annuities and the like. In fact, a wealthy person can pass away in New Hampshire having no assets at all in the probate estate. As far as the IRS is concerned, however, a person’s estate consists of all property owned by a decedent, including non-probate assets and various interests, in which the decedent holds such as powers of appointment or others generally not thought of as part of an estate.”

When should I get started?

Thanda Fields Brassard: “Since no one can predict when they are going to die, ideally an estate plan should be put together soon after an individual turns 18, and thus has legal capacity to execute such documents under the law. But I would say it is most common for people to think about creating their first sets of wills and trusts when they are either getting married or having children.”

Jeanne Saffan: “In New Hampshire, a person is not legally competent to execute any estate planning documents, such as a will, durable financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney or trust, until age 18. At Upton and Hatfield, we recommend that as soon as possible after turning 18, young people execute these basic estate planning documents so that in the event of an accident or other tragedy, there is someone

who can make decisions on his or her behalf. Furthermore, someone would be able to access his or her digital accounts, such as Facebook, and digital assets, such as photographs. As a person grows older, estate plans can be created, or revisited, at any time, but especially when major life events occur, such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths and the onset of illness. Any time is a good time to put one’s affairs in order so that one’s survivors can transfer the estate with ease.”

Christopher Paul: “Now is always a good time. Once it’s too late, it is too late, and predicting when that will be is risky. People know that eventually they will pass away or may become incapacitated, but often they think it will not happen soon. Leaving it to your loved ones is always more time consuming, expensive and difficult.”

Are there limits to what a will can cover?

Elise Salek: “A will can only dispose of property that is in your name, as an individual. It does not operate as to assets such as retirement accounts and life insurance policies that have a beneficiary designation.”

What’s the difference between a will and a trust?

Thanda Fields Brassard: “A will is a document that is filed in the probate court. It is nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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a public record, and it governs the disposition of probate property when someone dies. A trust is a document that one creates, usually during one’s lifetime, and often receives property from probate through the will as a vehicle. A trust consists of the document that contains the instructions for how to dispose of assets in the trust, a trustee who controls those assets and a beneficiary who benefits from the assets held in the trust. Finally, there are the assets which are held in the trust itself. A trust contains directions and instructions to the trustee as to how to dispose of the property, but trusts are usually private documents that are not filed in the probate court. Also, any assets held in a trust during lifetime will usually not go through probate, as they will be governed by the terms of the trust and not the will.”

Stephanie Burnham: “The biggest differences between a last will and testament and a trust is that a last will and testament must be filed at the probate court in the county which was the last residence of the person who passes away and any assets that are being distributed through the last will and testament will pass through the probate court process. This is not necessarily the case with trusts as often times the assets that are placed into trust during the lifetime of the grantor (or creator of the trust) are handled and distributed by the trustees of the trust without having to go through a court process.”

Is an irrevocable trust an alternative to a will, and why should someone consider an irrevocable trust?

Elise Salek: “An irrevocable trust can be an alternative to a will. However, an irrevocable trust is normally part of a more complex estate plan.

For the average client who does not have an estate tax issue, an irrevocable trust is typically not necessary. When a client puts assets aside into an irrevocable trust, he or she is gifting those assets now with a goal of placing those assets beyond the reach of creditors, or because he or she is trying to avoid inclusion of the irrevocable trust assets in his or her taxable estate. An irrevocable trust is a useful planning tool, but it is not usually part of an ordinary estate plan.”

In what ways does New Hampshire make estate planning easier or more accessible?

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Thanda Fields Brassard: “Since 2006, New Hampshire has steadily improved and modernized its trust, probate and tax laws such that New Hampshire is truly one of the best states in the nation to set up a trust, or if you live in New Hampshire, to have an estate plan. Many of New Hampshire’s trust and tax laws are reasonable, practical, carefully thought out and well-crafted by the legislature with input from the local Bar

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Estate Planning Associations and other interest groups.”

Christopher Paul: “The New Hampshire Qualified Distributions in Trust Act continues to lead the nation in self-settled asset protection and the Trust Code continues to evolve, providing for non-contest clauses, “silent trusts” and “directed trust” architecture to enhance flexibility and management options. A person can now have her will or trust “proved” prior to death to help avoid post death will or trust contests. New Hampshire recently expanded provisions in its “waiver of probate” statute to expand opportunities for residents to use a truncated probate process and recently the New Hampshire Supreme Court for the first time recognized post-nuptial agreements.

The landscape continues to change, but that should not mean that a person without a plan should wait.”

Elise Salek: “New Hampshire’s Trust Code makes our state a very favorable place for establishing and administering an estate plan. New Hampshire’s laws honor the intent of the grantor/ testator, which allows estate planning documents to be interpreted to accomplish the grantor/testator’s intent. In addition, the New Hampshire Trust Code allows for decanting, which gives greater flexibility to the administration of existing trusts, even trusts that have already become irrevocable. You do not need to be a New Hampshire resident to have a New Hampshire trust. Our state is therefore accessible to non-residents who otherwise meet the criteria for establishing a New Hampshire trust. Over the past several years, many out-of-state residents have established New Hampshire trusts to take advantage of our very flexible trust laws. This trend is likely to continue.”

Jeanne Saffan: “Regarding accessibility, in addition to online resources, the New Hampshire Bar Association provides a lawyer referral service to the public and, in most cases, can identify local estate planning attorneys to individuals desiring to do estate planning.

Second, with regard to the evolution of New Hampshire’s trust laws, trusts have long been used as a common estate planning tool to provide for the management of one’s assets during life and the transfer one’s wealth after death, in accordance with one’s wishes and outside of the probate process. The last 10 years has seen significant changes in New Hampshire trust laws that provide trusts administered in New Hampshire advantages over trusts administered elsewhere. Some of those advantages include the ability to settle disputes among beneficiaries and clarify the terms of trusts through use of non-judicial settlement agreements that avoid court participation; the ability of trustees of irrevocable trusts to “decant” assets of an old

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trust into a new trust, subject to restrictions, for the purpose of improving trust administration, and; the ability to establish trusts that protect trust assets from the claims of creditors.”

Are there issues that same-sex couples should be aware of when it comes to estate planning?

Thanda Fields Brassard: “Thankfully, estate planning for same-sex couples is the same as estate planning for opposite-sex couples. Not so long ago, estate planning for same-sex couples was very complicated and filled with uncertainty.

But today, same-sex couples are treated the same under federal and state laws as opposite-sex couples. This is due to the Windsor case decided by the United States Supreme Court, and other cases that have followed. These cases determined that in the United States there is a fundamental, constitutional right to marry, and neither federal nor state law can limit the right of marriage to a person of the opposite sex.”

What happens if someone dies without a will?

Stephanie Burnham: “If someone dies without a last will and testament, and they have assets that are held in only their name, those assets will be subject to the probate court process and distributed under the New Hampshire Intestacy Statute. An heir or interested person would have to petition the probate court to be named the administrator on behalf of the person who died, and it would be the administrator’s role to gather all of the assets, pay all of the bills and then, with the court’s permission, distribute the assets to the appropriate people under New Hampshire state statute. The New Hampshire Intestacy Statute can be found a NH RSA 561:1, and it describes, based on the make-up of the family of the decedent who would inherit.”

Christopher Paul: “If a person passes away without a will in New Hampshire, any assets in the decedent’s probate estate pass under the laws of intestacy, which often results in a disposition that the decedent would not have wanted. I like to say that everyone in New Hampshire has an estate plan, whether it is the one you have designed, or the one the state has designed for you. The best way to avoid this situation is to have a valid will and perhaps place assets in a revocable (or living trust) to remove those assets from the probate estate. Many people today execute ‘pour over’ wills that direct the executor to distribute any probate assets to the decedent’s revocable trust (created during lifetime) and let the terms of the trust control the distribution of assets.”

What can I expect during a meeting with an estate planning attorney?

Stephanie Burnham: “You should be prepared to discuss your assets, your family, people you trust to handle your affairs, and where you would like your assets to go if something happens to you. The attorney should discuss your goals with you and help you to address the concerns that you have. An estate planning attorney may send you a questionnaire to get you thinking about these things in advance and then review it with you when you come in, or they may ask you about these things in the initial meeting. The estate planning attorney should tell you how your assets would be treated in the event you pass away, and what options are available to you to change the treatment of those assets. They also should discuss with you powers of attorney and health care documents should you become incapacitated.”

Jeanne Saffan: “The client should also bring copies of any existing estate planning documents, copies of deeds to real estate, mortgage documents, copies of homeowner’s insurance statements, statements of financial accounts, copies of any divorce decrees, copies of any long-term care and life insurance policies and any documentation of annuities. We will discuss retirement accounts and business interests. If the client owns a share of a business entity, we will review any pertinent buy-sell agreements, compensation and pension plans. The estate planning attorney relies on all of this information when formulating a plan best suited to the client’s situation.”

What’s the first step in setting up an estate plan or will?

Elise Salek: “The first step is finding a competent estate planner. Typically, clients consult with friends, family members, their CPA or financial advisor to locate a qualified estate planning attorney.

They then call the attorney’s office to schedule an initial meeting.

Jeanne Saffan: “The first step for any individual who wants to set up an estate plan is to identify an experienced, trusted attorney who knows the law and the best way to accomplish specific estate planning goals. There is an abundance of confusing and incorrect information being transmitted to the general public that can easily result in the creation of an estate plan that may be inappropriate or that ultimately fails to achieve the desired results.”

Fiduciary Trust of New England – fiduciary-trust.com Hage Hodes – hagehodes.com Sulloway and Hollis – sulloway.com Mclane Middleton – mclane.com Upton and Hatfield – uptonhatfield.com

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603 INFORMER

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Double Yo Photos and transcription by David Mendelsohn

They say it’s always the quiet ones. Ten years ago, Mengwei Zheng and his folks emigrated from China to the US. He attended Dartmouth on a full scholarship and then received his master’s from Northeastern. Now this soft-spoken, buttoned-down tax analyst with a grocery firm in Keene sports an improbable passion for throwing yo-yos. He practices daily and competes in large, freestyle tournaments. His routine leaves viewers awestruck and delighted. Discs fly, string vibrate and Zheng comes alive.

The first time I picked up a yo-yo I was, like, 8 years old, but it was when I was 16 that I took it seriously.

I saw a video about the four-time Japanese World Champion Hiroyuki Suzuki. I was amazed by how he can control the yo-yo to do all these amazing tricks and combine them with music.

There are some things that yo-yo tricks and tax analysis have in common. You can’t make a mistake, and you have to pay close attention to details.

I’m totally a numbers guy and really enjoy it.

I practice every day, like a hour or two. Before a competition, it’s more like four or five hours a day.

Most people who compete in tournaments don’t have any intention of making money or getting endorsements. It’s just a really fun hobby that brings people together over a simple toy.

A professional yo-yo usually costs anywhere between $250 and $500. They’re milled from aircraft-grade aluminum, exotic alloys and even titanium.

The largest competition is the World Yo-Yo Contest, which rotates to a different country every year. This year it was in Iceland, and in 2018 it will be held in China.

Shinobu Konmoto, a former world champion, makes a model known as “Nostalgia.” You must wait six months for it and it costs $5,000.

It is my goal to be there in five years.

Throwing yo-yos is pretty cool. It’s a nice way to find other people, but for attracting girls it’s really not so good.

I do get pretty nervous when competing. A single mistake can easily ruin my chances. People practice for so many years just to get placed in a big contest.

We have a women’s division — we just need to attract more women to join the community. That would be great.

Zheng Go the Strings: To see Zheng perform some astounding tricks, just go to YouTube and type in his name. To see some tricks up-close, or to test your own skills, drop by YoYo Heaven on Main Street in downtown Concord.

It’s owned and operated by the father-son team of Andy and Dan McBride (Dan pictured here) and stocks hundreds of yo-yos and other “skill toys.”

CREDITS: Outstanding photo assistance provided by John Moody despite one of the lights falling over. Wardrobe provided by the ever-beautiful Ann Carnaby of Tracy Theatre Originals. Location vista suggested by Sue Driscoll and provided by Megan Burke Kidder. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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Jim Lang (in the tartan) swings Marisa “Mars� Barnabeo at a recent dance at Nelson Town Hall. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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’m totally new to contra dance,” I tell Tom, the nice man in his 60s who had just driven more than 200 miles back from New York to Nelson to attend this dance. A few moments ago he asked me to dance, and now we’re lined up with about 15 other couples. He’s holding my right hand with his left and has his right hand on my back, in a dance position I haven’t been in since my wedding day. “That’s OK!” he reassures me. “I mean, you know the basics, right? Swing? Do-si-do?”

“Um, no, that means nothing to me,” I reply sheepishly.

It’s Monday night in Nelson, and I’ve just driven through the rain for two hours to get here. Located in Cheshire County and celebrating its 250th anniversary of settlement this year, Nelson has yet to register “Nelson Town Hall” on Google Maps, so I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to find the hall in the dark. But while the entire town was otherwise pitch black, the one building that was glowing orange through its windows and bustling with people this Monday night in late May was the one I needed: the 19th-century Town Hall.

Which is how I found myself standing across from (hence the “contra”) Tom, one couple of several standing in two long lines.

The caller, another man around retirement age, stands on the stage at the front of the room, accompanied by a pianist and fiddle player. He announces a combination of moves, using words that are totally unfamiliar to me — “bow, balance, right hand star, castoff, swing ...” — by way of instruction. Within a couple minutes, the acoustic music — a quick, repetitive folksy tune — fills the room as everyone begins moving at once.

Before I know it, Tom is swinging me in circles to the hypnotic music, which likely has French Canadian, Irish and Scottish influences, and may have been adjusted for dance by emphasizing the beat. But we only dance for a few seconds until it’s time to dance the next steps with the couple next to us. Soon I “cast off ” from the group and partner with another man dancing next to us, before returning to Tom and repeating the pattern again with new people. In this way Tom and I make our way up the lines, all the dancers following the same configuration. By the second or third repetition, I’ve memorized the pattern and, full of adrenaline, am smiling rather maniacally. All the elements in the room — dozens of dancers I’ve never met before, music and caller — are in complete sync.

As someone who had never heard of contra dancing before researching this article, it feels unbelievable that people are regularly doing this — dancing some of the same configurations, to the same tunes, in the same building, as people 50

nhmagazine.com | September 2017

Then and now: Things haven't really changed all that much since 1941 when the above photo of the Nelson Town Hall dance (with the legendary Ralph Page calling) was taken.

The key elements remain: an able caller, a tight band and a packed dance floor.

did 150 years ago. The ties to American history are undeniable. One dance that’s still being done? “Hull’s Victory,” which was written to commemorate the USS Constitution’s naval victory over Britain’s Guerriere in the War of 1812.

“It was the first American naval victory in the War of 1812. The newspapers were hard up for good news. When the hull defeated a ship that was much larger than it was, it was a huge sensation,” says David Millstone, a Lebanon-based caller who has researched and written about the history of contra for decades and has been dancing since he moved to New Hampshire in 1970s. “When you dance some of the older dances, in New York in particular, you’re often doing so in a hall where that dance has been done for 200 years. I like to think that

the little dust motes floating around still have vibrations of all the people who have danced to it and listened to that tune in the same hall, going through the figures.”

Several people interviewed for this story described contra dancing as what you would see in a Jane Austen film. That might be more accurate if Jane Austen’s characters danced barefoot, wore Fitbits and moved so vigorously they had to stop to dry their face off with a towel or change their clothes. And if they cared less about class. While Jane Austen’s characters are typically nobility and spend much of their time concerned with status, this dance feels uniquely egalitarian.

Of course, there certainly are similarities, and not just the movements of the dance it-

Dancers Bob Jervis and Val Van Meier execute a partner swing. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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self. Like in a Jane Austen story, you could certainly see the potential for matchmaking. And indeed, contras have served as a kind of singles market for finding a mate throughout history. “Today if you went to any dance and asked how many people met their spouse at a dance, you’d find at least one couple at every dance,” says Millstone. “Typical contra dances are now smoke-, drug- and alcohol-free, so it’s a sort of crunchy granola alternative for people who don’t want to hang out in the bar or club scene necessarily. And the number of people who have met their spouse at a dance is legion.”

And that’s not necessarily just for heterosexual couples, either. There’s a whole movement now to gender-free dancing, according to Millstone, where traditional roles are blurred.

In cities like San Francisco and Boston, fans organize dances for the LGBT community.

“Every 30 seconds you’re holding someone else in your arms, swinging, interacting, and it’s safe,” says Millstone. “It’s an opportunity to be physically connected to someone, you’re smiling a lot, making eye contact with people, and every so often along the way you might meet someone interesting. And that might turn into a spark that turns into something more.”

But while it’s true that contra dancing is a cousin of Austen’s English country dancing and has its roots in 18th-century England, the people in this room more likely associate it with 20th-century New Hampshire.

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Contra in New England Bob McQuillen, a prolific composer of contra music from the 1940s on who received a National Heritage Fellowship, once referred to Nelson as the “contra dance capital of the world.” That’s a catchphrase that several Nelson dancers mentioned to me with pride.

But while Nelson may have a colorful contra history dating back 200 years, it’s not necessarily the birthplace of the form.

Above: Members of the Ralph Page Orchestra play in Nelson in 1941. Below from left: Samuel Foucher, Perrin Ellsworth-Heller, Roger Treat and Lloyd Carr

What is clear is that contra is a descendant or cousin of English country dancing, according to Millstone. The first book that described English country dances was John Playford’s

“The English Country Dancing Master,” published in 1651.

“The first Playford’s had a lot of variations, including four-couple, three-couple and two-couple dances, and what they called ‘long ways for as many as will,’ meaning long lines with men on one side and women on the other,” Millstone says. “The long lines dances were about a third of the repertoire in the first Playford. By the early 1700s, 98 percent of dances were ‘long ways for as many as will.’

Those became the dances that the colonists from England brought to America.”

Like other art, dance is impossible to separate from political events. By the time of the American Revolution, what started as English country dance had started to become less English. When America was allied with the French during the War of 1812, dance began picking up French influences, which would later evolve into quadrilles and squares.

In New England, new 19th-century mills brought French Canadian workers and, with them, their styles of dance.

“By the 1800s, something that we could call distinctly contra begins to develop in New Hampshire,” says Millstone. “Political candidates in the late 1800s who wanted to garner favor with voters would host dances. Towns like Nelson and Francestown in the Monadnock Region have a long dancing tradition dating well back into [the] 1800s.”

Dudley Dances Dudley Laufman has been contra dancing since he moved to Fremont in the mid-20th century to work on a dairy farm, the owners of which hosted dances. Considered a living institution among the contra dance community, Laufman recalls that, when he started, dances were simply called kitchen junkets.

“Back in the day when people didn’t have town halls, they danced in their homes. The neighbors and relatives and friends would come in, maybe 20 people packed into the long, narrow living room, which was at one time the kitchen,” he says.

At the dances on the dairy farm where Laufman worked, it was a community affair.

John, the farm’s owner, played the fiddle, while a neighbor played the piano and John’s wife, Betty, called the dances.

“I was 15 or 16 years old and I just loved it,” he says. At his first dance, he says, “There was a fire in the fireplace, rosin-y sound on the fiddle, smell of the woodsmoke and firelight gleaming on the girls’ hair — and I was hooked for the rest of my life.”

Laufman attended dances called by Ralph Page, a key figure in New England contra dance who called at the World’s Fair in New York in 1939 and called in Boston regularly throughout the 1940s. In the ’60s and ’70s, Laufman would become one of contra’s most important

Since his first dance as a New Hampshire boy in 1948, Dudley Laufman has achieved legendary status as a contra and barn dance caller and musician. In 2009 he was made a National Heritage Fellow. His role as the link between contra’s roots and contemporary branches is so universally accepted that contra events are sometimes called “Dudley dances.” advocates, and is often credited with helping popularize and spread dances to other parts of the country.

“Dance is always a reflection of what’s going on in society. In Nelson in the 1940s, men would put on a white shirt and tie and coat and go out dancing. That changed dramatically by the 1960s,” says Millstone. “Socially, the hippies and the back-to-the-landers, made up of young people who were rejecting mainstream American values and looking for an alternative culture, moved to communes and started farming. So, a huge number of people are suddenly picking apples and farming in southern New Hampshire and Vermont.” The youngsters discovered local dances and start showing up in droves to what people dubbed “Dudley Dances.”

“A lot of back-to-the-landers had their politics.

They flocked to the dances because it was different from rock ‘n’ roll. You could touch your partner — it was more of a community involve-

ment,” says Laufman. “And a lot of those same people would go on peace marches and grow their own food and things like that. They were making a statement, and dancing was part of it.”

Millstone says that by the ’60s, Page’s style of calling was less popular. “You’d go to Ralph and stand around while he gave you a talk about the history of the dance and how he wanted you to do it, and you were young and horny and just wanted to dance!” says Millstone. “Dudley had a laissez-faire attitude toward the dancing.

He was charismatic with extraordinary appeal.

One woman said he walked into the hall and it felt as though he was bringing wool and woodsmoke with him. He embodied country living.

He was a back-to-the-lander. He was a poet, he was handsome, he had numerous affairs with women. He surrounded himself with large numbers of musicians.”

When his dancers, many of whom were students from Boston or New York who came to New Hampshire for the outdoors, moved away nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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Fallon Smith, a 13-year-old from Nelson, was the youngest person at the dance. She went to her first dance when she was 7 and fell in love with the music. Now she regularly attends dances by herself, socializing with all kinds of people and teaching first-timers, most of whom are older than she is, how to dance. “If you contra dance in one place for a while, you become part of the family,” she said.

With all the young dancers, is there a possibility we are seeing an upswing in contra’s popularity? Liz Faiella, a 27-yearold Northwood resident and fiddler who plays at dances with her brother, thinks Contra Today so. Ten years ago, she attended the Ralph Today, it feels as if some of the dancers, Page Dance Legacy Weekend at the like Dudley’s countercultural crowds in University of New Hampshire, a weekthe ’60s and ’70s, are still using contra end-long contra dance festival. She says to express their own alternative values. at this year’s festival — the event’s 30th On my Monday night in Nelson, I anniversary — there were more young was shocked at how many young people people in attendance. were in attendance. Though about half The Nelson Town Hall is a true social and political hub for “There’s a resurgence in interest in were seasoned dancers with decades of the town of 700-plus residents that just celebrated its 250th folk culture in general happening right experience, half of the 50 dancers or so anniversary. The town website, maintained by the library, prominently features a black fly and a bucolic scene with the now, especially with music,” Faiella says. were in their 30s or younger. There was words "Welcome to the Center of the Universe."

“People are drawn to the sense of history a very wholesome-seeming group of 19-year-olds from Keene who attended contras ly subtle. You don’t even have to say anything and tradition and a local flavor. People are interin high school and were back for the summer. the whole dance — you can just have a really ested in the idea of keeping things local, and, for There was a group of 20-somethings sporting enjoyable connection,” she says. On the night a lot of people, it’s all integrated. Sustainability, dreads, tattoos and purple hair, who, in an ur- I visited, she had brought a group of friends agriculture, food and local dancing.”

And while there have been closures or reban environment, might be considered hipsters. and first-timers in their 20s and 30s, including I danced two dances with Owen, a 22-year-old Garret from California, who was intimidated ductions in frequency of local dances around who wore a Scottish kilt and referred to himself about joining in at first, but eventually found New England due to lack of participants, there himself out on the dance floor. are certainly robust contra communities in as a third-generation contra dancer. or went back home, they often took contra with them. According to Millstone, there is a direct link between Dudley and the start of dances in such states as California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Montana, Missouri, Texas and more.

By the 1970s, Millstone says, the term “contra” — a derivative of contredanses, the French term for English country dances — dominates the lexicon. This may have been a way to differentiate from Western square dances, which contra dancers thought of as, well, square.

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Johanna Spaeder, a 28-year-old who volunteers at a mindfulness retreat in Keene and grew up doing contra in Alaska, started attending the Nelson dances when she moved to Alstead earlier this year. She says contras are a great place to get to know folks. “It’s a fun way to connect with people, and it can be real-

other places around the country, including states as far away as Alaska, Hawaii and California. Closer to home, young New Yorkers have been flocking to dances in Brooklyn.

Contra has even made its way abroad and back to the UK, where it’s distinct from traditional English country dancing.

Laufman, who is credited with the revival of contra in the ’70s, says that, if we are seeing another revival of sorts, it may come at the expense of many of New England’s traditions. “The dances are faster and more complicated. Ralph Page used to do complicated dances, and he could because people knew the dances. And if they didn’t, they just got hauled along anyway. It wasn’t a workshop.” Today it’s a workshop, he says. “They teach each dance before they do it. That’s not my cup of tea. The dances are too convoluted.”

Some dances have gotten so fast that, in cities around the country, organizations host what they refer to as “hot dances,” which include dance moves from swing and other faster genres. To some, that means contra may be losing some of the romance of decades past.

“Traditionally, people were dancing for social reasons. Nowadays, some people dance as an alternative to going to the gym,” says Millstone. “If you were a farmer or mill worker in New Hampshire in the ’20s and ’30s, you didn’t need to go to a dance for exercise.”

Laufman blames technology for the changes. “There’s no down time. There used to be inactive and active couples, with inactives not having anything to do for part of the dance,” he says. “And the computer lot can’t stand that.”

He prefers the simpler dances that were accessible to everyone, old and young, urban and rural, farmers, truck drivers and preps weekending from Boston. “Whether they were drunks, preppies or kids, they all got a chance to dance,” he says.

Others think the old and new can coexist.

“Some people will be concerned with preserving the dancing from the 1700s, but there can also be these more updated kinds of dances that move with different musical trends,” Faiella, who fell in love with contra after attending Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman’s dances as a child, says. “I think it’s great as long as we also keep that really strong old tradition alive.” And it’s no secret that contra has been evolving for hundreds of years.

At 86, Laufman says he rarely dances anymore. But there’s still one favorite he’ll dance to. “If they do ‘Money Musk,’ I’ll do it,” he says. “It was a Scottish dance that the Yankees sped up a little bit with a wild tune. Back in the day it used to be the first dance they did after intervention. But it’s a great dance — there’s nothing like it.” NH

Step in Time

Some things to know if you want to give contra a spin

Places to Dance

There are dances all over the Granite State (and neighboring states too). The website contradancelinks.com keeps a handy, updated list, and our official state website maintains a map and guide to New Hampshire's Traditional Dance Trail with 20 monthly dances and a downloadable brochure including dates, times and contacts. Along with the weekly dances at the Nelson Town Hall (and at a number of other regular spots), a few choice opportunities for September include: Francestown Labor Day Festival, September 1 Fiddleheads Acoustic Music Camp, Contoocook, September 8-10 Star Island Traditional Dance and Music Weekend, Isles of Shoals, September 15-17

Tips for First-timers • Bring water.

• Wear comfortable clothes that keep you cool.

• Bring a pair of comfy dancing shoes, so you don’t have to wear your gritty street shoes out on the dance floor.

• Find an experienced dancer to show you the ropes for your first dance.

• Don’t be afraid to go alone or dive in!

Useful Resources Contra Dance Links: contradancelinks.com/schedule_NH.html Monadnock Folklore Society: monadnockfolk.org NH Folklife: nh.gov/folklife Town of Nelson: townofnelson.com Great Meadow Music: Featuring recordings of many of the greatest musicians from the classic era of modern contra and country dancing, Great Meadow is a splendid source for CDs, digital downloads, books and videos about the subject. greatmeadowmusic.com

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BUILD YOUR BEST YOU The path to self-improvment is a personal one, but there are guides along the way who can start you moving or get you back on course. Here are five local experts eager to share their most inspirational tips on working the angles and overcoming the obstacles to personal transformation.

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Kripalu yoga instructor Jim Readey demonstrates an asana at the Yoga Center in Concord.

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Be More Mindful Jim Readey was once a lawyer clerking for Justice David Souter.

Now he teaches Kripalu yoga in his studio, The Yoga Center, overlooking Concord's remodeled Main Street. Along with practices designed to keep your body limber and your spirit centered, he offers a variety of workshops including improv comedy. Why improv?

“Because not knowing what’s coming next is an excellent inducement to staying grounded in the moment,“ he says. “Plus, it’s a real hoot.”

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Six Steps to Mindfulness

The form of yoga that Jim Readey practices is Kripalu, a Sanskrit word meaning "compassion."

He weaves compassion into both his teaching and advice to students. By approaching life with a “posture” of empathy and kindness for both self and others, every deed and word becomes an opportunity to heal and uplift.

1. Go barefoot. Take off your shoes and connect with the Earth directly — soil, grass, rocks, etc. The stimulating sensation in our feet constantly inspires mindfulness because we, naturally, begin to pay close attention to where we place our feet. The first time you step on an acorn because you aren’t looking, this lesson commences.

2. Take a cold shower. No one likes cold showers, initially. Just turn the handle gradually, though, and allow your body to get used to each cooler stage before going further. If you can achieve the feat of relaxing in frigid water, the mind opens wide.

You view yourself in a more expansive way and start to believe you can accomplish far more than you previously imagined.

3. Do everyday things in nonhabitual ways. Use a fork in the other hand (or try chopsticks!). Take a different route home or to the store. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving. Sign up for an improv class. All of these things train the brain to look at the world from a different perspective, be more present and let go of old scripts.

4. Slow down. Tantra is way more than developing longer staying power for men and having marathon sex like Sting. It's learning to slow down the usual rush to get somewhere or to acquire something.

Tantra teaches us how to deeply enjoy the experience of every moment, including our desires — even when we don’t actually acquire or manifest the object of our desire.

5. Simplify your meditation. The main reason offered for not meditating is lack of time.

Try mini-meditations that last for six breaths each — about 30 seconds. Wherever you are, periodically stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, breathe, relax and feel whatever sensations might be present in your body.

6. Tell the truth. Cultivate a relationship with someone you can share deep truths with.

Most of us hide our deeper truths from not only others, but ourselves as well. Mindfulness includes self-awareness, and the supportive presence of a trusted confidant can almost magically lead us to self-revelation, clearer seeing and mindful, inspired action.

– Rick Broussard

Photos by Kristin Hardwick

Love the Skin You're In Tricia Utley could teach you how to master cat-eye liner or what those cucumbers are for in an old-school spa facial — but she’d rather tell you how our body’s biggest organ contributes to a beauty that’s far more than skin-deep.

At her clinic in Nashua, American Apothecary Skin, the licensed esthetician uses her 15 years of experience to create a skincare routine that’s customized for every individual. “I have a sort of mind-body-skin approach,” she says.

“So if someone were to come to me, I’d be doing a bit of detective work” — parsing out what products they’ve used in the past, what techniques they use now, and what stressors in their lifestyle or their health may be aggravating their skin. Utley should know a thing or two about the latter: Her entry into this industry came after a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, one of the many Continued on page 60 diseases out there that can wreak havoc on skin. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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Eat Right

Continued from page 59

Tips for Skin Care

While American Apothecary does not offer medical advice, Utley’s philosophy does hinge on learning your problems and helping you achieve great skin in spite of them. The trick? Self-care.

“The brain and the skin are heavily connected,” she says, adding that the two can really “talk” to one another. “If you’re focused on the fact that you have a breakout, you’re making more breakouts.”

1. Get selfish. Chronic stress throws off the body’s delicate hormone balance and can lead to a host of skin, hair and nail issues. Combat the problems your work life is causing by taking a dedicated time each day — even if it’s just 15 minutes — to unplug, unwind and, whether it’s sneaking a bar of chocolate or taking a bubble bath, do something for yourself.

2. Don’t overdo it. Your skin has a natural barrier, comprised of oils, fatty acids, and even sweat and bacteria, that plays a crucial role in keeping bad stuff out. Keep clean, but don’t go nuts: The drugstore 60

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aisles full of cleansers and exfoliators and mechanical brushes will strip your skin of this healthy mantle and leave you more susceptible to breakouts and redness.

3. Start your day with sunbathing. Strip off as much clothing as you can “without getting in trouble,” Utley says, and bask in a bit of early-morning sunshine. Don’t over-tan (that will cause many more skin problems than it cures); just take a few minutes to boost your vitamin D. 4. Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend or like your mom would talk to you. Enhance your self-love by co-opting the language you use on your loved ones.

5. Whatever your thing is, rock it. Feeling good about yourself helps your health.

So whether it’s a favorite lip gloss, a full makeup look or a totally bare face, pick the look you love and embrace it.

Decorating your skin and taking care of it are intertwined — especially if that bit of décor can boost your mood.

– Sarah Cahalan

Dr. Jennifer Warren is a double board-certified physician in family and obesity medicine with more than two decades of experience. Her own personal weight loss journey and a passion to use science to improve lives helped her found her own practice, Physicians Healthy Weight Center in North Hampton. Her positivity is contagious, and her tips will not only help you stay on track, weight-wise, but keep you healthy in both body and mind. Warren does not believe in perfection — it’s her professional opinion that, when on the road to personal transformation, there must be room for mistakes. Everyone falls off the wagon, she says, but the important part is getting back up and not letting it run you over.

Tips for Better Nutrition

Transformation does not come with a scientific algorithm. To be successful, you need strong motivation and a sense of progress. To stay on course and experience positive benefits, try the following steps.

1. Practice moderation, even when setting your goals. In a society of extremes, Warren notes that successful transformation comes in moderation. Goals must push you enough to get results, but not so much that your plan is impossible to follow. This means finding a balance with new routines and a driving force to stick with it.

2. Keep it simple. For food plans, Warren finds sticking to a simple core diet creates

the most success. You should not feel guilty for going out to eat or slipping up every once in a while — as long as the slip is temporary. Sticking to a plan that is “tasty enough, simple enough, filling enough and giving good enough results” will help you stay on track, says Warren.

3. Know your habits. Patterns of behavior often cause people to veer off the path to success. Keep an eye out for old habits that might be creeping back into your life.

Contrary to popular belief, it takes about six months to form new habits, and old habits die hard. Small steps pay off in time, and you can experiment along the way. Warren recommends hiding tantalizing treats in higher spaces so the first thing your eye meets is a healthy snack.

Big events in your life, be they fun holidays or catastrophes, tend to bring with them big distractions and temptations. Plan accordingly.

4. Feed your head. Ensuring that your mind is healthy as well as your body is just as important for a successful transformation.

This means sleeping well, spending time in the fresh air and making space to socialize.

It can also be helpful to recharge by getting away from the crowds. Be mindful of fatigue, both mental and physical, and lastly, make sure to tend to the unmet needs in your life.

Especially parents who are used to putting the needs of busy family before their own.

– Madison Neary

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Dress to Express

Tara Leonard studied art, worked for years at a Newbury Street milliner and is a regular in the stands at New York fashion shows. She also owns what might be the friendliest little boutique in the state. “I could have ended up anywhere with a shop, but I ended up in Ashland,” the fifth-generation Ashlander says.

From her Main Street store, Wholly Tara, Leonard dishes out not just fashionable clothes, but a hefty dose of true retail therapy. The store offers something for every budget and every age in sizes ranging from XS to 3XL, but their best feature may be Leonard herself. She pays personal attention to each of her customers, offering them advice, encouragement and an honest opinion. “It’s not about the shopping,” she says. “It’s about the experience.”

Five Pieces of Fashion Advice

At Wholly Tara, Leonard helps New Hampshire women from all walks of life find the fun in getting dressed. “You tell your story with what you wear,” says Leonard. “What story do you want to tell?” Revamping your look isn’t about going on a shopping spree — here are Leonard’s suggestions for starting your wardrobe upgrade.

3. Dress for what you are today, not what you want to be in the future and not what you were in the past. If you want to change your weight, you won’t be motivated to do it if all of your clothes are too baggy or too tight. Treat yourself to something that fits you today, even if you hope you’ll be having it taken in at the tailor in six months.

1. If you feel good in what you’re wearing, it shows. Leonard is a firm believer that you can look good at any size and any age.

It’s just a matter of attitude. Pick things that you feel great in, and you’ll look great.

4. Less is more. Especially if you have a busy schedule, shopping until your closet is bursting with clothes is both impossible and unwise. Choose key pieces that will last and that will go with everything, Leonard says, and styling around them will be a breeze.

2. Eliminate “Am I too old for this?” from your vocabulary. A tunic and — gasp — skinny jeans can be a perfectly age-appropriate outfit for a retiree, Leonard says. Let how you look and feel in an outfit dictate whether you wear it, not the year you were born.

5. To borrow the phrase from L’Oreal, you’re worth it. Have you dropped thousands on spoiling your grandkids this year but not bought new shoes since the Bush administration? Take Leonard’s word for it: You really are worth investing in.

– Sarah Cahalan

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Shape Up Co-owner and CEO Lisa Maria-Booth opened Fortitude five years ago with longtime collaborator Danielle Perreault. The downtown Manchester gym caught on fast, and soon, along with David Booth, she opened FortCycle and the Green Bike smoothie bar (all located in one building in the Millyard).

Of course, fitness and good health are the ultimate goals, but Maria-Booth and her staff work just as hard to create a sense of community. Here, everyone from marathon runners to hesitant beginners are welcomed and supported by both the staff and members. As Booth says, “All you have to do is show up, and we'll take care of the rest.”

While no one is actually going to lift the weights for you, you will find expert advice, coaching and plenty of positive encouragement. Perhaps most importantly, what you won’t find is judgment or intimidation.

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Photos by Jared Charney

The First Steps to Fitness

5. Swap out just one bad thing. For instance, every day try trading a sugary, cream-laden Dunkin’ Donuts drink for a wholegrain English muffin with almond butter.

We all know, whether we want to admit it or not, that there’s no such thing as a quick fix.

True fitness is not achieved with a crash diet or a miracle piece of equipment. It’s about changing habits, making good choices every single day and, yes, regular exercise. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, then Maria-Booth has a few suggestions for things you can do right now to start down a path to better health.

1. Set goals. Sometimes, says Maria-Booth, people come to her with only a desire to change ... something. It’s her job, she says, to be “an inspirer, a motivator, a spark.” She helps people set smart, achievable goals.

Without something specific — and attainable — to work toward, it’s much easier to give up. For instance, at first train to run a 5K rather than a marathon. Habits, she adds, can take a long time to form and a long time to break. Setting goals you can “wrap your arms around” helps push you out of a rut.

2. Keep at it. Fitness doesn’t happen overnight, but “If you keep repeating and repeating positive new habits, pretty soon it’s going to become a part of who you are,” she says.

“But it takes patience; it takes a little time and repeating, and repeating. And then it’s like a needle on a record — it’s not going to skip any more since you’ve created a new groove.”

6. Sleep. “I love to get at least seven hours of sleep at night to feel my best, to keep my body strong,” she says.

3. Find someone to hold you accountable.

Tell your goals to someone you trust and that you can share with.

4. Get outside. “You might imagine I want people to be in the gym all of the time, but I don’t,” she says. One of her personal favorite ways to stay healthy is by taking advantage of the state’s many natural resources. “We have everything at our fingertips — mountains, trails, lakes, the ocean,” she says. “Being outside, getting sunshine, whether I’m in the forest hiking or swimming in the lake or snowshoeing on a really white, shiny winter day, is a huge battery recharge for me.”

7. Eat real food. “I stay the heck away from manufactured food products,” she says.

She also avoids supplements and medications unless absolutely necessary. “I really, really believe that everything I need is in the super-healthy, colorful, look-the-samegoing-in-the-body-as-it-did-coming-out-ofthe-ground food.” Fresh fruit and veggies are simply better choices than boxes with long lists of ingredients.

8. Be around like-minded people. She doesn’t suggest trading in your friends, but if you can, try to be around healthy, positive people. Inspiration is important. Group classes can be a great way to find motivation.

9. Make the time. Sorry, busy people: She won’t accept the “I have no time” excuse. You do. As she points out, there are 168 hours in a week — you can set aside three for exercise.

Make yourself a schedule and stick to it.

– Erica Thoits

Lisa Maria-Booth, also pictured at left and above, is sitting in the welcoming Green Bike smoothie bar space — the FortCycle room is just off to the right, and through the door you’ll find the original Fortitude gym, all situated in Manchester’s historic Millyard.

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The Many Souls of Francestown There’s more to this village than meets the eye

By Anders Morley, Photos by Kendal J. Bush

The Elm Farm Barn at Pettee Farm on Route 136 in Francestown

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eople in Francestown wield proud and practiced phrases to talk about the place where they live. “We didn’t choose Francestown,” two residents told me. “It chose us.” One woman said living there is like having an oncall psychiatrist: If you feel depressed, it’s enough to go for a walk along a quiet country road. “And if you have to die,” added her husband, “Francestown’s a great place to do it.”

Pride and practice are also on show when you drive down Main Street. The ordered houses illustrate the phases of New England architecture, from humble Capes to countrified Federal-style houses, and even a take on Georgian stateliness in the public library building. Here and there are splashes of Greek Revival ornament and a restrained Victorian fancy. They’re all perfectly tidy, cheerily painted, and most carry little plaques telling passersby when they were built and by whom. Facing the green are the Old Meeting House, the Town Hall and the village horse sheds, all of which are white and clean and look like they belong in Yankee. Townspeople love to tell you how old the structures are and to relate ancient anecdotes about them, as if they had been there in person.

No one wants to begrudge a town its past, but the truth is such things are run-of-the-mill in New Hampshire.

They’re written down in town histories that no one reads and recycled in only slightly less soporific visitor guides available in town libraries.

But one can handle only so much of this. After a while, the lines all run together.

Each town, of course, has homed in on a few historical particularities that pique its sense of pride. Francestown has three. First, in 1800, the Second New Hampshire Turnpike was built right through the village, bringing as much traffic as the place has ever known for a period of about 30 years. Second, a locally famous grammar school once operated there and was attended briefly by two New Hampshire notables, Levi Woodbury and Franklin Pierce. It may be partly responsible for the town’s persistent bookish glow. And third, it was in Francestown that the purest deposit of soapstone on Earth was accidentally discovered in the 1790s. The soapstone was extract68

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ed profitably for several decades, but today the quarry lies invisible and abandoned beside a country road. The Francestown Improvement & Historical Society proudly possesses more than 100 articles made from this stone and will gladly show them to you, if you come during regular hours.

Yet try as I may to strip away the luster, I can’t escape the sense that there might be something special about this town. One day I was having lunch with a friend who lives there.

When I told him I planned to write an article about it, he groaned and asked not to be included, so I changed the subject. “What are we eating?” I asked. “This is croque monsieur,” he explained, “a relic from the past, once served in Paris bistros until the politicians intervened.

It’s essentially a ham and cheese sandwich, but really much more. I baked the bread. The cheese is Gruyère and the ham is prosciutto. The sauce is bechamel, after the Marquis de Béchamel, steward to Louis XIV. The herbs are Provençal.” My friend sells rare books and for years operated a private press in his house, manually printing works of literary merit in small runs. He built the house in 1975 from stone found onsite, following the Nearings’ manual.

He lives a frugal yet exceptionally elegant life with no running water or central heating and boils just enough maple syrup on his woodstove to get through a year. Looking around, I said, “Are you honestly not going to let me write about you? You’re such a fascinating character.” No, no, he insisted. He really preferred to be omitted. “And besides,” he added, “by Francestown standards, I’m not terribly interesting. If you really must write this story, though, I suggest you begin by talking to my neighbor.”

And so you can read all the official histories you like. It’s only once you get behind closed doors that you touch the soul of a town. That was what I’d do.

It was below zero when I arrived at Priscilla Putnam Martin’s hillside house one December morning. She opened the door and I saw a house full of things yet somehow uncluttered. There was motorcycle paraphernalia everywhere, including a recent photograph of Priscilla, who is about 70, straddling a Harley-Davidson Sportster in Laconia. There’s a matching one of her husband. He’s her fourth, she tells me without embarrassment.

The Francestown Labor Day Parade is celebrating 100 years in 2017. Read more about it on page 75. On the opposite page, kids toss candy during a past parade.

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The Francestown Town Office Building on Main Street

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Priscilla is serious about motorcycles. When she was born, her parents brought her home from the hospital in a sidecar. She wrote an article a few years ago about Sylvester Roper, a Francestown native who in 1867 invented an early motorcycle. The “steam velocipede” was basically a bicycle with a steam-powered engine. Roper was an all-around mechanical whiz who died in Cambridge at 73 after crashing a new model of his velocipede at 40 mph.

Little is known about his early years, but what there is Priscilla can tell you.

Genealogy is Priscilla’s other ruling passion.

She has boxes and file cabinets overflowing with papers, as well as a head that is dizzyingly filled with centuries of names, places and migrations. Her own ancestors arrived in Salem Village in the 1640s and eventually moved inland. Her paternal great-grandmother was born in Francestown in 1847, and her family has been here ever since.

Priscilla’s parents lived next door when they were alive. They were hoarders, and their house had to be torn down. This too she tells me matter-of-factly. Her father was known in town for his sharp intellect but never had an education. He made a living cutting wood and doing odd jobs. “We’re peasants,” she says. “I’ve been poor all my life, and I’ll die poor.”

She tells me that her third husband built this house “when he still loved me, before he ran off with another woman.” She’s refreshingly open about her misfortunes, but not in a pity-seeking way. She has been through a great deal — too harrowing for the pages of this magazine — and says that she takes a stand where she lives to fight the demons who live here with her.

In last year’s Labor Day parade, Priscilla’s son-in-law made a model of the original velocipede for one of the floats. “The people in the Improvement and Historical Society don’t care about Roper,” she says, because he doesn’t fit with their image of the town. She thinks historically significant artifacts are ignored and discarded for the same reason. An old box factory in the village, for instance, was demolished because it didn’t conform to the prim idea of Francestown the rich newcomers had. They are nice people, she insists, but they don’t really understand this place. Priscilla thinks the past, good and bad, is the key to a real understanding. It’s why she’s holding onto boxes and boxes of old papers until she’s sure there’s space for them in the town archives.

The reason the town exists at all, says Priscilla, is because people used to make their livelihood here, and that’s become harder and harder. She understands the motivation for organizations like the Land Trust but is critical

he and Carol (who grew up in Francestown after moving from Boston with her parents in the ’50s) bought this house “to get away from the city,” he says with a snicker. Lawrie is an agreeable presence, although at one point he had to raise his voice to calm his elderly mother-in-law’s insistent calls for attention. He calls her “mother,” while his own mother, when he mentions her, is “maman.”

The house is an unassuming white Greek Revival with a brick foundation. Inside it has more character than outside, feels more inviting. Sylvester Roper, the motorcycle inventor, may have been born here, but that’s not something the Barrs advertise. From the mudroom, we entered a common room with a walk-around hearth and the kitchen at the back. A handsome wooden clock with finials hung over the hearth and proclaimed in gilt lettering, TIME IS MONEY. Behind the couch was a set of striking black-and-white silk prints in neat black frames.

Carol was busy in the other room entertaining a guest, a tall, gray-haired woman. I followed their voices in and met them both, but Carol was called away to the kitchen, while Priscilla and I stood with the woman and admired the fine woodwork in a newly restored mantelpiece in the formal drawing room. To break an awkward silence, the woman moved her hand delicately along the plane of the mantel and said, in a mellow contralto, “Carol was just showing me this lovely new ‘surround’ ... as one says.”

More Francestown ladies trickled in, some exuding this same genteel Bostonian air. There was another tall, gray-haired woman who arrived with her husband, a balding man with a watchful look who sat apart from the circle that was taking shape and seemed suspicious. They had moved here from outside Boston. A woman in her 80s with beautiful manners talked to me with affection. She was a painter and still spoke with a Brahmin accent. Later I saw one of her paintings, a scene of a round mountain and a pond. The line of the mountain flowed A former sawmill from the late 1700s down into a soft mist rising from the water. It reminded me of mornings in the high country Barr for tea. We entered through the mudroom, of Stoddard or Washington.

An earthier woman from Pennsylvania had where Lawrie welcomed us in a green flannel shirt, suspenders and Bean boots. He looked moved to Francestown just four years before. like the man in “American Gothic” might look An avid weaver, she collects looms in a barn if he’d gone to Exeter and was exceptionally beside her house on Main Street. Her voice well-spoken, with a pleasing voice and trained cracked with emotion when she talked about but unpretentious diction. It was no surprise, the town that she and her husband have rethen, to learn that he’d literally grown up in tired in. She likes that it’s acceptable to withprep schools, his father having been a French draw and expect to be left alone, but that the teacher at Haverford. Lawrie later became a neighbors are always there when you need real estate agent in Peterborough, and in 1980 them. Everyone nods in agreement. They’re all of what she sees as an uncritical enthusiasm for land preservation among the better-off in the community. It makes it all but impossible to earn a living here. She hounds this thought right to its logical end, letting a tinge of emotion into her voice: “There are people who want to die in Francestown but can’t afford to.”

After lunch, Priscilla and I were expected at the village home of Carol Prest Barr and Lawrie

Priscilla thinks the past, good and bad, is the key to a real understanding.

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enchanted with their adopted town. Another woman holds up the innocence and simplicity of life here against the cynicism and red tape of California, where she lived for several years between spells in Francestown.

Carol came around with a tray of petite pâtisserie. I was too overwhelmed with listening to eat anything. I didn’t feel like the interviewer I was supposed to be but rather as if I had been mistakenly dropped into the midst of some Seven Sisters reunion whose attendees were as perplexed as I was about just what it was I was doing there. “Do you have any questions?” one of them asked me. “Yes,” said another, “what exactly are you looking for?”

When the circle broke up, the man who’d been sitting apart — the only other man there — came across and told me, unbidden, that he enjoys watching the townspeople from his Above: Carol Prest Barr window, perched somewhat above Main Street. Below: Priscilla Putnam Martin on her Harley He no longer seemed suspicious but now had in front of the Old Meeting House a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He asked if When evening came, Carol and I walked I’d read “Peyton Place” and, as if to burst the down Main Street to a neighbor’s Christmas bubble of propriety the women had so pains- party. Priscilla wasn’t invited, and I missed takingly inflated, said that Francestown had its her company. I’d been told over the phone scandals too. “But I don’t suppose you’d want that it was an ugly-sweater party but had forgotten. As soon as I walked inside, I felt to hear about that,” he said.

horribly gauche for having unthinkingly worn my best sweater. Carol insisted that I needed to spend some time with our host, Brooks Place, a reputed fount of knowledge concerning local history.

Brooks and I shook hands, trying awkwardly not to catapult the contents of our cocktail plates, in a central hall beside a large table spread with delicacies. Behind us loomed an imposing oil portrait of a Francestown ancestor of Brooks’, one of three Revolutionary generals from whom he is descended. His family line boasts several of the oldest surnames in town, reaching back considerably farther than even Priscilla’s.

The kinds of names one usually finds only on worn-out gravestones were spilling off his tongue as we threaded through the crowd toward the library at the front of the house, where Brooks keeps his collection of Hillsborough County town histories. From the elegant glass case he pulled down the hefty 1895 “History of Francestown” and opened it to the back. He flipped through the pages of genealogy with his thumb, explaining that he’d begun elaborating his own family tree here, but soon the work took hold of him and he’d followed

“There are people who want to die in Francestown but can’t afford to.”

- Priscilla Putnam Martin 72

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The kinds of names one usually finds only on worn-out gravestones were spilling off his tongue.

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The original Francestown Town Hall eagle, which is now a part of the Francestown Heritage Museum

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virtually every strand until he had done genealogies for “everyone in Francestown.” His list was up to 30,000 names. I asked him what he was going to do with it all. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I hate writing.”

Our conversation eventually broadened out to more general subjects. Brooks loved to talk and seemed to have no limits. He told me about a young friend of the family who had recently been refused admission to Harvard. A soapstone soap dish from the Francestown “The thing is,” he said, “every male in his family Improvement & Historical Society father’s on the faculty. I don’t know about you,” since 1630, or whenever it was founded ...”

“Sixteen thirty-six,” I said, sensing he could he said, dipping his head slightly, flashing me a split-second ironic smile, and then sweeping handle some teasing.

“Yes, of course,” he said, raising a devilish his hair back with his hand, “but I think it’s a eyebrow. “Anyway, every last male in the fam- travesty. A travesty!”

I’d been among Francestowners for 13 hours ily has gone to Harvard, and now Harvard has had the nerve to reject him. Would you believe straight and would be back the next day. I had it? This political correctness really has gone reached saturation. After a few more minutes too far. Does it mean anything to be a legacy of Brooks’ outrageous but highly amusing bananymore? So the kid ends up having to go to ter, I thanked him and his wife and discreetly Cornell! Can you imagine that? The humil- slipped out the door, wondering how I was iation? And he only got in there because his ever going sum this place up.

I

Driving in the winter darkness along the Second New Hampshire Turnpike, which has hardly changed in 217 years, I remembered a scene from May Sarton’s novel “Kinds of Love.”

The book is set in a semi-imaginary town near here called Willard. A few of the characters have been charged with the task of writing a town history for the occasion of Willard’s bicentennial. At a meeting of the historical society, someone asks, “I want to know whether we are going to try to tell the true history, or are we just going to flatter ourselves?”

The town historian is discomfited by such cheek and starts nervously shuffling his papers and clearing his throat. Just then the town’s frail and elderly grande dame, a certain Miss Tuttle, speaks up: “It would be most unusual if we told the truth. It has never been done on these occasions of celebration and self-congratulation.”

But the truth, while it may not always be as neat or as flattering as the official version, is often a great deal more entertaining. NH

100th Labor Day Celebration and Parade

n 1918, the Francestown Improvement & Historical Society decided that their town was truly distinctive. So, rather than the traditional Old Home Day, they were going to make Labor Day their big event. As far as we can tell, no one else has ever had quite the same idea. The Labor Day celebration would be an occasion to commemorate the town’s past but also a way to raise money for a worthy cause. Proceeds from the first celebration went to the Red Cross Society.

Since then the money has gone toward a wide range of civic projects aimed at making Francestown a nicer place to live.

For the 100th anniversary of this one-of-a-kind celebration, Francestown is renovating the historic dormitory of the Francestown Academy, known affectionately as the Beehive, which will become the seat of the Improvement & Historical Society. Together with the Old Meeting House and the Town Hall, the building constitutes the core of a recently designated Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. President Charlie Pyle hopes the complex will draw visitors interested in spending a summer afternoon (not just Labor Day) looking into the past, taking in the peaceful surroundings, and perhaps even enjoying a picnic on the green.

The four-day celebration will involve a contra dance, live music, a firemen’s supper, a pancake breakfast, children’s games, bake and rummage sales, and, of course, the parade. It’s also a chance for Francestown to show off some of its prized possessions, including a Concord Coach once used to provide 19th-century Francestowners with a regular connection to Boston (via the train in Greenfield).

The parade starts at 2 p.m. on Labor Day and the centennial-year theme is, fittingly, “The Last 100 Years.” Floats fabricated by local individuals and businesses are judged by a celebrity panel (former NH Charitable Foundation president Lew Feldstein, author and TV journalist Jennifer Vaughn, and beloved author/ illustrator Tomie dePaola this year), so they are usually creative and funny. And visitors who arrive a little late will still get to catch all the entries, since — lacking a circle to traverse — the parade route doubles back and ends where it began.

The Sunday evening Vespers service (the unofficial kick-off for the events to follow on Monday) will be held at the Old Meeting House at 7 p.m. and will feature Fritz Wetherbee as guest speaker.

For more information, visit the Francestown Improvement & Historical Society website at francestownhistory.info. nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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“The home should be the treasure chest of living.” – Charles-Edouard Jeanneret

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Health 80 Seniority 84 Local Dish 86 Events Listing 88 Dine Out 92 Ayuh 96

HOME

Local Color

Famous décor is found here

BY AMY MITCHELL

N

ew Hampshire may not be an upholstery mecca like North Carolina or an edgy-artisanal home décor haven like Brooklyn, but when it comes to quality and color, New Hampshire’s own Garnet Hill and Company C have home style nailed.

Above: Eileen Fisher rippled organic cotton coverlet and shams Left: Company C cirrus stripe rug nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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HOME

Garnet Hill

Garnet Hill has also launched pop-up and seasonal stores to acquaint potential buyers, designers and marketers with this too-longkept-secret source and give them the handson Garnet Hill experience that Dowse and Kirschner created with their first catalog all those years ago.

Some of my favorites:

Eileen Fisher rippled organic cotton coverlet and shams Machine washable, hard-wearing, yet oh-so-soft!

Block-print organiccotton flannel bedding

gate, Ballard Designs and Grandin Road), but has maintained its presence in New Hampshire, with 160 employees still at the headquarters in Franconia and another 40 employees in Exeter.

Since the company’s founding 40 years ago, Garnet Hill’s offerings have vastly expanded, but they remain dedicated to quality. The catalog still boasts the famous flannel sheets and pajamas, as well as a select assortment of high-end blankets, clothing, rugs and more made from cashmere, linen, and other unusual fabrics and textiles. New last year,

Block-print organic-cotton flannel bedding The flannel sheets that made Garnet Hill famous in a fresh, boho style Printed canvas storage bin Fun storage solutions for toys or towels

Company C

Christine and Walter Chapin founded Company C, the manufacturer of colorful, handcrafted home furnishings, in Concord in 1994. It started as a one-room garage operation dedicated to “sharing the joys of colorful living.” In the 20 years since, Company

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courtesy photos

Franconia-based Garnet Hill began in 1976 in a humble sugar shed home belonging to Grant Dowse and Pegge Kirschner. Dowse and Kirschner had fallen in love with flannel sheeting while camping in England a few years prior, but were unable to find an American company that could provide a product of the same high quality and comfort they’d found abroad.

The two decided to start their own company as an importer of fine English flannel sheets and named it Garnet Hill after a nearby rise of land. Working out of their plumbing-less cottage, they placed a 1-inch ad in Yankee magazine and created their first mail-order catalog — a small die-cut brochure complete with flannel swatches to show how wonderful the fabric felt. Orders immediately began to roll in.

Garnet Hill’s success, fueled by Dowse and Kirschner’s charismatic leadership, started a small-town economic boom in Franconia. Sadly, both were killed in a small plane crash in 1985. The company was sold to HSN’s Cornerstone division (which also includes the brands Front-

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C’s signature saturated colors and overscaled patterns have become instantly recognizable, catapulting the company’s growth. It now has more than 1,000 wholesale partners worldwide and three retail stores, including its headquarters in Concord.

Social responsibility is high on the company’s list of priorities. Since 2005, Company C has been a member of GoodWeave, an organization that partners with rug manufacturers to ensure carpets are made without the use of child labor, improve working conditions and provide fair wages.

Furthermore, Company C only partners with manufacturers that share its sustainable sourcing goals and use resources that have minimal impact on the environment.

While it is most famous for its exuberant rug collection, Company C also offers a select line of upholstered furniture handmade by factories in North Carolina and high-end bed and bath linens.

Some of my favorites:

Ridgely throw Soft and snuggly with killer color blocking Cirrus stripe rug This handwoven indoor/outdoor rug in a variegated blue stripe has my vote for a great mixed-gender playroom.

courtesy photos

Wooster chair I love the tailored style of the low-rolled back. The piping is a great opportunity for contrast color or pattern. NH Decorator and color consultant Amy Mitchell is the owner of Home Glow Design. Each week, she writes for Home Glow’s “Saturday Blog” (homeglowdesign.com/blog), focusing on fresh twists on classic style, American craftsmanship and value and quality for dollars spent. The blog also features more photos from this story. She lives in Hopkinton with her husband and two boys.

Tip 1 Maximizing your storage is essential to having a great kitchen. I have seen many kitchens that have no place to put the frying pans, no real pantry and no counter space on either side of the cook top. These are not functioning kitchens. I maintain that all cabinets less than 12 inches wide are useless. What can you store in them? Not much. If you are going to spend the money to remodel your kitchen, let a designer help you maximize the storage space so you really can use it. No more trips to the basement to get that pan or roll of paper towels. At Dream Kitchens, I guarantee we will give you at least 30 percent more storage.

Tip 2 Life has changed. The kitchen is the center of our lives. We cook, our children study, and we entertain in the kitchen. This makes the layout essential.

How many times have you asked your child to “stop standing there so I can get to the fridge?” We should be able to easily chat with guests, put chips and dip out on a buffet, and watch TV. We want guests welcome in the kitchen, but on the fringes where they add to the fun but don’t get in the way.

Tip 3 Get rid of the clutter. Most countertops are packed with the coffee maker, toaster, food processor, blender, knives, spices and pantry items. This makes it almost impossible to prepare food and makes the kitchen look messy. Have a place to store everything so you can see and use those beautiful countertops. At Dream Kitchens we will store everything away so you are ready for company at any time of day!

Nina Hackel, President | Dream Kitchens | 139 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua NH | www.adreamkitchen.com | 603-891-2916 nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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owner of About Face Medical Aesthetics in Stratham. But in Boston, McCarron says, the cost of the exact same treatment will likely approach $500.

If you’re worried about looking like you’ve “had something done,” don’t be.

Indeed, a common misconception surrounding medspa treatments is that people who undergo them end up looking artificial or stiff, says Lisa Vuich, MD, owner of Renew MediSpa in Windham. “We have people come in every week who are worried that they’re going to look freakish,” Vuich says. “But the end result is very dependent on proper placement and not doing too much,” as well as not overly relying on only one method, such as using Botox or facial filler to accomplish everything. “Anything can be done poorly,” Vuich notes, but if a cosmetic procedure is done correctly and is not overdone, she says, you will not get an unnatural look.

Medspas constantly evolve as new treatments and technology become available and the industry tries to keep pace with consumers’ seemingly insatiable desire to look as fabulous as possible. We contacted a few Granite State medspas to talk about some of their current and most popular treatments, as well as to get a hint of what’s to come (see sidebar).

Beauty and Medicine

An alternative to cosmetic surgery

BY KAREN A. JAMROG

C

onfucius once said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it.”

You can say that again.

In our defense, it can be tough to be satisfied with our looks when we can’t help but compare ourselves with the supermodels and Hollywood stars we see on screen and in the news. If you’re frustrated with what you see in the mirror but not ready to commit to cosmetic surgery, then you might want to check out medical spas.

Unlike conventional day spas, medical spas (known as “medspas” or “medispas” for short) blend beauty with medicine. Visit a medspa and you might find an esthetician giving facials or applying chemical peels, while across the hall a registered nurse operates a cosmetic laser, or a nurse practitioner or physician administers Botox.

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The array of services offered at medspas can vary. At minimum, you can count on most medspas to provide injections of Botox and dermal fillers, but many will also have lasers and other equipment for cosmetic procedures, and some will even offer advanced treatments related to tissue regeneration and sexual wellness.

Some medspa services require repeat treatments to achieve or maintain desired results, but depending on the procedure, results can last longer than a year. The number of treatments you will need, the outcome you can expect and the cost of treatment depend on a number of factors — including where the medspa is located.

In southern New Hampshire, getting Botox to treat frown lines, for example, might cost $250 to $325, says Ericka McCarron, RN,

Botox: These days, Botox might be considered an old standby, or maybe the granddaddy of minimally invasive cosmetic treatments. Botox has been around for years, relaxing countless frown lines and crow’s feet via injections, but remains a top seller at medspas and, some say, is a technique that has gained acceptance among holdouts.

Botox, “by far,” is one of the most popular treatments requested by customers, McCarron says. “Even five to seven years ago, there was a kind of stigma that went along with people who quote-unquote ‘got Botox,’” she says. “It’s much more mainstream now.”

• Dermal fillers: Injections of facial fillers such as Juvederm and Radiesse also remain popular among beauty seekers. As we age, our store of youthful facial fat diminishes.

Dermal filler injections plump up aging and hollowed out-skin, soften wrinkles, fill in acne scars, and make skimpy lips look voluptuous. Such injectables are a “huge” favorite among medspa clients, says Katie Hurd, RN, assistant manager and esthetician at Ariya Aesthetics in Bedford.

• Body contouring: If hours at the gym and a sensible diet leave you with areas of

illustration by brittany inglese

HEALTH

stubborn fat or cellulite that never seem to go away no matter what, a body contouring procedure such as CoolSculpting or VelaShape might be for you.

CoolSculpting freezes and kills fat cells in the jiggly area of your choosing. “It is permanent fat reduction,” McCarron says, and is noninvasive, so it typically requires no downtime. And, McCarron says, “it can be used just about anywhere there’s fat,”

On the horizon Could the Vampire Facelift be the wave of the future? Regenerative procedures such as the Vampire Facelift (yes, that is its actual trademarked name) are gaining increasing attention and study within the medspa industry, says Lisa Vuich, MD, owner of Renew MediSpa in Windham.

Regenerative procedures are used for a range of cosmetic purposes, but are also available at some medspas to treat sexual wellness concerns, such as vaginal dryness and erectile dysfunction. Some regenerative procedures harness the power of the client’s own blood platelets and stem cells — hence treatment names such as “Vampire Facelift” — to kick-start rejuvenation in the body, while other regenerative therapies rely on radiofrequency or lasers.

There is “huge interest” in regeneration methods, Vuich says. Study of the regenerative use of stem cells in particular is advancing, she says, and new devices are on the way that will simplify procedures for harvesting, preparing and using stem cells. Stem cells might be used in the future, Vuich says, “to improve the response or the longevity of the response to certain procedures.”

Overall, there is little doubt that advances in the field will continue to bring better results faster and with less downtime for medspa clients. Already with today’s technology, “something that used to take six treatments you can now do in three, and get a better result,” Vuich says. Many recent treatment developments are not necessarily due to medspa application of new concepts or new procedures, she says, but more often are a result of improved equipment that provides more efficient, better-penetrating energy that is less painful for the client and requires less downtime post-procedure. In the end, Vuich says, “It’s more convenient for people, and they get a better result.”

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can stimulate your follicles. Regretting an ill-considered tattoo? Lasers can help fade even some multicolored designs. Not only that, lasers can take years off your face by smoothing wrinkles, erasing age spots, and tightening skin. NH

including the abdomen, arms, and inner thighs as well as the chin, love handle and bra-bulge areas.

VelaShape uses infrared light and radiofrequency to improve tone and contour, and results in reduced circumference and a smoother appearance. It is especially effective, Hurd says, in areas that have cellulite, but cellulite or no, Hurd says it can be used to shrink the arms, abdomen, legs and chin area.

For more information: Many medspa websites provide details regarding the specific treatments they offer.

For more details on some of the minimally invasive procedures you can find at medspas, including average pricing, see plasticsurgery. org/cosmetic-procedures.

• Lasers, lasers and more lasers: Got too much hair? Laser treatments can zap it away.

Thinning hair? A different kind of laser

The early bird avoids the wrinkle

It’s not just for women

The core customer base at medspas is typically middle-aged folks who are trying to regain a more youthful look, but, increasingly, younger people are signing up for medspa treatments to prevent signs of aging before they occur. “We’re starting at a much younger age,” says Ericka McCarron, RN, owner of About Face Medical Aesthetics in Stratham.

“I’d say about five to 10 years ago, the average [starting] age probably would have been 45. Now I’d say it’s 32 to 35 — and that’s average.”

Some come in as early as their mid-20s, McCarron says, “getting very small amounts of product in certain places to help prevent those signs of aging. So rather than letting those things start and kind of become ingrained in the face, they prevent them.”

Women make up the majority of medspa clientele, but, these days, the number of men who frequent medspas is on the rise. Many men are interested in procedures for hair growth or hair removal, but some also try body contouring, Botox and other procedures, says Katie Hurd, RN, assistant manager and esthetician at Ariya Aesthetics in Bedford.

Interestingly, the men don’t always arrive alone. A growing number of couples are booking appointments at medspas together, says Ericka McCarron, RN, owner of About Face Medical Aesthetics in Stratham.

Husbands and wives “come in to get their Botox together,” she says.

“It’s almost a bonding experience. We’re seeing it more and more.”

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SENIORITY

Senior Legislators

Does life experience mean political advantages?

BY LYNNE SNIERSON

W

inston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela and Golda Meir were all well advanced in years when they were power players on the world political stage.

They proved age is no obstacle to formidable leadership. It certainly doesn’t determine deportment, intelligence, wisdom, judgment, character or whether you’ve got “the right stuff.”

“Your ability to function as a legislator is based upon your ability to communicate with people, your ability to get along with people, to reach across the party line and work things out,” says Lou D’Allesandro, 79, the esteemed dean of the state Senate, who puts the long in longevity when it comes to public service in New Hampshire.

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“There is no magic number when old is too old to be in the Legislature,” continues D’Allesandro, who has been a Democratic state senator for 20 years and was an executive councilor for six years, a member of the House of Representatives for four years and a local school board member for 10 years.

Just ask Mary Griffin, the 11-term Republican state representative from Windham.

“I’m 91. I drive myself up to Concord to do my job, and I love everything about the Legislature. I’ve loved learning all the things I have. I love the people,” says Griffin, who is the majority whip on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and is one of the few in the 400-member House who showed up to vote on every one of the 150 bills brought forward in the current legislative session. “I

think I’m the oldest person serving.”

Nobody knows for certain who qualifies as the most senior statesman or stateswoman in New Hampshire history to have held a seat in the Legislature, which first convened in 1784. But it’s no secret that when it comes to representing one’s district, life experience can make a big difference — after all, these are the people who have already weathered the storms.

“The reality is that anything you’re going to get up here you’ve probably seen in life already,” says Chuck Morse, 56, a Republican who is the president of the 24-member state Senate and is serving his fourth term in the upper chamber after two terms in the House.

“When you’re older, you’re more patient and reflective so you make better decisions,” says Democrat Jeff Woodburn, 54, the Senate Minority Leader. “People have made tough decisions in their lives and previous jobs so they’re going to be better at making compromises and are going to be far better legislators than those who have not. As you grow older, you become less strident. The art of negotiation is needed, and being married for 50 years ought to give you some skill at that.”

The people of New Hampshire are the most represented in the country, with one legislator for every 3,000 residents in a population of about 1.3 million, and each term in both the House and Senate lasts only two years. Yes, that old punchline that everybody in the state will have served in Concord before they die still draws chuckles.

But this is not a for-grins-and-giggles gig, and it’s surely not side work.

It doesn’t come with the luxury of your own support staff, and it doesn’t pay well either. For $100 in annual salary, a special-issue license plate and reimbursed mileage to the state capitol for official business, you’re tasked with tackling New Hampshire’s multifaceted and difficult issues. Then tack on the troubles and travails of those who put you in office and placed their faith in you.

“This is a full-time job, and it’s not an easy job. It requires a very serious commitment,” says D’Allesandro. “In a citizen legislature, you’ve got to invest the time. You’ve got to search out resources to support your work; you’ve got to do your research. Many people depend on the lobbyists because we can’t possibly read every bill. To do this job the right way requires desire and dedication and a lot of follow through.”

Moreover, if you’re going to be effective,

illustration by victoria marcelino

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SENIORITY

then you’d better be a people person.

You work for your constituents, and they have no compunctions about calling, dropping by your home, or reaching out through email and social media 24/7.

They’re not shy about chatting you up at the grocery store or gas station, and they’ll pull up a chair when you’re dining out with family and put their problems right on your plate.

“I get weary, but there are those less fortunate than we, and helping them is my job,” says Griffin, who is returned to the House as her district’s top vote-getter in every election cycle. “People have problems and don’t know where to turn, so they come to me. Where else are they going to go? I’m able to take care of them or hook them up with somebody who can. That’s extremely gratifying, and I love doing it.”

Not only do you have to be a good person to be a good legislator, you’ve got to be a stand-up guy or gal.

“First and foremost, come to Concord with your honor and respect, and then keep it. If you can do that, it will be easier to do the job,” Morse says. “Your word is everything.”

Republicans and Democrats are almost always on opposite sides of the political

argument, but on this point there is no disagreement.

“A strong legislator is governed by his ability to stay true to his word. It’s very important people know they can count on you,” D’Allesandro says.

“Do you pick your battles? Do you build trust in relationships? When you give your word, do you live up to it?

Those are all ways people can be effective,” says Woodburn.

Another point of consensus is that every seasoned New Hampshire citizen with the desire and ability to serve should throw a hat in the ring.

“I recommend it,” says Morse. “Because of the system we have in New Hampshire with 400 House members, the opportunity is there. We get elected every two years, so it’s something people can come try, and if they have a knack for it, they can stay at it.”

D’Allesandro thinks serving is well-suited to seniors. “I absolutely encourage people to run. It’s all about the seasoning. You make good relationships, and those are the things that make our democracy stronger.” NH

Advice to Legislators At 38, attorney Dan Feltes is the youngest person to sit in the New Hampshire State Senate in nearly 30 years. The first-term Democrat from Concord has received numerous awards for his bipartisan efforts on some of the state’s most urgent and critical issues, and he offers tips on being an impactful legislator at any age: • Be a good listener, work in a collaborative fashion and work hard.

• Keep an open mind and work in good faith.

• Elevate problem-solving over political party and partisanship.

• Remain hopeful about trying to change for the better our politics, our policy-making and our problem-solving.

• Be patient and persistent.

• Understand that, to do this well, it is more than a full-time job.

“There are good people on both sides of the aisle whom I’ve learned a lot from and I continue to learn a lot from, says Feltes. “A good legislator will always figure out to how to work with folks and work the process better. Certainly, even the legislators who have been around the longest will say the same thing. You can always learn how to work an issue and work together better. When you get constituent service elements or a major piece of legislation to the finish line that you know is going to help people and help the state, it is very rewarding.”

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LOCAL LOCAL DISH DISH

The Spice is Right The season's final ears of corn are ready for picking. To create a worldly dish, simply slather the ears with butter or mayonnaise and then sprinkle with locally curated spices (see suggestions below). Just remember not to overcook the corn, and make sure to buy it fresh. In a large pot, cover corn with water and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.

Alternatively, you can briefly steam the ears above the water.

Keep the kernels snappy for a last taste of summer.

Home Cook’s Pantry, Hillsborough Za’atar Middle Eastern Spice Mix Home Cook's Pantry grinds spices for its subscription service and online store. This blend is a mix of herbs, salt, sumac and sesame seed. It’s an intensely aromatic and ancient spice blend that's perfect for energizing a meal. homecookspantry.com

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Stock + Spice, Portsmouth Harissa by Black Trumpet Trading Company and developed by Chef Evan Mallett A spicy mix of smoked paprika, ancho, cayenne, chipotle, Aleppo and more. It’s an aromatic taste of North Africa. stockandspice.com

Sunquam Tribute Company, Hollis Camp Mix This original mix is a blend of salt, pepper, onion and garlic that's a perfect traditional complement for corn. campmix.com

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EVENTS

Calendar

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OUR FAVORITE EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2017

dependence Museum, 1 Governors Way, Exeter.

(603) 772-2662; independencemuseum.org

9/23

Art Jam Bridge Fest As their slogan says, “This ain’t your grandmother’s art in the park.” This brand-new arts fest focuses on out-of-the-box art, including a graffiti art mural that will be created live during the fest and a sidewalk chalk art fest put on by the New Hampshire Institute of Art. The day also features live music and food trucks, and, best of all, it’s for a good cause: Proceeds benefit local groups helping to combat the state’s opioid crisis. $10. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bridge Street bridge, Manchester. artjambridgefest.com

White Mountain Storytelling Festival Spin a yarn and hear a tale at this celebration of storytelling arts. Festivities spread across the weekend (which conveniently aligns with Waterville’s Chili Challenge & Brews) include themed story-swapping sessions, family programs and special performances from notable storytellers including the festival’s headliner, Brit-turned-Granite Stater Simon Brooks. $5-$25. Town Square, Village Road, Waterville Valley. nhstorytelling.org

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courtesy of townsquare media

9/29-10/1

9/16 Insane Inflatable 5K Why run on flat ground when you could bounce? That’s the premise of this nationwide race, which is making a New Hampshire stop at the New England Dragway. Climb, slide, duck and dodge through 3.1 miles of inflatable obstacles, then stick around for the midway. This post-race entertainment zone features DJs, food vendors and even more inflatable games for runners young and old. $60-$75. 8 to 11 a.m., New England Dragway, 280 Exeter Rd., Epping. insaneinflatable5k.com

9/2-3

Railfans’ Weekend If you’ve ever wished for the bygone era when trains took the place of highway travel and stuffy airplanes, then this is the weekend for you. The Conway Scenic Railroad will offer extra journeys and special routes throughout this fest, including a “through the Notch and beyond” trek to Whitefield Diamond offered only on Sunday. Other festivities include a nighttime locomotive photo shoot, special demos and sophisticated dining car offerings.

Prices and times vary. Conway Scenic Railroad, 38 Norcross Cir., North Conway. (603) 356-5251; conwayscenic.com

9/9

Auburn Day & 25th Annual Duck Race Forget hot rods, thoroughbreds and track stars. The best racers to watch in action are rubber ducks.

The fan-favorite race — which sends the quackers careening over Griffin Falls — celebrates a quarter-century of running this year, and the attendant festival promises family fun including an apple pie contest, vendor and food booths, a “Pretty Chicken” competition and the 5K Duckling Dash. Free. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Auburn Village, Hooksett Rd., Auburn. auburnday.com

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9/15-17

NH Highland Games & Festival Heading north for this beloved fest, you could almost convince yourself that the mountains on the horizon are the rolling hills of the Scottish highlands — and once you hear the bagpipes and spot the sea of tartan on the festival grounds, you’ll really start believing it. Heavy athletics, dancing, music and arts are all on the docket this year, as is the annual appearance from Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the 6'9" actor and athlete known for playing The Mountain on “Game of Thrones.” Prices vary. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Loon Mountain Ski Resort, 60 Loon Mountain Rd., Lincoln. (603) 229-1975; nhscot.org

9/16

Constitution and Citizenship Day On September 17, 1787, the delegates to a little convention in Philadelphia signed the groundbreaking document known as the US Constitution. For the past century or so, the date has been marked with its own holiday in celebration of the document and of all those who have become US citizens. Our local revolutionary museum marks the day with all kinds of Constitution-based education and a chance to visit with the drafts and copies of the Constitution that are housed in their collection. Free with museum admission. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ladd-Gilman House, American In-

photo by rod millington

FAIRS & FESTIVALS

9/20 John Cleese Live!

It’s not every day that one of the biggest legends in comedy walks — or silly walks — onto a New Hampshire stage. In this twopart evening, you’ll first catch a screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and then sit in on a talkback and Q&A with the star himself. Audience questions are welcome, but be warned: The funnyman has requested “absurd and/or ridiculous questions only.” Start brainstorming now.

Prices vary. 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord.

(603) 225-1111; ccanh.com

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courtesy photo

9/8

Atul Gawande Modern medicine has created all sorts of ways for us to cheat death — but how can it help us to have a good life when the end is finally near? That’s the question behind “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,” the latest bestseller from surgeon-author Atul Gawande. Hear the Boston-based doc discuss the book (and snag an autographed copy of it) at this eye-opening talk. $24-$26. 7 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. (603) 436-2400; themusichall.org

9/21 Suitcase Stories Live You may know your family’s tale of entry into the US or the stories of heart-wrenching modern migrants on the national news, but what do you know about the new Americans in our own backyard? This event from the International Institute of New England gives a stage to locals, both foreign- and US-born, with compelling stories to tell about immigration and refugee resettlement. Come prepared to have your horizons expanded. Prices vary. 7 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester. (603) 668-5588; palacetheatre.org Ch oi ce

Cruising Downtown Sure, there are cars parked along Elm Street every day — but who wants to look at a bunch of minivans and Honda Civics? In this annual event, the Queen City’s main drag is transformed into a showcase for antique, custom, classic and hot rod cars of all stripes. The traffic-stopping show boasted 850 cars last year and promises to be better than ever in 2017, so come ready to scope out a whole street worth of the hottest things on four wheels. Free. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Manchester. cruisingdowntown.com

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9/23-24

Dublin Market & Bazaar Following the runaway success of their inaugural event in June, the antiques pros behind Vintage Label Co. are back with a fall festival edition of their 26-acre bazaar. More than 7,000 people are expected to attend, so start formulating your game plan now to snag all the best goods from the 150+ vendors hawking vintage or artisan goods, salvaged creations, antiques and more. Free. Sat 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Cricket Hill Farm, 1716 Main St., Dublin. vintagelabelco.com

SPORTS & RECREATION 9/9

Fox Point Sunset Road Race Runners who love to race but hate the break-of-dawn start times, this one’s for you. A five-mile course winding through Newington Village and around Great Bay, this Seacoast Road Race Series event is designed to align with the sunset — no 6 a.m. registration table in sight. Stick around after you’ve crossed the finish line, where a free postrace BBQ will be waiting to replenish those calories you just burned off. $25-$30. 5 to 7 p.m., Newington Old Town Hall, 338 Nimble Hill Rd., Newington. (603) 834-3177; foxpoint5miler.org

9/15-16

Reach the Beach If spectating is your sport of choice, then you're in luck. This 203-mile relay takes teams of six or 12 runners from Bretton Woods all the way to Hampton Beach, and, while registration is closed for participants, the fun part’s still to come: the race’s Tour de France-like path through the towns on the route.

Watch from your yard or your neighborhood park, or sign up to volunteer — they need helpers at all hours of the day. Times and locations vary. runragnar.com

9/30

New Hampshire Marathon This marathon claims to be New England’s most beautiful, and with a route that encircles Newfound Lake and passes through the Sculptured Rocks Natural Area at the peak of foliage season, we’re inclined to believe them. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this small-but-popular race by opting into the full marathon, half marathon or 10K. Little ones can get in on the action too: A

one-mile fun run is designed to be the final leg in a self-designed “kids marathon” encouraging 26.2 miles of walking or other exercise leading up to marathon day. $30-$80. 9 a.m., Newfound Memorial Middle School, 155 N. Main St., Bristol.

(603) 744-2713; nhmarathon.com

PERFORMING ARTS & MUSIC 9/13-17

Comedy Tonight To close out their summer season, the Peterborough Players want to leave you with a laugh. This all-female standup showcase features “Last Comic Standing” alum Jane Condon, Leighann Lord (the co-host of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Star Talk Radio” podcast), and the Boston Comedy Chicks. $39. Wed-Fri 7:30 p.m., Sat 8 p.m., Sun 4 p.m., Peterborough Players, 55 Hadley Rd., Peterborough. (603) 924-7585; peterboroughplayers.org

9/29-10/1

Living in Exile Epic, meet intimate. In this work by the late Boston playwright Jon Lipsky, Homer’s “The Iliad” is thrust into the modern age by way of minimalism, with a contemporary living room as the set and a single-digit cast pared down from Homer’s thousands of characters.

Matt Cahoon directs this production, the first in the 10th anniversary season of local company Theatre KAPOW. Fri-Sat 7:30 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., Stockbridge Theatre, Pinkerton Academy, 44 N. Main St., Derry. (603) 437-5210; tkapow.com

9/29

Wynonna & the Big Noise Break out the cowboy boots. The younger half of mother-daughter country duo The Judds — who’s won five Grammys and earned praise from Rolling Stone as “the

greatest female country singer since Patsy Cline” — has a new band these days, and she’s hitting the road to celebrate their first album together, a self-titled record released last year. Catch their Roots & Revival tour on its sole New Hampshire stop. $49-$67. 8 p.m., The Colonial Theatre, 95 Main St., Keene. (603) 352-2033; thecolonial.org

9/30

Swan Lake “Russia” may be a dirty word on the nightly news, but it’s a great one on the ballet circuit. Take in this classic composition — penned by Russia’s own Pyotr Tchaikovsky — in a production from the prestigious Russian Grand Ballet. This production, in addition to the traditional choreography, score and plot (namely, of the princess Odette being saved from an evil sorcerer’s spell), features the rarely seen “Waltz of the Black Swans.” $35-$80. 7:30 p.m., Lebanon Opera House, 51 N. Park St., Lebanon. (603) 448-0400; lebanonoperahouse.org

VISUAL ARTS & MUSEUMS 9/16

Canterbury Artisan Festival Pay homage to the artistic traditions of the Shakers with this celebration of all things artisan. On the craft side, a juried fair will feature sellers of fabrics, jewelry and woodworking, while, on the foodie side, a farmers market will offer produce and prepared foods alongside handcrafted soaps, candles and oils. Don’t miss the demonstrations showing off traditional art and agricultural practices — including some featuring live-and-cuddly farm animals. $6-$12. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Canterbury Shaker Village, 288 Shaker Rd., Canterbury.

(603) 783-9511; shakers.org nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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9/22-12/6

Robert S. Neuman: Impulse & Discipline Painter and Guggenheim fellow Robert S. Neuman was one of the biggest names in abstract art in his six-decade career — and, when he wasn’t wowing gallerists in New York City, he was teaching art at New Hampshire’s own Keene State. The college turns its attention to the illustrious late professor with this 50-piece survey of his work, featuring art sourced from private and public collections including Dartmouth’s Hood Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Free. Sat-Wed 12 to 5 p.m., Thu-Fri 12 to 7 p.m., Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, 229 Main St., Keene. (603) 358-2720; keene.edu/tsag

9/23

Smithsonian Museum Day Live With the kids back to school, engage in a bit of your own free learning with all of your free time. This annual “celebration of boundless curiosity” sponsored by Smithsonian magazine invites cultural institutions around the country to open their doors for the day, and eight New Hampshire museums have opted in for 2017. Head to the event’s website to find the local no-fee museum nearest you. Free. Times and locations vary. smithsonianmag.com/museumday

9/30-1/7

The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec The French painter and printmaker Henri Toulouse-Lautrec covered the seedier sides of Paris in his now-famous works, illustrating can-can dancers and bohemians with the same care afforded to the Impressionists’ ballerinas and landscapes.

This exhibition features more than 100 posters, prints and illustrated books from the Tou-

louse-Lautrec oeuvre, drawn from the extensive collection of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Catch them while you can ... or can-can. Sun, Mon, Wed-Fri 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. (603) 669-6144; currier.org

FOOD & DRINK 9/9

Vintage & Vine Whether you’ve skated on their wintertime rink or sent a kid off on a class field trip, you’ve probably benefited from Strawbery Banke over the years — so here’s your chance to return the favor. This foodie fundraiser features eats from nearly 30 local restaurants and bevvies from more than a dozen wineries and distributors from near and far. Don't miss the silent auction: Prizes up for grabs include a week-long South African safari and a gundalow cruise on the Piscataqua for you and 44 of your closest friends. $65. 5 to 7:30 p.m., Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. (603) 433-1100; strawberybanke.org

9/9

Wingzilla Wings, beer, ATVs, horseshoes — it doesn’t get much more country than that. Head to the rural north for this annual food and fun fest, featuring a chicken wing cook-off and a Hawaiian-themed ATV poker run, among other festivities.

If you’re up for a particular brand of torture, sign on for Killazilla, a competition to see who can snarf down the most blazing-hot wings. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. androscogginvalleychamber.com/wingzilla

9/23

2nd Annual Southern NH Food Truck Festival Are you really a millennial if you don’t buy your meals out of a truck? This fest, fittingly, is put on

by Nashua’s young professionals network, iUGO, but welcomes mobile-food lovers of all ages.

Nearly 20 trucks from around New England will be on hand, serving up everything from Chilean BBQ to egg rolls to poutine. $5-$10. 1 to 6 p.m., Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St., Nashua. (603) 881-8333; iugonashua.com

9/24

17th Annual Lake Sunapee Chowder/Chili Challenge Fall has arrived, and you know what that means: It’s time to curl up with a bowl (or 10) of piping-hot soup. This Sunapee PTA fundraiser used to be a solely chowder-based enterprise, but it added chili last year and now splits the competition between both dishes. Taste the offerings from local pros (past contestants include Suna and Peter Christian’s Tavern) and cast your vote — People’s Choice and Kid’s Choice honors are awarded in addition to the judges’ picks. $10. 1 Lake Ave., Sunapee. (603) 763-5453; chowderchallenge.org

Find additional events at nhmagazine.com/ calendar and even more summer things to do at nhmagazine.com/summerinnh. Submit events eight weeks in advance to Sarah Cahalan at scahalan@nhmagazine.com or enter your own at nhmagazine.com/calendar. Not all events are guaranteed to be published either online or in the print calendar. Event submissions will be reviewed and, if deemed appropriate, approved by a New Hampshire Magazine editor.

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DINE OUT

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Larb gai, ground chicken mixed with lime juice, fresh chili, red onions, mint and scallions on lettuce. Spicy. $11.95

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Chiang Mai

This cozy family-operated Thai restaurant is worth a stop. The interior is modest, but the menu has all the Thai greatest hits.

Find colorful curries, clay pot cookery and pad ped talay, a seafood dish cooked with Thai herbs. Prices are very reasonable and portions aren’t overly large. The Siamese platter is a sampling of chicken satay, curry

triangles and baby egg rolls.

The outdoor dining space is pleasant.

It’s within earshot of 101A, but a nice fountain helps sublimate the traffic noise.

Listen for the roosters. Their happy hens lay eggs for several menu items, including the bibimbap, pad thai and vegetable fried rice. NH

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DINE OUT Our restaurant listings include Best of NH winners and advertisers along with others compiled by the New Hampshire Magazine editorial department. Listings are subject to change from month to month based on space availability. Expanded and highlighted listings denote advertisers. For additional and more detailed listings, visit nhmagazine.com.

H Best of NH

$ Entrées cost less than $12 B Breakfast H Best of NH L Lunch 2017 Reader’s Poll D Dinner $$$$ Entrées cost b Brunch more than $25 $$$ Entrées cost between ( Reservations recom2017 Editor’s Picks

$18 and $25

mended

$$ Entrées cost between

New – Open for one year or less

$12 and $18

MERRIMACK VALLEY

Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano

ITALIAN 11 Depot St., Concord; (603) 228-3313; angelinasrestaurant.com; $–$$$ L D

Gale Motor Co. Eatery H

SMALL PLATES 36 Lowell St., Manchester; (603) 232-7059; galemotoreatery.com; $–$$$ D (

Giorgio’s Ristorante

MEDITERRANEAN 707 Milford Rd., Merrimack; (603) 883-7333; 524 Nashua St., Milford; (603) 673-3939; 270 Granite St., Manchester; (603) 232-3323; giorgios.com — Ignite your passion for food with sumptuous décor and expansive menus that feature Mediterranean food with an American sensibility. $$–$$$ L D ( NEW AMERICAN 96 Pleasant St., Concord; (603) 227-9000; graniterestaurant.com; $$–$$$$ B L D b (

Grazing Room

AMERICAN 33 The Oaks St., Henniker; (603) 428-3281; colbyhillinn.com; $$–$$$$ D (

Grill 603

AMERICAN 168 Elm St., Milford; (603) 213-6764; grill603.com; $–$$$ L D b

Hanover St. Chophouse H

GASTROPUB 40 Nashua St., Milford; (603) 249-5327; Facebook; $–$$ L D

STEAKHOUSE 149 Hanover Street, Manchester; (603) 644-2467; hanoverstreetchophouse.com; $$$–$$$$ L D (

Bedford Village Inn H

Mint Bistro

The Birch on Elm H

NEW AMERICAN/JAPANESE 1105 Elm St., Manchester; (603) 625-6468; mintbistronh.com; $$-$$$ L D (

MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar

NEW AMERICAN/TAPAS 931 Elm St., Manchester; (603) 782-5365; Facebook; $–$$ L D

AMERICAN 212 Main St., Nashua; (603) 595-9334; mtslocal.com; $–$$$ L D

Buckley’s Bakery & Café

STEAKHOUSE/SEAFOOD 11 South Main St., Concord; (603) 856-7925; 62 Doris Ray Court, Lakeport; (603) 524-9373; magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com; $$–$$$ L D

Buckley’s Great Steaks

Pigtale

CAFÉ 436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack; (603) 262-5929; buckleysbakerycafe.com; $–$$ B L D b STEAKHOUSE 438 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack; (603) 424-0995; buckleysgreatsteaks.com; $–$$$$ D (

Cabonnay H

WINE BAR/NEW AMERICAN 55 Bridge St., Manchester; (844) 946-3473; cabonnay.com; $$$ D

Cáceres Argentinian Grill & Poncho Pub H

O Steaks & Seafood H

PIZZERIA 449 Amherst St., Nashua; (603) 864-8740; (603) 864-8740; pigtalepizza.com; $-$$ L D

Republic H

MEDITERRANEAN 1069 Elm St., Manchester; (603) 666-3723; republiccafe.com; $–$$$ L D

Revival Kitchen & Bar

ARGENTINIAN 17 W Main St., Hillsborough; (603) 264-5050; Facebook; $–$$ L D

AMERICAN 11 Depot St., Concord; (603) 715-5723; revivalkitchennh. com; $$–$$$ D (

Campo Enoteca

Stella Blu

ITALIAN 969 Elm St., Manchester; (603) 625-0256; campoenoteca.com; $–$$$ L D

TAPAS 70 East Pearl St., Nashua; (603) 578-5557; stellablu-nh.com; $$–$$$ D

Canoe

Surf Restaurant H

AMERICAN 216 South River Rd., Bedford; (603) 935-8070; 232 Whittier Hwy., Center Harbor; (603) 253-4762; magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com; $$–$$$ D (

SEAFOOD 207 Main St., Nashua; (603) 595-9293; 99 Bow St., Portsmouth; (603) 334-9855; surfseafood. com; $$–$$$$ D b

The Copper Door H

NEW AMERICAN 15 Leavy Dr., Bedford; (603) 488-2677; copperdoorrestaurant.com; $$–$$$ L D b

ITALIAN 67 Main St., Salem; (603) 952-4875; 581 Lafayette Rd., Portsmouth; (603) 570-3600; tuscan-kitchen.com; $$–$$$ L D

Cotton H

Umami

fulchino vineyard

187 Pine Hill Rd Hollis, NH 03049 Open Daily 11:00 - 5:00 603.438.5984 / 603.438.5107 www.FulchinoVineyard.com fulchinovineyard@charter.net

Pickity Place

The Original Farm to Table k September Menu k Dip: Brushetta Soup: End of Summer Harvest Salad: Classic Caesar Bread: Multi Grain Baguette Entrée: Fig Stuffed Pork with Applewood and Brandy Glaze

— or— Entrée: Grilled Vegetables

over Bucatini Side: Decided Daily Dessert: Peanut Butter Lava Cake

Tuscan Kitchen H

AMERICAN 75 Arms St., Manchester; (603) 622-5488; cottonfood.com; $$–$$$$ L D (

CAFE/FARM-TO-TABLE 284 1st NH Tpke., Northwood; (603) 942-6427; Facebook; $–$$ B L D

Cucina Toscana

Villaggio Ristorante

ITALIAN 427 Amherst St., Nashua; (603) 821-7356; cucinatoscananashua.com; $ L D (

1st Annual NH Grape Festival Join us in September for our Month long celebration! Special Events every Weekend

Granite Restaurant & Bar

Bar One

AMERICAN 2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford; (603) 472-2001; bedfordvillageinn.com; $$–$$$$ B L D

f ulchino vineyard

ITALIAN 677 Hooksett Rd., Manchester; (603) 627-2424; villaggionh.com; $–$$ L D (

Have a Pickity Day! Open 10-5 pm everyday

603-878-1151 Pickityplace.com

Luncheon seatings 11:30, 12:45 and 2:00

Reservations Recommended nhmagazine.com | September 2017

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603 LIVING

SEACOAST

7th Settlement

BREW PUB 47 Washington St., Dover; (603) 373-1001; 7thsettlement. com; $–$$ L D

Black Trumpet Bistro

DINE OUT

sentially New England casual dining experience. $$$ D

Revolution Taproom and Grill

GASTRO PUB 61 North Main St., Rochester; (603) 244-3022; revolutiontaproomandgrill.com;$-$$ L D

Rick’s Food & Spirits

INTERNATIONAL 29 Ceres St., Portsmouth; (603) 431-0887; blacktrumpetbistro.com; $$–$$$$ D (

AMERICAN 143 Main St., Kingston; (603) 347-5287; rickskingston.com; $–$$ L D

Braise

Lavinia’s

NEW AMERICAN 30 Main St., Newport; (603) 863-8360; eatatthecourthouse.com; $$–$$$ L D b (

Lemongrass

Pearl Restaurant & Oyster Bar

ASIAN 64 Whittier Hwy., Moultonborough; (603) 253-8100; lemongrassnh.net; $–$$ L D

ASIAN 1 Jaffrey Rd., Peterbrough; (603) 924-5225; pearl-peterborough.com $$–$$$ D (

Local Eatery H

Pickity Place

NEW AMERICAN 142 Congress St., Portsmouth; (603) 373-6464; $$–$$$ LD(

Ristorante Massimo

ITALIAN 59 Penhallow St., Portsmouth; (603) 436-4000; ristorantemassimo.com; $$-$$$ D (

FARM-TO-TABLE 21 Veterans Sq., Laconia; (603) 527-8007; laconialocaleatery.com; $–$$ D (

Carriage House

Row 34

ITALIAN/AMERICAN 96 Lehner St., Wolfeboro; (603) 569-5788; miseenplacenh.com; $$-$$$$ L D (

AMERICAN 2263 Ocean Blvd., Rye; (603) 964-8251; carriagehouserye. com; $$-$$$ D (

SEAFOOD 5 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth; (603) 319-5011; row34nh. com; $-$$$ L D b (

CAVA

Sonny’s Tavern

TAPAS 10 Commercial Alley, Portsmouth; (603) 319-1575; cavatapasandwinebar.com; $–$$$ L D

NEW AMERCAN 328 Central Ave., Dover; (603) 343-4332; sonnystaverndover.com; $–$$ D b

CR’s the Restaurant

Surf Seafood H

Mise en Place

O Bistro at the Inn on Main

AMERICAN 200 North Main St., Wolfeboro; (603) 515-1003; innnewhampshire.com/our-bistro; $$–$$$ D

O Steaks & Seafood H

AMERICAN 287 Exeter Rd., Hampton; (603) 929-7972; crstherestaurant. com; $$-$$$ L D (

SEAFOOD 99 Bow St., Portsmouth; (603) 334-9855; surfseafood.com; $$–$$$$ D

STEAKHOUSE/SEAFOOD 11 South Main St., Concord; (603) 856-7925; 62 Doris Ray Court, Lakeport; (603) 524-9373; magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com; $$–$$$ L D

Cure

Tuscan Kitchen H

Tavern 27

NEW AMERICAN 189 State St., Portsmouth; (603) 427-8258; curerestaurantportsmouth.com; $$-$$$ L D (

Dante’s Bistro

ITALIAN 567 Calef’s Hwy, Barrington; (603) 664-4000; dantespasta.com; $$ L D (

Durbar Square Restaurant

NEPALESE/HIMALAYAN 10 Market St., Portsmouth; (603) 294-0107; durbarsquarerestaurant.com $-$$ L D (

Epoch

NEW AMERICAN 2 Pine St., Exeter; (603) 772-5901; theexeterinn.com; $$$–$$$$ B L D b (

Franklin Oyster House

SEAFOOD 148 Fleet St., Portsmouth; (603) 373-8500; franklinoysterhouse.com; $-$$$ D

ITALIAN 67 Main St., Salem; (603) 952-4875; 581 Lafayette Rd., Portsmouth; (603) 570-3600; tuscan-kitchen.com; $$–$$$ L D b New location open in Portsmouth.

Tinos Greek Kitchen

GREEK 325 Lafayette Rd., Hampton; (603) 926-6152; tinosgreek.com; $–$$ D b

Vida Cantina H

MEXICAN 2456 Lafayette Rd., Portsmouth; (603) 501-0648; vidacantinanh.com; $–$$ L D

LAKES

Bayside Grill and Tavern

AMERICAN 51 Mill St., Wolfeboro; (603) 894-4361; baysidegrillandtavern.com; $–$$ L D

MONADNOCK Bantam Grill

ITALIAN 1 Jaffrey Rd., Peterborough; (603) 924-6633; bantam-peterborough.com; $$–$$$ D (

Bellows Walpole Inn Pub

INTERNATIONAL/AMERICAN 297 Main St., Walpole; (603) 756-3320; bellowswalpoleinn.com; $$ L D (

Cooper’s Hill Public House

Jonny Boston’s International H

Canoe

ITALIAN Rte. 137, Dublin; (603) 5637195; delrossis.com $$–$$$ D (

ITALIAN 86 Pleasant St., Portsmouth (603) 294-0989; louiesportsmouth. com; $$–$$$ D (

Mombo

NEW AMERICAN 66 Marcy St., Portsmouth; (603) 433-2340; momborestaurant.com; $$–$$$ D (

Moxy

TAPAS 106 Penhallow St., Portsmouth; (603) 319-8178; moxyrestaurant.com; $$–$$$ D (

Otis H

AMERICAN 4 Front St., Exeter; (603) 580-1705; otisrestaurant.com; $$–$$$ D

The Pointe

NEW AMERICAN/SEAFOOD 31 Badger’s Island West, Kittery, Maine; (207) 703-2987; thepointerestaurant.com A fresh take on a quintes-

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Corner House Inn Restaurant

AMERICAN 22 Main St., Center Sandwich; (603) 284-6219; cornerhouseinn.com $$ L D b (

Crystal Quail

Restaurant at Burdick’s

FRENCH 47 Main Street, Walpole; (603) 756-9058; burdickchocolate. com; $–$$$ L D b (

The Sky Bridge Café H

INTERNATIONAL 10 Main St., Wilton; (603) 654-2457; skybridgecafe.com; $-$$ L D

The Stage H

Thorndike’s & Parson’s Pub

NEW ENGLAND TAVERN 90 N. Main St., Wolfeboro; (603) 569-3016; wolfestavern.com; $$–$$$ B L D b (

AMERICAN 300 DW Hwy., Meredith; (603) 279-3003; thecman.com $–$$ D

Louie’s H

LATIN 288 Main St., Marlborough; (603) 876-5012; piedrafina.com; $–$$ L D (

Wolfe’s Tavern

IRISH PUB 6 School St., Peterborough; (603) 371-9036; coopershillpublichouse.com; $$ D

AMERICAN 216 South River Rd., Bedford; (603) 935-8070; 232 Whittier Hwy., Center Harbor; (603) 253-4762; magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com;$–$$$ D (

Piedra Fina

AMERICAN 30 Central Sq., Keene; (603) 357-8389; thestagerestaurant. com; $-$$ L D

Camp

INTERNATIONAL 170 Main St., New Market; (603) 292-6682; ilovejbi.com; $-$$ B L D

LUNCH 248 Nutting Hill Rd., Mason; (603) 878-1151; pickityplace.com — A historic and lovely place to lunch.

Fresh, local ingredients are used, including herbs from the onsite gardens. Three seatings at 11:30 a.m., 12:40 p.m. and 2 p.m. $$ L (

TAPAS/PIZZA 2075 Parade Rd., Laconia; (603) 528-3057; tavern27. com; $–$$ L D (

VEGETARIAN 35 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth; (603) 427-8344; greenelephantnh.com; $–$$ L D

Green Elephant H

The Old Courthouse

AMERICAN 18 Main St., Center Harbor; (603) 253-8617; laviniasdining. com; $–$$$ D (

Del Rossi’s Trattoria

Elm City Brewing

BREW PUB 222 West St., Keene; (603) 355-3335; elmcitybrewing. com; $–$$$ L D

Fireworks

ITALIAN/PIZZERIA 22 Main St., Keene; (603) 903-1410; fireworksrestaurant.net; $–$$ D (

AMERICAN/PUB The Monadnock Inn, 379 Main St., Jaffrey; (603) 532-7800; monadnockinn.com; $–$$$ D (

Waterhouse

AMERICAN 18 Water St., Peterborough; (603) 924-4001; waterhousenh.com; $-$$$ L D b (

DARTMOUTH/ LAKE SUNAPEE Base Camp Café

NEPALESE 3 Lebanon St., Hanover; (603) 643-2007; basecampcafenh. com; $-$$ L D

Bistro Nouveau

AMERICAN The Center at Eastman, 6 Clubhouse Lane, Grantham; (603) 863-8000; bistronouveau.com; $–$$$$ L D (

Candela Tapas Lounge

TAPAS 15 Lebanon St., Hanover; (603) 277-9094; candelatapas.com; $$-$$$ D (

Canoe Club Bistro

AMERICAN 27 South Main St., Hanover; (603) 643-9660; canoeclub. us; $–$$ L D (

Coach House

AMERICAN 202 Pitman Rd., Center Barnstead; (603) 269-4151; crystalquail.com; $$$–$$$$ D (

Fox Tavern at the Hancock Inn

TAVERN 33 Main St., Hancock; (603) 525-3318; hancockinn.com $-$$$ L D (

AMERICAN 353 Main St., New London; (603) 526-2791; thenewlondoninn.com/the-coach-house-restaurant;$ $–$$$$ D (

Faro Italian Grille

The Grove

Flying Goose Brew Pub H

ITALIAN 7 Endicott St. N., Laconia; (603) 527-8073; faroitaliangrille.com; $$ D (

Garwood’s

AMERICAN 6 North Main St., Wolfeboro; (603) 569-7788; garwoodsrestaurant.com; $–$$ L D (

Kathleen’s Cottage

IRISH PUB 90 Lake St., Bristol; (603) 744-6336; kathleenscottagenh.com; $–$$ L D

AMERICAN 247 Woodbound Rd., Rindge; (603) 532-4949; woodbound.com; $$–$$$ B L D b (

BREW PUB 40 Andover Rd., New London; (603) 526-6899; flyinggoose.com;. $–$$ L D

Luca’s Mediterranean Café

Latham House Tavern

MEDITERRANEAN 10 Central Sq., Keene; (603) 358-3335; lucascafe. com; $$–$$$ L D (

TAVERN 9 Main St., Lyme; (603) 795-9995; lathamhousetavern.com $–$$ L D

Nicola’s Trattoria

Lou’s Restaurant H

ITALIAN 51 Railroad St., Keene; (603) 355-5242; Facebook; $$$–$$$$ D

AMERICAN 30 South Main St., Hanover; (603) 643-3321; lousrestaurant.net; $-$$ B L D

603 LIVING

DINE OUT

Market Table

Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine

FARM-TO-TABLE 44 Main St., Hanover; (603) 676-7996; markettablenh.com; $–$$ B L D b

THAI 5 S. Main St., Hanover; (603) 2779192; tuktukthaicuisine.com; $–$$ L D (

NORTH COUNTRY

Millstone at 74 Main

AMERICAN 74 Newport Rd., New London; (603) 526-4201; 74mainrestaurant.com; $–$$ L D b

Bailiwicks

AMERICAN 106 Main St., Littleton; (603) 444-7717; bailiwicksfinerestaurant.com; $-$$$ L D (

Molly’s Restaurant

AMERICAN 11 South Main St., Hanover; (603) 643-4075; mollysrestaurant.com; $$–$$$ L D b (

Chang Thai Café H

Phnom Penh Sandwich Station H

VIETNAMESE 1 High St., Lebanon; (603) 678-8179; phnompenhsandwiches.com; $-$$ L D

THAI 77 Main St., Littleton; (603) 4448810; changthaicafe.com; $-$$ L D

Chef’s Bistro

NEW AMERICAN 2724 White Mountain Hwy., North Conway; (603) 3564747; chefsbistronh.com; $-$$ L D

Revolution Cantina

Covered Bridge Farm Table H

CUBAN AND MEXICAN 38 Opera House Square, Claremont; (603) 504-6310; Facebook; $-$$ L D b

FARM-TO-TABLE 57 Blair Rd., Campton; (603) 536-1331; farmtablenh. com; $-$$ L D b

Stella’s Italian Kitchen

ITALIAN 5 Main St., Lyme; (603) 7954302; stellaslyme.com; $–$$ L D

Suna

AMERICAN 6 Brook Rd., Sunapee; (603) 843-8998; magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com; $$–$$$ D (

Delaney’s Hole in the Wall

AMERICAN/ASIAN 2966 White Mountain Hwy., North Conway; (603) 356-7776; delaneys.com; $–$$ L D

Gypsy Café

Sunshine Cookshop H

JAMAICAN 145 Pleasant St., Claremont; (603) 543-000; Facebook; $-$$ L D

Taverne on the Square

AMERICAN 2 Pleasant St., Claremont; (603) 287-4416; claremonttaverne. com; $–$$$ L D

INTERNATIONAL 111 Main St., Lincoln; (603) 745-4395; gypsycaferestaurant.com; $–$$ L D

Jonathon’s Seafood

SEAFOOD/AMERICAN 280 East Side Rd., North Conway; (603) 447-3838; jonathonsseafood.com; $–$$$ L D (

The Last Chair

AMERICAN/BREW PUB 5 Rte.

Libby’s Bistro & SAaLT Pub

NEW AMERICAN 115 Main Street on Rte. 2, Gorham; (603) 466-5330; libbysbistro.org; $$–$$$ L D (

The Little Grille H

AMERICAN/INTERNATIONAL 62 Cottage St., Littleton; (603) 444-0395; thelittlegrille.com; $–$$ L D

Margarita Grill

MEXICAN Rte. 302, Glen; (603) 3836556; margaritagrillnh.com; $–$$ L D

May Kelly’s Cottage

IRISH PUB 3002 White Mountain Hwy., North Conway; (603) 3567005; Julykellys.com; $–$$ L D (

Moat Mountain Smokehouse

BREW PUB 3378 White Mountain Hwy., North Conway; (603) 356-6381; moatmountain.com; $–$$ L D (

One Love Brewery

BREW PUB 25 South Mountain Dr., Lincoln; (603) 745-7290; onelovebrewery.coml $–$$ L D

Rainbow Grille & Tavern H

AMERICAN/TAVERN 609 Beach Rd., Pittsburg; (603) 538-9556; rainbowgrille.com — Serving a variety of comfort food from seafood to ribs. The tavern serves appetizers, hearth-baked pizzas and sandwiches. $–$$ D (

Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub

STEAKHOUSE 3 Station St., Glen; (603) 383-4344; redparkapub.com; $–$$ L D

Rustic River

AMERICAN 5 Main St., North Woodstock; (603) 745-2110; rusticriverrestaurant.com; $-$$ L D

Schilling Beer Co.

BREW PUB 18 Mill St., Littleton; (603) 444-4800; (603) 444-4800; schillingbeer.com; $-$$ L D

Shannon Door Pub

IRISH PUB Rte. 16 & 16A, Jackson; (603) 383-4211; shannondoor.com; $-$$ L D

Shovel Handle Pub

PUB 357 Black Mountain Rd., Jackson; (603) 383-8916; shovelhandlepub.com; $-$$ L D

Six Burner Bistro

AMERICAN 13 South Main St., Plymouth; (603) 536-9099; sixburnerbistro.com; $-$$ L D

Tony’s Italian Grille & Pub

ITALIAN 3674 Rte. 3, Thornton; (603) 745-3133; $$ L D (

Vito Marcello’s Italian Bistro H

ITALIAN 45 Seavey St., North Conway; (603) 356-7000; vitomarcellositalianbistro.com; $$-$$$ D

Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery H

BREW PUB Rte. 3, North Woodstock; (603) 745-3951; woodstockinnnh. com; $–$$ L

Visit nhmagazine.com/food for more listings around the state or to sign up to receive the latest restaurant news via the Cuisine E-buzz.

ACK VALLEY M I RR

t n a r u Resta le

ME

25,Plymouth; (603) 238-9077; thelastchairnh.com; $-$$ L D

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603 LIVING

Shoe Gorge

And other underrated New Hampshire attractions

I

t has occurred to me that, not only is our state a wonderful destination for out-of-towners, but my own New Hampshire home holds plenty of opportunities not always obvious to the untrained eye.

Work with me here.

When Barbara and I are just too lazy to jump in the car for a two-hour drive to North Conway to take in the dizzying sights from atop Cathedral Ledge, we can scratch that itch with a 20-second descent into the basement, which looks like the Presidential Range made up of unpacked moving boxes. There are times we’ve climbed up the highest peak to U-Haul Lookout for a view of the many other exciting spots in the cellar. We once spotted a toaster oven that was assumed lost in a notch of snow-peaked storage containers. I wonder if Willem Lange would like a tour?

One of my favorite stretches of New Hampshire scenery is the Kancamagus Highway that drives us pronunciation sticklers crazy when we hear it said incorrectly, which is most of the time. Adding to

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BY MIKE MORIN our pronunciation drama is Barb’s extreme Boston accent. She actually grew up in Everett, Massachusetts, which has its own dictionary and language.

“Hey, Babs, shall we visit Shaker Village in Canterbury?,” I might ask.

“I LOVE Sha-kuh Village,” she’ll shoot back.

“Do you realize you just called it Shakuh Village?”

“No, suh,” she’ll always say.

If we can’t get to the White Mountains, all I have to do is walk from the living room to our bedroom, where, on any given day, I can take photos of Barbara’s Shoe Gorge. Sure, Flume Gorge offers dramatic flashes of rock meeting rushing water, but in the Shoe Gorge, Jimmy Choo ankle strap pumps meet an overflow of other Zappos footwear cascading from her closet. Why close the closet door and lose the view?

As much as I love the Mt. Washington Observatory and weather station, the two times I’ve been there, the rock pile was shrouded in a smoky gray curtain, making it impossible to see the men’s restroom in

the souvenir shop, let alone Canada. In place of experiencing the world’s worst weather in person, I took WMUR meteorologist Josh Judge’s recommendation and bought the RadarScope app for my smartphone so that I can see approaching storms from the comfort of my camp chair next to Shoe Gorge.

The app cost 10 bucks, but is so good it detects storms headed to New Hampshire almost without flaw. Recently it even picked up a flying squirrel in Peterborough.

And should we ever miss the annual Highland Games in Lincoln, we can still enjoy our own version just a mile away at the Windham Transfer Station. As much as we love the caber toss and hammer throw, I can drag my trash to the dump and, with a sweaty heave and manly ho, hit the receptacle from 20 feet away. Let’s just say the dump workers are not fans of my version of the Highland Games.

I’m guessing if I were to don a kilt, they would certainly look the other way. NH

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