Smash pumpkins for Halloween Parade, Voices from Cemetery: 16 things to do this weekend
It's going to be another in a string of beautiful fall weekends we've been treated to on the Seacoast. This one's going to be a little spookier than preceding weekends with events like Owloween and Pumpkin Smash, with plays like "Misery" and "Ride The Cyclone" opening and with the fall tradition Voices from the Cemetery taking over the Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover both Saturday and Sunday. It's a weekend chock full of fall celebrations — enjoy as many as you can.
New exhibit opens at MONA
The Museum of New Art (MONA) in Portsmouth is celebrating its first anniversary with a new exhibit featuring artist Judy Pfaff. A MacArthur Foundation Genius Award recipient, Pfaff will explore a new medium in the new exhibit, ceramics, as well as the sculpture, drawings, and other works she is known for. Her exhibition titled "Judy Pfaff smokkfiskur: a tale" opens to the public on Thursday, Oct. 20. There will be a reception with the artist from 5 to 7 p.m. MONA will also host several programs engaging community partners including local makerspaces and the Seacoast Science Center with the exhibit. For updates and more information, visit monaportsmouth.org. For more information on Judy Pfaff, visit: milesmcenery.com/artists/judy-pfaff,
Owloween at The Word Barn Meadow
On Thursday, Oct. 20 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., the outdoor family-friendly Owloween will take place at the Word Barn Meadow in Exeter. The environmental education program led by Jane Kelly from On The Wing will feature a variety of owls and other raptors to meet and learn about. Costumes are welcome. Tickets are $25, children 10 and under are free, but they still need to register to reserve a space. Ticket includes a beer or a cider. Proceeds will benefit On The Wing and The Word Barn. Visit thewordbarn.com for more information and tickets.
99 Faces Project reception in Dover
DOVER — The Dover Mental Health Alliance is hosting the culminating event of the Many Faces of Our Mental Health: 99 Faces Project art exhibit on Thursday, Oct. 20 at Dover High School from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. This event is free.
The evening will feature exhibit tours by the artist and opportunities for open, community conversations about mental health with guests and participants. Joining the event is former NH Supreme Court Chief Justice and current Senior Director of External Affairs at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and mental health advocate, John Broderick..
The 99 Faces project at Dover High School will close at the end of October and move to a new location in Massachusetts. For more information about the exhibit and to register for the event go to dovermentalhealthalliance.org>events.
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Clandestine at The Stone Church
Clandestine, a funk and soul group from the Seacoast, will play The Stone Church in Newmarket on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at portsmouthnhtickets.com.
TEAM Fall Concert Series features David Austin Band
The TEAM Fall Concert Series will present David Austin Band on Friday, Oct. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Town House Common, 6 Bow St., Exeter. David Austin, who spent his high school days in Exeter attending Phillips Exeter Academy, returns from Nashville to perform with his full band in his hometown. Suggested donation is $10 per person, $20 per family, and donations can be made at TeamExeter.com.
Futuristic Costume Ball at Green Acre
Green Acre: A Baha’i Center of Learning in Eliot will host a Futuristic Costume Ball to close its Afrofuturism 2022 Exhibit on Friday, Oct. 21 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The Afrofuturism 2022 Exhibit has displayed a vision of the future in which people of African descent are vital to the progress and advancement of the human race. The exhibit has been displayed at both Green Acre and the Seacoast African-American Cultural Center in Portsmouth for the past six months and will draw to a close with this celebration focused on the future. Light refreshments will be provided. Tickets are on a sliding scale including free for those who need it at portsmouthnhtickets.com. Green Acre is at 61 Green Acre Drive, in Eliot.
'Misery' opens at Star Theatre
The Threshold Stage Company will present “Misery,” by William Goldman (adapted from Stephen King’s best-selling novel) at the Star Theatre at the Kittery Community Center Oct. 21 to Nov. 6. After the closing of its highly successful Broadway production, starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, Threshold Stage Company Co-Artistic Directors Peter Motson and Heather Glenn Wixson worked for five years to obtain the rights to “Misery” and become one of the first theater companies in New England to produce the play. The play, which is rated PG-13, will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Star Theatre is located inside the Kittery Community Center at 120 Rogers Road, Kittery, Maine. Tickets are $25 and are available online at portsmouthnhtickets.com or call 207-439-3800.
'Ride The Cyclone' opens at Newmarket Millspace
RGC Theatre will present the New England premiere of "Ride The Cyclone" at The Newmarket Millspace Oct. 21 to 31. In the play, a group of teenagers boards the Cyclone roller coaster and its front axle breaks, causing it to derail at the apex of the loop de loop, hurtling the teens to their deaths.
"Ride the Cyclone" is a high-octane, raucous comedy about the recently deceased members of the St. Cassian Chamber Choir who, following the tragic accident, find themselves in an abandoned warehouse waiting to see what really happens after death. Emceed by The Amazing Karnak, a fortune-telling machine designed to predict the exact time and place of someone’s death, each of the teens competes in a mysterious contest for the opportunity to come back to life.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with a special Halloween performance on Monday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 on the 21, 22, 28, and 29. General admission tickets for the Halloween performance are $30. The play is rated R. Tickets can be purchased at millspace.org/event/ride-the-cyclone. The Newmarket Millspace is located at 55 Main St., in Newmarket. Enter the mills at the South Entry, River Level.
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Smash a pumpkin for the Halloween Parade
On Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to noon, the Portsmouth Farmers' Market will present Pumpkin Smash, an annual Halloween tradition that has become the October catharsis of choice for young and old alike. Cost is $5 per pumpkin. Smashing implements are supplied and costumes encouraged. This is a fundraiser for the Portsmouth Halloween Parade, and all pumpkins are fed to pigs following the smash so there's no waste. The Portsmouth Farmers Market takes place at City Hall at 1 Junkins Ave., in Portsmouth.
Voices from the Cemetery
DOVER — The Woodman Museum will present Voices from the Cemetery on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. This will be a guided tour of Pine Hill Cemetery on which you'll meet some of the individuals who call it home, including the first woman in Dover to climb Mt. Washington, two of the first curators of the Woodman Museum, and more. Tickets can be bought at woodmanmuseum.org. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children.
Colonial Market at Wentworth House
ROLLINSFORD — Travel back in time to the American Revolution at the historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford, N.H. on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sights and sounds of the Revolutionary era will come to life at a colonial market fair with 18th century craftspeople at work, while the militia musters in preparation for joining General Washington’s forces against the British.
Admission to the event is $5 for the general public; free for children and ARCH members. For more information, visit the ARCH website at paulwentworthhouse.org or on Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.
Harvest Craft Fair in Somersworth
The Somersworth Festival Association will host its 29th annual Harvest Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Somersworth High School, 11 Memorial Drive, Somersworth. The craft fair will feature a range of crafters from wood crafts, acrylic and pottery items, wreaths, paintings, metal decor, mugs, tote bags, gnomes, wind chimes, kids' items, doll clothes, jewelry, food and pet products as well as sewn, knitted and crocheted items among others and raffles. Vendors will be inside and outside. The cafeteria will be offering food for sale. For vendor inquiries or more info, email us at sfachild.festival@gmail.com, call us at 603-692-5869, or visit nhfestivals.org.
Tall Granite Big Band in Newmarket
The 18-piece Tall Granite Big Band featuring vocalist Emilia Halstead will perform at the Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. They specialize in swing, danceable jazz, ballroom Latin and R&B. Free lesson at 7 p.m. by swing dance instructors Paul Langley and Robin Barnes. Tickets are $20 and available at rockinballroom.club.
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Fall Appraisal Day in Stratham
STRATHAM — On Sunday, Oct. 23, the Stratham Historical Society will hold their Annual Fall Appraisal Day, (affectionately known to its members as “The Stratham Antiques Roadshow”) from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Stratham Fire Station, Morgera Room, corner of Winnicutt Road and Portsmouth Avenue, Stratham. Join us for an evaluation. Fee: $5 for one item, $8 for two, $12 for three and $15 for four, (maximum five items please). All proceeds to benefit the Stratham Historical Society and will go toward maintaining the Society’s collections and other related expenses. For more info or to reconfirm the date, call: 603-778-0434 or find them on Facebook.
PSO to open its season on Sunday
The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra opens its 25th season on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. at The Music Hall in Portsmouth. There is a free pre-concert talk with Music Director John Page at 1:45 p.m. The concert will feature Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings. Tickets are $25 to $35 for adults; $30 for seniors; and $20 for students. More information and tickets are available at portsmouthsymphony.org.
Turn the Page storytelling event will benefit Exeter LitFest
Turn The Page: Storytelling & Snacks will take place Sunday, Oct. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Word Barn Meadow in Exeter. Tickets are $25 and the event is a fundraiser for the Exeter LitFest. There'll be 10-minute true stories of transitions told live by local notables Ryan Chiavetta, Ann Czaja, Paul Doncaster, Barbara Rimkunas, Rick Mahoney, and Bree Zephyr with Lara Bricker as emcee. Snacks will be from Cornicello, Otto Pizza, Street, and Vino e Vivo and served during intermission. Exeter LitFest is a volunteer-run non-profit that celebrates the rich literary heritage of Exeter with an annual literary festival on the first weekend in April. For more information, visit thewordbarn.com.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH Halloween Parade Pumpkin Smash: Weekend things to do
