Restaurant Week, art exhibits and concerts: 13 things to do this weekend
As November settles in, it still feels a lot like late summer here. The leaves have lost their vibrant colors and instead are carpeting the ground in autumn hues. It's Art Round Town this Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and it'll be a beautiful evening to stroll from gallery to gallery to view exhibits and maybe run into a few old friends. It's also time to head to our local restaurants where there's more room than a month ago and fall treats to enjoy. Fall Restaurant Week gives us the nudge we need to make a reservation and try out that place you've been meaning to check out. Go ahead, indulge yourself and your favorite dining partner. Winter is coming, but it's not here yet.
Fall Restaurant Week is here
Fall Restaurant Week Portsmouth and The Seacoast will begin Thursday, Nov. 3 and run through Saturday, Nov. 12. The 10-day culinary event, presented by the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth with support from the State of New Hampshire features three-course prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner at participating local restaurants. This fall, restaurants will be offering lunch at $25 per person and dinner at $45 per person.
This fall, there is a new Restaurant Week initiative to support local food pantries. Northeast Credit Union will donate $5 toward food insecurity initiatives for every Restaurant Week meal purchased, up to $5,000. Not only will you be wined and dined by the region’s favorite restaurants and chefs and be treated to specially priced menus, you will also be supporting the local food pantries. For more information and to see which restaurants are participating, visit restaurantweekportsmouth.com or www.goportsmouthnh.com
Bugs and Suds beer dinner at Portsmouth Brewery
On Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., the Portsmouth Brewery is going to host Bugs & Suds, a special beer dinner with a most unusual theme: insect-based cuisine. Insects have been an important source of human nutrition across the globe for millennia, and they are starting to appear on dinner tables here in our country. Bugs may turn out to be one of the keys to sustainable food production in a climate-changed world as well.
Forty of our most adventurous guests will sit down to a delicious, multi-course meal featuring dishes created by Chef Desmond Smith and Sous Chef Jorge Lopez, paired with beers selected for the occasion by head brewer John Bergeron. Tickets are $65. For tickets and the menu, visit portsmouthbrewery.com.
Game Night at Stages
There'll be a Game Night featuring a cribbage tournament in The Living Room at Stages at One Washington in Dover on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Players will play for a chance to win dinner for one in the kitchen at Stages. Reserve your spot at exploretock.com/stages-dining. Stages at One Washington is located at One Washington Street, Suite 3136 in Dover.
Wedgewood Festival in Rye
On Friday, Nov. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m., the second annual Wedgewood Festival will take place at the Rye Junior High School field and on the Rye school district's Wedgewood property at 501 Washington Road. Admission cost is $5 per person or $20 per family. An entry ticket includes one meal per person. Guests will enjoy comfort food prepared by Rye Junior High families in crockpots. Among the food choices are chili, soup, mac & cheese, meatballs, pasta or a slice of pizza.
Tickets will also be sold to enjoy carnival games designed by RJH 7th and 8th graders. You can buy tickets and take a chance and win a cake baked and decorated by 8th grade students in Life Skills class. New this year are the concession stands featuring treats like popcorn, donuts and cotton candy. Plus, there will be hot chocolate and cider sold & served by RJH 5th graders.
The festival will also include a 50/50 raffle; a DJ; and a bonfire with s’mores treats for roasting. Don’t forget to check out the student led tours of the beautiful wooded Wedgewood trails lined with luminary bags decorated by 4th graders from Rye Elementary School and pumpkins carved by 6th graders at RJH in math class. All proceeds from the event will support end of the year graduation trips for Rye Junior High classes of 2023 and 2024.
‘Buried in Trash' exhibit features work of Bob Thoresen
“Buried in Trash: Plastic is Poison for Our Planet” is a thought-provoking new art exhibit by abstract and mixed media artist Bob Thoresen, which will be open at N.H. Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery through Nov. 27. Using single use plastics of all types, he has created pieces inspired by abstract impressionist artists. Other pieces create awareness and convey information about how the excessive use of plastic pollutes our environment. Working with his grandson Jackson Swartzendruber as his assistant, Thoresen collected hundreds of plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic credit cards, plastic lids, plastic remnants, straws, and Styrofoam insulation and packing material. These materials were shaped into the various art pieces ranging in size from one foot square to three feet wide by five feet high. There'll be an opening reception on Friday, Nov. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery on State Street in Portsmouth, during the city's monthly Art Round Town event. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. Visit nhartassociation.org for more information.
Artisan Market
Rolling Green Nursery will host a two-day artisan market to showcase local crafters and artisans at its nursery located at 64 Breakfast Hill Road, in Greenland. Friday, Nov. 4 from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is an ideal opportunity to shop for the upcoming holiday season in Rolling Green’s beautiful, open-air greenhouse. Featured arts and crafts will include vendors in Jewelry; Paintings, Cards, and Calendars; Stained Glass; Textiles; Lampshades; Pottery; Leather Items; and Photographs. For more information visit www.RollingGreenNursery.com
Paul Hodes and The Blue Buddha Band at The Dance Hall
A night with The Blue Buddha is a riotous night of old-fashioned rock and roll, Americana, blues and psychedelia. The band is comprised of Paul Hodes on guitar and vocals, Jon Gabay on bass, Dean Rubine on keyboards, and Ed Raczka on drums. The Blue Buddha will play at The Dance Hall in Kittery on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate its new CD "Turn This Ship Around." Proceeds from CD sales are being donated to The Dance Hall. Tickets are $15 and available at thedancehallkittery.org.
Dance to Prince at Club 3S: Purple Rain
On Friday, Nov. 4, the monthly DJ dance session Club 3S will feature the music of Prince. Club 3S: Purple Rain will run from 8 p.m. to midnight at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth. Tickets are $12 and available at 3sarts.org.
Sarah Shook and The Disarmers at 3S
Sarah Shook and The Disarmers will perform with special guest Scout Gillett on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. Hailing from North Carolina, Shook sings with a conviction and hard honesty and The Disarmers take Sarah's unflinching tales out for some late-night kicks, according to the 3S Artspace website. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13 for members, $15 in advance for non-members and $18 day of show for non-members for this all ages, standing show. Visit 3sarts.org.
Rye Place to host art exhibit
Rye Place is holding a community art show featuring the paintings of local artist Susan Hennigan. There'll be an opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Rye Place Shopping Center, 150 Layfette Road, Rye. Members of the community are invited to attend. There will be light refreshments and plenty of free parking. The art exhibit will be on display through December.
Dawnland StoryFest returns to Strawbery Banke
For the second year, Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth will host Dawnland StoryFest, New Hampshire’s annual Native American Storytelling Festival, on Saturday, Nov. 5, in connection with the Museum’s Abenaki Heritage Initiative. The festival is free to attend, with a $10 suggested donation. Preregistration is required via StrawberyBanke.org/events/dawnland-storyfest.cfm.
The daylong festival takes place at the Museum in the TYCO Visitors Center, located at 14 Hancock St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees listen to storytelling “concerts” or performances by five experienced Indigenous storytellers and a keynote address by Gayle Ross (Cherokee). The keynote address will be broadcast via Zoom for virtual attendees. For more information, storyteller bios, and to preregister, visit StrawberyBanke.org.
Benefit concert for Old Berwick Historical Society
On Saturday, Nov. 5, local rock cover band, Earth 2 Rooney, will present a concert to benefit the Old Berwick Historical Society. The show will take place at American Legion Post No. 47 in Rollinsford, from 7 to 11 p.m. The historical society will mix in games and other fun throughout the show. Admission is a $10 suggested donation at the door. The band asks guests to please bring an unwrapped toy to donate for the upcoming holiday season. For more information, visit www.oldberwick.org.
Art Up Front Street Open Studios
Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery will hold Open Studios this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The eight studios there will feature oil paintings, acrylic paintings, landscapes, ceramic earrings, photography, prints, large abstracts, industrial quilts, collages, cards and metal sculpture. There'll be light bites, libations, a few specials and music. There'll ukulele favorites by Nic Orovich early afternoon Saturday andthe duo of Christine Fell and Nancy Fiske on clarinet and recorder at midday Sunday. Event is free and the Art Up Front is located at 120 Front St., Exeter. More info at artupfrontstreet.com.
Artists' Talk at Jazzscapes at the Dover Art Center
Four contemporary artists - Barbara Adams, Peter Cady, Tom Glover and Dustan Knight - are showcasing their interpretations of jazz music in an exhibition at the Dover Art Center, 1 Washington St., Suite 1177. JAZZSCAPES opened Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 31. On Sunday, Nov. 6, there will be a conversation on "Visualizing Jazz" with the four artists at the Art Center from 2 to 4 p.m.
Live on the Button Factory Stage: Ezra Cohen & the Big City Band
Ezra Cohen & The Big City band will make their return to the Button Factory Stage on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. as the final stop in their November tour. Joining them are local artist Hello Shark who also just finished a short tour around the east coast making their awaited debut on the Button Factory Stage. Liza from Planet Parlor and Megan from Work are also a wonderful act to catch so don’t miss this massive line up! The Button Factory Stage is located at 909 Islington St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $10.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Restaurant Week, art exhibits and more: 13 things to do this weekend
