November 26, 2009

Six weeks of seasonal celebration
Your guide to holiday season 2009

Ready or not, here comes the holiday season.
For the next six weeks, your entertainment options include oodles of Nutcrackers, Christmas Carols, symphonic holiday classics, rocking Christmas tunes, tree-lightings, town strolls and more. Got kids? In addition to all that, there are family events every weekend including an American Girl-style celebration and a story time that mixes holiday tales and hikes.

Break out the Santa hat and the jingle bells. It’s time to dive into the holidays.

Holidays on the stage
Dickens, Tchaikovsky, Ralphie Parker and Judy Garland
By Heidi Masek

This is actually an interesting year for performances of Charles Dickens’ 1843 tale, A Christmas Carol. For starters, Dickens’ great-great-grandson Gerald Charles Dickens is performing the tale in Nashua. Also, Portsmouth’s Seacoast Repertory Theatre has adopted the production of an original musical version which was a 20-year tradition at the now-closed North Shore Music Theatre of Beverly, Mass.

 • All Saints Anglican Church presents “A Dickens Christmas” Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium with the Lakes Region Opera Dickens Carolers. It’s free, sponsored by the Arts Ministry at All Saints (545-9079, www.allsaintsnh.com).

• Great-great grandson of Charles Dickens Gerald Charles Dickens has linked up with Byers’ Choice Ltd. as an agent for his one-man performance of A Christmas Carol. Byers’ Choice creates collectable caroler dolls in the theme of the characters in Dickens’ story. “We’ve been selling the carolers for 30 years,” said Jill Gage of Fortin Gage Fresh Flowers and Distinctive Gifts of Nashua. To make a long story short, that’s why you’ll be able to see a descendant of the author perform A Christmas Carol Thursday, Dec. 3, at 1 or 7 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua. “Gerald is doing all 26 characters, the whole play by himself. It’s amazing,” Gage said. Tickets cost $20 and group discounts are available; buy them at Fortin Gage, 86 West Pearl St. in Nashua, at their shop inside the Crowne Plaza, 2 Somerset Plaza, at www.fortingage.com, or call 882-3371. In keeping with the season and theme, Fortin Gage is asking audience members to bring nonperishable food or toiletry items for donation to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter and Nashua Pastoral Care Center. Those who donate will be entered into a drawing for collectible gift items signed by Gerald Charles Dickens.

• In a tradition going back about 10 years, the Palace Theatre produces its staging of A Christmas Carol opening with a 15-minute town scene that is a medley of carols and dance. Usually about 20 adult actors, locals and professionals from New York are joined by one of three teams of about 30 youth actors. Shows are mostly on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from Dec. 4 through Dec. 20. They also produce about eight school shows. Ticket costs range from $15 to $45. The $45 new “Golden Circle” tickets to Palace shows include the best seats and coat check. High school and college students can seek $15 rush tickets an hour before curtain. Families can buy a “Scrooge Pack” of two adult and two child tickets for a matinee for $100. Call 668-5588 or see palacetheatre.org. The Palace is at 80 Hanover St. in Manchester.

• North Shore Music Theatre had performed A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, adapted by Jon Kimbell, David James & David Zoffoli for almost 20 years. With the Beverly, Mass., stage closed, the production is continuing at the professional Seacoast Repertory Theatre featuring David Coffee as Scrooge (which he played for 16 years for North Shore). It’s at the Rep Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from Dec. 4 through Dec. 27. Ticket costs range from $17 to $42; visit www.seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472. The Rep is at 125 Bow St. in Portsmouth.

• For a “Currier and Ives portrait of Christmas,” the Nebraska Theatre Caravan makes stops again in New Hampshire this year with its production of A Christmas Carol featuring traditional English carols, and costumes and sets to evoke that Victorian feel. See it at Saint Anselm College’s Dana Center (which is offering eggnog, cider and cookies for youngsters) Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 3:30 or 7:30 p.m. The Dana Center is on the campus at 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester (641-7700, www.anselm.edu/dana/, $12.50-$27.50). Then the Caravan heads to the Capitol Center for the Arts at 44 South Main St. in Concord for a performance Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., (225-1111, ccanh.com, $12.50-$45).

• An a cappella quartet and soloists transition scenes in the community production of A Christmas Carol at the Leddy Center, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., from Dec. 4  through Dec. 13, with a Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2 p.m. show at 38C Ladd’s Lane in Epping (679-2781, www.leddycenter.org, $16-$18).

• The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth produces its adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Ring founder F. Gary Newton, directed by Rob Scullin, from Dec. 11 through Dec. 23, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 7 p.m., at 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth (436-8123, playersring.org, $8-$12).

It’s also not a bad year in New Hampshire for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet The Nutcracker. A Seacoast jazz and tap recreation of the piece returns again to Portsmouth this year and New England Dance Ensemble breaks-in a new venue.

• The Children’s Nutcracker still has tickets available Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Middle NH Center, 119 Central St. in Franklin (themiddlenh.org, 934-1901, $7.50-$20).

 • Not Your Average Nutcracker is presented with jazz, tap, ballet and song by high school students at the Timberlane Performing Arts Center, 40 Greenough Road in Plaistow, Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 and 7 p.m. (www.Timberlanepac.org, 382-6541).

• WMUR’s Kria Sakakeeny performs the role of Mother Ginger (Nov. 28 at 11 a.m.) in Southern NH Dance Theatre’s presentation of The Nutcracker at the Palace Theatre. Sakakeeny started studying dance in Boston at age 12 and founded a tap group at Boston University. WZID’s theater-inclined Mike Morin returns this year for the comic role, too (Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 evenings).

Besides local celeb-cameos, SNHDT brings in professional guests including Boston Ballet principal dancer Carlos Molina, Bafana Solomon Matea, an Alvin Ailey Dance School alum, Fredrick Davis of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, and Lauren Stewart of Suzanne Farrell Ballet, a SNHDT alum who has also danced with the Joffrey Ballet. Resident SNHDT artists also have some impressive résumés. “Southern NH Dance Theater has a reputation for offering high-caliber professional performances,” Peter Ramsey, executive director of the Palace Theatre, stated in a press release. 

Robert Babb conducts the Palace Festival Orchestra for the show, which runs Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m., 4 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1 and 4 p.m., at the Palace (www.snhdt.org, $15-$45). Patricia Lavoie is the artistic director of the Bedford-based group, founded in 1996. See www.snhdt.org.

• New England Dance Ensemble, a company of auditioned students from the region, presents The Nutcracker with guest soloists from New York’s American Ballet Theatre, Saturday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 29, at 2 p.m., the first public performance at the new Windham High School Theatre, 64 London Bridge Road, in Windham (www.nede.org, 800-595-4tix, $15-$25). Windham’s first high school opened in September; previously students attended a regional school, said parent volunteer  Donna Bramante InDelicato. The school administration and parents have “great hopes” for the new 604-seat state-of-the-art theater as a “long-awaited community center and local venue for arts and entertainment,” InDelicato said.

• Great Bay Academy of Dance presents “An 1836 Portsmouth Nutcracker,” which blends the story with local history at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth (436-2400). Ticket costs range from $18 to $35. Shows are Thursday, Dec. 10, and Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 12, at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets for Nutcracker in a Nutshell, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m., cost $20.

• Professional dancer Nathan Duszny, who recently gave a tremendous performance at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in Cats, returns to New Hampshire again to perform in The Nutcracker with his alma mater, the New Hampshire School of Ballet. Duszney, originally of Merrimack, has danced with the Chase Brock Dance company in New York City and spent nine months as a dancer for Disney in Tokyo. The New Hampshire School of Ballet stages The Nutcracker Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium; Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m., at the Claremont Opera House; and Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m., at the Palace Theatre (www.nhschoolofballet.com, 668-5330, most tickets cost $13 or $14).

• Clara helps defeat the Mouse Queen in a modern-day Clara’s Christmas Dream. Northern Ballet Theatre Dance Centre (formerly the Granite State Ballet School) with Northern Ballet Theatre guest artists present Clara’s Christmas Dream with new costumes, sets and choreography with eclectic dance styles Friday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m., at Keefe Auditorium, Elm Street Middle School, 117 Elm St., Nashua (www.nbti.org, 889-8408, $15-$20). VIP ticket holders are invited to a pre-show discussion and post-show photo opportunity with the cast. Doreen Cafarella is the Northern Ballet artistic director. 

• A Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn jazz version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker became the inspiration for a tap and jazz treatment of the show, from Seacoast-based MaD Theatricals. The collaboration for the 2000 premiere of Clara’s Dream - A Jazz Nutcracker involved tap dancers from New York and Boston; cofounder of the Jazz Tap Ensemble, Paul Arslanian composing, arranging and music directing; and Seacoast-based Drika Overton, who produced the Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival. The project returns for shows at The Music Hall in Portsmouth Thursday, Dec. 17, and Friday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. ($30-$38). They are partnering with other local arts organizations to offer outreach activities. Since ticket sales won’t cover everything, they’ve launched a campaign to raise money at www.kickstarter.com, linked to MaD’s jazzandtap.com.

• Yes, there’s more. St. Paul’s School Ballet Company features students from the famed Concord boarding school in The Nutcracker Friday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 and 7 p.m., at Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main St. in Concord. Tickets cost $12.50 and $16.50. Call 225-1111 or see ccanh.com. The Gate City Ballet produces The Nutcracker, Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1 and 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m., at Pinkerton Academy, 19 North Main St. in Derry (www.gatecityballet.com, 882-0011, $18). Turning Pointe Center of Dance presents The Nutcracker Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium (485-8710, $15).

The holiday thespian scene includes stage versions of some classic Christmas movie comedies, plus the New England premiere of a Judy Garland parody.

• The Pittsfield Players present The Rented Christmas Saturday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m., the Scenic Theatre, 6 Depot St., in Pittsfield. Pick up free tickets at the Scenic Theatre between 10:30 a.m. and noon; a donation for the Pittsfield Food Pantry is reccomended. The Rented Christmas will also be performed Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. (435-8852, www.pittsfieldplayers.com).

• Judy’s Scary Little Christmas parodies a Judy Garland holiday special mixed with The Twilight Zone, according to Music and Drama Company. They stage its New England premiere Thursday, Dec. 10, and Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 12, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., at the 14 Court St. Theater in Nashua (www.madco.org, 669-9975, $15-$18).

Cowritten by Jim Webber of Manchester, David Church and Joe Patrick Ward, it first ran in Burbank, then West Hollywood (Webber lived in L.A. for about 20 years although Webber and Church actually met at Emerson College) where Kay Cole, who originated the role of Maggie in A Chorus Line, directed and choreographed it. It’s also run in Des Moines and Chicago. George Hosker-Bouley directs and choreographs and Jed Holland musically directs this run. Webber co-produces and designed the sets. MADCo features Christine Frydenborg as Judy, Michael Coppola as Liberace, Marian Marangelli as Ethel Merman, Don LaDuke as Bing Crosby, Neal Blaiklock as Richard Nixon and Meg Oolders as Joan Crawford. Half of the profit benefits Bridges Domestic and Sexual Violence Support.  Also see www.judyschristmas.com.

• Oh, the trials and tribulations of securing a “genuine Red Ryder BB gun” for Christmas. Jean Shepherd’s comic Midwest memoir A Christmas Story about Ralphie Parker’s misadventures in the 1940s is on stage instead of screen at the Majestic Theatre, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6, and from Dec. 18 through Dec. 20. Ticket costs range from $10 to $13.

• Milford Area Players with Riverbend Youth Company perform A Christmas Story as a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (home of Riverbend and the Amato Center) Friday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., at the Amato Center, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford (672-1002, milfordareaplayers.org, $5-$10). Gary Locke plays Ralph Parker, while Matt Campbell plays Ralphie. Robin LaCroix and Vick Bennison direct.

• David White (whose professional work with Yellow Taxi Productions included the role of Morrie in Tuesdays with Morrie) plays Scrooge in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol presented by StageCoach Productions. Timothy L’Ecuyer frequently directs for StageCoach, Peacock Players and others, but he’s on stage in this tale as Marley, who gives his side of the story of being tasked with saving Scrooge’s soul, according to StageCoach.

Elizabeth Mueller directs. Cameron Van Dyke, Erik Duchesne and Tyler Christie also perform. Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is Friday, Dec. 11, at  8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 12, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., at the StageCoach Theatre, 25 Front St., 5th floor, Nashua (www.stagecoachproductions.org, 320-3780, $15 and $18).

• Bedford Youth Performing Company presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m., at the Derryfield School at 2108 River Road in Manchester (472-3894). Tickets cost $10 and $12.

• Catch a Prairie Home Companion-ish live Frost Heaves performance. Fred Marple is your guide to the rural New Hampshire town of Frost Heaves in these comic variety shows. The Frost Heaves holiday show with the Frost Heaves players, Speed Bumps band and Fred is Friday, Dec. 11, and Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at the Peterborough Players, 55 Hadley Road, Peterborough (frostheaves.com, 924-7585, $15).

• The Summer Theatre in Meredith Village presents a Christmas cabaret and luncheon, Glad Tidings, Songs of Holiday Cheer, at The Conference Center at Lake Opechee in Lakeport, Thursday, Dec. 3, at 11:30 a.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1:30 p.m., 888-245-6374, www.interlakestheatre.com, $40.

• New Hampshire’s Stranger Than Fiction improv comedy troupe (www.strangerthanfiction.us) are the featured performers at The Music Hall’s “Scene @ 5: Holiday Showdown” Thursday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m., in the Founders Lobby Lounge. There’s a $2 cover for non-Music Hall members. Striking 12 is a “New York anti-holiday show with Seinfeldesque humor,” according to The Music Hall. They bring this holiday show from trio GrooveLily to Portsmouth Saturday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. ($26-$34).

• Pontine Theatre’s co-directors, Greg Gathers and Marguerite Mathews, present seasonal work from New England writers from e. e. cummings to Rebecca Rule, along with holiday tunes from Portsmouth’s Vintage Voices for “A New England Christmas,” Friday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, at 4 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., at Pontine’s West End Studio Theatre, 959 Islington St., Portsmouth, $23, www.pontine.org, 436-6660.

• Nashua Theatre Guild offers Harvey as a holiday presentation. Only certain people in Elwood P. Dowd’s town can see Harvey, the 6-foot 3-inch bunny. The Mary Chase comedy is at the Janice Streeter Theater on 14 Court St. in Nashua, Thursday, Dec. 3, and Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. Larry Pizza and Kim Cassetta direct (www.nashuatheatreguild.org, 320-2530).

• The Majestic Theatre’s annual New Year’s Eve dinner theater show is Murder by Magic, in which something goes horribly wrong during a vaudeville magic act in 1929. It’s Thursday, Dec. 31, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and $35 and are on sale Dec. 1. Reservations are required. Proceeds benefit the Majestic’s 2010 programming.

Drinksgiving
Celebrate the four-day weekend in style
By Michael Witthaus

So how do you celebrate the Wednesday before Thanksgiving? Arrive early, stay late, and bring a designated driver, because there’s much to do on Thanksgiving Eve.

• Amber Room, 53 High St. in Nashua, 881-9060, www.theamberroomnightlife.com, will hold its Turkey Trash Bash on Wednesday with DJ Influence. Doors open at 9 a.m.

• At the Barley Pub, 328 Central Ave. in Dover, the night begins with a Celtic singing session at 6 p.m. followed by Tan Vampires, the solo project of Dover-based singer-songwriter Jake Mehrmann, along with guests, starting at 9 p.m. Call 742-4226.

• At the Black Brimmer, 1087 Elm St. in Manchester, Mama Kicks is one of the area’s most popular cover bands. Tonight they pull out all the stops, beginning at 9 p.m. Call 669-5523.

• The Blackwater Grill, 43 Pelham Road in Salem, presents Sunglasses at Night as they bring the dance tunes of the ’80s back. The club is asking customers to bring non-perishable food items. Call 328-9013.

• At the City Sports Grille & Stadium Ten Pin, 216 Maple St. in Manchester, Morse Code plays ’80s and ’90s covers. Call 625-9656

• The Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road in Manchester, presents Grinning Lizards, well-known for their antics opening at comedy shows. Call 623-2880.

• The Dover Brick House, 2 Orchard St. in Dover, welcomes the “Rock Hard Country” of up and coming singer songwriter Tom Dixon. Call 749-3838.

• For the Bag Nite promotion at Element Lounge, 1055 Elm St. in Manchester, patrons earn a chance to win a gift bag with each drink purchase. Call 627-2922

• The Green Martini, 6 Pleasant St. in Concord, welcomes Dusty Gray and the Know. Call 223-6672.

• Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave. in Concord, presents Studio 99 jam session, music therapist and drummer Bryan Thomas for two shows at 6:30 and 8 p.m.

• Jillian’s Billiard Club, 50 Philippe Cote Drive in Manchester, has Monkey Fist Incident playing ’80s and ’90s covers for an early show at 6 p.m., followed by top-notch cover band the Slakas, with a lead singer who sounds like Heart’s Ann Wilson but looks like Nancy, at 9 p.m. Call 626-7636.

• Jocelyn’s Lounge, 355 S. Broadway in Salem, has a Thanksgiving Eve Bash, with the Three Olives Vodka models hosting a giveaway to promote their new bubblegum vodka (that must be some hangover). There’s a free light buffet and discounted drinks. Call 870-0045.

• At Johnny Bad’s, 542 Elm St. in Manchester, rhythmic power metal trio Damage cranks it up, with a sound that’s heavy yet strangely danceable as the night moves on. Call 222-9191.

• Kelley’s Row, 421 Central Ave. in Dover, has DMB disciple Tim Theriault. Call 750-7081.

• Mad Bob’s Saloon, 342 Lincoln St. in Manchester, will feature the Bars. Come back to Mad Bob’s on Thanksgiving night — they’re open with cover band 5th Base. Call 669-3049.

• Milly’s Tavern, 500 Commercial St. in Manchester, features DJ Spinelli keeping the dancing beat lively. Call 625-4444.

• Moe Joe’s Tavern, 2175 Candia Road in Manchester, has Headshop. Call 668-0131.

• Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St. in Manchester, has Grayspot, featuring a Julliard-trained lead singer. Call 644-3535.

• The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, welcomes classic rock cover band Third Stone, with music starting at 9:30 p.m. They will be open Thanksgiving Day at 6 p.m. Call 821-7535.

• Penuche’s Grill, 96 Hanover St. in Manchester, has Manchuka bringing the funk, soul, rhythm and blues. Call 626-9830.

• At the Press Room, 77 Daniel St. in Portsmouth, the Sons of Ralph & Randolph plug in and start playing at 9 p.m. Call 431-5186.

• RJ’s, 83 Washington St. in Dover, has Drama Squad DJ Big Pez providing house music. Call 617-2950.

• Shaskeen, 909 Elm St. in Manchester, welcomes singer and guitarist Sandey Money, who brings a Ben Harper/David Gray vibe. Call 625-0246.

• Sky Lounge, 522 Amherst St. in Nashua, features a Thanksgiving eve party that includes two DJs and a $5 cover. Call 882-6028.

• Slammer’s, 547 Donald St. in Bedford, features Uproot playing classics and covers. They’re also collecting food on behalf of the NH Motorcycle Rights Association for various Manchester food banks through Dec 6. Call 668-2120.

• Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St. in Manchester, has David Rousseau and the Les Moore Trio playing blues, classic rock and soul. Strange Brew is open on Thanksgiving Day with Howard Randall. Call 666-4292.

• Whippersnappers, 44 Nashua Road in Londonderry, presents the Souled Out Soul Show Band, with a big soul sound that includes a great version of “What is Hip.” Call 434-2660.

• Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St. in Manchester, features Marty Quirk. The pub’s musical ambassador leads a traditional Irish sing-along. The next morning, check out the Irish breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. to benefit the Ancient Order of the Hibernians local charities fund. Call 669-7722.

Joyful noise
Seasonal concerts to pinch the Grinch
By Michael Witthaus

For some, listening to the Trombone Shorty rendition of “O Holy Night” is one way to jump start the holiday season. For others, only those annoying dogs barking out “Jingle Bells” will do (mostly because of the song’s effect on other dogs). Whatever your preference, you’ll likely find something pleasing among the many seasonal concerts scheduled throughout the region between now and Christmas Day. The options run the gamut —comedic, eclectic, folk, electric, unconventional, twangy and of course the tried and true.

• Several Nashua businesses present music at the Winter Holiday Stroll, Saturday, Nov. 28, from 5 to 10 p.m. in downtown Nashua. At Burque Jewelers (89 W. Pearl St.), Celtic band Shannachie performs from 5:45 to 9:45 p.m. There’s more Irish music at Citizens Bank (238 Main St) with Harmonica Saints at 5:45 p.m. and the Harper & the Minstrel at 7:10 p.m. At the Community Council Center (100 W. Pearl St), it’s Ben Jammin’ & the Wiffle Ball Band at 5:45 p.m. Ewe’ll Love It (7 Factory St) hosts Sarah Noyovitz at 5:45 p.m. and Kip Ferguson at 7:10 p.m. Granite Statesmen play at 5:45 p.m. at First Church (1 Concord St), followed by New England Voices in Harmony at 7:10 p.m. and Jazz First at 8:35 p.m. At Fody’s Tavern (9 Clinton St., Library Hill), it’s Old Abram Brown at 5:45 p.m. and Smokehouse Lightning at 7:10 p.m. At Harbor Homes (45 High St.), Blues on White plays at 5:45 p.m., while Robert Daniels & Christine Randall perform at 7:10 p.m. Tokyo Joe’s play at 5:45 p.m. and The Transistors perform at 7:10 p.m. at the Outdoor Stage on W. Pearl St. At TD Bank (191 Main St), Fate Revisited performs at 5:45 p.m. and The Goodtimes String Band plays at 7:10 p.m. On the Nashua Bank Front steps (188 Main St), it’s the Granite State Cloggers at 5:45 p.m. and North Main Music Guitar Army at 7:10 p.m. At Unitarian Universalist Church (58 Lowell St.), St. Enchante Musique plays at 5:45 p.m. and Spirit Fiddle perform at 7:10 p.m.

• The Stranger Than Fiction comedy troupe performs its “Holiday Showdown” at the Music Hall’s Founders Lobby Lounge, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth, on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. It’s a comedy version of the old College Bowl show, with two teams competing in an improvisational tournament before a panel of “celebrity judges.” Tickets are $2, free to members. Call 436-2400.

• The New England Revival Coffee House (Calvary Fellowship Baptist Church, 60 Bailey Ave., Manchester) presents the inspirational Christmas With the Holladays on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. and Driving Reign playing Christian rock on Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. Suggested donation is $5. For more, call 625-9550.

• Family singing group the Barra MacNeils, often called Cape Breton’s “first family” of Celtic music, perform Celtic holiday selections at the Saint Anselm College Dana Center, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester, www.anselm.edu, on Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. Their Christmas concerts, rich with dance, storytelling, Gaelic songs and instrumentals are a special treat. Tickets range from $6 for students to $29.50 for the general public. Call 641-7700.

• The Queen City Ballroom will hold its annual Holiday Dance Party & Showcase on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel (700 Elm St., Manchester). The event will feature a dance showcase of Queen City Ballroom solo and team dancers, as well as a semi-formal with dance hosts and prizes, featuring ballroom, Latin and swing music. Singles and couples welcome. Tickets cost $12 to $18 and can be purchased at 622-1500.

• The Saint Anselm Choir will perform its annual Christmas concert, “DecemberSong,” on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dana Center. The concert will feature readings and songs celebrating the Advent and Christmas seasons. The concert is free to the public. Call 641-7700.

• “Master Minstrel” Harvey Reid begins his annual holiday concert tour through New Hampshire on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m., with a solo performance at the Canterbury Shaker Village, playing seasonally inspired American contemporary and roots music, folk, blues, bluegrass, Celtic and ragtime. Tickets are $17 for adults; $8 for children 6-17; $42 for families (two adults and two or more children). Call 783-9077. Details on Reid’s other area holiday shows, including appearances with partner Joyce Anderson in Peterborough (Sunday, Dec. 6), Tamworth (Sunday, Dec. 13) and Dover (Friday, Dec. 18), are available at www.harveyreid.com. Reid performs solo on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m., at the Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille (40 Andover Road, New London); tickets cost $22.50; call 526-6899.

• The “18th-century rock band” Mannheim Steamroller, which melds classical, modern rock, acoustic and electronic music, performs Monday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena in downtown Manchester. Tickets are $91, $76, $51 and $31 and can be purchased by calling 868-7300 or www.ticketmaster.com.

• WZID’s 8th Annual Christmas at the Palace Radio Show, an evening of music, comedy and fun to celebrate the holiday season, happens Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tickets cost $26 to $40. Call 668-5588.

• Singer-songwriters Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton, Meg Hutchinson and Natalia Zukerman perform as Winterbloom on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. at Tupelo Music Hall, 2 Young Road in Londonderry, www.tupelohall.com. Performing Holiday Traditions Rearranged, the trio presents new arrangements of holiday favorites and special winter/holiday songs written for this mini-tour. Call 437-5100

• Acclaimed Irish ensemble Danu performs a free “Christmas in Ireland” concert Friday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main St. in Concord. The program, An Nollaig in Éirinn, features fiddle, flute, button accordion, percussion and the lovely singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. No advance tickets are required or available; entry is first-come, first-served, one ticket per patron.

• The all-female singing group Sweet, Hot & Sassy performs “Forties-fied” versions of seasonal favorites at the Middle New Hampshire Arts & Entertainment Center, 316 Central St. in Franklin, on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Their 1992 release, Swingin’ ‘Round the Christmas Tree, is still one of the best holiday records ever to come out of New Hampshire. Tickets cost $8 and $16. Call 934-1901.

• Rockapella Holiday arrives at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry on Saturday, Dec. 12,  at 7 p.m. with a program of classic and contemporary holiday hits, all spiced up with the five-man powerhouse vocal band’s signature style. They’re not called the “Kings of Contemporary A Cappella” for nothing. Tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $15 for students and $10 for Pinkerton students. Call 647-6476.

• Barbershop vocalists the Lakes Region Chordsmen will perform traditional and popular songs of the season, including “Stille Nacht,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland,” on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., at the Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium, Route 25 in Meredith. Visit www.lrso.org.

• The third annual Chanukah at the Palace event happens Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, www.palacetheatre.org. Performing are New York a capella group Harmonia, along with “3-D Juggler and Comedian” Mark Nizer. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $12 for children. A $50 VIP ticket includes a meet & greet reception. Call 668-5588.

• Milly’s Tavern, 500 Commercial St. in Manchester, will host an event to benefit the New Horizons Homeless Shelter on Friday, Dec. 18, featuring live music from Streamline, Alli Beaudry, Shannon Corey, Adam from Prospect Hill and Josh Logan. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at door. They will be accepting food, clothing and monetary donations for the homeless. Call 625-4444 or visit www.millystavern.com.

• Grammy award-winning guitarist Ed Gerhard will present his annual Christmas guitar concert on Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 292 State St., Portsmouth. A portion of the proceeds will benefit ACT ONE — Artists’ Collaborative Theatre of New England. Gerhard will perform arrangements of popular holiday songs as well as his own originals. The public is encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to benefit the Seacoast Family Food Pantry. Tickets cost $24.95 in advance. Gerhard also performs a holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Belknap Mill, Mill Plaza in Laconia at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets cost $19.95. Call 664-7200 or visit www.virturerecords.com.

• “Regal Queen of Blues and Gospel” Shirley Lewis performs a holiday show at the New England Revival Coffee House (Calvary Fellowship Baptist Church, 60 Bailey Ave., Manchester) on Friday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. Suggested donation is $5. For more, call 625-9550.

• Kenny Rogers Christmas & Hits Tour, which stops at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 East Merrimack St. in Lowell, Mass., www.lowellauditorium.com, on Sunday, Dec. 20, for a 4 p.m. show, is an annual tradition that touches on the country crooner’s numerous holiday recordings — “Let It Snow,” “White Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and others, along with his prodigious catalog of gold records. Tickets range from $49.50 to $69.50. Call 454-2299.

• Natalie MacMaster performs a special “Christmas in Cape Breton” program on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth, www.themusichall.org. The Cape Breton fiddler is a whirling dervish of energy, bringing world-class step dancing and fiddling fireworks to Celtic melodies and Christmas carols. Tickets are $38 and $47. Call 436-2400.

• Shannon and Matt Heaton, husband-and-wife music and comedy duo, offer a Fine Winter’s Night at Studio 99, at 115 Main St. in Nashua, www.studio99nashua.com, on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. with stories, original and traditional Irish carols, their annual singing of “Julius the Christmas Cat” and some laughs. See www.MattandShannonHeaton.com. Tickets cost $15, $10 for students and seniors.

A classic Christmas song
Holiday pops, Handel’s Messiah and more
By Heidi Masek

Enjoy the traditional sounds of the holidays? There are plenty of concerts offering a chance to hear the classics.

• WMUR’s Amy Coveno hosts the New Hampshire Philharmonic’s “Holiday Pops” concert Saturday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m., at the Stockbridge Theatre, 44 North Main St., Derry (437-5210, www.stockbridgetheatre.com, $20-$50). Music director Anthony Princiotti conducts, with light classical pieces like “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson in the first half, and popular music like “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin in the second. Pinkerton Academy Chorale is also featured, and there’s a sing-along. Cellist Jacob MacKay Francestown, winner of the Philharmonic’s youth concerto competition, plays a movement from the “Cello Concerto in B flat major” by Boccherini. Some proceeds benefit Rotary’s efforts toward global polio eradication, and the Pinkerton Academy choir tour.

• The Granite State Ringers handbell choir performs Thursday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Currier Museum of Art galleries, 150 Ash St., Manchester, as part of the museum’s “First Thursday” program (www.currier.org, 669-6144, www.granitestateringers.org). Museum admission costs $10 for adults.

• The adept Manchester Choral Society gives its traditional “Christmas Tapestry” concert Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., at Bedford High School, 47b Nashua Road in Bedford (www.mcsnh.org, 472-6627, $15-$20). Performances feature the Bedford High School Concert Choir, New Hampshire Youth Chorus and the Akwaaba Traditional African Drum and Dance Ensemble. Dr. Dan Perkins directs MCS, now in its 49th season. African music and a double-chorus Bach motet are on the program, along with traditional carols. Tickets cost $20 and $15; call 472-6627, or visit www.mcsnh.org.

• The Chancel Choir of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church presents a Christmas Cantata, “Journey of Promises” by John Martin, Saturday, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m., at St. Paul’s, 335 Smyth Road in Manchester (647-7322). Refreshments follow.

• As a fundraiser for the school and its youth ensemble programs, the Manchester Community Music School is giving its first Holiday Pops concert featuring NH Youth Jazz Ensemble and the NH Youth Symphony Orchestra Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., at MCMS, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester. Tickets cost $20 and include hors d’oeuvres and pastries (www.mcmusicschool.org, 644-4548). 

• Saint Anselm Choir presents its popular DecemberSong service of readings and songs celebrating Advent and Christmas Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the Abbey Church on Saint Anselm College campus, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester (641-7470, www.anselm.edu).

• The Seacoast Wind Ensemble’s holiday concert is Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m., at the United Methodist Church in Portsmouth (www.seacoastwindensemble.org).

• The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus will present their winter concert, “Merrily We Sing,” on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the First Baptist Church, 121 Manchester St. in Nashua; Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m., at Derryfield School, 2108 River Road in Manchester; Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at Christ Episcopal Church in Portsmouth; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m., at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Plymouth (nhgmc.com, 866-644-6274, $15-$17)

• The Friends of the Bedford Public Library host their annual Wassail Party on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m., at the library (3 Meetinghouse Road). Holiday musical entertainment will be provided by the Derryfield Choir, and food and refreshments will be served. This event is free to the public.

• The Colby-Sawyer College Singers present the one-act holiday classic “Amhal and the Night Visitors” Wednesday, Dec. 9, and Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., in the Sawyer Arts Center, 541 Main St., New London (www.colby-sawyer.edu). Admission is free.

• The Pemigewasset Choral Society presents “In Dulci Jubilo” on Friday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m., at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church on School Street in Franklin. It features “Christmas Everywhere” by composer and arranger Mr. Frank Denson, commissioned by the Choral Society. Donations will be taken at the door. For details, call 535-2787 or see pemichoral.org.

• “In Dulci Jubilo” is a free concert Dec. 11, which is the concert part of the “Bach’s Lunch Lectures” on Thursdays, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m., at the Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St. in Concord (228-1196, www.ccmusicschool.org). It’s preceded Dec. 3 by a talk from Hannah Schramm Murray on “American Christmas Traditions in Song.”

• Concord Chorale’s concert “Sounding Joy! Sounds of the Season” includes Bach’s “Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland.” The Concord Chorale Chamber Strings and Youth Chorus accompany, Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., at Saint John the Evangelist Church, 72 South Main St., Concord, 746-4624, www.concordchorale.org. 

• Monadnock Chorus is using a chamber group rather than an orchestra to accompany its concert, “A Baroque Christmas,” featuring “Messe pour Minuit de Noel” by Marc-Antoine Charpentier among other work, Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., at the Peterborough Town House, $10-$17 ($20 at the door). Buy tickets at Steele’s, Toadstool Bookshops, or www.monadnock-chorus.org (878-2986). The Monadnock Chorus Chamber Singers concerts include Sunday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m., at the Rivermead Auditorium, 150 Rivermead Road in Peterborough. 

• The Souhegan Valley Chorus concert, “A Family Christmas,” is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m., at Souhegan High School, 412 Boston Post Road in Amherst (wolaver.org/SVC or call 672-0025). 

• Conductor Kenneth Kiesler will direct the Holiday Pops on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 and 4:30 p.m., at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. The concert will feature classic holiday songs performed by a full orchestra. Tickets cost $20 to $44 and can be purchased at 436-2400 or themusichall.org.

• The Tuba Christmas & Holiday Concert is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., at the Timberlane Performing Arts Center, 40 Greenough Road in Plaistow. The free performance will feature an all-tuba ensemble playing favorite holiday carols, and a seasonal concert by the Timberlane Community Band.

• Conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra present holiday music with a cappella group The Swingle Singers Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2:30 p.m., at Verizon Wireless Arena, 555 Elm St. in Manchester (644-5000, verizonwirelessarena.com, $41-$66). WGIR/WHEB’s Greg Kretschmar narrates holiday stories.

• A guest conductor from the North Pole is expected during the Granite State Symphony Orchestra’s “Holiday Pops” concert, which also features a sing-along Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord). Visit www.gsso.org or call 226-4776.

• The Granite Statesmen male barbershop harmony chorus holds its family-friendly 20th annual Christmas Cabaret show featuring female harmony chorus, New England Voices in Harmony and their quartets Synchronicity and Showcase, Saturday, Dec. 19, at Hampshire Hills Sports & Fitness Club at 50 Emerson Road in Milford. Fairgrounds Middle School Select Choir joins the 2 p.m. performance, and the Milford High School Chorus sings at the 7:30 p.m. show. Ticket costs range from $3 to $15; call 886-SING or visit www.granitestatesmen.org.

• Metropolitan Opera veteran Barbara Kilduff, soprano, joins the Nashua Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for their Saturday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m., holiday concert at Nashua High School North, 10 Chuck Druding Drive in Nashua (www.nashuasymphony.org, 595-9156, $10-$47). Jonathan McPhee conducts “White Christmas,” “I Wonder as I Wander,” “Ave Maria” and others.

• “Friends and Family: A Holiday Celebration” is Saturday, Dec. 19, at 3 p.m., at The Pearl, 45 Pearl St., Portsmouth. Featured performers include the Seacoast group Women Singing OUT!, Women in Harmony, New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus, Flyin’ High and Six Pitches. Tickets cost $10, or pay $20 to also attend A Ceremony of Carols, by Benjamin Britten with harpist Juli Miller Sunday, Dec. 20, at Christ Episcopal Church, 1035 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth ($10-$15, free for those under 18.) Call 430-2970 or visit www.womensingingout.org for info.

• The Ceremony of Carols Christmas Sunday Worship Services with the Chancel Choir of The First Church of Nashua is Sunday, Dec. 20, at 9 and 11 a.m., at First Church, 1 Concord St. in Nashua (www.firstchurchnashua.org, 882-4861).

• A gift from Merrimack County Savings Bank, the Merrimack Holiday Pops features the New England Wind Symphony; NHPR’s Laura Knoy as narrator; violinist Elliot Markow and others at the Capitol Center for the Arts. However, the free tickets for the Sunday, Dec. 20, 3 p.m., concert, are no longer available, the Capitol Center said.

• The Music Hall presents the holiday community sing, Messiah Sing!, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 7:30 p.m., at The Music Hall in Portsmouth. Billed as the Seacoast’s largest community sing, the event will feature area choruses and conductors. Tickets cost $14 and can be purchased at 436-2400 or www.themusichall.org.

Art of the season
Works to see and shop
By Heidi Masek

Many of these holiday gallery events aren’t just new places to get into the spirit of the season, they’re places to shop for unique hand-crafted gifts.

• Artisan studios in the Picker Building, 99 Factory St. Extension in the Nashua millyard, will be open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 28, prior to the Nashua Downtown Holiday Stroll (thepickerbuilding.wordpress.com).

 • The Art Concord holiday gallery tour is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find maps and refreshments at venues including the League of NH Craftsmen, 205 North Main St.;  Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, 236 Hopkinton Road; NHTI-Concord’s Community College, 31 College Drive; Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St.; and Rowland Studio, 23 North Main St. Also see concordnhchamber.com or call 224-2508.

 • Find hundreds of small, affordable works in various media at the annual “Holiday Miniatures Show” at the Sharon Arts Downtown Galleries through Dec. 31 in Depot Square, Peterborough (www.sharonarts.org, 924-2787).

 • Visit One Washington Center in Dover Saturday, Dec. 12, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., to shop for artwork during a holiday open house (www.onewashingtoncenter.com).

 • The Covered Bridge Frame Shop & Gallery, at 916 Main St. in Contoocook holds a “Holiday Open House” as part of the town-wide “Starry, Starry Weekend” celebration (www.StarryStarryWeekend.com) Friday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (746-4996).

 • East Colony Fine Art holds a holiday open house Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., with live seasonal music from Karin Hovey and friends, a Palace Theatre ticket give-away, and noshing. Meet East Colony members Saturday, Dec. 5, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. (there’s more noshing). A holiday miniature works show continues through Dec. 24 in Langer Place, 55 South Commercial St. in Manchester (621-7400, www.eastcolony.com).

• The Craftworkers’ Guild Holiday Fair with work by more than 50 juried New Hampshire artisans is going on from Nov. 27 through Dec. 20, daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Kendall House, behind the Bedford Library on Meetinghouse Road in Bedford. Some income is shared with public schools as grants for innovation in arts and crafts education and scholarships.

• About 35 juried artisans from the region will be demonstrating and selling crafts during Canterbury Shaker Village’s “Gift in Hand” event Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also find food artisans and Village-grown greenery for decorating (buy theirs or attend a workshop). Reservations are recommended for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch at the Shaker Table Restaurant. “Gift in Hand” is happening at the site’s Village North Shop, 288 Shaker Road in Canterbury (783-9511, www.shakers.org), and admission is free.

• The New Hampshire Art Association hosts its “Art for Holiday Giving” exhibit at its Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St. in Portsmouth (431-4230, www.nhartassociation.org), from Dec. 2 through Jan. 8. It’s also a drop-off for the Toy Bank of the Professional Firefighters Association. Meet artists at a reception Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., part of Portsmouth’s monthly Art ’Round Town gallery stroll (artroundtown.org).

• Although Queen City Lampworks glass artists Kevin Engelmann and Jason Herring moved out, they’ll be back at their old studio (now Aaron Slater Glass) for a sixth Winter Glass Expo. Find functional pieces, jewelry and plenty of ornaments to help you check off names on your gift list, watch  flameworking demonstrations, and nosh. It’s Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, from noon to 5 p.m., at 21 West Auburn St. in Manchester (380-3004). The cooperative show also features work from Jeff Lamy and Scott Porter, as well as Engelmann, Herring and Slater.

• Look for deals from emerging artists at New Hampshire Institute of Art’s student art sale Thursday, Dec. 3, and Friday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, at NHIA’s Fuller Hall, 156 Hanover St. in Manchester (836-2573, nhia.edu).

Also check out the student and faculty exhibitions at Kimball-Jenkins School of Art from Dec. 1 through Jan. 1. There’s an opening reception with the artists Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., where you can find things like the famed wooden spoons from Dan Dustin of Canterbury, and work by his students. Dustin often brings something interesting to the show, such as carved wooden Tommy guns, or a three-piece sculpture for people to rearrange, said Ryan Linehan, director of education and operations. Also find work from potter Al Jaeger and painter Joe Blajda and their students, among others, at 266 N. Main St., Concord (255-3932, www.kimballjenkins.com).

• More than 200 artists work in the Western Ave Studios, 122 Western Ave. in Lowell, Mass. Explore the complex during two weekends of “Holiday Open Studios” from noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 5 through Dec. 13 (www.westernavestudios.com, 978-349-8069).  

• Educational activities like storytelling are going on during the Russian Christmas Bazaar, a sale and exhibit of traditional arts and fine craft — like Matryoshka (nested doll) sets — from Russia at New England Language Center’s International Art Gallery, 16 Hillside Drive in Rochester, Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 332-2255 or e-mail marina@anylanguage.org.

• Visit the Mill Brook Gallery Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to find work including jewelry, sculpture, pottery and mobiles. (Some paintings are  25 percent off.) Mill Brook is at 236 Hopkinton Road in Concord (226-2046, www.themillbrookgallery.com) and is open for the season through Dec. 24.

• The Nashua Area Artists Association has moved its second-floor Gallery One space over a unit at the Millhouse, 5 Pine St. Extension in Nashua. (Their generous five-year rent deal — free — is up.) They host a “Holiday Gala and Grand Reopening” Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 4 p.m. Watercolorist Alfred “Chief” Johnson is the featured artist. Robin Ann Peters will read from and sign her book Nashua, Then and Now. Food and music are also planned (www.naaasite.org, 883-0603).

• The Exeter Arts Committee hosts a Holiday Art Show Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., Dec. 3 through Dec. 20 at Exeter Town Hall, 10 Front St. (exeterarts.home.comcast.net).

• White Birch Fine Art Gallery holds a Holiday Open House with new work, plus find hundreds of ACEOs (art cards), Friday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., (with a wine and cheese social starting at 4 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with artist demonstrations). White Birch is at 8 Mohawk Drive in Londonderry (434-0399, www.WhiteBirchFineArt.com).

• Hatfield Gallery & Picture Framing holds a holiday event with art and fine craft Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (early birds welcome Friday) inside Langer Place, 55 South Commercial St. in Manchester (627-7560, www.hatfieldart.com).

• Stop by the new venture “The Floating Gallery,” where artists will be exhibiting and selling work Sunday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott, 2200 Southwood Drive in Nashua. Artists are asked to donate a portion of profits to a charity of their choice. Learn more at floatinggallery.ning.com.

• Art 3 Gallery is focusing on “Treasures” for its show of work from more than 75 artists through Jan. 29. “As the holiday season approaches, we all take time to examine what is important, what it is we hold dear,” they wrote in their release about the show. Art 3 is at 44 West Brook St. in Manchester (668-6650, www.art3gallery.com).

• Eva-Lynn (Evie) Loy holds a Holiday Open Studio of watermedia paintings and greeting cards Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 93 Cheney Ave., Peterborough (www.eva-lynnloy.com, 924-0223).

• Do your good deed. The League of NH Craftsmen and Vermont Hand Crafters members are being asked to donate holiday ornaments for Trees for Troops. They’ll be used to decorate live trees donated to military families by the New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association. You can help out by buying an ornament for donation at a League retail gallery through November (Concord’s is at 36 North Main St., www.nhcrafts.org).
The League, by the way, is launching an online store of member work at www.nhcrafts.org.

Delight in winter
Nashua holds its annual Winter Holiday Stroll
By Jeff Mucciarone

Looking at the picture on the front page of Nashua’s Great American Downtown Web site featuring an absolutely jam-packed Main Street, it’s pretty clear the community has embraced its annual Winter Holiday Stroll.

About 30,000 people are expected to stop in or out at local eateries, catch some live music and performances and meander through downtown Nashua’s variety of retailers during this year’s Stroll, slated for Saturday, Nov. 28, with the free event kicking off with a candlelit walk at 5 p.m. The event concludes at 9:45 p.m.

For the first time this year, a dozen restaurants will be serving food outside, which gives people a chance to sample goodies as they roam the streets. Sue Butler, executive director of Great American Downtown (www.downtownnashua.org), which runs the Stroll, said it is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants and retailers. (It’s also a big fundraiser for Great American Downtown, which uses the proceeds to fund its other events.)

“We’re really excited about that,” Butler said of the outdoor food offerings. “It’s really a nice little tasting event for people attending who haven’t gone to some of the restaurants.”

Traditional food vendors will be grouped into two food areas, one to the north and one south. Doing that allows the downtown to keep its traditional feel and keep the attention on the restaurants and retailers. Butler said people like having the option of fried dough and hot dogs but they historically have complained about the way vendor units looked. The main stage will be moved to the end of West Pearl Street, and Butler said she’d like to have the main stage on a different side street each year. The second stage will be set up at Railroad Square.

The event has long been a tradition for area residents looking to reconnect with family and friends around the holidays.

“It’s very much an all-ages event,” Butler said. “There’s tons of kids, tons of college students, tons of older adults, there’s something for everyone.”

Butler said they dialed back on performances in an effort to have fewer bands perform for longer periods of time. There will be a band playing the entire time at the Community Council Center. Butler said people had begun to get frustrated as there were so many performances in so many different places that patrons couldn’t make it to all the things they wanted to see.

There will be dancers, theater groups, vocal groups, blues, jazz and rock bands, face-painting and clogging. The Manch Vegas Roller Girls will be rolling up and down Main Street, while a Budweiser Clydesdale will be available for photos. There will also be a beer garden on High Street. The Stroll features a raffle with 25 different prizes, from gift certificates to movie passes to overnight stays at hotels. Tickets cost $1 apiece and can be purchased at the event or at several downtown locations prior to the event. The Stroll also includes a Spirit of Giving tent where people can donate to local charities. Organization needs are listed at www.downtownnashua.org.

People are encouraged to use satellite parking at Rivier College and Holman Stadium, where there will be free shuttle buses.

Busy sidewalks, holiday style
Concord celebrates Midnight Merriment
By Jeff Mucciarone

In the 1960s, Concord’s train station was torn down in favor of what’s now the Capitol Shopping Center. But the station will soon be recreated in the form of an ice sculpture.

“There had been a beautifully historic train station for years...,” said Jessica Eshleman, executive director of Main Street Concord. “We’re delighted to have the ice sculptors recreate the station.”

The sculpture will be a part of the 17th annual Midnight Merriment, a shopping event designed to celebrate the downtown community in Concord. The event will take place Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Main Street will be closed to traffic from Center Street to Pleasant Street from 4 to 10 p.m.

The ice sculpture, which is being sponsored by Shaw’s, will be a first-timer at the annual event, which also features for the first time an “enchanted forest” of Christmas trees in the middle of Main Street. People can sponsor a tree for $100 and can decorate them how they like — they then get to keep the tree after the event.

Main Street Concord began closing off traffic on Main Street during Merriment for public safety reasons, but Eshleman said organizers found it left them with a lot more room to grow when they had the whole street to work with. About 5,000 people attended the event last year.

“It’s a great opportunity to get that shopping started, to wrap it up or wherever you are along the way,” Eshleman said, adding businesses have added values and incentives to the shopping experience — not to mention they’re open really late. Along with hopefully a dusting of snow, those incentives include special deals, holiday goodies, hot apple cider and in some places small pours of wine.

Carolers from different choruses will convene at 6 p.m. for a few songs and will then disperse throughout downtown for the remainder of the night. Horse-drawn hay rides will circle the downtown, while patrons can snack on roasted chestnuts. Staff from the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center will be setting up telescopes for stargazing, Eshleman said.

Santa Claus will stick around for the evening for photos and will leave a letter box where kiddies can drop off their wish lists, both during the event and throughout the season.

“We try to offer something for all ages,” Eshleman said. “It’s really a diverse crowd.”

Eshleman also pointed out that Main Street Concord’s vacant storefront initiative, which lets entities sponsor and design vacant storefronts, has helped maintain a festive holiday feel on Main Street. The initiative has a waiting list until next fall.

“It’s done a good job of dressing itself up for the holidays,” Eshleman said.

There will be free parking at the Capital Commons, Durgin Block and Firehouse parking garages. Visit www.mainstreetconcord.com or call 226-2150.

Queen City loves a parade
Santa, the Roller Girls and maybe a hippo float at Manchester’s parade
By Jeff Mucciarone

Complete with giant balloons, costumed characters, unique vehicles and festively decorated floats, the 2009 edition of the Spirit of the Season Christmas Parade in Manchester is sure to provide attendees with an effectively spirited holiday experience.

“This is the biggest and brightest Christmas float parade in the state,” said Samantha Appleton, director of marketing and public relations with Intown Manchester, which runs the event. “It’s a fun and festive event where people from all over the state gather to celebrate the spirit of the season.”

Now in its 22nd year, the parade features more than 80 participating groups, made up of local businesses, organizations, non-profits, clubs, marching bands and performance groups, including the world-traveled Londonderry Lancer Marching Band. The parade begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1750 Elm St. Participants make their way down the 1.5-mile route, passing tens of thousands of viewers lining the street all the way to Lake Avenue, Appleton said. She also said FairPoint Communications has become a committed sponsor of the event, which Intown has organized for the past four years. 

Rock 101 will be announcing the parade from the bandstand, with Charlie Sherman, and Greg and Laura from “The Morning Buzz.” Participants will include the Manchester Monarchs, New Hampshire Roller Derby, the Manch Vegas Roller Girls, Gov. John Lynch, Mayor Frank Guinta and Ghostbusters of NH, among many, many more. Intown Manchester had not named the grand marshal as of press time.

Appleton said there will be lots of new entries in this year’s parade, with nearly twice as many floats as last year (including, if the weather accommodates, Hippo’s own giant hippo balloon).

“Those who come to this parade each year are definitely in for some surprises,” Appleton said.

Organizers urged patrons to visit downtown early to check out new shops and restaurants that have opened in the past year, “and then bundle up and join a warm, welcoming and friendly community for some spirited holiday cheer,” Appleton said.

“This parade always has been and always will be a fun, family-oriented community event,” Appleton added.

The Manchester Fire Department will be collecting donations for the Union Leader Santa Fund, which is celebrating 50 years, via the annual Boot Drive. People are encouraged to bring canned goods for the New Hampshire Food Bank, which will be collecting at the parade.

Television viewers statewide can see the parade this year as the parade will be broadcast on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on WMUR-TV channel 9.

Visit www.intownmanchester.com or call 645-6285. Registration for the parade is closed.

The gift of holiday fun
Spend some family time at a celebration of the season
By Amy Diaz

The calendar overflows with family-friendly events this holiday season. From splurge-worthy special occasions to free events that can add a bit of holiday spirit into a busy weekend, here are some of the many events to look forward to in the next half-dozen weeks.

• Fez-tival of Trees finishes its run at the Bektash Shriners Center, 189 Pembroke Road in Concord, daily through Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving). See 100 fully decorated Christmas trees. The event will include a silent auction, children’s games, crafts and a gift shop, refreshments and more. Call 225-5372.

• The Great Gobbler Trail Race is on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, at 8 a.m., sponsored by St. Joseph Hospital and Nashua High School North and South. The 5K trail race will be held at Mine Falls in Nashua. For kids, there will be a 400-meter Turkey Trot around the track at Nashua High South at 7:45 a.m. Pre-registration is recommended; the first 400 runners will receive a T-shirt. Race day registration ends at 7:45 a.m. Proceeds from the race will benefit Nashua High School North and South cross-country teams, and canned goods will be donated to Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter. Race fee is $10, or $9 with a canned good. Children under 12 get in free with canned good donation. To register, call 880-8927 or e-mail hdmccarty@comcast.net.

• See Santa Claus at Kellerhaus on Friday, Nov. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Kellerhaus Ice Cream, Candies and Gifts on Route 3 between Meredith and Weirs Beach. Bring your camera and enjoy free cookies and milk as well as samples and free face-painting. Watch candy being made. See www.kellerhaus.com or call 366-4466.

• Head south for the City of Lights Parade & Holiday Arts Stroll in downtown Lowell, Mass., on Saturday, Nov. 28, noon to 8 p.m. The day will feature children’s activities, live music, a hot chocolate competition, trolley rides, street performers, a festival of wreaths, arts & crafts, a stocking stuffer scavenger hunt and photos with Santa ($3 per photo). See www.merrimackvalley.org.

• America’s Credit Union Museum on the West Side of Manchester (420 Notre Dame Ave.) is hosting an exhibit of more than 100 Nativity Scenes from Sunday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Jan. 3. The depictions of the birth of Christ come from dozens of countries and cultures from around the world and are only a part of the large collection of Fr. Charles E. DesRuisseaux, retired pastor of St. Anthony of Padua. The museum’s hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and some Sundays 1 to 3 p.m. Holiday week hours will be varied; call 629-1553.  

•  It’s the Festival of Trees in Exeter Town Hall in Exeter, Thursday, Dec. 3, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fifty trees will be decorated and up for auction. The event will feature a “sweet shoppe.” For more information contact Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce at 772-2411.

• Goffstown lights its town tree at the annual Friday Night Under the Lights celebration in the Goffstown Town Common on Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The tree-lighting will be at 6:30 p.m. Other events include hayrides, music, open houses at area businesses, visits with Santa and readings of The Polar Express at the Goffstown Public Library. See www.goffstownmainstreet.org or call 497-9933.

• The Mariposa Museum, 26 Main St. in Peterborough, will hold a Welcome Yule on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. featuring the Lachrimae Franklin Pierce University Renaissance Singers. From 6 to 7 p.m. there will be a reception for the new gallery exhibit of Huichol Art, and from 5 to 6 p.m. there will be a Kidcraft about poinsettias. The event is free. Call 924-4555 or see mariposamuseum.org.

• Contoocook and Hopkinton present a Starry, Starry Weekend, Dec. 4-6, with special events from more than 20 local groups and businesses. Look for craft workshops, food- and wine-tasting, tree-lightings, caroling, open houses and a factory tour, art shows, church fairs and of course lots of shopping. There will be a Steelpan Band concert at the library, and a reading of The Polar Express at the railroad depot in Contoocook. All locations will be accepting donations for the Hopkinton Food Pantry. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.StarryStarryWeekend.com.

• The Jingle Bell Run & Walk for Arthritis is a 10K timed run or a 5K leisure walk on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Rundlett Middle School in Concord. Registration starts at 9 a.m.; race starts at 10 a.m. Contact Patti at 800-639-2113 or phanley@arthritis.org. Pre-register ($20 to participate, $10 more if you want a shirt) at www.concordjbr.kintera.org, or register at the door ($25 to participate, $10 for a shirt while supplies last).

• Enjoy an Olde Fashioned Christmas in Hillsborough on Saturday, Dec. 5. Start at 7 a.m. with the Masons’ all- you-can-eat breakfast or take the kids to the Breakfast with Santa at the Amory. The day’s events continue with a cookie walk, white elephant sale, bake sale, artisans’ holiday sale, puppet show at the library, free photo with Santa (2 to 4 p.m. at the Moose Club), a Christmas concert form 1:30 to 5 p.m. and community caroling with hot cider before Santa’s parade and the tree-lighting in Butler Park at 5:30 p.m.

• The Jingle Downtown Holiday Stroll will take place in Milford around the Oval on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 6 p.m. The Stroll will include an appearance by one of the Budweiser Clydesdales, horse-drawn carriage rides, cookie-decorating at Lisa’s Sweets, face-painting, card-making, hot chocolate and cider sales on the Oval, collection of grocery gift cards and personal paper products for SHARE, tree-lighting at 5 p.m. and performances by Milford United Methodist Church Hand Bell Choir, PB & J Jazz Ensemble, Riverbend Youth Theater Company, the Rakes and the Souhegan Valley Chorus. There will also be 10 different holiday fairs throughout Milford (park at the Jacques Elementary School, 9 Elm St. in Milford, or the Milford High School for a free shuttle): Milford Middle School, Stone Church Holiday Craft Fair, Share Christmas Fair, Church of Our Savior Christmas Fair, United Methodist Church Christmas Fair, First Congregational Church Holly Berry Fair, Bridge Church, Alene Candle Sale, Heron Pond Elementary PTO fair, Crestwood Care and Rehabilitation Center and Milford High School Music Department. See www.milforddoit.org.

• Head to the Hopkinton Village Center evergreen tree for a tree-lighting and carol sing on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m. The Hopkinton Town Band will accompany the singing of Christmas carols from song sheets (provided) while the Christmas tree lights are turned on for the first time. Then, walk over to the Congregational Church Parish House for hot chocolate, homemade goodies and community fellowship.

• Celebrate a Victorian Child’s Christmas at the American Independence Museum, 1 Governors Lane in Exeter, 772-2622, www.independencemuseum.org. on Saturdays, Dec. 5 and Dec. 11, for 7- to 11-year-old kids and their dolls. The event will celebrate Christmas like Samantha Parkington from the popular American Girl book series. Four sessions will be held each day, beginning at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Admission costs $20 per person. Registration is required; call or go online.

• It’s Christmas at Canterbury at Canterbury Shaker Village on Saturdays, Dec. 5, and Dec. 12, from 3 to 8 p.m. Hundreds of luminaries will light the way as visitors take candlelight strolls around the decorated Village. Visitors can also take horse-drawn wagon or sleigh rides (3 to 6 p.m.). Inside historic Shaker buildings, visitors will find handcrafted Christmas decorations as well as activities, demonstrations and performances. Performances include femme m’amie (Dec. 5), Harvey Reid (Dec. 5), Concord Community Music School’s The Purple Finches (Dec. 12), Two Fiddles, The Sugar River String Band, a 19th-century magic show, Pat Spalding’s puppet show, a sing-along with the Canterbury Shaker Singers and traditional Christmas music. Hot cider will be available in the North Shop. Visitors can visit 19th-century physician “Dr. Seth Miller” in the Infirmary and the Gingerbread Showcase in the Creamery, with a scavenger hunt and traditional recipe sampling. Inside the Carriage House, visitors can see traditional arts demonstrations against the backdrop of furniture and craft exhibits. Kids of all ages can try origami, ornament-making, and holiday decorations made from Village-grown greens. Visitors can also see demonstrations on broom-making and letterpress printing. Visitors can bring non-perishable food items and clean, gently worn clothing items to Admissions. Admission costs $17 for adults, $8 for children 6-17, $42 for family (two adults and two or more children); children 5 and under and members get in free. For a complete Christmas at Canterbury schedule, visit www.shakers.org or call 783-9511.

• The Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth will hold its Candlelight Stroll on Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 5 through Dec. 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Portsmouth museum. On these weekend evenings, the Museum grounds glow with hundreds of luminaria, the houses are adorned in period-appropriate holiday finery of live greens and dried flowers, and the scents and sounds of the season abound. As visitors stroll from house to historic house, costumed role players demonstrate the traditions of times past. The Museum’s annual gingerbread house contest will showcase the architectural confections. Music of all kinds, past and present, will heighten the holiday mood throughout the museum. Visitors can stroll the candlelit Museum grounds on foot, or travel in style in a horse-drawn carriage. Complimentary traditional refreshments and hot apple cider are offered at the Cider Shed, Pitt Tavern. There will also be traditional hearth cooking demonstrations, crafts demonstrations, and winter crafts. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $8 for children (5 to 17 years old) and $38 for a family. Go to www.strawberybanke.org or call 433-1107.

• The Weare Historical Society and the Weare Public Library will hold a Christmas Party at Weare Town Hall, Route 114, on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. Puppeteer Diane Kordas will perform. There will be music, refreshments and a visit from Santa. Children of preschool age or older can make Christmas crafts and ornaments. There will be caroling during the tree-lighting ceremony. Bring a non-perishable item for the Weare Food Pantry. Weare history books, 2010 calendars, and throws will be on sale. See www.wearehistoricalsociety.org or call 529-4520.

• MRS. Claus will visit Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., 589-4631, nashualibrary.org, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 10 a.m.

• The Nashua Parks & Rec. Dept. will offer free Photos with Santa at Greeley Park in Nashua on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. Bring your camera to take a photo of your child with Santa.

• Lights on the Hill is the annual Christmas celebration in Candia, on Saturday, Dec. 12, and Sunday, Dec. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the junction of Route 27 and South Road in Candia. The event will feature a variety of holiday activities in 19th-century historic buildings. Walk the luminary-lit village campus or ride the shuttle. Tour the Stephen Clay Homestead Bed and Breakfast and share a cup of warm cider. The Heritage Commission will greet you at the Smyth Building, which is on the National Historic Register. View crèches from all over the world. There will also be a bakery, campfire, live nativity, music, dance, drama, café, coffeehouse, cookie-decorating, craft-making and a Christmas store. Enjoy a light supper in the Café and top it off with a homemade dessert in the Bakery. Call 483-0506 or go to www.candiacongregational.com.

• JW Tumbles, 545 Hooksett Road in Manchester, 624-0400, www.manchester.jwtumbles.com, will hold a breakfast with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon. Have breakfast with Santa & Mrs. Claus. Cost is $10 ($5 for members). Enjoy Christmas caroling with the Little Maestros, holiday activities and a photo session with Santa by Rheault Photography. Call to reserve or e-mail manchester@jwtumbles.com.

• Keep the season going with a Polar Express Magic & Puppet Show with Greg McAdams at Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., 589-4631, nashualibrary.org, on Monday, Dec. 28, at 2 p.m. Pick up tickets starting on Dec. 1.

Shop the halls
Unique places to buy gifts
By Amy Diaz

The turkey is only barely cooling when the holiday shopping season begins. Looking to buy something a little different? The next few weeks will be packed with craft fairs, holiday festivals and other places to get that one-of-a-kind item.

Looking for a craft fair packed with handmade pieces, jewelry, holiday items, baked goods and more? Here’s the schedule for the next couple of weeks:

Thanksgiving weekend
• The Animal Rescue League of NH will celebrate Black Friday, Nov. 27, with 60 percent off adoption fees for all black animals. “Black Dog Syndrome,” the lack of interest that black animals get when they are at a shelter, maybe be due to the fact that these animals don’t photograph as well or the superstitions some people have for black cats. See www.rescueleague.org.

• The Craftworkers’ Guild Holiday Fair in Bedford will be open every day from Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering crafts designed and made by more than 50 juried New Hampshire artisans. The fair is located in the historic Kendall House, behind the Bedford Library on Meetinghouse Road. Look for unique jewelry from local designers; decorative folk arts in glass, clay, wood and paper; original holiday home decorations and accessories; unique wine jellies and fruit preserves; fashion accessories, scarves, bags, and hats; fiber arts including knitting, felting, stitchery, hand-sewn clothing outfits for dolls; greeting cards and more. A portion of earnings from Guild sales are shared with public schools as grants for innovation in arts and crafts education. Parking is free and there is no admission charge. 

• Gift In Hand, an event featuring 35 juried artisans demonstrating and selling crafts, will take place at Canterbury Shaker Village, Route 106 to Shaker Road in Canterbury, on Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event takes place in the Village North shop and admission is free. Visitors can shop for unique handcrafted gifts in media including woodenware, jewelry, knits, glass, basketry, fine art, photography, puppets, stuffed animals and more. Food artisans will offer handmade candy, bread and bakery items. Hot cider, coffee and soup will be available as well. Visitors can purchase holiday decorations from Village-grown greens, or create their own at one of the workshops offered during the course of each day. Visitors may sign up for workshops at the event. Call 783-9511 or go to www.shakers.org.

• The Trade as One Fair Trade will take place Friday, Nov. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Manchester Christian Church, 1308 Wellington Road in Manchester. It will also be open Saturdays (Dec. 5 and Dec. 12) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays (Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event will feature items from all over the world that are fair trade-certified. See www.manchesterchristian.com and www.tradeasone.com.

Saturday, Dec. 5
• Amherst Middle School on Cross Road in Amherst, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by the Amherst Lions (100 crafters, chili, hot dogs, sandwiches and soft drinks). Contact John Swanson at swanjonny@comcast.net.

• Beaver Meadow Elementary School, 40 Sewalls Falls Road in Concord, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (50+ professional crafters; a gourmet bake sale, lunch). Call 226-1952.  

• Bentley Commons, 66 Hawthorne Drive in Bedford, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (More than two dozen crafters, story-telling, cookie-decorating). Call 644-2200.

• Francestown Elementary School, 2nd NH Turnpike in Francestown, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (auctions, candy, desserts, holiday wreaths; children’s movies & crafts). Call 547-2090.

• Jacques School, 9 Elm St., Milford,  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Russian Christmas Bazaar at New England Language Center, 16 Hillside Drive in Rochester, 332-2255, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (storytelling, Russian cartoons, historical information about the crafts, and an exhibit of unique contemporary Russian art and traditional Russian icons including nested doll sets, hand-painted “Khokhlama” wooden bowls, wooden spoons, candlesticks, wooden eggs, figurines, icons, Russian holiday greeting cards, carved wooden toys and lacquer boxes). Contact Marina Forbes at marina@anylanguage.org.

• The Unitarian Universalist Church, 20 Elm St. in Milford, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Breakfast and lunch, homemade baked goods and treats, handcrafted jewelry, ornaments, holiday greens, children’s section). Call 673-1870 or see www.uumilfordnh.org.

Or, give the gift of helping others. At least two area organizations will be holding Alternative Fairs, where instead of purchasing an item, shoppers can donate to a cause.

• Dunbarton Congregational Church, 6 Stark Highway North in Dunbarton, 774-4601, www.dunbrtonchurchucc.org, will hold its alternative fair Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature representatives from non-profit groups. Donate in someone’s name and receive a gift card. A soup luncheon will be available, and poinsettias and wreaths will be on sale.

• St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, at the corner of Peabody Row and Mammoth Road in Londonderry, will hold its fair on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The fair will offer gifts from the Heifer Fund, Episcopal Relief and Development Fund, cards from The Little Roses Orphanage, jewelry from Guatemala and baskets from Nicaragua. 

Finally, looking to shop solo? JW Tumbles, 545 Hooksett Road in Manchester, 624-0400, www.manchester.jwtumbles.com, will hold holiday drop and shop sessions on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 12, noon to 5 p.m. Parents can drop off their potty-trained child ages 3+ for $5 an hour. Reserve a spot at 623-0400 or e-mail mancehster@jwtumbles.com.

Delicious construction
How to make your dream (gingerbread) house
by Kathleen Callahan

Gingerbread houses are about a lot more than candy canes and gumdrops these days.

With the rising popularity of cake shows, more access to fancy baking ingredients and gingerbread house competitions sprouting up across the nation, gingerbread decorating grows more elaborate each holiday season. To stay on top of the cookie curve, follow some of these simple tips when creating your next gingerbread masterpiece.

To start, make a mock-up of your gingerbread house with cardboard, suggests Jennifer Wojtaszek, the general manager at Frederick’s Pastries in Amherst. Then, when the gingerbread is cooked, lay the cutouts on top of the gingerbread and cut around them. To avoid crumbling, she suggests baking the gingerbread slightly too long, until it is “really crunchy”; for her, this usually means about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. This will give the gingerbread house the soundest structure and will avoid a heartbreaking cave-in mid-decoration.

Royal icing, a pure white frosting made of just egg whites, lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar, will hold the house together best, Wojtaszak said. After it’s mixed, it should be “thick like mashed potatoes,” she said. “It will dry out completely like glue.”

Make sure to budget time and plan ahead; gingerbread-house-making should be at least a two-day process, said Wojtaszek, who advises constructing the house at least a day before you plan to decorate it to ensure the frosting has completely dried.

Leander Krulis, pastry chef at Toot Sweet Pastry Shoppe in Hampton and pastry and baking instructor at Chez Boucher Cooking School, says to not be discouraged if the constructed house isn’t as handsome as hoped.

“If they’re not perfect, use it to your advantage,” Krulis said. If there’s a hole in the roof or the base of the house, build a chimney or retaining wall with chocolate rocks, she says.

And gingerbread houses are no longer limited to the candy aisle.

“Use the whole grocery store,” Wojtaszek said, adding that cereal products can go a long way. Take, for example, the roof: Golden Grahams can make great shingles, and Shredded Wheat can give a thatched appearance. She’s also seen people use dry spaghetti as hay, and that isn’t the only unconventional edible item making it onto the houses. Krulis suggested using thin sheets of gelatin, which are available online and make great translucent windowpanes. Just cut them to size and attach with icing; for an added touch, use black licorice ropes as mullions.

Other simple suggestions to set your gingerbread house apart include coloring the frosting, embellishing overhangs with icing icicles or modeling it after your own house. Make a Christmas tree in the front yard with upside-down ice cream cones stacked atop one another and covered with green icing and candy ornaments. Sifting powdered sugar over the top of the house will complete the snowy, winter-wonderland look.

Wojtaszek also suggests checking out the baking aisle at a craft store; while the items may seem better suited to an art class than a kitchen, you may be surprised. Luster dust is an edible shimmery powder that adds a metallic shine when applied, and course colored sugars can give a similar effect in 3-D.

“As long as it’s edible, everything’s fair game,” Krulis said.

The most important part of the gingerbread process is imagination. Each year, Frederick’s employees compete in a gingerbread house competition. Last year’s theme was fairy tales, and someone recreated the princess and the pea, with gingerbread beds stacked high upon each other. Krulis likes to make gingerbread mansions — she starts with a classic house shape, uses graham crackers to build embellishments like dormers and additions and makes large bay windows out of gelatin sheets.

For some, gingerbread season can’t come soon enough. Joan Major, a chocolatier and baker from Bedford, stocks up early — after Halloween, she takes advantage of the 75-percent-off deals to secure oversized bags of Skittles, Smarties and Starburst for the 20 she hosts over the holidays for gingerbread decorating.

Most people toss out their gingerbread houses after Christmas, when the gumdrops are sparse and the windows missing their cookie shutters, but Wojtaszek said if they are protected from humidity, they can last for a couple of years.

“It’s a keepsake and it’s something the family can do together,” she said.

Taste of the season
Where to enjoy the flavors of the holidays
By Amy Diaz

Cookies, candy, ham and turkey dinners and bubbly champagne abound this time of year. Here are some tasty events worth checking out

• The Folsom Tavern on Water Street in Exeter (part of the American Independence museum, www.independencemuseum.org) will celebrate a Candlelight Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. See holiday decorations in each room while enjoying music, punch and Christmas eats. See www.independencemuseum.org.

• Friends of the Bedford Public Library will hold their annual Wassail Party on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the diNicola Gallery at the library, 3 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford. The Derryfield Choir will perform holiday music and the event will feature eats and more. The Wassail party is free and open to the public.

• The Concord Cooperative Market, 24 S. Main St. in Concord, www.concordfoodcoop.coop, 225-6840, will hold a holiday tapas tasting on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Co-op’s Celery Stick Café chefs will offer samples of tapas and Spanish wine. There will be an accompanying live Spanish jazz performance. Tickets cost $10; call to reserve a spot.

• Waterville Valley businesses are offering a day of Cookies & Snow at their Town Square shops on Saturday, Dec. 12. Stroll the shops and redeem a coupon for a different cookie at each place. Later, vote for your favorite. The day’s events will also include a coffee-tasting, Candy Cottage Workshop, and events for kids. See www.waterville.com or call 236-8175.

• The Inn at East Hill Farm, 460 Monadnock St. in Troy, 242-6495, www.east-hill-farm.com, will hold a Currier & Ives Cookie Tour on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit local inns and businesses to taste homemade treats. Each participant will receive a small booklet with all the recipes of the sweets offered. Refreshments will be provided as well.

• The girls can celebrate the holiday season in high style at the BVI Holiday Mother and Daughter Tea at the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, off Route 101, Bedford, www.bedfordvillageinn.com, 472-2001) on Saturdays, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Make reservations early for this event, which features a kid-friendly daughter menu and more gourmet offerings for the moms.

• Austrian vintner Renate Wallem and Chef Oonagh Williams will present a holiday food and wine experience on Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Vintner’s Cellar Custom Winery, 410 South River Road in Bedford. The cost is $47 per person and includes food and wines paired to complement the eats.  See www.vintnerscellarnh.com for the menu. Call 424-6412 or 627-9463 for reservations.

The Manchester Choral Society performs its “Christmas Tapestry 2008” concert with New England Brass Ensemble. Tom Wilkes photo.

More holiday fun
Do you have a holiday event? Send event information to listings@hippopress.com.

Fine print
Holiday events fill up fast, so call in advance to make sure that the events you want to go to still have tickets available. Also, schedules can change due to weather and other issues; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of driving out of your way only to find the event has been snowed out.

Active art
Looking for a holiday art experience? The Currier Museum of Art’s December events are following the season’s theme. The museum’s monthly evening program, “First Thursdays,” features “Holiday Music and Art” Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Make beaded snowflake ornaments in a drop-in adult workshop, hear a quick gallery talk on “Photographs of Snowflakes” at 6 p.m., and the Granite State Ringers handbell choir and Renaissance guitarist Jack Nailor perform. Members pay $10, nonmembers $15.

The Currier offers two Focus Tours, “Celebrating Winter: A Ramble Through the Snowy Scapes in the Galleries,” Friday, Dec. 4, at noon, and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m., included with museum admission.

“Wicked Awesome Holiday Cards…and Stuff” is the child-and-parent workshop over at the Currier Art Center, 180 Pearl St., Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. The fee is $25 for a parent and child, or $40 for parent with two children. Register at www.currier.org or call 669-6144 ext. 122.

Speaking of, the Currier Art Center closes its 70th anniversary year with a faculty exhibit Saturday, Dec. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. A percentage of sales go to the Center’s scholarship fund.

Manchester Choral Society members sing carols throughout the museum Saturday, Dec. 12 from noon to 2 p.m.  

This month’s “Storytime in the Gallery” features The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, read by Manchester City Library children’s librarian Karyn Isleb, followed by a viewing of “Sharon’s Sleigh Ride Party,” by Paul Starrett Sample, on Monday, Dec. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to noon. It’s recommended for ages 3 to 5, but all are welcome.

The Currier is at 150 Ash St. in Manchester (www.currier.org, 669-6144), and also runs tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Zimmerman House. They close tours for the season Jan. 3, so if you want to catch one (or occupy your visiting relatives), make a reservation.

’Twas the night before Christmas ...
Most libraries and bookstores offer regular story times, but in the next month several will feature holiday tales.

• Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., 589-4631, nashualibrary.org, will hold story time for children ages 2 to 10 on Thursday, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, at 4 p.m., with holiday stories, a craft and a puppet show. Register at www.tinyurl.com/nplkid.

• A story time featuring The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg will be held at Barnes & Noble, 235 DW Highway in Nashua, on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served. Call 888-5961.

• The holiday open house at the Wilton Library is on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 4 p.m., 7 Forest St. in Wilton, with stories, crafts and music for children. Adults may take a tour of the building and enjoy live music of the season. Refreshments will be served. Other events sponsored by the Wilton Main Street Association will be held on Main Street immediately following the library open house.

• Winter Wonderland Stories will feature a hike and stories for parents and kids ages 2 to 5 on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Maple Hill Farm, 117 Ridge Road in Hollis. Cost is $8. Make ornaments and enjoy a guided hike.

Holiday events for seniors
• The Retired Men’s Association invites all retirees to its meetings, held the third Tuesday of each month at Prime Time, 195 McGregor St. in Manchester, at 10:30 a.m. (coffee and donuts are available during the social mixing period of the meeting). The next meeting will be Dec. 15 and will feature Christmas celebrations with a student singing group and, following the meeting, lunch and cribbage at nearby Chez Vachon Restaurant. Call 391-1663 or contact EJH@Juno.com.

• Senior Lights Tour is on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 5 p.m. through the Manchester Police Department. Register by Thursday, Dec. 10, by calling 624-6533. On Dec. 17, meet the bus at 5 p.m. at the parking lot across from CMC or at the Elliot Senior Health Center, 138 Webster St. in Manchester. Tour Manchester’s Christmas lights and enjoy coffee and refreshments with the city’s police officers. The bus will return to either location at 8:30 p.m.

Peace on Earth
Need a little help getting through the holidays without losing your cool? Here are some upcoming workshops that offer inner peace along with your celebration.

• Be the (appropriate) life of the office party with Survive the Holidays with Class, a program of the Concord Young Professionals Network, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kimball House at the Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St. in Concord. Learn how to navigate the often-confusing world of party etiquette. Three sessions run concurrently: Session A, Ballroom Dancing with Let’s Dance Studio; Session B, Party Etiquette with Selma Nachach-Hoff; Session C, Wine Tasting Etiquette with Perfecta Wine. Admission of $15 per person includes hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and presentations. Registration is required; go to www.concordypn.org or mail your check to the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, 40 Commercial St., Concord, NH 03301.

• Learn to Maintain Not Gain During the Holidays at The Holistic Self Care Center, 12 Murphy Drive in Nashua. This nutrition workshop will be held Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Michelle Provencher, CNC, will go through the steps on how to eat, drink, and not gain weight during the holiday season. Call 883-1490 to sign up. See www.thehsccenter.com or e-mail info@thehsccenter.com.

• Relax with Therapeutic Breathwork at A Step Forward, 104 Douglas Drive in Candia, on Sunday, Dec. 5, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Call 483-0132 to register.

Holiday reads
Looking for some new holiday reading material this year? Here are a few books with holiday (OK, mostly just Christmas) themes that are new on the shelves.

• Classic Christmas Collection, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (September, Candlewick Press, preschool+). Contains “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens and “The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey” by Susan Wojciechowski.

• The Gingerbread Pirates, by Kristin Kladstrup, illustrated by Matt Tavares (September, Candlewick Press, ages 4-10, hardcover, 32 pages, $11.55). Boston-area author and Ogunquit illustrator present a boy making pirate gingerbread men cookies for Santa Claus — pirate gingerbread men who, it turns out, don’t want to be eaten.

• Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star, by Petr Horacek (September, Candlewick Press, ages 3+, hardcover, 32 pages, $10.87). Suzy Goose tries to get a star from the sky to top her tree.

• The Christmas List, by Richard Paul Evans (October, Simon & Schuster Adult, hardcover, 368 pages, $10.79) Author of The Christmas Box, The Gift, etc., gives us a man who gets to read his own obituary and then try again.

• The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book, by Glenn Beck et al. (October, ages 4-7, hardcover, 40 pages, $8). Last year’s novel becomes a picture book for kids, in which little Eddie learns to love the doofy sweater his grandma knits him for Christmas. Yes, it’s that Glenn Beck.

• Nigella Christmas, by Nigella Lawson (October, Hyperion, hardcover, 288 pages, $26.25) Food Network star presents recipes for Christmas snacks, cocktails, meals (turkey, goose, beef, pork, vegetarian), desserts, party fare and edible decorations. Includes several varieties of Christmas Pudding, plus something called The Boozy British Trifle.

• The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas, by William J. Bennett (October, Howard Books, 128 pages, $9.93) Bush 41’s drug policy director and author of The Book of Virtues connects Santa and Christianity, describing Nicholas as a Scripture-studying young boy whose actions mirror the teachings of Jesus.

• You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas, by Augusten Burroughs (October, St. Martin’s Press, hardcover, 224 pages, $11.87) A Christmas-focused memoir from Mr. Running With Scissors.

• Matchless: A Christmas Story, by Gregory Maguire (October, William Morrow, 112 pages, $13.59) The author of Wicked spins Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl,” adding an imaginative boy.

• Christmas in my Home and Heart, by Robin McGraw (November, Thomas Nelson Books, hardcover, 112 pages, $13.59) Dr. Phil’s wife, Christian publisher aim to inspire with photos of her lovely home at holiday-time.

• Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas, by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (Nov. 3, HarperCollins, ages 3-6, hardcover, 30 pages, $8.50) What better time for Nancy to be fancy than Christmas?

• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, adapted by Joel Priddy (Nov. 3, HarperCollins It Books, hardcover, 96 pages, $8.09) A graphic adaptation from an artist whose first graphic novel was nominated for an Eisner award.

• A Kidnapped Santa Claus, a graphic adaptation by Alex Robinson based on work by L. Frank Baum (Nov. 3, HarperCollins It Books, hardcover, 72 pages, $8.09) Santa lives in the Laughing Valley, surrounded by fairies and daemons.

• A Christmas Blizzard, by Garrison Keillor (Nov. 3, Penguin Group, hardcover, 192 pages, $12.83) Cranky Midwesterner heads to Hawaii for the holiday season but gets stranded in North Dakota.

• Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story, by Wally Lamb (Nov. 10, HarperCollins, hardcover, 176 pages, $10.79) Christmas through the eyes of a (fictional) 10-year-old in 1964.

• Tinsel: A Search for America’s Christmas Present, by Hank Stuever (Nov. 12, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, hardcover, 352 pages, $16.32) Reporter observes Christmas celebrations over three recent seasons in Frisco, Texas. See hankstuever.com.

• A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories that Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit, by Mike Huckabee (Nov. 3, Penguin, hardcover, 176 pages, $11.97)

• Walt Disney’s Christmas Classics Vol. 1, by Carl Barks et al. (Nov. 24, Boom! Studios, hardcover, 112 pages, $16.49) A best-of compilation of comics with Mickey, Donald, et al., including “Christmas on Bear Mountain.”

• Mrs. Scrooge: A Christmas Poem, by Carol Ann Duffy (Nov. 24, Simon & Schuster Adult, hardcover, 48 pages, $10.39). Britain’s prolific poet laureate puts an anti-consumerist Mrs. Scrooge in the ghosts’ hot seat.

• The Christmas Mink: And Other December Tales from the North Woods, by John-Richard Thompson, edited by Eikelboom Josiah and illustrated by Jon Robyn (Nov. 27, Osiail Publishing, hardcover, 208 pages, $19.95) New Hampshire native, now author and playwright in NYC, offers stories and poems featuring a talking mink, elves in Siberia, and other whimsical characters.

• Santa Claus In-a-Box Kit: Everything you Need to Dress Like Santa & Make Your Holidays Complete

(Dec. 1, Cider Mill Press, hardcover, 64 pages, $10.17) Clement Clarke Moore’s “‘Twas the Night” story plus a hat, beard, glasses, games, and recipes for snacks you can leave for Santa and his reindeer. — Lisa Parsons

Black Friday
Tanger Outlet Center in Tilton will kick off Black Friday shopping at midnight on Thanksgiving night. The first 250 shoppers age 18 and older who register at the Shopper Services will get a free PJ Moose plush gift. The night will also feature strolling entertainment, free refreshments and coupons. The rest of the weekend will feature freebies and specials. See www.tangeroutlet.com.

DIY Holiday
Deck the halls with your own creations with a little help from these programs.

• Beaver Brook Association’s Brown Lane in Hollis, www.beaverbrook.org, will hold Greens Gathering and Wreathmaking on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to noon. Learn how to make a fresh wreath out of natural items. Enjoy cookies and tea. Bring hand clippers and dress for the weather. Wreath ring and wire are provided. Cost is $25. Call 465-7787.

• Attend a Christmas card-making demonstration on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., at the Souhegan Chamber of Commerce office, 69 Route 101A in Amherst. Call 321-6070.

• It’s a Make It/Take It Nature Craft Festival on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Massabesic Audubon Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn. The cost is $9 per person or $25 per family ($6 per person and $15 per family for Audubon members). Watch demonstrations by skilled local artists in soy candle-making, wood-burning, natural materials sculpture and scrap wool nesting balls. There will also be live animals, craft-making for kids and adults, wreath-decorating and more. See www.nhaudubon.org.

• Beaver Brook Association’s Brown Lane in Hollis, www.beaverbrook.org, will hold Wreathmaking 101 on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $25. Enjoy cookies and tea. Bring hand clippers and dress for the weather. Wreath ring and wire are provided. Call 465-7787.

• Make Healing Holiday Gifts on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Massabesic Audubon Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn, www.nhaudubon.org, 668-2045. Learn through discussion and demonstration the basic steps for making lip balm, bath salts & sugars, aromatherapy spray, and massage oil — go home with a few samples. The cost is $25 plus a $5 materials fee ($15 for Audubon members). Call to register.

• It’s Family Wreathmaking & Natural Creations on Friday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon. The Amoskeag Fishways, 6 Fletcher St. in Manchester, presents a family program to make beautiful seasonal wreaths. Participants will use all-natural materials to make a fragrant, long-lasting and truly unique wreath as well as other fun decorations to “spruce up” the home. Cost is $10 per wreath. Advance registration with payment is required. Call 626-3474 or see www.amoskeagfishways.org.

Another helping of the holidays
Have a tasty holiday event? Let us know at food@hippopress.com. And keep an eye on the Weekly Dish column for more seasonal fun.