Powder Keg Beer and Chili Festival, Apple Harvest Day: 9 things to do this weekend

Jane Murphy, Portsmouth Herald
·6 min read

It must be full-on fall if we're talking apples, chili and beer festivals this weekend. You can enjoy every way to eat an apple from pies to butter at Dover's annual Apple Harvest Day or take in Exeter's Powder Keg Beer and Chili Festival or both. You can also start to get a little Halloween fun going at a party celebrating a new novella "Lore of the Jack-O'-Lantern" or at the annual rock show raising money for the Portsmouth Halloween Parade.

Songs of The Beatles reimagined

KITTERY, Maine — On Friday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m., there'll be "A Celebration of The Beatles" with MetaBeat at The Dance Hall, 7 Walker St., Kittery. This event is the opening evening of the Django by the Sea Festival, which celebrates gypsy jazz each year but took a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. Vocalist Taylor O’Donnell and Chris Klaxton (on trumpet, guitar and vocals) will join longtime Meta-Beat members Mark Shilansky, Eric Byers, Mark Poniatowski and Les Harris Jr. for a performance of the music of The Beatles (as well as the solo material of John, Paul, George and Ringo) with an original jazz twist. Tickets are $20 to $25 and can be purchased at portsmouthnhtickets.com.

'Lore of the Jack-O’-Lantern' Book Release Party

PORTSMOUTH — The Lore of the Jack-O’-Lantern Book Release Party is a hybrid book reading and music performance That will take place on Friday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth.

The first half of the event is a live reading from "Lore of the Jack-O’-Lantern," a horror novella written by Brian Serven and Illustrated by Dan Blakeslee. Illustrations from the book will be projected on a screen while Brian and six character actors read the story.

The second half of the event is a music performance by Dan Blakeslee as Doctor Gasp and the Eeks. Tickets available at 3Sarts.org.

Vendors will once again line Central Avenue in Dover for the 38th Apple Harvest Day presented by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Vendors will once again line Central Avenue in Dover for the 38th Apple Harvest Day presented by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Apple Harvest Day is Saturday

DOVER — The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will present Apple Harvest Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1 in downtown Dover.

There'll be more than 300 vendors, children's activities, entertainment and tons of food in two food courts along Central Avenue from Third Street down into Henry Law Park and the Rotary Arts Pavilion. The Apple Harvest Day 5K Road Race is at 8:30 a.m.

Apple Harvest Day 2022 in Dover: Here's what you need to know before you go

More: Street closures and parking restrictions for Apple Harvest Day and 5K Road Race

Powder Keg Beer and Chili Festival

The Powder Keg and Chili Festival will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next week at Swasey Parkway in Exeter. After a one-year hiatus, chili is back on the menu at the popular brewfest.
The Powder Keg and Chili Festival will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next week at Swasey Parkway in Exeter. After a one-year hiatus, chili is back on the menu at the popular brewfest.

EXETER — The Powder Keg Beer and Chili Festival takes place this Saturday, Oct. 1 along Swasey Parkway in Exeter. Chili is back this year with nine restaurants serving and there'll be a new kids' zone for family fun. The brew fest will be broken up into two sessions, noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., and tickets are available for both. Along with chili, Lexie’s burger bus, Seacoast Pretzel, and Exeter’s Friends 4 Oba will all be on hand as well. For tickets visit events.beerfests.com/e/powderkegbeerfest/tickets

More: Exeter’s Powder Keg and Chili Festival 2022: Expect beer, food trucks, family fun

20th annual BioBlitz

RYE — The Seacoast Science Center will hold its 20th annual BioBlitz on Saturday, Oct. 1. BioBlitz is a dawn-to-dusk community science event where families can discover the amazing biodiversity of Odiorne Point State Park while helping field experts collect data. Exploration teams will be birding, searching for insects, snakes and amphibians, exploring the freshwater pond and salt marsh, tracking mammals, identifying plants and seaweeds, tide pooling and more. You can sign up to participate in all or part of the day.

To learn more, visit seacoastsciencecenter.org. The event is free for members of the Seacoast Science Center; $15 for non-members ages 12-adult; $10 for non-members ages 3-11. Contact Katie Brodeur at 436-8043 or k.brodeur@sscnh.org for more information or to inquire how groups can get involved.

(I Gotta) Rock! Show to benefit Halloween Parade

PORTSMOUTH — The annual tradition continues on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 8 to 11  p.m. when the 17th annual (I Gotta) Rock! Show fundraiser for the Portsmouth Halloween Parade returns to The Press Room. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 21-plus show. The Rock Show will feature Zorp, Holden Brown and the Wishes, and Feverslip and will include the much-anticipated announcement of the parade's 2022 grand marshal. Tickets are $10 to $15 and available at eventbrite.com.

More: Parade of fundraisers for city's favorite fright night begins: Join the march to Halloween

Black Lives Matter Seacoast hosts 3rd annual gala

DOVER — Black Lives Matter Seacoast is inviting the community to its third annual gala celebrating a night of Black excellence Saturday, Oct. 1 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Rivermill at Dover Landing.

The keynote speaker will be Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, PhD, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire and a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World.

The featured performers for the night will be singer-songwriter Adrienne Mack-Davis and  Anthony Bounphakhom and The Block Collaborative of Portsmouth. Doug York of Exeter, who is the owner of 7North Coffee Co., will be behind the turntables. Najee Brown, creator of New England’s first BIPOC theater company, Theater for the People, will be the master of ceremonies. Dinner will be prepared by Chris Viaud, the chef and owner of Greenleaf and Ansanm, and a James Beard Award semifinalist most recently known for competing on Season 18 of "Top Chef." A silent art auction will feature creations from various local Black artists.

A ticket to the event includes coffee and tea, access to a bar with specialized wine and beer, appetizers, dinner and desserts. Formal attire is required. Tickets can be purchased at blmseacoast.com/gala.

Jazz Disciples concert to benefit GFWC

SEABROOK — The Exeter Area GFWC presents an evening with The Jazz Disciples performing American standards at The Brook in Seabrook as a fundraiser for the club on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. The Brook is located at 319 New Zealand Road in Seabrook. Find tickets at eventbrite.com.

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Django by the Sea: Night 2

KITTERY, Maine — On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Django by the Sea Festival continues at The Dance Hall in Kittery at 7:30 p.m. with the Ian Coury and Katherine Bent Duo, followed by the Rhythm Future Quartet, which was founded by violinist Jason Anick and performs dynamic and lyrical arrangements of both gypsy jazz standards and original compositions. For tickets, or for more information, visit DjangoByTheSea.com or TheDanceHallKittery.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Powder Keg Beer and Chili Festival, Apple Harvest Day: This weekend