New Hampshire Magazine October 2023

The Residence at Back Bay

WOLFEBORO,

NEW HAMPSHIRE

OF ASSISTED LIVING TODAY

Finding a home at Taylor means more than access to a stunning new apartment – it means receiving the keys to present and future peace of mind.

Coming soon to picturesque Wolfeboro, NH, e Residence at Back Bay features beautifully appointed private apartments, assisted living with a purposefully designed memory care neighborhood, and private nursing care. Here is a sampling of what living at e Residence at Back Bay o ers...

• spacious common areas

• libraries and a salon

• wellness suite and spa

• expansive outdoor seating areas

• private balconies

• resident gardens

• beautifully landscaped grounds with walking paths

• chef-prepared, anytime dining from our talented culinary team

• full calendar of social, educational, recreational and cultural activities

• personalized wellness plan and wellness activities

• indoor lap pool with a full schedule of tness classes

• walking distance to the waterfront, and only a short drive or stroll to downtown Wolfeboro

• complimentary transportation

One of the biggest bene ts to becoming a resident of Taylor is our continuum of care, as it ensures that you never need to worry about nding another place to call home down the road – come join us!

Contact

NHMAGAZINE.COM

Vice President/Publisher Ernesto Burden (603) 624-1442 x5117 ernestob@yankeepub.com

Editor Mike Cote (603) 624-1442 x5141 editor@nhmagazine.com

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Managing Editor, Custom Publications Robert Cook (603) 624-1442 x5128 robertc@yankeepub.com

Assistant Editor Elisa Gonzales Verdi (603) 624-1442 x5010 egonzalesverdi@nhmagazine.com

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Creative Services Director Jodie Hall (603) 624-1442 x5122 jodieh@yankeepub.com

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Contributing Photographer Kendal J. Bush kendal@kendaljbush.com

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© 2023 Yankee Publishing, Inc. New Hampshire Magazine® is published by Yankee Publishing, Inc., 250 Commercial Street, Suite 4014, Manchester, NH 03101, (603) 624-1442. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any mistakes in advertisements or editorial. Statements/ opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, Yankee Publishing, Inc.: New Hampshire Magazine disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors. New Hampshire Magazine is published monthly, with the exception of February and April. USPS permit number 022-604. Periodical postage paid at Manchester 031039651. Postmaster send address changes to: New Hampshire Magazine, P.O. Box 37900, Boone, IA 50037-0900

PRINTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

603 Navigator

10 Fall for Golf

The perfect season to swing away

By Brion O’Connor

14 Our Town Navigating Northfield

By Lura Rogers Seavey

18 The New “Fast” Food Fabulous meal kits and prepared dinners

By Crystal Ward Kent

603 Informer

24 The Deadliest Mountain

The impact of loss on New Hampshire’s highest peak

By Marianne O’Connor

28 Blips

Going Local in the Green Room

By Casey McDermott

30 What Do You Know

The Strange Cement Thing

By Marshall Hudson

32 Politics

Primary Pain

By James Pindell

603 Living

68 Seasonal De-core

More than New Hampshire’s favorite autumn fruit, apples inspire seasonal design right to their very core.

By Matthew Mead

89 Calendar Fall Events

Compiled by Caleb Jagoda

92 Seniority

Celebrating Women Through Connection

By Lynne Snierson

94 Health

The Doctor Is In

By Krysten Godfrey Maddocks

96 Ayuh

The Marvelous Tomato-Apple of Muster Field Farm

By Rebecca Rule

The Y is for families

FAMILY MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

At the Y, we recognize that no two families are alike. That’s why we redesigned our family memberships with new and improved benefits!

FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR 4 ADULTS* + 6 CHILDREN*

If you’re looking for a family-focused organization that values inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment, look no further. Discover all the ways we can help your family thrive at the Y. *All members must reside in the same household.

October’s Dark Lady

ON A SUNNY DAY IN LATE AUGUST, Lady Sara Richard and I met at a café in Nashua to talk about death.

While neither hers, nor mine, appears imminent, just the day before, I was lucky to escape with my life after a driver on a two-lane, two-way street in Manchester passed the vehicle in front of him and came barreling down the road to face me head-on.

I had just enough room to swerve to the right. (Just enough can mean the difference between life and death.)

It’s not something we like to talk about much, this thing called death. Richard wrote a book about it. “The Dead Hand Book: Stories from Gravesend Cemetery” is as much a primer for the living — be careful what path you follow should you visit a graveyard at night — as it is for lost souls whose final destination has yet to be determined, due perhaps to an unexpected violent end.

The New Hampshire native wrote and illustrated the collection of two-page tales while she was living in Salem, Mass., where she shares ancestry with Margaret Scott, a victim of the Salem witch trials.

While Richard dresses in goth-style black, her warm, engaging personality shone as brightly as the sun beaming through the windows of Pressed Café. I knew interviewing her would be fun based on our brief meeting a few weeks before. My colleague Amanda Andrews let me tag along to meet Richard — one of her favorite artists — at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester. I bought a copy of “The Dead Hand Book” and asked Richard to sign it for me.

When I decided I’d rather ponder October’s somber side than celebrate leaf-peeping season, I knew where to turn.

“I’ve always really liked darker illustrations. Edward Gorey and ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ (illustrated collections of folklore retold by Alvin Schwartz) were always some of my favorite books growing up,” Richard said. “I really like the way that he would use what people would call ‘the macabre.’ He hated that word apparently. He was like, ‘I’m just drawing what I want to draw. It’s not supposed to be dark. It’s just what you people are putting onto my art.’”

Gorey captured the halfway point between spooky and sweet, Richard says. Her work doesn’t quite strike that balance, but she models her stories after Gorey’s work, leaving readers to fill in the gaps with their own fears and anxieties.

“I feel like I push the sweetness a little bit more than he ever did,” said Richard, who plans a sequel to the 2021 book. “But his stories were always so wonderful and open-ended, and I would find that I would be kind of making up the endings a little bit. I love vignette stories like that where you’re never going to scare somebody as much as their own mind will scare them.” www.graniteymca.org

From “The Dead Hand Book: Stories from the Gravesend Cemetery” by Lady Sara Richard (sararichard.com)

PHOTO BY KAREN BACHELDER

Carved agate leaf with spinel, labradorite and spessartite garnet in 22k and 18k gold and sterling silver.

Boulder opal earrings with Alaskan gold nuggets and spinel in 22k and 18k gold.

Contributors

Before calling the Monadnock Region home, photographer Kendal J. Bush traveled the world as an editor and videographer for the National Geographic Channel and NBC. She wrote and photographed this month’s feature story, “Hopped Up on Sustainability.” See more of her work at kendaljbush.com.

About | Behind the Scenes at New Hampshire Magazine

Race to the Finish Line

On August 10, Yankee Publishing (New Hampshire Magazine’s parent company) had the pleasure of participating in the Elliot Delta Dental Corporate 5K Race and Walk in downtown Manchester. Funds raised through the race will support patient programs at the Solinsky Center for Cancer Care at the Elliot, including rehabilitation therapy, nutrition asssistance and more. Not only did the employee owners from our Manchester office participate, but we had several employee owners from the Dublin team (Yankee Magazine and The Old Farmers Almanac) join us as well. A few of our staff kiddos (and possible next generation of editors, writers, web specialists or sales team members) also enjoyed coming along and partaking in the fun. It was a wonderful evening full of laughs, memories and bonding for a good cause, and we can’t wait to keep stepping for the community more in the future.

Longtime contributor Brion O’Connor wrote this month’s Navigator piece, “Fall for Golf,” about places to swing away amidst the fall foliage this season.

Alyssa Doust photographed this month’s feature, “Visiting Personal Demons.” Check out her online portfolio at alyssadoust. wixsite.com/portfolio.

Former assistant editor Caleb Jagoda wrote this month’s feature story about J.W. Ocker. You can find him out on the town, digging the scene.

Photographer, stylist and writer Matthew Mead wrote this month’s Living story, “Seasonal De-core,” about decorating with fall’s favorite fruit: apples.

The Explorers — writer and photographer team Jay Atkinson (right) and Joe Klementovich — produced this month’s feature story, “Fall Bike Tour with Kids.”

Crystal Ward Kent is a longtime journalist and Seacoast food writer. She wrote this month’s Food & Drink story, “The New ‘Fast’ Food.”

Tattoo cheers and jeers

Our September feature on Granite State body art shops (“Tattoo You”) prompted an Instagram exchange between someone who summed up her feelings in one word and tattoo artist Mathew Clarke of Midnight Moon, whose Japanese sleeve tattoo was featured on the cover.

Lillysmith4897: “Horrid.”

Matheclarke: “@lilltsmith4897 so sorry that you see it that way. Tattooing has been recognized after many years as a legitimate art form. Thanks to all the hardworking artists, many who are featured in this wonderful magazine. We have all (made) strives to gain artistic recognition in our (world) with great

success. It’s predicted to grow to an over 4-billion-dollar industry this coming year. Although it’s obviously not for everyone I am thankful to have been part of tattooing for the past 30 years. It’s (taught) me tons, took my children to college and has gifted my family a wonderful life. Thank you @nhmagazine for such a wonderful article and for recognizing the tattoo industry as a true part of NH.”

Another comment was left by user southofthe_6 on another Instagram post, that highlighted the all-female owned and operated Eternal Alchemy Tattoo in Peterborough, celebrating “women-owned

innovation and general awesomeness.”

Neon Karageorgos, owner of Neon Lady Tattoo, shared images from her featured in the magazine, and was congratulated and celebrated by her online followers, and fans of her work.

As Clarke says, tattoos are obviously not for everyone – including a gentleman from Hampton who left a voicemail and said he no longer wishes to receive our magazine. “I just received your September issue of New Hampshire (Magazine), and I am appalled by you featuring tattoos, and I want never to receive your magazine again. Please don’t do this anymore. It’s disgusting.”

Lots of love for the Newt

Our monthly “Spot the Newt” contest (see top of opposite page) attracts hundreds of readers every month. After they find the tiny amphibians hidden in ads throughout the magazine, most readers visit our spotthenewt.com site and complete the online form. We still receive about a dozen entries every month through the U.S. mail, including a few from folks who send us fun and funky postcards. Here’s a selection from this month’s batch.

Spot four newts like the one here hidden on ads in this issue, tell us where you found them and you might win a great gift from a local artisan or company.

To enter our drawing for Spot the Newt, visit spotthenewt.com and fill out the online form. Or, send answers plus your name and mailing address to: Spot the Newt c/o New Hampshire Magazine 250 Commercial St., Suite 4014 Manchester, NH 03101

You can also email them to newt@nhmagazine.com or fax them to (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Peter Koster of Windham September issue newts were on pages 6, 11, 17, 87

NEED A GOOD REASON FOR SPOTTING THE NEWT?

The October prize is a gift certificate for $50 to use online at nhmade.com or at the New Hampshire Made Store, 28 Deer St., Portsmouth. New Hampshire Made is our state’s official promoter of products and services created here in the Granite State, and the online store and downtown shop are packed with delightful gifts and specialty foods made with Granite State pride. nhmade.com

A Child in NH Needs Your Voice

A child who experienced abuse or neglect is waiting for a caring adult like you. Join an info session to learn how to become a CASA volunteer.

603 Navigator

“Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.” — Jack Nicklaus

Fall for Golf!

The perfect season to swing away

BY BRION O’CONNOR

Ah, fall. Such a magnificent time of the year. The months that follow summer are unquestionably my favorite, with more manageable temperatures and a riot of color, especially in New Hampshire. For golfers, even a duffer like me, autumn offers a next-level experience, with so many courses located in visually stunning areas.

If you’ve got four hours, you’ve got time to squeeze in a round of 18. I still hope that Les Otten will be able to pull off his long-promised renovation of The Balsams resort in Dixville Notch, and its legendary Donald Ross golf course. In the meantime, I’m content to “settle” for another grand hotel tract.

There are few, if any, resorts that can match the spectacular setting of the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort, nestled at the western base of the Presidential Range. The venue is so picture perfect that it would be a travesty if the golfing experience didn’t measure up.

Over the past two decades, the hotel’s ballyhooed championship 18-hole course also designed by Ross, the iconic Scottish architect, has undergone an exhaustive renovation under the caring eye of acclaimed architect Brian Silva.

The result is a born-again, 7,004-yard classic that will test your skill. For a family outing, check out the resort’s nine-hole Mount Pleasant course at the front of the property, which originally opened in 1895. Further south in Thornton, Owl’s Nest Resort and Golf Course is a beauty, convenient to both Waterville Valley and

Lincoln. The 6,819-yard tract — the only New Hampshire course designed by the all-time great Jack Nicklaus — has been called the best value in the Northeast, with great staff, a great course and outstanding vistas. The real challenge for golfers at Owl’s Nest is staying focused on their game while enveloped by those expansive mountain views.

The North Conway Country Club was first established in 1895 as Kearsage Golf Links, located by the Saco River, and its reputation has grown steadily since. The view of the opening tee shot, looking down into the Mount Washington Valley at Cathedral Ledge, White Horse Ledge and the Moat Mountains, is jaw-dropping gorgeous. The par 72-tract is generally considered one of the best in the state, with high marks for maintenance.

The Maplewood Golf Course in Bethlehem is a historic property that hearkens back to the heyday of railroad travel, with a deceptively challenging, renovated Donald Ross course to match. The 18-hole, par-72 White Mountain Country Club (newly rebranded Owl’s Nest Vineyard Course) in Ashland, designed by renowned golf course architect Geoffrey Cornish, is nestled along the Pemigewassett River.

The user-friendly layout features wide, manicured fairways, strategically placed bunkers and soft velvet, bent grass greens, offering golfers of all abilities a sublime experience in a peaceful, natural setting. A half-hour away, the picturesque

Pheasant Ridge Golf Club in Gilford incorporates fabulous lake and

< The stately Omni Mount Washington Resort boasts a pair of historic golf courses: the 18-hole championship tract designed by Donald Ross more than a century ago and the family-friendly, nine-hole Mount Pleasant course at the front of the property.

After Labor Day, the Wentworth by the Sea Country Club mixes crisp autumn temperatures and bracing ocean breezes with a beautiful 18-hole course and spectacular views.

Hale’s Location Golf Course in North Conway, tucked into a pocket of green and granite near Echo Lake State Park and White Horse Ledge, and its surrounding homeowners’ community were described by Golf Magazine as “one of the most unique and singularly beautiful golf developments in the country.”

mountain views as it winds through the foothills of Belknap Mountain, 400 feet above Lake Winnipesaukee.

New Hampshire is also home to several wonderful seaside courses, including the private Wentworth by the Sea Country Club in Newcastle and the Abenaqui Country Club in North Hampton. I prefer the less exclusive Portsmouth Country Club. A member-owned club founded in 1901, and bordering the naturally striking Great Bay, this Robert Trent Jones course is consistently ranked as one of the best in New England. Translation? You also get to grapple with the unpredictable winds that sweep in off the bay, which give this gorgeous tract its distinctive flare.

Still, if fall has one shortcoming, it’s the season’s shorter days. I guess that’s Mother Nature’s way of saying, “You can’t have it all.” But you can still have a great golfing experience. If time is tight, golfers can choose from a number of top-notch, nine-hole courses around the region.

Any list of memorable nine-hole courses in the Granite State would be incomplete with including the Mountain View Grand Golf Course at the stately Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield. Originally built in 1900 and redesigned in 1938 by architect Ralph Barton, the historic course offers challenging play and exceptional panoramic mountain views (and matching views of the sprawling hotel).

Measuring out at just over 3,000 yards, the dramatic par-36 Hale’s Location Golf Course at the foot of White Horse Ledge, beside the White Mountain Hotel & Resort in North Conway, is a worthy challenge. While most of the nine holes appear fairly straightforward, with meticulously maintained, tree-line fairways, a bevy of strategically place sand traps put a premium on shot accuracy. Plus, it’s easy to get distracted by some of the most impressive mountain scenery to be found anywhere in northern New England.

The nine-hole layout at the Den Brae Golf Course in Sanbornton delivers 2,959 yards from the longest tees, offering a test of shot-making ability to match its woodland setting. Originally the Den Brae dairy farm, construction started in 1957, and the course opened in August of 1958. Located in the Lakes Region, Den Brae is now a third-generation, family-owned golf course (the Craig family), in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.

Honorable Mentions (18 holes)

Bretwood Golf Course / Keene / bretwoodgc.com

Canterbury Woods Country Club / Canterbury / canterburywoodscc.com

Country Club of New Hampshire / North Sutton / countryclubofnh.com

Nippo Lake Golf Club / Barrington / nippolake.com

The Shattuck Golf Club / Jaffrey / shattuckgolf.com

Wentworth Golf Club / Jackson / wentworthgolf.com

Windham Country Club / Windham / windhamcc.com

Honorable Mentions (9 holes)

Colebrook Country Club / Colebrook / colebrookcc.com

Eagle Mountain / Jackson / eaglemt.com

Hoodkroft Country Club / Derry / hoodkroftcc.com

Oak Hill Golf Course / Meredith / oakhillgc.com

Sugar Hill Golf Club / Sugar Hill / thesunsethillhouse.com

Waterville Valley Golf Course / Waterville Valley / wvclubhouse.com

Designed by celebrated architects

Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek, the Hooper Golf Club in Walpole first opened in 1927. Known for building low-cost but entertaining courses, Stiles was a prolific Golden Age designer who teamed with Van Kleek in 1923. Together, they built dozens of courses, predominantly in New England. Set in remote countryside in central New Hampshire, Hooper is a terrific example of the architects’ partnership, with an entertaining variety of holes and stunning surroundings.

Perfect for a fall outing. NH

Find It

Omni Mount Washington Resort / omnihotels.com

Owl’s Nest Resort and Golf Course owlsnestresort.com

North Conway Country Club northconwaycountryclub.com

Maplewood Golf Course maplewoodgolfresort.com

White Mountain Country Club owlsnestvineyardcourse.com

Pheasant Ridge Golf Club pheasantridgeccnh.com

Wentworth by the Sea Country Club wentworthbytheseacc.com

Abenaqui Country Club / abenaquicc.com

Portsmouth Country Club / portsmouthcc.net

Mountain View Grand Golf Course mountainviewgrand.com

Hale’s Location Golf Course haleslocationgolf.com

Den Brae Golf Course / denbrae.com

Hooper Golf Club / hoopergolfcourse.com

Bretwood Golf Course in Keene

Navigating Northfield

A historic visit to a quaint town

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LURA ROGERS SEAVEY

Once simply known as the “north fields of Canterbury,” Northfield got its own charter in 1780. Agriculture was a vital part of its early economy, and by the mid-19th century, water-powered mills and manufacturing buildings lined the Winnipesaukee River, which acts as a natural border with Tilton.

While it still has a curious, and often confusing relationship, with the neighboring town (like sharing a zip code and schools, yet occupying separate counties), Northfield has plenty to offer both visitors and those of us who call it home.

Ironically, Northfield’s most iconic landmark, the Tilton Memorial Arch, is commonly assumed to be in Tilton because of its name. Built by Charles Tilton in 1882, this massive structure was constructed on the remains of an Abenaki fort. Made of Concord granite, it looms 55 feet tall and

holds a mausoleum originally intended to be his own. While Mr. Tilton ended up being buried across the river in the town bearing his name — he had expected the two towns to eventually merge — Northfield was left with a stunning monument inspired by Rome’s Arch of Titus.

Today, it serves as a beautiful park that’s maintained by the town. It’s a popular spot for picnics and watching the fireworks on Old Home Day, and it makes a perfect backdrop for photos. It would probably irk Charles to know that his arch actually symbolizes the unity between these towns — illustrated by a years-long tradition of Winnisquam High School students gathering here each spring for their senior prom photos, representing Northfield, Sanbornton and Tilton as one.

If you explore just a little beyond the monument, you’ll find a granite-supported

entrance to a small underground space, which appears to continue into the hillside. The most practical (and likely) theory is that it held the piping that fed gas lamps that illuminated the arch at night, now powered by electricity. More fanciful ideas include speculation that the tunnels were once used for smuggling during Prohibition, or even that it’s home to a network of crypts.

Arch Hill is a good place to start a short walking tour to spot a few of Northfield’s most significant historic homes and structures. Within view of the park is the Chase-Hill House, a grand Gothic Revival home built in 1856, which is now an assisted-living facility.

Cemetery enthusiasts will love exploring Arch Hill Cemetery, which occupies a sizeable strip of land along Arch Park. It is home to

Glines Park on Sandogardy Pond features a small beach, a dock and a playground.

the final resting place of several prominent figures from Northfield’s earliest days. The oldest graves are nearest the road, and a beautiful iron gate graces the front.

The Northfield Town Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, sits at 21 Summer St., at the bottom of the cemetery. Originally built as a church in

1828, this brick Victorian-style building has served as the town municipal building since 1873. Just next door, you can admire the Italianate Samuel B. Rogers House (1857) with its distinctive brick façade.

Just across the street from the cemetery is the Archibald Clark House (c. 1828), a Cape with its original barn, and down the

hill at the junction of Summer and Bay Streets you will find the former Chase Tavern, which was built as early as the 1790s. All of these are now private residences, but the neighborhood is a lovely one for a stroll. If you don’t have time for the full historic walking tour, make a loop up Bay to Gale Avenue and Hill Street, which meets back up with Summer.

Another historic structure that also serves as an important community space is the Hall Memorial Library on Park Street. Serving the communities of both Northfield and Tilton, the library hosts weekly meetups for those interested in everything from board games to gardening to sewing and fiber arts, as well as monthly events, like a D&D campaign, that are open to the public.

Designed in Richardson Romanesque style, it was finished in 1886 and opened its doors in 1887, and it has been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. Next door, the recently retired Union School is a nice example of late Victorian design that was begun in 1899.

Across the street is the former Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad depot. The mid-19th century Freight House still

The Tilton Memorial Arch was built in 1882 on the remains of an Abenaki fort.

stands, and is now restored and used as a function hall. It’s surrounded by an assortment of vintage train cars, which include both passenger and freight cars once used by the Boston and Maine Railroad. While exploring, be aware that the track is still active as part of the Merrimack Valley Railroad, which sees mostly tourist traffic.

This is also the start of the Northfield section of the Winnipesaukee River Trail, which extends about 5 miles to Cross Mill Road near the Franklin border. Just a short walk from that junction is a popular put-in spot for kayakers. If you are looking for calmer water, head over to Glines Park on Sandogardy Pond, where you will find a small beach and dock as well as a playground.

For something more challenging, Highland Mountain Bike Park offers chairliftaccessed trails for all skill levels as well as a basecamp area with two skills parks, two jump areas and the Slopestyle Course. You can rent bikes and helmets, and they also offer a special orientation package that includes equipment, instruction and a lift ticket. After a day on the trails, riders stop in at the basecamp’s Highland Pub to refuel — they are especially known for their craft pizzas and locally brewed beers.

Although he died in 2015 at the age of 91, no story about Northfield could be complete without mention of the town’s most beloved resident, Bert Southwick. Known as the “Eggman,” he delivered his farm-fresh eggs using a cart pulled by his horses every Friday in any weather since 1937. While an injury forced him to deliver by truck starting in 2002, he was in business as the Eggman for a total of over 75 years.

He embodied the epitome of the frugal New England farmer, hardy and determined to live his life simply. Bert’s memory lives on for all Northfield residents, not just those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him. In 1995, local kids voted to name their new elementary school after him, and his old cart can still be found on the property, protected by a shelter built by a local Eagle Scout. NH

Find It

Historical Walking Tour of Tilton & Northfield northfieldnh.org/about-us/files/historicalwalking-tour

Hall Memorial Library / (603) 286-8971 hallmemoriallibrary.org

Winnipesaukee River Trail / winnirivertrail.org

Highland Mountain Bike Park / (603) 286-7677

highlandmountain.com

Hall Memorial Library serves the communities of both Northfield and Tilton.

Highland Mountain Bike Park offers trails for all skill levels as well as bike and helmet rentals.

These Baked Cheesy Crepes from the kitchen at HomeGrown Eats are handmade crepes filled with smoked cheddar, ricotta, broccoli, green onion and garlic. Served with chili oil.

The New “Fast” Food

Fabulous meal kits and prepared dinners

BY CRYSTAL WARD KENT / COURTESY PHOTOS

Work days that run long. Busy school schedules. Families clamoring, “What’s for dinner?” If this sounds like your life, you are not alone. To ease the stress of these hectic days, more people are turning toward delivered meals as a way to make supper time easier. Whether the meals are provided as kits, or fully prepared, New Hampshire has lots of local options for delicious dinnertimes.

HomeGrown Eats

HomeGrown Eats of Rollinsford was among the first local meal providers on the scene. Twelve years ago, Ronald Sparks and his wife, Maria, committed to creating a self-sustaining homestead on the acre they owned. They planted vegetables, berries and fruit trees, and started raising chickens.

Before long, they had more food than they needed. Sparks, a former chef, always enjoyed cooking food for others. He sought a way to share their bounty, but he didn’t want a restaurant.

“A storefront brings a lot of challenges, such as parking, rent, maintenance,” he says. “I just wanted to provide good food.”

He and his wife opted to rent a commercial kitchen space in the Salmon Falls Mills where they could prepare meals and other products for purchase. They based their business model off of a community-supported kitchen on a California enterprise. Clients can sign up week to week, or become a member, which entitles them to four weeks of food at a discounted rate. All meals are delivered and include entrees, sides, salads, soups or appetizers, and dessert. Members also get a “Bread of the Week.” Menus change weekly and seasonally.

HomeGrown Eats delivers Wednesdays, as Sparks feels mid-week is when people

feel the meal-time pinch.

“A lot of people cook on the weekend, so they are all set at the start of the week,” he says. “On the weekend, they are apt to go out or entertain. But by Wednesday they need food. With good, healthy, prepared meals, they don’t have to turn to fast food.”

Sparks attributes their success to using all local produce, either from his homestead or nearby farms. “We can tell our clients exactly where the food came from that is in their meals. Everything is fresh, and we cook based on what is in season. You don’t get meals that are tastier or healthier than this.”

Sparks is looking forward to fall, as fall and winter are the busiest times for prepared meals. He also loves the bounty of the season.

“The harvest around here yields incredibly diverse foods to work from,” he says. “And we are busy not only preparing great meals but also canning, making jams and jellies, sauces, applesauce and other goods for the pantry that will take us through the winter. Our customers love all the apple items on the fall menus, and they enjoy sitting down with a cozy meal on a fall evening.”

To learn more about HomeGrown Eats, visit nhhomegrowneats.com or call (603) 557-5297.

All Real Meal

All Real Meal of Manchester started 10 years ago and now serves a broad section of the state as well as portions of Massachusetts and Kittery, Maine. The company creates healthy, fully prepared meals to serve a wide variety of tastes and needs, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and low carb.

Although the business has grown tremendously, founders and chefs Sonia Farris and Kasia Lojko still give every meal that personal touch.

The business started when Lojko, who is Polish, became frustrated by the lack of healthy, prepared meal options. In Poland, cooking with high-quality ingredients and making nutritious meals is a way of life. She felt there could be a market for such meals in the United States.

Farris, who has a marketing background, agreed. Both women grew up cooking with their mothers and grandmothers, and together, they created menus and stepped into the unknown.

“People responded in a big way,” Farris says. “Receiving a fully prepared meal was something they immediately embraced. They knew they were getting something tasty and nutritious. Plus, many people told us they didn’t have the 30 or 40 minutes it takes to use a kit. They wanted the ease of just putting dinner on the table.”

All Real Meal offers new menus every week as well as seasonal options. The company has its own home delivery team, and also offers pickup at their kitchen or their store in downtown Manchester.

According to Farris, customers have flocked to All Real Meal because of their hometown vibe. “All of our food comes from New Hampshire,” she says. “We know our vendors, and our kitchen is right in Manchester. Our employees are our families and friends. We collaborate with local businesses and have special add-ons from time to time from other providers. We’re very involved with

the community, so people know us.”

All Real Meal is also known for its meal trains, which allow family and friends to sign up someone in need for free meals and food delivery. The recipient gets to pick the meals they want, but family and friends have prepaid for the service. The meal train wallet can be replenished at any time.

“The meal trains are so helpful for someone going through an illness or bereavement, or maybe a family with a new baby,” Farris says. “Now, dinner is taken care of, and it’s one less thing to stress about.”

Farris and Lojko are excited about fall, which is their busiest time and their favorite season.

“We bring out brand-new menu items in October, but we also retain customer favorites,” Farris says. “This fall, we are involving some local bakers and are excited to showcase their wares.”

Visit allrealmeal.com or call (603) 782-3014 for more information.

Above: All Real Meal was founded by chefs Sonia Farris and Kasia Lojko. Opposite page: Hot from the oven and fully prepared are servings of all-natural pork that have been marinated in a sesame garlic sauce, stir-fried with vegetables and cashews, and served over jasmine rice.

Local Baskit

For people who want to be hands-on in the kitchen but welcome some help, Local Baskit’s meal kits are the perfect fit. Started in 2016, Local Baskit of Hopkinton offers a flexible weekly meal preparation service featuring foods from local farms and providers.

Each week, tantalizing new recipes appear, and clients can decide what they wish to eat; they order, and their kits are assembled for delivery or pickup. Local Baskit’s storefront, Barrel & Baskit, is located in an 1800s former general store, at 377 Main Street.

Barrel & Baskit features a lunch service plus other food items. Meal kits can be picked up here, along with soup kits and kits for the InstaPot without committing to the meal subscription plan.

Beth Richards is the founder and driving force behind Local Baskit. Growing up, she spent lots of time working in her family’s garden, giving her a lifelong appreciation of local food. After initial careers in the nonprofit and public health sectors,

Richards became intrigued by the meal kit trend.

However, she wanted to do things much differently, so she created a company where ingredients were locally sourced from numerous New Hampshire farms and growers. “Clients tell us that they can taste the difference,” she says. “We personally know every vendor, from our blueberry farmers to our herb growers and everyone in between.”

Local Baskit creates 10 to 12 recipe options, so clients can select what they feel like. People place an order, and the ingredients for each meal are assembled for delivery or pickup. Most meals take 30 to 45 minutes to prepare. The company serves a wide section of the state, from the Seacoast to Concord to Manchester.

Richards says that outstanding customer service has contributed to Local Baskit’s growth.

“We know our customers, and we give them flexibility,” Richards says. “If the kids are home from college and you need extra

meals, no problem. If you need an extra meal just for one week, we accommodate. Even though we have more than 500 regular clients, we know our customers and help meet their needs.”

Clients also like Local Baskit’s commitment to sustainability, which is seen in their reduced packaging, recycling programs and re-use efforts. Richards is committed to community involvement as well, hiring local students to work in the business and learn cooking skills of their own.

Come fall, the company offers new recipes (which Richards first tests with her own family), as well as turkeys, pies and Thanksgiving side dishes.

“We don’t want to go outside of New Hampshire,” she says. “We love the size we are and the fact that it’s still a family business. Our clients are part of our family. Cooking is love made visible, and this feels like cooking for family — we want to keep it that way.”

For more information, visit localbaskit. com or barrelandbaskit.com.

Cook-at-home meal kits like this tuscan white bean soup with a mixed green salad from Local Baskit makes dinnertime easy and delicious.

Feast & Fettle

Feast & Fettle is based in East Providence, Rhode Island, but has developed a serious following in New Hampshire. The company was started in 2016 by Maggie Pearson, who was working as a personal chef. She learned firsthand that busy families often struggle to enjoy a good meal, so she set out to create a meal delivery service that was local, fully prepared and high quality. After three years of steady growth, the business boomed when the pandemic hit and has continued to grow.

Today, Feast & Fettle is in five states, but has stayed true to Pearson’s personalized vision. According to Sarah MacDougall, director of brands, professional chefs still cook all of the meals, including the sauces, marinades and dressings.

Meals are delivered fresh by their own delivery team and are never frozen. Each week, clients choose from eight entrees and 10 sides with mix-and-match options. There are options for all dietary needs, plus a kids’ section.

The company is also environmentally friendly. “There is minimal packaging, and we take back all our containers, bags and ice packs,” MacDougall says. “Sustainability is at the front of the decisions we make.”

Feast & Fettle is currently in Rockingham, Strafford, Merrimack and Hillsborough counties, and is expanding farther into the Granite State this fall. Visit feastandfettle.com to learn more or call (401) 753-2572.

603 Informer

“Space, it says, is big.

— Douglas Adams

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”

— Sir Ranulph Fiennes, British explorer, writer, poet and endurance record-holder

The Deadliest Mountain

The impact of loss on New Hampshire’s highest peak

BY MARIANNE O’CONNOR

New England’s tallest mountain is known for many things like “THIS CAR CLIMBED MT. WASHINGTON” bumper stickers, weather world records, and annual sporting adventures like the Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race and Seek the Peak.

Despite being revered and respected by outdoorsmen and adventurers alike, Mount Washington is also known for being the world’s deadliest mountain with over 160 people perishing over nearly 200 years of recorded history. One of the most infamous stories (and legends) recorded is that of its first female casualty, Lizzie Bourne.

In September 1855, 23-year-old Kennebunk, Maine, native Lizzie Bourne and her aunt, uncle and cousin set out from Glen House Hotel to climb Mount Washington with the mission of watching the sunrise from the Tip-Top House.

Unfortunately, the hiking party started late on their trek up the unfinished Carriage Road, and as they hiked on, stormy weather started to surround them. Heavy laden and weary with yards of heavy fabric from her 19th-century clothing, Lizzie and the group paused as the darkness and stormy weather kept them from hiking farther.

< This photo, taken in 1902, shows an observer of the Lizzie Bourne Memorial. The sign reads, “Lizzie Bourne, died Sept. 14, 1855, aged 23 years.”

PHOTO COURTESY LIBERARY OF CONGRESS

Hiker Preparedness Is Paramount to Hiking Safety

The “hikeSafe” program, along with “The Hiker Responsibility Code,” has been in place since May of 2003. It was first implemented as an effort between the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the White Mountain National Forest to raise safety awareness for the hiking community to avoid increasing numbers of mountain fatalities.

Since its inception, hikeSafe has changed the way the state responds to and implements preventative measures. Their well-known “you are responsible for yourself, so be prepared” code is seen in their free hiking and gear information as well as a quiz to test your

preparation knowledge before you hit the trails. They, along with other organizations, also raise money with efforts like the $50,000 that was raised with “Emily’s Hike to Save a Life” fundraiser to further education and safety initiatives for hikers. Another way to stay safe is by using a hikeSafe card.

Col. Kevin Jordan of New Hampshire Fish and Game emphasized that “hiker preparedness” is the name of the game. In 2015, the department began selling hikeSafe cards that are like insurance, where people who obtain it are not liable to repay rescue costs if they need to be rescued. In 2022, more than

12,000 hikeSafe cards were purchased, which raised $311,000. That money will help pay for SAR equipment, insurance, training and more.

The aim of the hikeSafe program is to reduce risks of hiking by encouraging preparedness. Such tragedies impact all involved, including SAR volunteers. Families are changed forever following loss, and the emptiness left behind is all consuming, just as it was Lizzie’s family and the families who came after her.

To learn more about hikeSafe and the hikeSafe card, visit hikesafe.com and wildlife. state.nh.us/safe.

The original marker is displayed at the Cog Railway Base Station Museum. A replica of the marker can be seen near the railroad tracks up the mountain.

Her uncle stacked rocks for shelter, hoping that they would be safe for the night, but the cold was too much for Lizzie to bear, and by midnight, she perished from hypothermia. In the morning, clouds lifted and revealed that they were only a few more minutes from the safety of the Tip-Top House.

The Bourne family was shaken by the tragedy and built a memorial marker that was placed at the spot where Lizzie perished — a small pile of rocks and a wooden sign.

Lizzie’s father wanted a more elaborate monument for the spot where Lizzie died, but the one he designed was placed in the cemetery instead, as it was too impractical to transport up the mountain.

The original marker is displayed at the Cog Railway Base Station Museum, and over time, the Cog Railway has had to replace the signage, and a sturdier replica of the marker has taken its place near the railroad tracks up the mountain.

Lizzie is buried in Hope Cemetery in Kennebunk, but her spirit lives on in New Hampshire. A likeness of Lizzie has even appeared over the years from her maker where she perished — a translucent figure that points toward the summit, directing her ghostly finger toward the summit she longed for but never got to see.

Lizzie’s demise, and the deaths of many others over the years, serve as a warning to those hikers or mountaineers coming after them.

Looking for other spooky outdoor tales? Check out the podcast National Park After Dark for more stories about death, dark history and tragic events and the light that is found through the darkness. NH

Explore other haunts of hikers like Lizzie Bourne in Marianne O’Connor’s book “Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire.”

Mount Washington is known for being the world’s deadliest mountain with over 160 people perishing over nearly 200 years of recorded history.

Blips

Monitoring appearances of the 603 on the media radar since 2006

Going Local in the Green Room

Dave Matthews Band dines on food from NH farms during tour stop

BY CASEY McDERMOTT

Nicole Vernon and her husband, Jeremiah, regularly send poultry raised on their Newfields farm to shops and restaurants across the region. But it’s not every day that the Vernon Family Farm birds find their way onto such a rarefied menu.

“It’s very exciting to get an email in your inbox that says Dave Matthews wants your chicken,” Nicole Vernon recalls.

Known for his sprawling live sets and chart-toppers like “Crash Into Me,” the singer-songwriter is also a major cheerleader for local farmers — including as a longtime supporter and headliner of the annual Farm Aid concerts.

Matthews’ crew turned to some of the Granite State’s family farms for sustenance during their latest swing through New Hampshire, a two-show stint at the Bank

of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford.

“We grew up listening to Dave, grew up going to a couple of shows,” Nicole Vernon says. “It’s a different thing when he’s supporting your family farm.”

For the Vernon family, art and agriculture are natural partners — they often host musicians and other acts for concerts at their farm. Whether it’s a celebrity, a musician or any other community member, Nicole Vernon says she’s grateful when people choose to spend their time, money and effort to connect with smaller producers.

“That’s the beauty of being able to shop locally and act locally — you get to talk with the business owner or farmer himself or herself,” she says. “That conversation can open up so many possibilities.”

Luke Mahoney, at Brookford Farm in Canterbury, said he’s been sending food over to Matthews and his cooking staff for about a decade. It started when their farm was still in the Dover area and Matthews was playing sets in Portsmouth.

As well as being recognized for their farm-fresh chickens by Dave Matthews, Jeremiah and Nicole Vernon have been featured in the pages of New Hampshire Magazine, and as an Editor’s Pick winner for Best of NH.

Luke Mahoney at Brookford Farm in Canterbury recently prepared this order for the Dave Matthews Band, which has been a customer for about a decade.

“We’re a very diversified farm. It’s rare that a grocery store or restaurant will take from all of our product lines,” Mahoney said. “But Dave and his cooking staff would go right down the list and take many meals’ worth of food.” That included everything from organic produce to sauerkrauts and kimchis, pickles to grass-fed cheeses and yogurts to grass-fed meats.

Of course, Mahoney says these orders are good for business (“a substantial invoice”), but it’s more than that. There’s a lot of art that goes undervalued and underappreciated, and farming can be the same way.

“I honestly think there’s a lot of room for art and farms to celebrate each other,” Mahoney says.

And local farms could really use the extra boost these days. They saw a surge in interest during the height of the pandemic, but Mahoney says sales have since retreated. A competitive labor market’s adding more pressure, among other challenges.

“It’s important to always support local farms — even not in times of crisis — so that they are there in times of crisis,” he says.

So far, Mahoney and Vernon say they haven’t had a chance to meet the musician — perhaps their most famous customer to date — in person. But as longtime fans, they hope to have a chance to say thanks on his next swing through the state. NH

A Netflix star turned one local store’s social media account “upside down,” so to speak, when he stopped by for a recent visit.

Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington on “Stranger Things” and hails from just across the border in Massachusetts, was kind enough to pose for a photo during his visit to South Hampton’s Nor’East Architectural Antiques. The post went semi-viral, reaching thousands of people — including one who aptly noted, with a wink, “I bet stranger things have happened.”

The Strange Cement Thing

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARSHALL HUDSON

It’s a strange cement thing, way out in the woods of Quinttown,” a reader wrote me in a cryptic email. His message went on to describe a very old, huge cement thing located far from any road that he had stumbled upon while deer hunting.

“What is it, and how did it get there? Maybe you can figure it out,” the email suggested with a hint of challenge. A couple of phone calls later, I was hooked and accepted the challenge. I called an old Air

Force buddy, now a forester, who knows the remote woods in that region.

Yes, he had seen the “strange cement thing,” and he’d be happy to show it to me. My friend knew the landowner and would arrange permission. He also put me in contact with a maple-syrup producer who had tapped trees in the area and knew about this strange cement thing.

When I arrived at the rendezvous, I was surprised to find a few others there as well. Word had spread that we were

hiking out to the strange cement thing, and others desiring to see it had joined our exploration party.

After a convoy on some little used dirt roads in the lonely part of Orford called Quinttown, we parked on a former log landing and followed an old skidder trail to an abandoned road. We followed the ancient roadbed until it petered out. Then, we followed a game trail and some dead reckoning up a slope to the strange cement thing built into the side of the hill.

More accurately it should be called “the strange concrete and stone thing.” It measured about 42 feet long and 24 feet wide, with walls 18-to-24 inches thick. The walls stood 12-to-14 feet tall and were built into the hill with a walkout face on one side. Four interior walls separated the structure into five chambers interconnected by arched passageways, but with only a single exterior door. No windows.

The interior corners were beveled to soften 90-degree corners with two 45-degree corners. The entire structure was made of concrete and stones, but not laid up like a bricklayer or stonemason would construct. Instead, a wooden box form was built, stones were dumped into it and then concrete was poured in and around the stones. When the concrete cured, the forms were moved upward and the process repeated.

What is this thing? How did they get cement or concrete here? Who did the incredible amount of labor that must have been involved? And why build it way out here?

Looking at the size, shape and construction of this structure, we rule out cellar hole for a house or conventional barn. The age of trees growing through the structure date it to at least 100 years ago and maybe more. Exploring the greater area, we found a limestone quarry and a kiln for cooking the limestone into lime, which is a crucial ingredient in making cement.

A nearby dredged and stone-lined spring suggested where buckets of water were drawn for mixing concrete. With part of the mystery now solved, we can conclude how the concrete got here, but still can’t

Two members of the exploration party soak in the size of the structure with its five separate chambers and a tree growing through the middle.

explain why or what this strange thing is.

One of the explorers in our group handed me some research notes, and I recognized the researcher’s name: Arthur Pease. Art is a native Orford farm boy, a retired schoolteacher, a history buff and a thorough historical researcher. When I contacted him and inquired about this strange cement thing, he flooded me with old documents, photos, excerpts and newspaper clippings.

The strange cement thing is a bunker silo used for the storage of corn silage for cattle feed. It was built in 1882 by Samuel S. Houghton. Houghton owned a large farm in Orford he named “Pavilion Stock Farm,” where he raised fine trotting horses. In 1878, Houghton purchased land in Quinttown with ambitious plans to build a second farm that would be called “Villa Farm” and where he would keep his cow herd.

In the early 1800s, Quinttown was a thriving settlement with numerous homesteads, mills, a blacksmith shop, small farms and a school. Much of the land was open, having been cleared for sheep pasture. Newspaper clippings indicate Houghton employed some 50 men for various building projects on his two farms, including the construction of this concrete and stone silo. Along with a barn and house, this silo was one of the first steps for the new farm he envisioned.

Houghton’s grand plans for Villa Farm

don’t seem to have gotten very far. Records indicate that the silo, a barn, house and a few other buildings were constructed, but a few years later he was retiring from his farming activities and attempting to sell or auction off everything from both farms.

Houghton took an interest in real estate development in Fairlee, Vermont, and his focus shifted to building cottages on Lake Morey. The Quinttown area began a long decline, and population dropped as residents moved away seeking an easier life. By the mid-1930s, only three households

remained and forests replaced pastures. The encroaching woods swallowed up the bunker silo.

Concrete bunker silos were not common in New Hampshire in the late 1800s. Houghton appears to have been influenced by an 1881 effort in Massachusetts to introduce and promote the use of ensilage for winter livestock feed, so he built the rectangular silo planning to store corn fodder. Bunker silos didn’t catch on at that time. Farmers gravitated toward the upright cylindrical silos regularly seen adjacent to many old barns. In more recent decades, farmers now shy away from the iconic round vertical silos in favor of concrete bunker silos topped with black plastic and old tires. Perhaps S.S. Houghton was a man ahead of his time.

Only one lingering question remained. Why? Houghton already owned the large Pavilion Stock Farm on stone-free, fertile, river land in Orford where he raised his prized trotting horses. So why did he feel the need to build a separate farm for his cows on the rough, rocky, rolling, distant acreage in desolate Quinttown?

Rumor has it that Mrs. Houghton’s sensibilities were offended by the pungent aroma of the cows kept at Pavilion Stock Farm. I guess that means the mystery is solved, and the strange cement thing is an inadvertent monument to the fragrance of cow manure. NH

Next month, Part II: S.S. Houghton and the Pavilion Farm

The team looks through arched doorways and interconnecting chambers at the dog that tagged along on their adventures.

Marshall Hudson, behind the camera, looks out the exit door of the structure to the rest of the exploration.

Primary Pain

NH’s political gold has lost its glow as local media struggle for survival

It’s one of those things you could only know with hindsight, but roughly 15 years ago was a golden age for New Hampshire politics. Now there is a new regime.

Everyone nationally was brought in on the New Hampshire primary’s unique importance. Local media outlets, while struggling, still played a major role. They had journalists who not only covered candidates but provided accountability, and in that way drove the political conversation in the state. Further, these outlets, particularly radio and television, provided a platform for political advertising targeted efficiently at the state’s voters.

If that didn’t work in reaching voters there was Facebook, which had buzz and engagement from new users. Back then, social media was less of a toxic place and more welcoming.

Today, the New Hampshire primary is struggling. Most local media outlets, if they still exist, are a shell of themselves and largely irrelevant, at least in terms of day-to-day political life.

For candidates from president to state representatives, the shift in this new era has meant a shift of a campaign’s essential function.

Yes, these campaigns, as always, need to

raise money, create and promote a message, get volunteers and eventually get out the vote. But now they are forced to essentially create their own media ecosystem to do all of the above.

And that has meant that next to the candidate, the most important thing a campaign can have is a solid email list.

The email list, hardly a new form of technology, is back as one of the most important things in politics, particularly in New Hampshire.

The email list, if well maintained and growing, can be the place where a campaign can directly get a message out to supporters, raise money and get out the vote. What it doesn’t do so well as a traditional replacement to local media is helping recruit new supporters and help undercut an opponent.

This has particularly been the case in mayoral elections around the state this year. If one wanted to know what, if anything, happened in the race for mayor of their city, an answer might only be found on a campaign email list, with the latest news about an endorsement, poll or event.

Traditional businesses long figured this out about emails. One look into your personal email will no doubt find endless email marketing campaigns from your favorite shoe company or home improvement con-

tractors or airlines. And to get your email, these same companies will offer a one-time discount.

Something similar happens in local politics. Most times, a person cannot even get inside an event with a candidate without first registering online or in person by providing key data to the campaign like an email address and a cellphone number.

In the latest primary cycle, it’s not just the campaign, but even Super PACs have paid staffers standing outside of the events with either clipboards or iPads seeking really one thing: an email address.

The email address has become gold for politics, not only for what it does for campaigns in the short term but also the long term. Long after the campaign is over, these email addresses can be sold or rented to a future campaign.

This change has been welcome to campaigns that have a closed loop on their message. When Barack Obama first ran for president, they bragged about the fact that their email list would reach more people directly than viewers of the evening national news.

Make no mistake: This development is bad for democracy generally. If a candidate had a history of being corrupt, increasingly the only people who would know are people on an opposing email list. NH

BY JAMES PINDELL / ILLUSTRATION BY PETER NOONAN

Chapel of Rock

PHOTO AND INTERVIEW BY DAVID MENDELSOHN

Newmarket’s Stone Church is steeped and steepled in local history. It was born again as a music venue during the ecstatic hippie era, and has faithfully provided a hallelujah chorus to the Seacoast music scene ever since. Like true apostles, a string of dedicated owners preserved the venue through many dangers, toils and snares (and a fire), offering bands (often legendary) a well-versed congregation. Meet Jamie Preston, the latest steward/owner, who reveres this rich tradition while writing her own chapter in Stone Church history. Some say rock ‘n’ roll will never die. The Stone Church bears testament — and evangelical witness — to the immortal kinship and joy that heartfelt hospitality and good music can provide.

The Church is a crazy and wild place, and not for the faint of heart. It keeps you constantly on your toes, and it’s always changing. I like to say, “If you ain’t growing, you’re dying.”

The Stone Church was erected in 1832 as a Universalist Meeting House, putting into motion a dynamic community hub for all people where they could congregate and share ideas.

The building became a music club in 1970 after being a roller skating rink, a playhouse and a VFW Hall in the 1950s. The Newmarket Mill factory took over the building, as Newmarket was a mill town focusing on shoe manufacturing.

In 1968, the building was engulfed in flames. You can still see the remnants of the charred beams in the main room and up in the ballroom. Story has it that the firefighters were hesitant to break the beautiful stained-glass windows, but they were forced to anyway by the fire chief.

I started a “street team” at the Stone Church in 2004, a term for a group of people who hang posters around local cities for publicity. I would pick up posters every week and tack them up in Portsmouth and Dover until 2009. I did that for a free entrance to the shows. I got to see acts like David Grisman and Ralph Stanley. Over the course of years, I’ve met and hung with every single owner of the Stone Church except for two — one who had passed away and one that we couldn’t track down. The one owner that stands out is Eli O’Connell, who had the Stone Church from 1980

to 1993. She was the only solo female owner, and she booked legendary acts like Phish, The Pencils and The Band That Time Forgot.

She (Eli) sold the Stone Church to Paul Lebrun, who is one of my dear friends and a mentor to this day. He had some of the greats play there like Derek Trucks, Moe and Truffle.

We have people travel from all over to come to the Stone Church. It’s a legendary venue. Jam bands always bring big crowds.

We have a great kitchen and serve pub fair. I also live on an actual farm in Lee call Dog Rose, so we tend to use a lot of our fresh produce for the menu.

There is all forms of dancing at the Stone Church. Rhythmic to thrashing. Jam bands, metal bands, emo bands — all get people off their seats. It’s all part of the groove.

We do last call at 12:45 a.m., and we close at 1:30 depending on the show. If it’s an earlier show or when it’s quiet, we don’t always stick to a hard time for our staff. Sometimes we let them go early.

Trust us. If you see something you’re interested in attending, show up. You’ll have a good time among lots of love and the live music.

I want to add how honored I am to have been chosen to carry this torch. It’s a heavy weight, but I feel like I’m not alone. I will do my best to keep it growing, continue this long tradition, and keep spreading positive vibes all along the way.

The Stone Church: Genesis to Revelation

The musical foundations for the Stone Church were laid back in 1970. At left is a shot taken that year against the north wall. That’s Bill Madison (one of the first to play there) on guitar with Jeff Lind on upright bass and Bob Frost on banjo. Madison is still writing, performing and recording — now in Lakeland, Fla. The recent pandemic years led to even closer bonds between The Stone Church and Newmarket, which sparked a vision for a new kind of expansion. Partnering with the Historical Society, they were able to use nearby outdoor space to feature music back when social distancing was required — a privilege that has been allowed to continue post-COVID in modified form.

Visit stonechurchrocks.com to check out shows and learn more.

Bill Madison

NH BREWERS FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THEIR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Story and Photos by Kendal J. Bush

ops, grains, yeast and water. All beer consists of these four lucky ingredients, but the alchemy that turns these standalone elements into a delicious beverage is an energy-intensive process that relies heavily on cooling, heating and water — lots of water.

Just as the beer-drinking public can take small steps toward sustainability, so can local breweries.

“I’ve found breweries and craft beverage producers embrace the environment in all they do. They just seem to be aware that it makes sense,” says Kathy Black, pollution prevention manager at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

“It makes sense for them business-wise, for the environment and for their own health as well as their customer’s health.”

Through the Sustainable Craft Beverage Recognition Program, Black works with brewers who are looking for ways to be more sustainable in their business practices.

“We look at reducing waste at the source. So if you don’t create the waste in the beginning, you don’t have to figure out how to dispose of it,” Black says. The program celebrated its one-year anniversary on Aug. 11. Throwback Brewery was the first to join the program, with fellow Hampton beermaker Smuttynose Brewing Co. and Franklin’s Vulgar Brewing following its lead.

Many of the smaller breweries in the state don’t have the same resources as a large-scale brewer like Smuttynose, which invested in gold-level LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certifications, and enjoyed energy savings in the production process.

Even small investments can reap cost

The MESys (Maine Energy Systems) fully-automatic 15-ton wood pellet boiler at the Flying Goose Pub & Grille in New London displaces approximately 6,450 gallons of propane used for heat each year.

benefits, however, such as replacing seals on refrigerator or cooler doors, which can save up to $2,000 in annual energy costs, Black tells brewers.

While the use of solar energy, internal water treatment and carbon dioxide capture are some of the more financially dense methods used in sustainable brewing, sourcing material locally, recycling packaging materials, repurposing spent grains, and using LED lighting also contribute to improved sustainability.

Those plastic toppers that hold a fourpack of pints or a six-pack of 12-ounce cans — known as PakTech carriers — are 100% recyclable as a No. 1 plastic. Overachievers can bring these babies back to their favorite brewery, where they will be sanitized and reused, greatly reducing the amount of energy needed to melt them down and fabricate them again.

A PakTech recycle bin sits prominently near the to-go coolers at Post & Beam in Peterborough. Owner Erika Rosenfeld says the brewery hasn’t had to buy new PakTech carriers in years because customers embrace recycling. Taking beer home in growlers bypasses that step entirely.

Rosenfeld has looked for other ways to make the business more environmentally responsible, such as using LED lights, repurposing old floor joists and buying thrift store furniture. The brewery also considers the

Left: Post & Beam owner Erika Rosenfeld pours a stout with a smile at her Peterborough Brewery.

Above: A PakTech bin sits near the to-go coolers at Post & Beam, for customer recycling and reuse of the plastic toppers that hold multipacks of beer.

Devin Bush of Wildbloom sits atop bags of a Maine Malt House blend made with grains from Morrill Farm in Concord.

environment with respect to its landscaping decisions.

“We aren’t on a piece of land where grass makes sense. Instead of dumping a bunch of water into an unsustainable landscape, we did the opposite,” Rosenfeld says. “We have pollinator gardens that were specifically designed for our plot of land to attract as many native pollinators as possible with just native plants.”

In addition to the “green” gardens that surround the brewery, a lot of thought was put into the rehabilitation of the circa-1837 building, which included a geothermal HVAC system, as well as on-site well water for beer production. “We met with DES at the beginning of our planning process to get advice from them on how to best build out an almost 200-year-old building and make it more efficient,” Rosenfeld says.

Smaller-scale brewers also contribute to sustainability by using local ingredients. Although New England lacks the infrastructure of large-scale grow operations like the major hop producers located in the Pacific Northwest, there is a growing number of grain and hop producers in New England.

Devin Bush of Wildbloom Brewery in Littleton is focused on making connections with farmers, the community and the local economy. “We buy right around 99% of our grain from New England Farms, and we get a lot of our grain from Morrill Farm,” Bush says. The multigenerational dairy farm in Concord was looking for ways to diversify its land, so it started to grow grains for brewing such as barley and corn.

One of Bush’s concerns with ingredients is the lack of transparency in the way many products are made, and feels that simplicity in the process makes sense to a lot of people. It became apparent during COVID that the enormity of products we use everyday are shipped into this country from abroad, which highlighted how fragile and unpredictable international commerce relationships can be.

“We’re talking about reducing the food mile, supporting the people in your community who can then make smart choices about how they’re operating,” Bush says. “You are also talking about a far less amount of preservatives in things if you’re buying it close, because it’s being consumed close,

so it’s going to be fresher without all the preservatives.”

Steam-powered brewing

About 15 minutes away in downtown Concord in the 150-year-old Merrimack Farmers Exchange building on Storrs Street sits the Concord Craft Brewing Company. The cozy, inviting tap room and kitchen occupy the front of the house, and the steam-heated brewhouse produces beer in the rear.

With clever names such as The Gov’nah, Live Free Lager and the Hampsha Heffah Blueberry Lemon that resonate with customers, there is also a diligent effort to respect the community by using sustainable techniques in the production process.

Dennis Molnar and his wife, Beth Mayland, started Concord Craft in 2015 and have worked with Kathy Black at DES to find ways to make their facility more energy efficient. The art of brewing is an energy-intensive process that requires a lot of refrigeration. “We have a challenge in the brewing industry. We heat things up only to cool them down,” Molnar says. “And then when we

Corn can be used as a starch or sugar in the beer making process and much of this corn at Morrill Farm is grown for grains used in the production of beer.

cool ‘em down, we heat ‘em back up again.”

Although there are several ways to create heat for brewing, Molnar felt that steam was the best option for his brewery as the process is faster and more uniform than other methods. The steam is powered by natural gas, which gets the wort (the liquid sugar solution derived from mash) to a boiling point, where it remains for about two hours. Then the liquid has to be cooled down to room temperature or lower to facilitate the addition of yeast. This is where efficiency with water enters the picture.

“We use a two-stage heat exchanger,” Molnar says. “The first thing we do is we run tap water through it, which is great in the winter because reservoir water here is 50 degrees

or lower, but in the summer, not so great because it’s 70 degrees or 75 degrees.”

The process of using the cold water for cooling results in an excess of hot water that can be used elsewhere in the production process. On the roof of the 150-year-old red brick building sits a water tower that, like the heat exchanger, is not an elegant or impressive piece of technology, but is a simple and cost-effective way to reduce complete reliance on traditional chiller systems, which take up space, expel heat in to the surrounding environment and use a ton of electricity.

The 10 to 15-gallon tower is basically a cooling bath where hot water travels out of the building to the roof where it is pumped

and sprayed allowing the heat to evaporate, resulting in cooler water that goes back down into pipes that cycle the water to the chiller. Once the water has been cooled, heated, recaptured and used for cleaning, it eventually makes its way out of the building.

Treating wastewater in-house has become common industry practice. Instead of releasing the water — which can be full of proteins, yeast and cleaning materials — into the community water system, septic or sewer, brewers collect the used water. Then they let it cool while providing a central location where acidic water and basic water can mellow into water with a neutral acidity.

The Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille in New London takes water treatment a

On this canning day at Concord Craft Brewing, Dennis Molnar does a quick quality control check as beers come off the line.

step further, says Brianna Mills, one of the family-owned pub’s managers.

“As part of our sustainability with the brewery, we installed a wastewater treatment system in which all of the water that goes down in the drains from washing and filling tanks goes through an entire treatment process which drains back into the ground as potable water,” she says. “So now when it goes in and mixes in with the groundwater, it’s not something toxic or bad for the environment or our neighbors.”

Sustainable practices at the Flying Goose have a long history. In 2011, Flying Goose founder (and Brianna’s father) Tom Mills began using solar power to provide energy for the fledgling microbrewery, which proudly

touts the tagline “NH’s 1st Solar-Powered Brewery.” Today, roughly 50% of the pub’s electricity costs are covered by solar technology, and an additional 50% of the water heating costs are displaced by the use of solar hot water.

Between the standing array of solar panels on the ground, and the roof panels that blanket the majority of the building’s south side, sits a 15-ton silo pellet boiler.

It’s framed by a linear plot of hops twisting around wood trellises perched between a pollinator flower garden and fresh herb garden, which provides fresh harvests for the grille’s kitchen. The boiler reduces the amount of propane needed to run the facility.

Spent grain, farmer’s gain

As Brianna heads outdoors for a photo among the solar arrays and hops, a local farmer and his young daughter are scooping what looks like brown mush into plastic bins that completely fill the bed of their white pickup. Kurt Baluk of Berkshire Roots Farm routinely visits Flying Goose to load up on spent grains left over from the brewing process.

“The pigs love the spent grain. It’s a bulk filler, so it’s really good for them,” Baluk says. “We learned how to incorporate it at varying degrees and amounts throughout the year based on the climate. When it was really wet, these guys fared far better with the spent grain than the pre-mixed grain.”

Erol Moe and Pete Beauregard first met over 20 years ago in Portsmouth working in the high-tech field. Moe introduced Beauregard to homebrewing, and the pair went on to create the Stoneface Brewing Co.

Above: Brianna Mills steps outside for a quick sustainability tour of the grounds before the lunch rush begins.

Right & below: Pete Beauregard monitors carbon dioxide recapture at the Newmarket brewery.

Although the spent grain is a fantastic addition and tasty treat for the cows and pigs, processed grains are still a large part of the animals’ diet, as it provides necessary micronutrients for the animals. Without the use of the spent grains, Baluk would need to purchase about 40% more processed grain to fill the gap.

Baluk and his wife, Crystal, also reclaim the brewery’s used yeast, which they add to their compost materials and for their gardens. “We try to repurpose, reduce, reuse, recycle everything humanly possible,” Baluk says.

While Stoneface is not in the same category as a large New Hampshire producer like Smuttynose, which produces about 25,000 barrels of beer each year, the Newmarket company brews an impressive 12,000 barrels a year, whereas the other smaller brewers

mentioned earlier range from 300 barrels to 1,200 a year.

And as a relatively large producer, Stoneface has the ability to make larger capital investments in top-notch brewing technology, making carbon dioxide recapture an important part of its Newmarket brewing facility. Stoneface owners Pete Beauregard and Erol Moe explain how the system works. The main by-products of the beer fermentation process are alcohol, flavors and carbon dioxide.

The carbon dioxide would typically end up in the air, but with the Earthly Labs technology, the gas is captured and sent through a process that cleans it with a carbon filter before getting it cold and compressing, so that the recaptured CO2 can be used again to carbonate the beer.

This process not only reduces the carbon footprint of Stoneface beer but also greatly reduces the cost of purchasing CO2 and transportation of the gas, which is needed for the carbonation process. And with a twoyear breakeven on investment, the addition of the CO2 recapture was a no-brainer for Beauregard and Moe.

“We do these things because they’re sustainable, but ultimately we do them because they’re economical,” Beauregard says. “And if they weren’t economical but they were sustainable, it’d be very difficult for businesses to invest in them.” NH

Want more beer? Of course you do! Make sure to visit nhmagazine.com/ beer for a comprehensive map and directory of breweries and hard cider makers.

Farmer and former chef Kurt Baluk treats his pigs with spent grain at his North Sutton Farm.

Fall bike tour with kids

BY JAY ATKINSON / PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JOE KLEMENTOVICH

Enjoying the colors of the season with a not-so-easy day of peddling on the Presidential Range Rail Trail

Paul Godbout pulls his three-year-old, Emilia, on the Presidential Rail Trail near Gorham.

AHEAD OF ME, the Presidential Range Rail Trail was bowered over by a softly shimmering canopy of yellow and orange leaves, flying like an arrow to the vanishing point a mile or so in the distance.

The way ahead was empty and quiet, but I was feeling restless. Straddling the frame of my mountain bike, I was gazing down the trail with no real thoughts in mind except “Go!”

There was the sound of bike tires on gravel, and 9-year-old Teddy Godbout rode up beside me.

“Whattaya doin’?” he said.

A hundred yards behind us, Teddy’s dad, Paul Godbout III, his mother Krystyna Godbout, 7-year-old brother Max and 3-year-old sister, Emilia, were sipping water and debating whether to return the 31/2 miles to where the vehicles were parked.

I glanced back, then turned toward the boy. “You wanna stretch the ride?” I asked. “I’m gonna keep going for a while.”

Teddy lifted his chin. “How far?” he said.

“I don’t know. A mile, mile-and-a-half.”

Teddy nodded. “That’s not too bad,” he said.

I drank from my hydration pack. “A mile and a half out means an extra 3 miles overall.”

“Oh,” Teddy said. I knew he and Max were tired, causing the pit stop in the first place.

“But it’s flat,” Teddy said.

Riding west to east on the trail, there’s probably a 4% downhill grade. I knew from similar rides that you feel like a hero on the way out. Then on the way back, it’s like you’re dragging a piano behind you. “It looks like it’s flat,” I said. “But we’ve been going slightly downhill the whole way.”

Teddy wrinkled his brow. “That means ... ”

“Yeah. A little bit uphill on the way back.”

I waved my hand over my shoulder, pointing to where the others were waiting. “You can go back, buddy,” I said.

The boy’s eyes were clear. “I wanna go,” he said.

Grinning at him, I said, “A little iron for the soul.”

“What’s that?” Teddy said.

“I used to say that to my son when he was your age. If you keep going, it’ll get harder, but you’ll get stronger.”

Teddy nodded. “What did Liam say back?” he said.

I raised my eyebrows. “He always says, ‘Let’s keep going, Dad.'"

Twisting around in the saddle, I waved my arm, catching Paul’s attention. I made a “forward ho” gesture up the trail and Paul gave the “all clear” sign, and Teddy and I set off.

Peak foliage, peak traffic

I was eager to keep going because of our late start. I’d left my home on the Massachusetts border at 5 a.m., making good time for the first hour and a half. But the peak foliage had drawn an interminable caravan of vehicles that snaked through Franconia Notch at 3 to 4 miles per hour. Making things worse, the surrounding mountains killed my GPS signal.

While I inched along in traffic, long silver lines of rain pelted the narrow roadway, and a skein of diaphanous clouds slipped over the ridge, drifting ghost-like into Echo Lake. I couldn’t help admiring the beauty of all that gloom, although it didn’t prevent me from uttering some choice epithets. It had an ancient feel to it.

About 12,000 years ago, Paleoindian hunters roamed this passage, using stone spear points and knives to kill and dress out the wild game. As I puttered through the Notch in the early light, I marveled at the variegated pattern of golden leaves, spinkled here and there with roseate tints, and accented by the darkened spruce trees jutting up like spears. The Paleoindians had seen all this, and for centuries the Abenaki tribes had passed this way.

I’d told my partner in these exploits, photographer Joe Klementovich, that I’d meet him at the Rollo Falls trailhead at 8 a.m. When I finally got through the Notch, it was after 9 a.m. and I missed my turn, ending up in Vermont. My cell rang and Joe said, “Where are you?”

“In vacation limbo,” I said.

Teddy Godbout rock hops at Rollo Falls on the Presidential Rail Trail.

Joe is a steady guy, a planner and a doer, resourceful in every situation. A few minutes later he called back, told me where to turn off, and said, “I’m at Rollo Falls.” He said there was no sign at the trailhead and that I should head toward Littleton, watching for a clump of maple trees or something. From that point I should drive for exactly 10 minutes, and then the trailhead would appear on the right side of the road.

I was surrounded by a million trees. Joe’s directions were like being instructed to throw a rock over the roof of a house where a second thrower would hit your rock in mid-air as it came over.

“Roger that,” I said, and hung up.

Shortly thereafter, driving east on Route 2, I glanced around for an important-looking clump of trees, watching my dashboard clock, poised to mark the 10 minutes.

But there were no structures or grove of maples in sight. The blazing foliage hewed close to the road on both sides, with nothing but a strip of tall grass marking the breakdown lane. I couldn’t see any trail signs or turn-offs at all. So I started the countdown.

Exactly 10 minutes in, I saw a guy on a mountain bike going hell-bent-for-leather through the tall grass on the right side of the road.

For the past 8 or 9 miles, I’d had my windows rolled down, so I could practice all the swear words I knew at high volume, and suddenly there was Joe, rolling alongside my passenger-side window.

“You found it,” Joe said.

Grinning at him, I said, “Through a combination of shouted profanity and prayers to Saint Charles Borromeo, my ‘go-to saint’ for cutting through red tape.”

I banged a U-turn on Route 2, and drove into the trailhead parking lot. My longtime Amoskeag Rugby Football Club teammate Paul Godbout hailed me as I pulled up. At 6 feet, 2 inches, 250 pounds, Godbout is a force on the rugby pitch. He played varsity football at Ripon College in Wisconsin, earning All-Conference honors during his senior year. Every spring he played for the rugby club, much to his football coach’s chagrin.

Emilia Godbout tells writer Jay Atkinson and mom, Krystyna Godbout, a funny story.

I climbed out of my vehicle, hugged Max and Teddy and Emilia, and took Paul’s wife Krystyna in my arms. “Hello, beautiful,” I said. “Your husband is a lucky S.O.B.” At 5 feet, 9 inches, Krystyna Godbout is an athletic, blue-eyed woman with lovely cheekbones and a great smile.

When she first moved to the U.S., Krystyna played for the Amoskeag Rugby Football Club women’s side. Originally hailing from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, she was a field hockey star, eventually rising to an elite level. Krystyna recently started playing rugby again after taking several years off to raise her kids.

The sporty Godbouts and I were coming off the ninth annual DIY Backcountry Triathlon held in Rumney. Teddy and Max and their parents had braved a chilly swim in Stinson Lake, taken a 7-mile bike ride over

Max Godbout cruises along beneath the canopy of autumn leaves.

Teddy Godbout picks up speed on the rail trail ride.

the hills encircling the lake, and hiked the 4.1-mile trail up 2,900-foot Stinson Mountain.

This trip was an extension of all that, an opportunity for the Godbout kids to see new terrain and test their mettle.

While we readied our bikes for the ride, I hugged it out with Teddy and Max, then Emilia reached out and I lifted her into the air. “Hello, sunshine,” I said, kissing her on the head while she giggled. Paul zipped his daughter into the little caddy behind his mountain bike, and we set off.

The sky was overcast with temperatures in the low forties. Joe went ahead, going along the leaf-scattered road, scouting for the Rollo Falls trail. The Presidential Range Rail Trail runs 18 miles west to east from Whitefield to Gorham, rising and falling on a gentle grade and allowing

views of the nearby Presidential Range. The surface varies between grass, gravel, packed dirt and cinders.

I was talking to Max, the family philosopher, when I realized Joe wasn’t anywhere in sight. Then, just ahead, Joe popped out of the woods. I came swooping down the road, and as Joe went past, I angled my bike along the trail Joe had just emerged from. I wound my way upward, climbing steeply as the trail went through some birch trees and underbrush.

The smell of fresh water brought me to the foot of Rollo Falls. A wall of shiny black rock rose up from the grassy clearing at the apex of the trail. The narrow waterfall spilled over the granite ridge, cascading downward in a meandering series of leaf-covered pools. The rest of our party came up on foot. Max was boulder-hopping at the conclusion of the falls,

while Emilia explored the edge of the stream in her pink fleece jacket, reciting something I couldn’t hear over the noise of the stream and carrying a forked twig like it was a magic wand.

“Do you know your numbers?” I asked. Emilia nodded, and began to recite “A, B, C, D,” and Teddy and I laughed. Meanwhile, Krystyna had found a Tupperware container that someone had left behind. Inside were a few pebbles, a chunk of quartz and a tiny log book for visitors to leave comments along with a couple of pencils.

Krystyna said that Teddy should write something, and he scribbled with the tiny pencil.

I took up the log book. Teddy had written “GET OFF MY PROPERTY!” and we laughed.

Krystyna put the book inside the

Foliage over the north flank of the Presidential Range promises moments of awe and wonder.

The rail trail party reconvenes at Big Day Brewing in Gorham.

The north side of the Presidential Range looks stunning in the fall.

container. Nearby, Teddy was staring at the falls. “Maybe I should have written, ‘Sincerely, Teddy,'" he said.

From Rollo Falls, we descended the trail and set off, measuring the distance by the old railroad bridges that arched over a fast-moving stream every half mile or so. Max was curious about the bridges and how, when they graded the trail, the builders lined the bridges with sturdy planks for easy riding, cross-country skiing and running.

While our party lingered on the fourth bridge, gazing at the mountains, the weather changed. The Presidential Range runs approximately 25 miles from Webster Cliff in Crawford Notch to the southeast, with 5,366-foot Mount Madison anchoring the northern end.

As we leaned on the railing, we could see the thinning clouds stretching over Madison, with bars of light penetrating the cover, illuminating the mountainside and then fading away.

The clouds shifted, turning into gauzy white striations, billowing over the peak. “It’s snowing up there,” Paul said.

Keep moving forward

Now, a half hour after Teddy and I had broken off, I rode ahead while my young partner fell a little behind. Max and Teddy maintain a busy schedule. They play youth soccer and participate in a “Rookie Rugby” program for kids ages 4 to 12, with their parents joining in. Emilia enjoys gymnastics for toddlers and takes swimming lessons.

We rode for another 15 minutes, pausing on one of the bridges pitched over the stream bed. Teddy leaned his bike against the railing, gazing at the silvery pools dissolving into one another, and gurgling under the bridge.

“You all right?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s hard.”

“Let’s rest,” I said.

Just then, I noticed Krystyna just ahead, straddling her bike. “Hey!” Teddy said as Krystyna rolled over the bridge.

“Getting tired?” she asked.

“A little,” Teddy said.

We started riding together, and I could feel the pull of gravity as we ascended

the grade. Fifty yards ahead, Joe appeared, taking pictures as we approached. “What’s up?” he said, winking at us.

Joe and I rode on while Teddy and his mom fell behind. “It’s harder than it looks,” Joe said.

“It’s like a Dostoyevsky novel,” I said, drinking some water. “No one wished it was longer.”

Breaking for lunch

Soon, we came alongside Paul pulling Emilia. Inside the little caddy she was fast asleep. Max rode past on his single-gear bike. Finally, Krystyna and Teddy came up, and we arrived at the cars and began stowing the bikes.

“All good?” I asked Teddy. “Iron for the soul,” I said, and he grinned.

An hour later, we joined a crowd of mountain bikers, hikers and ATV enthusiasts at Big Day Brewing in nearby Gorham. Established in 2021, the brewery is a large, well-lit space, equipped with the shiny chrome tanks of the brewing operation. Joe said that Big Day Brewing is close to 22 miles of mountain bike trails.

The Big Day beer menu lists Knee Deep Milk Stout and Legit Lager, while the menu featured sweet potato tacos and “smashburgers” made with local beef, along with maple bacon-glazed, crispy, fried Brussels sprouts.

We occupied a table in the middle of the restaurant, with the kids to my left and Krystyna, Paul and Joe opposite.

I was searching for menu items marked “V” for vegan, which included chipotle-seasoned sweet potato with black bean salsa. Vegan for 15 years, I’m the object of mild derision from my rugby pals.

“Do they have it?” asked Paul.

“What?”

“The Godbout sandwich,” he said with a laugh.

One time I brought sandwiches to a rugby tournament. The “Godbout sandwich” is a toasted bagel with hummus, dark greens, red onion, avocado, tomato and peanut butter. It’s a protein-rich, high-calorie meal.

“It should be on the menu,” Paul said.

“The chef is adding it right now,” I said. NH

Paul Godbout checks on Emilia at the ride's halfway point.

Emilia is all tuckered out from an exciting day.

Visiting Personal Demons Visiting Personal Demons

Visiting Personal Demons

J.W. OCKER, NEW HAMPSHIRE’S PREEMINENT TRAVEL WRITER OF THE STRANGE AND THE UNEXPLAINED, APPROACHES HIS SUBJECTS, NO MATTER HOW GRIM, WITH AN INSATIABLE CURIOSITY. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HIS OWN LIFE GETS DARK?

In 2016, J.W. Ocker took a road trip with his then-wife and two toddler daughters to Plainfield, Wisconsin, a landlocked Midwestern town, population 862. While not exactly a tourist destination, Ocker had a mission: He wanted to buy a child’s screwdriver at the hardware store where notorious serial killer Ed Gein — referenced in horror movies like “Psycho” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” — killed one of his victims.

“I had to pretend that I was not in there for that, you know?” Ocker tells me in his basement, screwdriver in hand. “I always liked him — well, I’ve always been fascinated by him, because he inspired so many great works of art and horror.”

As one of the preeminent authors cataloging the macabre, Ocker is entirely fascinated with anomalies like Gein and visiting the actual origins of those anomalies to write about them. He has built a brand as the uber-curious, oddity-obsessed New Hampshire travel writer, publishing 10 books in the last 13 years, running a blog and podcast called “Odd Things I’ve Seen” and giving

any number of talks to ghost hunters, book clubs and American-bound cruise ships.

With three published young adult novels, one adult horror novel and his last book, “The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters,” garnering more attention than ever, he’s working to expand that reach.

“Within a tank of gas anywhere in the country are astounding wonders — and they’re free,” Ocker says. “I find that very valuable to getting through life.”

Ocker, 46, invited me to spend an afternoon with him at his Nashua house, which is painted midnight black, to talk about his writing career and unusual, if not off-putting, hobby. He did warn me, though: It may not be the best time for a profile. In 2021, one of his brothers committed suicide, and in 2022, he and his wife divorced. This resulted in a stint at a lockdown facility, a month at a farm in England and an ongoing leave of absence from his day job at a Boston-based advertising agency.

Although his writing life, with a growing bounty of opportunities, is as good

BY CALEB JAGODA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALYSSA DOUST

as it’s ever been, his personal life, with its unexpected, traumatic turbulence, is far from certain. It’s left him questioning the life choices that got him here, and the activities — namely, oddity hunting — that he derives joy from.

“If you’re an introvert, to find wonder, you can just go see cool s**t. That’s kind of my philosophy,” Ocker says. “I don’t know what else I would do — that’s what I’m figuring out right now — if I didn’t have that making life more interesting. Like, one more book isn’t gonna make life more interesting. One more paycheck isn’t gonna make life more interesting. And now that my life plan blew up, trying to build another life plan sounds awful. It sounds like the worst thing I could do in my entire life.”

On a warm and sunny Thursday morning in July, Ocker is sitting in the driver’s seat of his gray 2020 Honda Civic. Wearing dark-wash jeans and an olive-green T-shirt, he looks like your everyday, mid-40s New Englander — except for the 7-foot-tall skeleton cramped in the corner of his garage.

“So, the stuff I put on this map, I’m not sure how interesting it is,” he says as I climb into the car. “I’m at this stage where my weird meter is off because I’ve seen so much — what’s interesting to me might not be interesting to somebody else, and what I gloss over might be super interesting to somebody, so we’ll see.”

Ocker’s agreed to take me on a six-stop oddity tour of New Hampshire, hitting a curated selection of little-known Granite State landmarks over the course of a 100-mile loop. Our first stop is the Caroline Cutter grave in Milford.

Fading and miraculously erect despite its 1-inch-width, the 1830s gravestone looks ordinary enough — until you get close enough to read the epitaph. One-hundredand-fifty lambasting words aimed at the Baptist Ministry, the screed, written by Cutter’s husband, fills up the entire rectangular headstone and then some, spilling onto a second, smaller stone placed adjacently. “Literally, we call it the grave of the grudge,” Ocker tells me as we arrive at the Elm Street Cemetery. “But you would just never know that. You’d never stop at this cemetery, but if you did, the gravestone would never stand out.”

Ocker is preternaturally taken with subjects whose surface-level appearance

belie their deeper nature. Which makes sense, once you get to know him. Jason Ocker, as he’s known by many, works as vice president of strategy at Maark and dresses like a normal dude. Charismatic and affable, he discusses everything from his apathy for cooking to his struggles with mental health in the same measured, engaged tone.

J.W. Ocker, meanwhile, is the award-winning author with a penchant for the grisly. Wielding an encyclopedic knowledge of horror cinema and a vast collection of macabre items in his home (including, among other things, the aforementioned Ed Gein screwdriver, a brick from Edgar Allen Poe’s New York house and a sculpture of a shrunken head with its eyes and mouth sewn shut), J.W. is a true aficionado of the weird. Reconciling these two selves is something he delights in.

“Feeling uncomfortable for not fitting in makes me happy, even though it’s a façade,” he says. “I like people not knowing everything when I walk into a room. You meet most people and within an hour you’re like, ‘They go off on the weekends and work hard at this job and have two kids and a wife,’ and that’s it. That’s as far as it goes. I like people who, when you Google them, you’re like, ‘These people have whole different lives.’ That happens to be me, I guess.”

That split-self goes all the way back to Ocker’s childhood. Growing up in Maryland with three brothers, Ocker’s parents were devout Independent Fundamental Baptists — what he now calls “the worst kind of Christian.” He spent a large majority of his childhood in the church, attending at least one sermon every day and four sermons each Sunday.

Opposite: Ocker keeps a wide-ranging display of tchotchkes and baubles in the basement study of his Nashua home, including four original beer cans from the first-ever (!) Halloween parade held in Minoka, Minnesotta, in 1979 (left, top shelf), a sculpture of a shrunken head by renowned artist Tom Kuebler (left, front and center) and a large selection of books dedicated to the weird (above). Loren Coleman, author of “Mysterious America” featured in the stack, wrote the foreword to Ocker’s 2022 book “The United States of Cryptids.”

While most “indie fundies,” as he calls them, abstained from watching movies, Ocker’s family allowed certain films in the privacy of their home. Secular music was off-limits, as were horror movies. Ocker sneaked sci-fi books by Isaac Asimov and Jerry Pournelle, of which he knew his parents would disapprove of. “There wasn’t much of a family dynamic; the church was really it,” Ocker says. “I didn’t know anything else, but I will say I was lazy at it.”

By the time he hit college, Ocker’s own nascent interests began to take shape. While attending a small Christian college in Florida, he would drive to movie theaters at least 45 minutes away to watch frowned-upon films and escape detection. Horror became his favorite genre, and one movie in particular opened up his world.

“In 1995, ‘Scream’ came out, and it changed my life,” Ocker says. “I was really obsessed with the Jamie Kennedy character, that a character could have such a niche knowledge about such a niche thing and then be useful in a story. He had to find all these old movies that aren’t around anymore, he had to read magazines. And that excited me; I wanted to do that.”

Ocker started writing reviews for horror movie sites on the early-aughts internet. He discovered a passion for first-person writing, injecting a conversational tone into thousand-word paeans dedicated to deepcut horror films.

After finishing graduate school at St.

John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and completely severing his ties to Christianity, he had reached an impasse: He wanted to be a writer, but he lacked direction. With no significant other, friends or discernible passions, he was searching for something to believe in, even if it was something of an anti-belief.

“I was getting to that point where I was asking, ‘Who am I? If I die today, what would I leave behind?’” Ocker says. “And I was like, ‘Literally nothing.’ So, I decided I needed to start writing. Then I realized that I had nothing to write about; I was just this boring dude with no ideas, young. So, I

decided I needed to find interesting stuff to write about.”

Ocker threw himself headfirst into the unusual. In 2008, he made the move to New England, which, according to his equation “cool stuff equals length of time and people dying,” churned out the coolest (and strangest) stuff. He started his website, oddthingsiveseen.com, penning and posting essays on those unusual landmarks he’d drive out to see for himself. And, before long, he realized he was the perfect writer to publish a travel guide of sorts — dedicated to the gruesome and grotesque, cataloguing all those abnormalities that gave his life

“In my world, horror is as much wonder as anything. I think the unusualness is just a defense against the boring.”

Ocker explains the bizarro backstory behind Sevilla Jones’s gravestone in New Boston — which has her murderer’s name, Henry N. Sargent, also engraved on it.

a sense of purpose. Thus spawned “The New England Grimpendium: A Guide to Macabre and Ghastly Sites,” his first book, released in 2010 by Vermont publisher, The Countryman Press.

From there, Ocker published a nonfiction travelogue book every two years with The Countryman Press: “The New York Grimpendium,” in 2012; “Poe-Land” in 2014, exploring Edgar Allen Poe landmarks across the country; and “A Season with the Witch,” in 2016, where Ocker moved his family down to Salem, Mass., for the entirety of October.

Each book represented a slight level

up, with both “Grimpendiums” winning Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, and “Poe-Land” bringing home an esteemed Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Edgar win gave Ocker that final push he needed toward becoming an established author; he was still — three books in, working on his fourth — agentless. In the book world, he may as well have been a unicorn.

While the Edgar convinced an agent to take him on, said agent would soon leave her job to become the head of a children’s book imprint at Skyhorse, a Manhat-

tan-based publisher, before helping Ocker sell a single book. Lucky for Ocker, he was sitting on “Death and Douglas,” his take on Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book” done darker and grimmer. After that agent-turned-publisher accepted “Death and Douglas” at Skyhorse, releasing it in 2017, Ocker, still agentless, got lucky once again.

Publishers Weekly noted the sale of “Death and Douglas” among 20 other recent acquisitions. What set it apart, though, was its unique listing: Ocker had ostensibly sold it to Skyhorse without an agent. Enterprising agents took notice, and before he knew it, Ocker had a new agent hungry to sell his

At one of the more whimsical stops on our oddity crawl, Ocker laughs at the absurdity of an “anti-gravity stone.” Roger W. Babson founded the Gravity Research Foundation in 1948, placing its headquarters in New Boston because, in his words, it was just far enough from any major city to survive a nuclear war. Optimistic guy, that Babson.

peculiar tomes. Alex Slater, Ocker’s agent since 2017, has helped sell and publish his two biggest books (2020’s “Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World’s Most Infamous Items,” and 2022’s “The United States of Cryptids”), his first adult horror novel (“12 Nights at Rotter House”) and a barrage of young adult horror novels.

Next year will see two more Ocker books — “Cult Following,” a nonfiction, essay-style book on American cults, and “Welcome to the Ghost Show,” a YA horror fiction. All the while, Ocker’s remained steadfast in searching out wonder from the absurd and sharing it with others via the written word.

“For somebody like me, who’s atheist, nihilist, whatever I am, I’m just like, ‘Oh. You go through s**t then you die,’” Ocker says. “And finding the unusual is part of fixing that. Looking forward to learning that this thing existed that never existed before, it feeds wonder. The wonder is the important part. That’s where you find the joy.”

It’s the fifth stop on our oddity tour, and we’ve just arrived at the Josie Langmaid Monument in Suncook. A 15-foot-tall obelisk peeking out from the edge of the forest, the Langmaid Monument is normal enough viewed from the road, if not a tad ominous. Ocker parks his Civic across the road, at Three Rivers School, and we venture into the woods.

“I think I want to be cremated,” Ocker says, ironically enough given all the gravestones he’s visited. “I just feel like it would be such a burden to the people you leave behind — to pick out a grave ... ”

Considering the idea of permanence, of what you leave behind, feels apt given the peculiarity of the memorial we’re gazing at. In 1875, 17-year-old Josie Langmaid was walking to school, cutting through a path in the forest, when she encountered an itinerant lumberjack named Joseph LaPage. The woodcutter, Canadian-born and largely nomadic, had a history of violence. He proceeded to decapitate Langmaid with his ax, killing her instantly.

One of the monument’s four sides reads, “Death lies on her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.” Another says, “Body found 90 ft north at stone hub / Head found 32 rods north at stone hub.” With this grisly, chilling piece of information, we head into the woods to locate the stone hubs. Ocker tracks down the granite post demarcating where her

Above: Concord’s Donkey Kong Mural, painted by Nashua nonprofit Positive Street Art, offering a bit of color in an unexpected alley.

Below: The ominous inscription at the Josie Langmaid Monument in Suncook, where the 17-year-old was decapitated in 1875.

body was found, but after a good bit of bushwhacking and stomping through mud, we come up empty on the head marker.

Despite the gravity of the topic at hand, Ocker appears jocular, laughing about the blunt severity of the memorial. “People back then, especially in New England, had a very different attitude toward the macabre,” he says. “That’s why there’s skulls and coffins on the graves. It wasn’t weird. You go to a modern graveyard, and it’s the most boring thing on the planet.” His entry on the Langmaid Monument in “The New England Grimpendium” carries a similarly lighthearted, gallows-humor attitude, explaining the two stone hubs being there “in case anybody wanted to honor her memory with a CSI reenactment.”

It’s not that Ocker regards serious matters flippantly; rather, he’s of the belief that nothing really matters, and gauges the grotesque with a sort of curious amusement. He doesn’t think ghosts are real but ventures out to haunted establishment after haunted establishment, hopeful that each trip could be the one to change his mind. He celebrates Halloween for two full months every year.

Poking around his study, going through his extensive collection of spooky baubles, I’m struck by the amount of Ray Bradbury memorabilia he owns. His favorite Bradbury work is “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” the beloved magical-realist novel about triumphing over darkness with the power of childhood gaiety — which doesn’t exactly line up for a nihilist. It might for a hopeful nihilist, if such a thing exists, but not an aspiring one. Ocker is the former.

“Ray Bradbury is my north star that I’ll never reach, because he’s obviously writing with so much joy,” Ocker says. “I’ll never get there. I’m too cynical and too beaten down by life, but, man, I would love to write like that.”

Jason J.W. Ocker is at that odd inflection point called midlife crisis. He didn’t plan on being here, and it doesn’t even seem like his direct decisions got him here. Sometimes things just happen. But isn’t that wonderful?

“In my world, horror is as much wonder as anything,” Ocker says. “I think the unusualness is just a defense against the boring. I guess, now, I’m back in the trough, wondering, like, ‘Is it actually worth it?’ But for the past 15 years, it was totally worth it. Life changing, life characterizing, worth it.” NH

An Oddity Tour of New Hampshire with J.W. Ocker

The six Granite State stops Ocker brought us to, in chronological order

1

THE CAROLINE CUTTER GRAVESTONE IN MILFORD

Located at the Elm Street Cemetery, this odd gravestone features a 150-word epitaph lambasting the Baptist Church for “killing” Caroline Cutter. It was written by her husband, Dr. Calvin Cutter, who was upset after the church booted him for bullying members into funding a church he was trying to construct. Ocker calls it “the grave of the grudge.”

2

SEVILLA JONES AND HENRY SARGENT GRAVESTONES IN NEW BOSTON

These two gravestones tell an entire story: Henry Sargent was in love with Sevilla Jones, but she married another man. So, he murdered her. Jones’s gravestone even says she was “MURDERED by Henry Sargent.” Sargent’s gravestone is in the same cemetery, not 200 feet away.

3

ANTI-GRAVITY STONE IN NEW BOSTON

A granite slab sits innocuously at a traffic island in downtown New Boston. If you run across the road for closer inspection, you’ll discover it’s a memorial curiously dedicated to “Roger W. Babson and his associates (who) pioneered in active research for anti-gravity and a partial gravity insulator.” Pretty strange. Babson was supposedly a millionaire whose baby sister died from drowning when he was a kid. Thus, like any sane man would do, he dedicated his life to fighting gravity. Babson donated money to various towns and universities, with the stipulation that they put up a monument hailing his anti-gravity fighters.

4

FIVE-STORY DONKEY KONG MURAL IN CONCORD

Tucked behind an apartment building and cafe in the middle of the city, this impressive mural is a whimsical hidden gem. Painted by Nashua nonprofit Positive Street Art, the mural depicts a scene from the classic 1981 Nintendo Donkey Kong arcade game. Supposedly someone living in a nearby apartment saw the crisscrossed beams on the elevator shaft, thought of Donkey Kong and, voila, made it happen.

5

JOSIE LANGMAID MONUMENT IN SUNCOOK

This 15-foot-tall obelisk commemorates the 1875 death of 17-year-old Josie Langmaid at the hands of itinerant lumberjack Joseph LaPage, who decapitated her with his ax after they crossed paths in the woods. The monument gives the location where both her head and body were separately found.

6

“MUSE OF COMEDY” 8-FOOT-TALL ART DECO HEAD STATUE IN GOFFSTOWN (Above)

This massive head once signaled the top of Manchester’s State Theatre, a former art deco movie house on Elm Street. When the State Theatre was torn down in 1978, the giant laughing face was moved to Saint Anselm College’s Goffstown campus.

603 Living

“You are the sunshine of my life. That’s why I’ll always be around. You are the apple of my eye. Forever you’ll stay in my heart.”

— Stevie Wonder

Calendar

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More than New Hampshire’s favorite autumn fruit, apples inspire seasonal design right to their very core

Eve knew the allure of the apple, and she had nothing but desire to share it with Adam. New Hampshire’s more than 60 working orchards feel the same way. With more than 120 apple varieties to choose from including centuries-old heirlooms, handpicking apples are at the pinnacle of favorite fall things to do in the Granite State. Gather your family and friends, and pack a picnic for an autumn outing at your local orchard.

How ‘bout them apples ... Squeezed into cider or sliced into pies, apples are an everpresent part of fall and all its activities. With a little design inspiration and a few tools, you can spread their autumn style all throughout the house.

Ideas by the bushel ... Whether decorating an entryway, tabletop, window or fireplace mantle, a fresh shiny apple will always fit the bill. Try stringing them with twine and hanging from cup hooks as a decorative garland. Or pierce with a wooden skewer and a strand of wire to attach to a straw wreath form for a dimensional door decoration. Pile a mixture of apples in multiple sizes and colors into a bowl or cast-iron trough to create an instant centerpiece. Fill with the addition of seasonal nuts and berries to add shape and texture to all the nooks and crannies, and place on a coffee table.

Entertaining ... Apples have “a-peel” in more ways than one. Colorful, durable and of great value, this fruit makes for a terrific base for all kinds of ideas when entertaining. Consider perching an apple atop a wooden twig and placing a few in a terra cotta plant pot to make a whimsical topiary. Hollow the core of the apple and fill the hollow with a tea light to make a grouping of twinkling votive lights. For a showy centerpiece, place apples on barbecue skewers and add them to an arrangement of autumn leaves and grasses like long-stemmed blossoms. Much more than a filler in a countertop fruit bowl, apples strike the perfect note when styling your rooms for fall.

Noted apple facts in NH

• The favorite apple in the state? The Macintosh.

• Takes 30 to 40 super ripe but not perfect apples to make 1 gallon of cider.

APPLE VOTIVES > Dress up a rustic cutting board with a flickering display of orchard-inspired tea lights. With a sharp knife, remove the stem and core of the apple, and outfit with a votive candle. Perfect for an evening centerpiece.

nhmagazine.com | October 2023 69

STICK AROUND > Apples perched on the end of a stick can easily be featured in a vertical arrangement of autumn grasses and leaves. Pierce apple through the bottom core and make sticks at a mix of heights to vary the end design.

APPLE VASE > Create charming fall arrangements in a hand-carved apple vase. Cut the top from the apple and remove core and flesh from inside. Fill with damp floral foam and arrange with berries and grasses. Perfect for an autumn harvest table favor.

HARVEST BOWL > Nothing epitomizes the season like a rustic metal trough piled high with fresh picked apples. Festoon with autumn leaves, nuts and berries, and you have a spectacle that will outlast any cut flowers.

Where to get fresh apples

Many of the apples in these projects can be upcycled into delicious things to eat. Apples are freshest when they have firm, bright skin and a pleasant fruity fragrance. Cut out any deep punctures or blemishes before consuming.

Visit the local orchard in your part of the state and don’t forget to pick up some cider, pie and a peck or two of your favorite apples.

Here are a few favorites. For more information on New Hampshire orchards, go to newhampshireway.com.

Patch Orchards / 40 Patch Road, Lebanon

Paradise Farm LLC / 468 Center Road, Lyndeborough

Hazelton Orchards / 280 Derry Road, Chester

Cardigan Mountain Orchard / 1540 Mt. Cardigan Road, Alexandria

Apple Hill Farm / 580 Mountain Road, Concord

Apple Crest Farm Orchard / 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls

Mack’s Apples / Moose Hill Orchard, 230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry

Get more décor tips

Author and designer Matthew Mead is sharing more ideas on entertaining with apples and other fall elements this month at a free lecture and live demonstration in Derry. This event is in collaboration with New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts.

Artful Networking Event

Thursday, October 12, 2023

5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Westbrook Inn

49 South Main St., Derry

APPLE ID > Dress up your cheese board with descriptor cards for all of your cheese and charcuterie selections. Simply slice a notch in the apple and insert a card with the name of the treat for easy identification.

IS POWER ARM YOURSELF WITH FACTS

Meet the New Hampshire professionals on the front lines of the fight against breast cancer, and get tips and advice to keep yourself informed and healthy.

reast cancer. Those are scary words to contemplate, and it’s tempting to pretend that it can never happen to you. Many put off or avoid preventative care, but the out-of-sight, outof-mind mentality is not the answer. Fortunately, Granite Staters are lucky to have access to a number of providers who offer state-of-the art screening technology. And, should you ever find yourself battling this disease, New Hampshire is home to several hospitals where you can find the very best treatment. Read on to learn about the high level of care available in New Hampshire, or take heart and inspiration from a survivor’s story. Plus, find helpful information to questions you may have — or even learn about some that you didn’t know you should ask.

What to know about BREAST HEALTH, with Dartmouth Health’s Kimberly Ellis, MD

“Acancer

want patients to feel that they can talk with me and be heard,” says Kimberly G. Ellis, MD, a fellowship-trained breast surgeon who recently joined Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Manchester. “I am here to help them through a tough time in their lives.”

She says there are steps you can take to lower your risk of breast cancer. Following these proven guidelines can reduce breast cancer risk for women by 40%:

• Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week.

• Eat a healthy diet.

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Keep alcohol intake low—no more than 4 drinks per week.

• Don’t smoke.

It’s also important to have regular mammogram screenings. Medical societies generally agree that these should begin at age 40. But your personal risk of breast cancer is based on family history, genetics and overall health. Your primary care provider (PCP) is the best person to talk with about these risks and will help guide you.

Remember to include breast self-exams in your personal wellness routine (ask your PCP how!).

When it’s cancer—what happens next?

Ellis is often the first medical provider to meet with patients after a breast cancer diagnosis, informed by a mammogram showing abnormal results.

“I explain what breast cancer is and how we’re going to deal with it,” she shares. “I spend at least an hour with them talking, finding out what is happening in their lives and what the next year will be like.”

Ellis treats breast cancer and benign breast conditions with surgery. She is the only surgeon in New Hampshire who performs delayed sentinel lymph node biopsies. These procedures protect lymph nodes that don’t need to be removed right away (or maybe not at all)—pushing out surgery and eliminating the risk of lymphedema (arm swelling).

A patient-focused team effort

Ellis works closely with her team members at Dartmouth Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Breast Program to create the most effective care plan for her patients—which doesn’t always include surgery. This multidisciplinary team supports patients diagnosed with cancerous or non-cancerous breast conditions. Available treatments include:

• Breast surgeries (biopsy, lumpectomy, mastectomy).

• Chemotherapy or radiation.

• Genetic testing.

• Plastic surgery.

Ellis is focused on delivering a seamless treatment experience for patients in southern New Hampshire. This includes wellness resources to ensure the best possible care outcomes.

“I’m excited to be in a community where I can empower patients to live the healthiest lives they can,” she says.

If you have questions about breast health and would like more information, visit www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/breast-health.

diagnosis is scary, but I

Breast cancer RESEARCH at Dartmouth Cancer Center

“Breast cancer research” delivers treatments to patients. But what does research mean and who is doing it? As one of 53 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S., Dartmouth Cancer Center is home to a robust network of laboratory scientists who are sorting out how cancer works down to the tiniest cellular details. From there, clinician scientists lead the clinical trials phase. Under the strictest levels of scrutiny, trials ensure the safety and effectiveness of the most promising drug candidates, surgical techniques, prevention strategies and more. Here are just a few of the many breast cancer research projects happening at Dartmouth Cancer Center today.

From the lab to the clinic

Advanced estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer can be especially difficult to treat, as most tumors will develop resistance to endocrine (hormone) therapy over time. A recent study led by researcher Todd W. Miller, PhD, shows promise in a new combination of estrogen and a drug called a PARP inhibitor to treat this type of cancer. Miller’s team found

that estrogen can cause damage to cancer cells by re-engaging the estrogen receptor in the cells. This damage can be enhanced by using a PARP inhibitor, which prevents the cancer cells from repairing their own DNA. The combination has also been shown to be effective in treating advanced ER+ breast cancer regardless of whether the patient has a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation.

If upcoming clinical trials deliver the results that Miller’s team is expecting, the approach could provide a new option for patients with advanced ER+ breast cancer.

The results are in

The estrogen + PARP inhibitor study comes on the heels of another clinical trial for ER+ breast cancer recently completed by the Miller lab with breast medical oncologist Gary N. Schwartz, MD. ER+ breast cancer is commonly treated with drugs that block the estrogen receptor. However, estrogens that stimulate the receptor can also be effective. Building on their previous studies, Drs. Miller and Schwartz aimed to test the efficacy of alternating between estrogen stimulation and estrogen deprivation in patients with metastatic (advanced) ER+ breast cancer, and to identify tumor characteristics that predict who might benefit from this strategy.

Forty-two percent of the patients enrolled in the trial experienced tumor shrinkage during cyclical treatment or disease stabilization for at least 24 weeks. Treatments were well tolerated, and none of the patients discontinued drug treatment due to side effects. Such results support cyclical estrogen/anti-estrogen therapy as a potential strategy to treat metastatic ER+ breast cancer.

Zeroing in on copper

Another type of breast cancer is called estrogen receptor-negative (ER-). If the cells are also missing the progesterone and HER2 receptors, the cancer is called “triple negative.” Triplenegative breast cancer is challenging to treat as it lacks features that can be targeted with available drugs.

At left: Kari Rosenkranz performs a new safe surgery option for her patients.

At left: Todd Miller and his team lead research in advanced ER+ breast cancer care.

Breast medical oncologist Linda Vahdat, MD, brings an impressive background in studying the body’s utilization of copper to mobilize the cells that allow cancer to spread. In previous work, she found that an anti-copper drug compound called tetrathiomolybdate (TM) keeps tumors that want to spread in a dormant state. A pilot trial Dr. Vahdat conducted at Cornell from 2007–2020 showed that if patients at high risk of recurrence with no current visible breast cancer were copper depleted, it resulted in a prolonged period of time with no cancer recurrence and no disruption to the function of normal cells.

Dr. Vahdat is building on this discovery at Dartmouth Cancer Center. Clinical trials over the next five years will compare the safety and efficacy of investigational TM treatment to current standard-ofcare treatments, hopefully opening much-needed new doors for this group of patients.

In the OR

Not all clinical trials are to test new drug therapies. A recent trial co-led by surgical oncologist Kari M. Rosenkranz, MD, offers patients with multiple breast tumors a safe new surgical option. The study showed that patients with two to three lesions in one breast who underwent breastconserving lumpectomy followed by radiation had similar rates of local recurrence as patients who had a single lesion. These results mean that some patients with multiple sites of disease in the same breast may choose breast-conserving surgery instead of the historically recommended mastectomy (full breast removal).

Ground breaking breast cancer research is happening in every corner of Dartmouth Cancer Center, bringing hope, new options and better outcomes to people living with breast cancer and their loved ones.

Above: Linda Vahdat is one of the leaders in breast medical oncology.

A story of survival and support: Paula Margenau’s breast cancer journey

Amidst the COVID pandemic, Paula Margenau stumbled upon a pencil-tip-sized lump in her breast, a discovery that would alter the course of her life. After meeting with her primary care provider, Paula entrusted her care to Dr. Lana Shikhman at Elliot Breast Health Center. The subsequent biopsy confirmed Paula’s diagnosis: Stage 2b ductile carcinoma with lymph node involvement. This revelation set the stage for Paula’s journey through a partial mastectomy, skillfully performed with the removal of multiple lymph nodes.

After a follow-up surgery, Paula underwent six months of chemotherapy at The Solinsky Center for Cancer Care at The Elliot, followed by two months of radiation, while

steadfastly maintaining her full-time work commitments.

Paula expresses gratitude for the support of her husband, Keith, and her cancer care providers. “Dr. Shikhman is wonderful. She’s such a strong, confident woman. She and her assistant explained everything and always took the time to sit with us. I would recommend them to anyone.” Dr. Josy Mathew, Paula’s oncologist, also provided expert care and a reassuring presence throughout her journey.

Paula’s resilience and hope in the face of adversity are an inspiration to all who have the privilege of hearing her story. Like Paula, you can be confident that our team at Elliot Breast Health Center is by your side every step of the way.

with their classic Jeep that carried them to every appointment.

Nationally accredited for excellence in breast health & breast cancer care

As the only hospital in the seacoast with this accreditation, our patients have access to a wide range of services:

Fellowship-trained breast surgeon Rong Tang, MD and plastic surgeon Kimberly Marble, MD.

Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services such as mammography with 3D tomosynthesis, wire-free localization lumpectomy, Hidden Scar surgery and other specialized procedures.

A multidisciplinary team approach with nurse navigation to coordinate breast cancer care.

Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.

Rong Tang, MD, fellowship-trained breast surgeon

Manchester mom credits her son with DETECTING her breast cancer early

By Robert Cook

Robin Trafton describes her 3-year-old boy, Chase, as a typical kid who enjoys playing with his parents on their bed. A year ago, Chase actually helped save his mom’s life.

Just before she was scheduled to meet with Dartmouth Health Breast Surgeon Kimberly Ellis in October 2022, Trafton says she and Chase were playing on her bed.

“My son, a rambunctious 3-year-old, was wrestling on the bed with me and fell and crashed into my breast and I felt a lump,” Trafton recalls. “This was very apparent. It felt like a marble and was where it shouldn’t be.”

“I’ve been very proactive about keeping up with my screenings and my doctors,” she says. “I have had a history of breast cancer in my family with breast cancer. Both of my grandmothers had it.”

When she met with Ellis and told her about the lump, Ellis called for an ultrasound. Trafton says she had a previous ultrasound that detected a fibroadenoma, a benign breast tumor, and they were hopeful it would turn out to be the same thing.

A Dartmouth Health radiologist decided Trafton should have a biopsy in November following the ultrasound. The radiologist called with the results on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

“I wasn’t nervous or anything. I was just thinking it was probably another fibroadenoma,” Trafton says. “Then the radiologist told me it was cancer, and obviously that immediately shook me. I called my husband, my best friend, I was in tears.”

Right from the start, Dartmouth Health staff members stayed positive and offered her hope that because the tumor was detected early, she had a great chance to beat cancer. Subsequent tests provided some hopeful signs.

Trafton says genetic testing showed she did not have any issues with her BRCA genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are examples of genes that raise a person’s cancer risk if they become

altered. Having a variant BRCA gene greatly increases a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Trafton received more good news when her MRI showed the cancer had not spread into her lymph nodes. “Dr. Ellis was confident that with the surgery, we could remove it,” Trafton says.

Trafton recalls that Ellis never pressured her patient to choose a specific treatment, but explained the options that ranged from a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and chemotherapy or radiation once the tumor was removed.

Trafton says that Ellis was very proactive when it come to her diagnosis and very thorough. “She said, ‘It’s your body, and you have to live in it for the rest of your life and you have to make the decision that is right for you.’”

Trafton says she elected to go with a mastectomy with a latissimus dorsal flap. Her surgeon would take some muscle tissue and nerves from her back to reconstruct the area where her left breast would be removed. This would allow her doctor to replace the breast tissue and support the breast implant they put

Robin Trafton, her husband and her son, Chase.

into the area, Trafton adds.

She also consulted with Dartmouth Health Plastic Surgeon Dr. Michael Tantillo. When Trafton suggested that both of her breast should be removed, she recalls Tantillo saying, “’Well, if you have cancer in one of your legs, you don’t chop off both of your legs.’”

“With his guidance, I did not do a double mastectomy because it was not needed,” Trafton says.

Trafton had her surgery at Elliot Hospital in Manchester on Jan. 11, 2023. A reduction was also performed on her right breast to make the size of both breasts proportional. Being able to have the surgery performed close to home enabled her to go home to recovery by lunchtime the following day.

“Dr. Ellis said that when I woke up from surgery, I woke up cancer free,” Trafton says. “The most painful part of the recovery was actually the surgery that was done on my back.” She also had to recover while lying on her back, which made it even more painful.

Trafton received more good news when she had her follow up appointment with an oncologist. She learned she did not need chemotherapy. Trafton says she was prescribed hormone blockers because she had a hormone receptive tumor removed. She will have to be on them for five to 10 years.

When she had her follow up appointment with Ellis, Trafton was told she was cancer free. “The staff at Dartmouth Health were wonderful,” she adds.

Within six weeks of her surgery, Trafton says she was up and around and resuming her routine, which includes her job at an Epsom company that specializes in offering continuing education courses for dentists and hygienists. She has worked there for 20 years.

“I just know that my experience with Dartmouth was incredible,” Trafton says. “I have full range of motion, and I feel good so I can keep up with my 3-year-old.”

Chase, who turned 4 this October, and Matthew, Trafton’s husband, are grateful that she is doing well.

“I feel fortunate. I do not feel like a survivor per se because I did not have as tough of a road as other people may have,” Trafton says. “I can honestly thank my 3-year-old for smashing into me.”

Trafton continues to be diligent about doing her mammogram screenings and follow up appointments. She also vows to do more selfexams. She knows that early detection made all the difference.

“If my story can help someone else, that would be amazing,” she says.

Southern New Hampshire Radiology

BETSY ANGELAKIS, MD

“Our

Financial and Emotional Support During Breast Cancer Treatment

Our Mission

To provide financial and emotional support to BREAST CANCER PATIENTS and their families on the seacoast of New Hampshire and in southern Maine

How We Help

Patient Assistance Grants: Help with housing payments, utility bills, groceries, household cleanings, and basic needs. Hope Chests: We provide gift cards for gas, groceries, and other household necessities.

Wellness Programs: New Patient Bags are filled with comforting gifts and local resources. Funding for yoga classes and breast cancer retreats.

Roisin Bettencourt shares her breast cancer journey and unexpected joy

In 2016, Roisin Bettencourt’s life took an unwelcome turn when a lump in her breast led her down a path she never imagined.

Her journey started with an ultrasound at Foundation Radiology followed immediately by a mammogram at deNicola Breast Health Center at Southern New Hampshire Health. Afterward, the team wasted no time bringing her directly to Foundation Surgery to discuss biopsy and the road ahead.

Roisin navigated her cancer diagnosis with the team at Foundation Hematology/Oncology. Under the care of Dr. Guatami Rao, Roisin made her priorities known. She wanted a career, a normal life, and the opportunity to visit the one department of the hospital she hadn’t

visited yet – The Birth Place. Little did she know that she would soon welcome a son into the world. However, 15 months into motherhood, back pain led Roisin back to the hospital. Doctors discovered cancer in her spine and liver. This time, Dr. Rao collaborated with Dr. Isakoff of Massachusetts General Hospital, and by December, the cancer in Roisin’s spine had been radiated. Roisin began targeted therapy, and she continues to show stable scans today.

“Every member of the team took great care of me and my family during a scary time. I want other people to know they are in good hands,” says Roisin. The Southern New Hampshire Health team works to bring world-class care and peace of mind to Roisin and you every day.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENDAL J BUSH

Roisin Bettencourt is living her best life with courage and resilience.

Introducing the Smart Breast MRI scan at CMC’s Breast Care Center

Smart Breast MRI scan is the smart choice for women at high risk for breast cancer. Dense breast tissue may limit the ability for a regular mammogram to detect cancer. The Smart Breast MRI scan, however, uses contrast to enhance cancerous lesions, even in dense breast tissue. This allows for better visualization of the breast, leading to earlier detection, more effective treatment options and optimal treatment outcomes.

The technology behind Smart Breast MRI scan is based on the latest research in diagnostic imaging and provides the highest quality images in the shortest amount of time. CMC’s Breast Care Center offers a Smart Breast MRI scan that is performed in just 12 to 15 minutes. During the Smart Breast MRI scan,

contrast dye is injected into your vein (through an IV line), allowing our breast imaging specialist to detect abnormalities clearly and accurately even in dense breast tissue. There is no radiation exposure or breast compression, making this a comfortable choice for patients at high risk or with dense breast tissue.

The new Smart Breast MRI scan allows our patient to get back to doing the things she loves the most!

After a Smart Breast MRI scan, our patient can feel more confident she is cancer-free and has greater peace of mind to enjoy life more fully. This is just one of the many ways we are able to fulfill our “pinky promise” in delivering the highest quality imaging with the latest innovation!

2023 NEW HAMPSHIRE

FIVE STAR AWARD WINNERS

These days, it takes a village to manage your financial world. Whether it is managing your assets with a wealth manager, navigating the ever-changing tax landscape, sorting out your estate and succession planning or picking the right life insurance, finding the right team can be a daunting task. In fact, many consumers have a hard time figuring out where to even begin.

Sometimes, a few simple questions can put you off on the right path. Asking a professional what makes working with them a unique experience can help you understand how they work and if their style meshes with your own.

This is a great place to start! Five Star Professional uses its own proprietary research methodology to name outstanding professionals, then works with publications such as New Hampshire Magazine to spread the word about award winners. Each award candidate undergoes a thorough research process (detailed here) before being considered for the final list of award winners. For the complete list of winners, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com.

RESEARCH DISCLOSURES

In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers and investment professionals, award candidates are identified by one of three sources: firm nomination, peer nomination or prequalification based on industry standing. Self-nominations are not accepted. New Hampshire-area award candidates were identified using internal and external research data. Candidates do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final lists of Five Star Wealth Managers or Five Star Investment Professionals.

• The Five Star award is not indicative of a professional’s future performance.

• Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets.

• The inclusion of a professional on the Five Star Wealth Manager list or the Five Star Investment Professional list should not be construed as an endorsement of the professional by Five Star Professional or New Hampshire Magazine

• Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager, Five Star Investment Professional or any professional is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected professionals will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future.

• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice. For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager or Five Star Investment Professional award programs, research and selection criteria, go to fivestarprofessional.com/research.

Financial Planning

Michael W. Beck ∙ LPL Financial

Christian Allen Beliveau ∙ LPL Financial

James S. Brophy ∙ Brophy Wealth Management, LLC

Stephen A. Brophy ∙ Brophy Wealth Management, LLC

Gregory Scott Caulfield ∙ Morgan Stanley

Susan Weidner Cooke ∙ Baystate Financial

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. Eligibility Criteria – Required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative. 2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years. 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards. 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered: 6. One-year client retention rate. 7. Five-year client retention rate. 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered. 9. Number of client households served. 10. Education and professional designations. 1,017 award candidates in the New Hampshire area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 89 (approximately 9% of the award candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.

FIVE STAR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

The investment professional award goes to estate planning attorneys, insurance agents and select others in the financial industry. Eligibility Criteria – Required: 1. Credentialed with appropriate state or industry licensures.

2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years.

3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered:

5. One-year client retention rate. 6. Five-year client retention rate. 7. Number of client households served. 8. Recent personal production and performance (industry specific criteria). 9. Education and professional designations/industry and board certifications. 10. Pro Bono and community service work. This year, we honored 2 New Hampshire-area

All award winners are listed in this publication.

James Raymond Dearden ∙ Baystate Financial

W. John Dulmage ∙ Financial Pathways

Duane Goodell ∙ Optimum Wealth LLC

Daniel Grossman ∙ Financial Strategies

Retirement Partners Page 3

Jeffrey W. Keefe ∙ Whole Wealth Management, LLC Page 5

Sarah Kenda ∙ Financial Strategies

Retirement Partners Page 3

Cynthia L. Kordys ∙ Centaurus Financial

Nichole Raftopoulos ∙ Nvest Financial, LLC Page 2

Michael Riddell ∙ LPL Financial

Luke J. Trotochaud ∙ Brophy Wealth Management, LLC

Investments

Lou Athanas Jr. ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 4

Jeremy W. Benoit ∙ Benoit Financial Planners Page 4

Ethan C. Betts ∙ Baystate Financial

Al Gilbert ∙ Financial Strategies Retirement Partners Page 3

Celeste M. Monaghan ∙ Monaghan Investment Resources LLC

Shawn Monty ∙ Financial Strategies Retirement Partners Page 3

Continued on FS-5

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. SelfHampshire-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 89 (9% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

Nvest Financial, LLC

Building Financial Confidence, One Relationship at a Time

Nvest is an independent nancial boutique working with people just like you: diverse, nancially established individuals, families, business owners and nonpro t organizations who demand the highest quality of service and attention to detail in their nancial matters.

Founded in 2003, Nvest’s mission is built around providing clients with a holistic nancial planning and investment experience. A team-centric approach allows Nvest to be a true nancial partner with its clients.

Above all else, Nvest’s core values guide the team’s day-to-day activities, resulting in an experience like no other.

2 International Drive, Suite 110 • Portsmouth, NH 03801

Phone: 207-985-8585

info@nvestfinancial.com • www.planwithnvest.com

Securities offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Nvest Financial, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor, are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth. Fixed insurance products and services are separate from and not offered through Commonwealth Financial Network. Financial Planning services offered through Nvest Financial are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,017 New Hampshire-area YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2022:

registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. This year, we honored 2 New Hampshire-area investment professionals

Left to right: Dinon Hughes; Meagan MacKinnon; Jordan Formichelli; Phoebe Coburn; Jack McGrath; George Raftopoulos; Seven-year winner Nichole Raftopoulos; Joseph Alger; Stacey DeBartolo; Justin Happ; Daphne Lafazan; Mina Sullivan

Financial Strategies Retirement Partners

Financial Planning for Businesses and Individuals

Our passion is promoting nancial wellness.

With decades of experience working with businesses and individuals, our team is committed to delivering solutions to meet clients’ speci c goals and objectives. When working with individuals, we provide comprehensive nancial planning services. For businesses, we provide 401(k) and 403(b) advice, employee education and act as co- duciaries on each retirement plan we serve. Our team appreciates the trust our clients have placed in us. We are pleased that Shawn, Al, Sarah and Daniel have received the 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award and are honored to share it.

At FSRP, we are proud of our a liation with Commonwealth Financial Network, the nation’s largest privately held Registered Investment Adviser and independent broker/dealer.

• Experienced team of professionals

• Comprehensive financial planning strategies

• Retirement plan solutions for businesses

Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Financial Strategies Retirement Partners (FSRP) is a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed insurance and financial planning services offered by FSRP are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. SelfHampshire-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 89 (9% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required:

1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

Left to right: 2013 – 2023 winner Al Gilbert, Partner, AIF®; Kim Hamel; Jim Monahan, CFP®; Dotty Snook; 2012 – 2023 winner Shawn Monty, Managing Partner, AIF®; 2020 – 2023 winner Sarah Kenda, Partner, AIF®; Ted Mulligan, CFP®; Crystal Grenier; Travis Labrie, AIF®; Jamie Perkins; 2021 – 2023 winner Daniel Grossman, Partner, AIF®; Dave Prendergast, CFP®; Forrest Butler, AIF®; Renee Talcott; (Not pictured: Michele Estey; Erica Warburton)

One

The Athanas Group at Morgan Stanley

World-Class Resources

19 Chenell Drive, Suite 1A Concord, NH 03301 Phone: 603-506-6233 jeremy@benoitfp.com www.benoitfp.com

•

• 37 years of wealth management experience

• Professional portfolio management services

• Individual retirement planning and retirement income solutions

If you have investable assets of $500,000 or more and value the experience of a seasoned advisory team with access to the resources of Morgan Stanley, we invite you to call for a con dential, no-obligation consultation to discuss strategies to help preserve and grow your capital.

Jeremy W. Benoit

Creating Financial Plans For Over 30 Years

At Benoit Financial Planners, we work with employers interested in providing employer-sponsored retirement plans for their employees and individuals and families interested in developing a plan to assist in achieving their nancial goals. The long-standing relationships we cultivate with clients are the foundation Benoit Financial Planners is built upon. With more than 65 years of combined nancial services experience, our team strives to provide clients with exceptional service that is prompt, professional and friendly.

Our objective is to develop meaningful relationships built on integrity and proven long-term service. We hold the trust our clients place in us with the highest regard.

As independent advisors, our loyalties lie with our clients. We have no incentive to choose one company over another and believe the client should be in control of how best to use the resources available at Benoit Financial Planners. Our goal is to empower clients and facilitate a thorough working knowledge of their nancial plans through ongoing education.

ered through Axiom Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Benoit Financial Planners and Cambridge are not a liated.

completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,017 New use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2022: 979, 87, 9%, 9/1/22, 12/20/21 - 6/17/22; 2021: 943, 96, 10%, 9/1/21, 2017: 739,

registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. This year, we honored 2 New Hampshire-area investment professionals

Left to right: Laura Voigt, Registered Client Service

Colby Athanas, Financial

2012 – 2023 winner Lou Athanas Jr., Senior Vice

Portfolio Management

Financial Advisor

Left to right: David Carter; Michelle Huffman; Elyse Wholey; Five-year winner Jeremy W. Benoit

CRPC®, AIF®, Lic. 2277073

WEALTH MANAGERS — INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS

Jeffrey W. Keefe

Senior Financial Advisor, AIF®, Founding Principal

200 Marcy Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Office: 603-766-8705

jkeefe@wholewealthmanagement.com www.wholewealthmanagement.com

Experience Financial Well-being

• Fiduciary standard

• Comprehensive financial planning

• Investment management

• Tax-e icient retirement income planning

At Whole Wealth Management, our only allegiance is to our clients and their financial wellbeing. As an independent financial advisor, we operate free of any corporate sales pressure or incentives. You can feel confident knowing that our advice is aligned with your best interest and tailored to meet your objectives in the most optimal way.

Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Advisory services offered through Whole Wealth Management, LLC are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth Financial Network.

Wealth Managers

Irina V. Andreasen ∙ Andreasen Financial

Charles Matthew Beynon ∙ Seacoast Financial Planning

Steven Laurent Bissonnette ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Elizabeth Ann Bowen ∙ Morgan Stanley

Nancy Catherine Burt ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Ryan Joseph Callaghan ∙ Harbor Group

William James Collins ∙ MAI Capital Management

Brian Edward Conway ∙ Axiom Advisors, LLC

Patrick Leland Curtin ∙ Curtin Financial Services

Nicolas Timmothy Crieg Curtis ∙ Seacoast Financial Planning

James Theocharis Dimos ∙ Advisory Resource Group

Michael T. Dimos ∙ Baystate Financial

Gary Stephen Dionne ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Scott Lee Dudley ∙ LPL Financial

Eric Mcguire Ellis ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Colleen Eleanor Farley ∙ Robbins Farley

Timothy C. Fitzbag ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Eric Keith Folia ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Thomas George Goodwin ∙ FL Putnam Investment Management

Torrey Leslie Greene ∙ Seneca Insurance Agency, LLC

Travis Nathaniel Grieb ∙ Centeras Private Wealth

Joseph Henry Guyton ∙ The Guyton Group

John Franklin Habig ∙ Morgan Stanley

Jon Phillip Harrison ∙ Northeast Planning Associates

Curtis Wade Hermann ∙ Wells Fargo Advisors

Edward John Hickey Jr. ∙ Eagle Point

Investment Advisors

Chris John June ∙ Sweeney Financial Management

Brian F. Keane ∙ Prolman & Keane Financial LLC

Drew Dawson Kellner ∙ Lumbard & Kellner

Robert James Kennelly ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Douglas Elliott Kerr ∙ Investmark

Kevin Leland Kimball ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Stephen Michael Lamoureux ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Andrew Peter Lane ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

David Britt Lanzillo ∙ Robbins Farley

Norman Stephen Long ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Stephen John Lozan ∙ Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Rae Michael MacWilliam ∙ MacWilliam Financial Group

Gregory R. Mason ∙ Mason Financial Group

Jeffrey Robert Mason ∙ Mason Financial Group

Jean Marie Mathieu ∙ Legacy Financial Solutions

Stephen Norman Mathieu ∙ Legacy Financial Solutions

Terence Gage Mccormick ∙ Centegrity Wealth Advisors

David Harold McLaughlin ∙ Nutfield Financial Services Ltd

Seth Patrick McNally ∙ Morgan Stanley

Scott A. Minichiello ∙ Merrill Lynch

Lynn Marie Munoz ∙ Mariner Private Wealth

Mangement

James Michael O’Donoghue ∙ Compass Rose

Private Investment Management

Karen Anne O’Donoghue ∙ Compass Rose

Private Investment Management

Joseph George Okeefe ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Gary William Pelletier ∙ Northeast Planning Associates

Denise E. Petrin ∙ Merrill Lynch

Beth Anne Plentzas ∙ LPL FInancial

Erik M. Potts ∙ Summit Wealth Group

Andrea Anne Riley Arnesen ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Kimberley Mckenna Robinson ∙ Mascoma Wealth Management

Andrew Marvin Rocco ∙ Baystate Financial

Mary Vinodhini Smith ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Kevin Charles Soles ∙ KCS Advisors, LLC

Thomas Edward Space ∙ Advisors Financial Planning Group

Clifton Roy Spinney ∙ Wells Fargo Advisors

Paul Stephen Stanley ∙ Granite Bay Wealth Management

Jason David Sweatt ∙ PFS Investments

Mary Gail Sycamore ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Gary Francis Wallace ∙ LPL FInancial

Scott Travis White ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Mark Daniel Whitney ∙ Wells Fargo Advisors

Investment

Professionals

Candice M. O’Neil ∙ Hudkins and O’Neil PLLC

Jason M. Rifkin ∙ Lane Rifkin, PLLC

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Selfcompleted questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,017 New Hampshire-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 89 (9% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format:

#

189, 18%, 9/1/14, 2/6/14 - 7/19/14; 2013: 1,049, 204, 19%, 9/1/13, 2/6/13 - 7/19/13; 2012: 743, 170, 23%, 9/1/12, 2/6/12 - 7/19/12.

1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. This year, we honored 2 New Hampshire-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required:

A wealth manager can help with retirement planning, legal planning, estate planning, banking services, philanthropic planning and risk management.

Events

Editor’sChoice

for October 2023

October 7

Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival > Beer, chili and a crisp fall Saturday — will that trio ever go out of style? At this 11-year-old festival, sample brews from more than 50 breweries and cideries, and eat to your heart’s content from the dozen-plus chili competitors. Don’t forget to cast your vote — the winner at this contest is selected via the people’s choice. $10-$60. 1 to 4 p.m., Swasey Parkway, Exeter. powderkegbeerfest.com. New Hampshire Magazine is a proud sponsor of this event.

September 24-October 31

Plainfield Pumpkin People > Pumpkins are fun and present many opportunities to express your creativity, but what about making pumpkin people out of them? The town of Plainfield is celebrating its 11th anniversary of this unique event. Grab your camera and jump in the car to see what you can find. Free. Plainfield. Facebook

September 30 - October 1

24th Annual Craft Festival on the Lake > Enjoy the crisp autumn on Lake Winnipesaukee while looking through the works of over 75 artisans. There will be traditional American-made arts and crafts and samplings of specialty artisan foods. Free. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Mill Falls

Marketplace, 312 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith. (603) 332-2616; castleberryfairs.com

Mondays and Saturdays throughout October

Graveyard Tour > Calling all who enjoy the cozy, spooky feeling that comes with autumn in New England! Get in the Halloween spirit and join the crew at Castle in the Clouds on a walk around the property to view the remnants of cemeteries from long ago. You’ll also view the accompanying cellar holes, discussing the families who lived there and the funerary traditions for each appropriate time period. $12. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., Castle in the Clouds, 455 Old Mountain Road, Moultonborough. castleintheclouds.org

October 1

Buddy Guy > At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Come see the legendary Buddy Guy at the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord. $85-$115. 7 p.m., Capital Center for the Arts, 44 South Main St., Concord. (603) 225-1111; ccanh.com

PHOTO BY ALLIE BURKE PHOTOGRAPHY

COURTESY PHOTO

October 6-8

Milford Pumpkin Festival > It’s decorative gourd season, and this 34-year-old fête is one of the state’s largest pumpkin festivals. Highlights include a giant pumpkin weigh-in contest, a scarecrow-making tent, carnival rides and more. Free. Times vary, Milford Oval, 1 Union Square, Milford. milfordpumpkinfestival.org

October 6-8

Warner Fall Foliage Festival > Fall lovers unite, because this one’s for you. The best part? It’s all free. Come and celebrate the rural life and vibrant foliage at this family-friendly community festival. Two days of events include a lineup of open-air concerts, a 5K road race, a kids’ fun run and dance party, street performers, food, amusement rides and more. Free. Times vary, Main Street, Warner. wfff.org

October 7

Apple Harvest Day > Pumpkins aren’t the only produce that get a little love this month. Dover’s fall

Editor’sChoice

festival focuses on the season’s sweeter favorite, with a 400-strong crafter fair, live entertainment and plenty of eats — apple-themed and otherwise. Join over 60,000 people expected to attend as you enjoy the slate of signature events, including everything from an apple pie contest to a 5K. Free. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Dover. (603) 742-2218; dovernh.org

October 7-8

Lakes Region Parade of Homes Tour > This local home show and design tour has been an annual tradition hosted by the Lakes Region Builders & Remodelers Association since 2007. The self-guided tour features stunning, professionally designed new and renovated homes in Lakes Region communities. $20. lakesregionparadeofhomes.com

October 7-9

White Mountain Oktoberfest > With festivities including pumpkin-painting, water-balloon-launching, a stein-carry and keg-roll relay — plus, of course,

plenty of beer and brats — this Granite State German fest may be the granddaddy of them all. It’s the perfect opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones during the weekend’s full lineup of activities and entertainment. Free. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Loon Mountain Resort, 60 Loon Mountain Road., Lincoln. (603) 745-8111; loonmtn.com

October 8

Mount Sunapee Duck Drop > This family-fun event is a part of the weekend fall festival and pig roast. Rubber ducks will be dropped from the chairlift, aimed at targets on Mount Sunapee. The afternoon is full of fun and prizes, including a chance to win $1 million. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with awards presented at 3 p.m. Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 New Hampshire Route 103, Newbury. nhduckdrop.com

October 5-31

Haunted Overload > This Granite State Halloween classic is back for another year of scares and haunts. Winner of “The Great Halloween Fright Fight of 2014” on ABC, this frightful walk is one of the most creative attractions in the world. Experience one-of-a-kind props, set designs, a real headless horseman, and hundreds of lighted pumpkins and monsters looming over the crowd, some as tall as 42 feet. The attention to detail is apparent during both the nighttime haunt and walking through during the day with no actors. Stop by and see what all the talk is about, and enter if you dare. $12-$35. Times vary, DeMeritt Hill Farm, 20 Orchard Way, Lee. hauntedoverload.com

Editor’sChoice

October 31

Portsmouth Halloween Parade > Start practicing your monster mash. The Port City’s cult-favorite event turns 28 this year, and the costumes (and camaraderie) promise to be bigger and better than ever. Everyone is invited to dress up and meet at Peirce Island for this celebration of community and creativity. Free. 7 p.m., Peirce Island, Portsmouth. portsmouthhalloweenparade.org

October 14

New Hampshire Brewfest > Held at Cisco Brewers in Portsmouth, this festival includes 5-ounce souvenir sampler cups, beer samples, live music and entertainment. It is also a special fundraiser for the Prescott Park Arts Festival in partnership with Master Brewers Association of America and WHEB’s The Morning Buzz. $20-$80. 12 to 4 p.m., Cisco Brewers Portsmouth, 35 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth. nhbrewfest.com

October 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29

Children’s Trick or Treat > Charmingfare Farm’s trick-or-treat is perfect for little ghouls and boils who don’t want to be scared, but still want the excitement of wearing their favorite costume for a Halloween adventure. There will be five special attractions featuring candy shops for trick-or-treating like the Witch in the Woods and Barnyard Candy. $29. Times vary, Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St., Candia. (603) 483-5623; visitthefarm.com

October 15

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer > While walking though pumpkins and foliage may get the lion’s share of attention in New Hampshire this time

of year, the fruits of fall aren’t the only thing October is known for. Celebrate this month’s status as Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the American Cancer Society’s popular fundraising walks. This year’s New Hampshire walks will take place in cities from Concord to Exeter — check the website for the one nearest you. Times, dates and locations vary. secure. acsevents.org

October 21

Howl-O-Ween 5K > This is a dog-friendly 5K road race at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Not only does the event raise funds for animals in need, but it’s also a great opportunity for pets and their owners to be active together. You are encouraged to celebrate Halloween early by dressing up in your favorite costume. All proceeds will benefit the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire. $5-$50. 10 a.m., Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, 1 Line Drive, Manchester. rescueleague.org/howloween5k

October 27-28

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival > Drive up to beautiful Laconia for New Hampshire’s premier pumpkin festival. Including a cornhole tournament, live music, artisans and crafts for sale, a costume

parade and, of course, plenty of pumpkins, this year’s fest is sure to be a blast. Free. 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, downtown Laconia. nhpumpkinfestival.com

October 28

The Runaway Pumpkin 10K and 5K Run & Walk > This race runs in conjunction with the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival. The 10K and 5K race courses offer views of the beautiful Lake Opechee. This annual event raises funds for the WOW Trail and Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Don’t miss this one. $10-$30. 9 a.m., Smith Track at Opechee Park, 879 North Main St., Laconia. (603) 630-4468; wowtrail.org/runawaypumpkin

Find additional events at nhmagazine.com/ calendar. Submit events eight weeks in advance to Elisa Gonzales Verdi (egonzalesverdi@nhmagazine.com) or enter your own at nhmagazine.com/calendar. Not all events are guaranteed to be published either online or in the print calendar. Event submissions will be reviewed and, if deemed appropriate, approved by a New Hampshire Magazine editor.

PHOTO BY KENDAL J. BUSH

Celebrating Women Through Connection

Today’s social groups exclusively for women celebrate the power of sisterhood

BY LYNNE SNIERSON

This isn’t your mother’s Red Hat Society.

That organization sprouted a quarter-century ago as a social organization for women over 50, and the ladies dressed in elaborately decorated red hats, outlandish purple outfits, and even feather boas and pearls when they gathered for afternoon tea parties.

Today’s social groups designed exclusively for women don’t have dress codes, and while the main objective remains fun and friendship, they have evolved into so much more.

The mandate of the Ladies of the Lake, which is based in Laconia and has 1,400 members from towns around Lake Winnipesaukee, is “Fun, Friendship and Community Service.” Another group just getting started in the same part of the state is the Lakes Region Ladies of Leisure for seniors who are retired or semi-retired from their careers.

Both groups, and others like them here in New Hampshire and across the country, create authentic connections, celebrate the power of sisterhood and revel in the magic

that happens when women support women.

“The reason I decided to do the startup with the Lakes Regions Ladies of Leisure is because I’m involved in the group at The Villages, and I’m a top contributor there,” says Sylvia Pierce, 72, who lives in Gilford for six months of the year and at the wellknown retirement community in Florida for the other half of the year.

“I’m doing this in New Hampshire now, because the concept works so well everywhere else. You cannot believe how many women are trying to get into our group in The Villages,” Pierce says. “We were going to cap it at 1,500, and now we’re at 3,000. Women want this and really enjoy this. There is a definite need. My New Hampshire group is small, but it’s the same. It’s meeting new friends and making new besties. We’re all about women supporting women and becoming sisters.”

It’s an established fact that as people age, and as they leave the workforce, their social circles shrink. It’s inevitable that at the same time their families become smaller.

“In our group at The Villages, we’re each

creating a new family,” says Pierce, who adds individual bonds are formed organically through participation in a wide variety of fun events and interesting, informative and entertaining activities.

The Ladies of the Lake is the brainchild of Holly Ruggieri, 58, of Laconia. She and Pierce don’t know one another, but they could be soul sisters.

“I started this in 2015 because my kids were fully grown and I had a lot of friends, but the times we’d see each other were when our kids played sports or at school functions. Once your kids are grown, the question is, what circles do we run in now? Where do we meet people? Where do we hang out? So I threw my idea out there one day and it stuck,” she says. “I put it out there on my social media, and it just took off and kept growing. The membership quickly went from 200 to 500 to 700, and we said, ‘What is going on here?’ It’s the most amazing thing.”

What’s going on is that women from all walks of life want real connection. They want to find their own personal “tribe.”

“We have women in our group who moved to the area and didn’t know anyone, and after they show up at one meeting they never leave. They’ve made new lifelong friends. It’s really kind of cool,” Ruggieri says.

Like the other groups, The Ladies of the Lake has a substantial and diverse assortment of events for its members to pick and choose from, and new events are added every month so the offerings don’t get stale. They include movie nights, live theater or comedy shows, live music concerts, a Boston Red Sox or New Hampshire Fisher Cats game, a cake- or cookie-decorating event, a paint night, a craft night, cruises on the Mount Washington, dinner parties, lunches at a lakeside spot, a book club and much more.

“Being in a group like this is really good for women who don’t have a partner and want to get out and do things, but don’t want to go alone. It’s equally good for women who are

From left to right: Holly Ruggieri, Kathy Drouin, Debbie Wallace, Melissa Drew, Natalie Rajak and Kara Murray.

Making connections

Healthy relationships are a key to happy and successful aging. All across New Hampshire, there are social groups for seniors and for older women specifically.

If you’re looking to link with one in your area, check out Meetup.com for lists including SSWS, Senior Single Women Socializers (65+) and No Rocking Chair For Us (55+), both in Nashua, and the Manchester Retired Single Women’s Meetup Group.

Should you prefer to be a keyboard connecter, AARP’s The Ethel has a popular online newsletter for women over 55, a Facebook page and The Ethel Circle, which is a Facebook group with 42,000 members and bills itself as community of women smashing stereotypes about aging and celebrating life.

The network of senior centers crisscrossing the state is another place to start, or perhaps to get help starting your own group.

married to husbands who don’t want to do anything or go anywhere,” Pierce says.

Where these two groups differ is that the Ladies of the Lake has active members ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s, and their mission includes charitable endeavors with the focus on Make-A-Wish New Hampshire, the Lakes Region Children’s Auction, the Boys & Girls Club and helping area schools with needs.

“We’ve raised over $100,000 for community service throughout the Lakes Region,” Ruggieri says. “We do fun events all year round, and we do charity events the whole year. I have a fantastic board. Debbie Wallace and Kathy Drouin are my closest cohorts, and they are the two who help drive the train. We also have wonderful volunteers who help with all the events because we couldn’t do it alone. There is a large group of incredible women of all ages who have met through this group and are invested in this group. They help plan the events and run the fundraisers.”

Pierce’s New Hampshire group, which already numbers a dozen and is growing through word of mouth, intends to do some charitable work once fully established. But

for now, it’s about fun and friendship.

“We’re seniors. We worked hard all our lives and had a lot of responsibility and stress in our careers. We don’t want that at this stage of our lives. We just want to have fun. We want to laugh,” says Pierce, who hosts the weekly Martini Monday and Wined Down Wednesday events at The Villages.

“These groups for women, whether married or single, are increasingly more popular all over the country. As more women retire and search for real connection, it’s only going to get bigger,” Pierce says. “We all know that life is short, and our time is getting shorter, so let’s make the most of it. Let’s make new friends and enjoy life together.”

Even better, they don’t have to wear a red hat. NH

Learn more

For more information on Ladies of the Lake, check out the Facebook page, facebook.com/ groups/ladiesofthelakenh or the website, ladiesofthelakenh.com, where you can see the schedule of events and sign up for the newsletter.

The Doctor Is In

From same-day visits to house calls, direct primary care doctors offer New Hampshire residents a new health care model

BY KRYSTEN GODFREY MADDOCKS / ILLUSTRATION BY GLORIA DIIANNI

discovered a model which eliminates the middlemen that detract from the patientphysician relationship.”

The direct primary care model is a medical practice and payment model where patients pay their practice directly in the form of fees for primary care services. Rather than bill insurance, these practices charge patients a monthly fee, under terms of a contract, in exchange for access to a broad range of primary care and medical administrative services, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

At Active Choice Healthcare, adults over the age of 49 pay a $150 monthly fee. Younger adults (ages 19 to 39) pay $100 monthly, and children under 19 are charged $30 monthly. In exchange for these fees, patients can get physicals, be seen for sick visits, and even receive care for a number of infections and sports injuries. For an extra fee, Kropp can remove skin lesions and suture wounds in his office.

“There may be a time that I see people once a year, or I may see the same person three times in one week if there is something else going on,” Kropp says. “By simplifying the model, I can have fewer patients, spend more time with them and be available for them when they need me by whatever means is appropriate.”

You may feel sick today but quickly discover your health care provider can’t see you until next week.

If you decide to visit your local urgent care or walk-in care clinic instead, you may wait hours to see a provider you don’t know and pay a higher co-pay to use those services. Relying on the emergency room can result in long waits and quickly drain your savings, too. In New Hampshire, minor outpatient procedures at the ER cost an average of $386, according to New Hampshire Health Cost.

Patients across the country and in New Hampshire are becoming increasingly frustrated with the insurance-regulated health care system, and their doctors are, too, says

Dr. Eric Kropp, a board-certified family medicine doctor who owns and practices at Active Choice Healthcare in Concord.

Active Choice Healthcare is a direct primary care practice that charges patients a fixed monthly membership fee. Patients in the practice can quickly get same- or next-day appointments for sick visits with Kropp.

Because most direct primary care practices only see between 400 to 500 patients (compared to the 1,200 or 1,800 patients insurance-based providers see), they can spend much more time with them.

“I found that, over time, my ability to care for the whole patient became limited by time,” Kropp says. “And then, I

Kropp, who opened Active Choice Healthcare in 2016, trained at The New Hampshire Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency and practiced for six years at Penacook Family Physicians before opening up his solo practice. He sees a wide variety of patients, and most of them choose to see him because they appreciate a personalized approach.

Direct primary care providers can also help patients save money on simple in-office procedures and blood tests, Kropp says.

Bridging the primary health care gap In 2020, only 6.1% of the New Hampshire population was uninsured, which was

lower than the national rate of 8.8%, according to the University of New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice. But, even patients with coverage are looking for better options — and are willing to pay extra for it.

“Some people have excellent insurance, and this may cost them more than what they might pay if they were to go somewhere else,” Kropp says. “But they really want that quality and approach that old-time, small health care offered. They want somebody they can call their doctor, not an institution that’s their health care provider.”

He estimates that about a third of his patients are uninsured, and that his fee structure allows them to better estimate their primary care costs for the year. About a quarter of his patients are on Medicare and prefer a doctor who can spend time with them and answer their questions.

“The other camp is underinsured. They have their insurance plan, but maybe they have a $3,000 deductible, and one ER visit will eat up their entire deductible right there,” he says.

Direct primary care for pediatric patients

If you’ve been the parent of a newborn or toddler, you might remember how often you visited the doctor and how inconvenient it could be to bundle up your child and go. In 2021, Dr. Kelly Parker-Mello opened Tailored Pediatric Medicine in Portsmouth to give busy parents a convenient, personalized health care option for their children up to 22 years old.

Like Active Choice Healthcare, Tailored Pediatric Medicine does not accept health insurance. Families pay a monthly fee for services. In exchange, children and teens can be seen anytime and can contact Parker-Mello via telemedicine calls and secure text messaging.

Before she opened her direct care pediatric practice, Parker-Mello spent seven years practicing general pediatrics in Maine, where she saw patients during the day and did newborn rounds in the hospital. She moved to private practice in Newburyport, Mass., but still felt pressured to see as many patients as possible quickly.

“Insurance-based medicine felt like I was on a treadmill, while my patients were on a conveyor belt going by me,” she says. “My well visits lasted 20 minutes, and my sick visits were 10 minutes, including the nurse check-in.”

Tailored Pediatric Medicine’s monthly fee structure varies according to a child’s age. The fee for newborns is $250 per month, which includes home visits for the first two months. Children ages 1 to 4 can be seen for a $200 monthly fee, and a $150 monthly fee will cover children over age 4. Families are capped at $500 a month. Her fees include sick and well visits and medication management for mental health and chronic illnesses like asthma.

Parker-Mello also offers a special $2,000 home visit infant package, covering children up to 6 months old. It includes a prenatal visit, a home visit within the first three days after the baby comes home from the hospital, and seven to 10 more home visits within the first six months. All of these services come with unlimited texting.

“Parents love it. And I feel so lucky to be able to go into their home, sit on their carpet, hold their baby, and chat,” she says.

The first newborn visit lasts two hours and Parker-Mello is able to spend time talking to parents and offering lactation support.

Direct Pediatric care is not only for wealthy families, Parker-Mello says. Her patients include uninsured families and those on Medicaid. She also uses a sliding scale when needed.

The beginning of a new approach Kropp and Parker-Mello both encourage their patients to carry health insurance for services outside of the scope of primary care, including hospitalizations, X-rays and prescription drugs.

“We are not health insurance,” Parker-Mello says. “But by using us instead, you might be able to choose a catastrophic (less expensive) health plan. Your health care costs are predictable for everyday things (with direct care). I definitely encourage insurance, because health care can bankrupt people.”

People often ask how health care can be changed to provide patients with greater access to care and better cost transparency. The direct primary care model gives providers the breathing room to listen to patients and help them make decisions about their health care, Kropp says.

“I like to say that I’m doing my part one physician at a time and one patient at a time,” he says. “It’s the only way you can practice medicine really well.” NH

The Marvelous Tomato-Apple of Muster Field Farm

Each fall, Muster Field Farm Museum in North Sutton celebrates Harvest Day with music, crafts, produce, soup and so forth. If you haven’t visited Muster Field Farm, you oughta.

A little history: Matthew Harvey settled on the farm in 1772, and there he stayed, as did his descendants, for 150 years. In the 1940s, Bob Bristol’s family bought it, and there they stayed. Hardy souls; deep roots. Once you find a good spot, why move? As the old-timer said to the developer when offered millions for his patch, “If I sold my house, where would I live?”

Bob stipulated in his will that Muster Field continue as a working farm in perpetuity. And so it has: 250 acres of fields, gardens, woods and trails, open year-round. A Civil War encampment each summer recalls the musters from which it takes its name. On Ice Day each January, blocks are cut from Kezar Lake and stored in the ice house until needed come hot weather. Before refrigerators, trainloads of New Hampshire ice traveled south to fill the ice boxes of city folks in Boston and such places. Those same trains (it’s said) returned stacked with another economic boon: tourists.

In January 2010, it was my honor to

swap stories at a gathering of museum volunteers. It was cold. Wicked windy. Brutal. But folks showed up anyway. Naturally, the talk turned to the late founder, Bob Bristol. Since Bob’s farmhouse, vintage furniture intact, was open to the public, caretakers Carlton Bradford and Jack Noon decided to move one ratty old chair — Bob’s favorite, it seems — from the kitchen to the attic. (They didn’t throw it away, of course; Yankees don’t.)

When the farm manager noticed the chair’s absence, he was alarmed. “Oh no!” he said.

“Where’s Bob gonna sit?”

“I hope on his heavenly throne,” Carton replied.

Carlton Bradford has since ascended to his own heavenly throne — he died this March at age 97. But at our story session in 2010, he told about a judge from Philadelphia, who was rightly proud of his summer home in Sutton, Prospect House. On warm days, he’d invite locals to sit awhile on his verandah, enjoy a cool beverage and admire his orchard.

According to Carlton, “the boys in town” (Carlton didn’t admit to being one of them) played a trick on the judge. They sneaked into the orchard at night and tied

a Red Globe tomato with a bit of straw to a branch of the judge’s favorite apple tree.

The next day on the verandah enjoying a cool beverage, one of the boys called the judge’s attention to the tomato-apple. The judge was so excited, he summoned his wife for a viewing.

Meanwhile in the village, another of the boys — the school-bus driver — spread the word about the judge’s tomato-apple and gave a bunch of locals a bus ride to Prospect House. “We’ve come to see the tomatoapple,” they said as they disembarked.

There was nothing for the judge to do but invite the whole gang onto the verandah for cool beverages.

Meanwhile, another of the boys put an article in the local paper about the judge’s rare tomato-apple.

Everybody had a good laugh.

Until a few weeks later when a chauffeurdriven limousine pulled up at the judge’s house, and a fine Boston lady with an interest in horticulture emerged. She’d read the article and wished to discuss it with the judge. Seems she’d always been interested in crossing tomatoes and apples.

“How did you accomplish it?” she asked.

“Madam,” the judge said stone-faced, “It wasn’t easy.” NH

BY REBECCA RULE / ILLUSTRATION BY PETER NOONAN

You take care of the world around you.

Now it’s time to take care of yourself.

Early detection can stop breast cancer in its tracks and improve the odds of beating it. As one of only three National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in New England, Dartmouth Cancer Center is proud to deliver the most personalized, compassionate and advanced care available. So when it comes to cancer care, hope starts here

The best, where it matters most.

Schedule your screening at cancer.dartmouth.edu/breast/screening-mammograms