NHGRAND.COM OFFERS ARTS & CULTURE ITINERARY TO ENRICH AND INSPIRE VISITORS ACROSS COOS COUNTY
Contact: Kim Moore
E-mail: kmoore@montagnecom.com
Phone: 603-644-3200, ext. 16
Facebook: New Hampshire Grand
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 15, 2013
NHGRAND.COM OFFERS ARTS & CULTURE ITINERARY TO ENRICH
AND INSPIRE VISITORS ACROSS COOS COUNTY
Summer theatre, historic properties, photography galleries, art studios, architectural wonders,
and musical performances abound throughout the Grand North
Lancaster, New Hampshire – Arts enthusiasts and those looking to experience local culture can enjoy the diverse and abundant cultural activities throughout New Hampshire’s Grand North, according to New Hampshire Grand’s newest itinerary recently posted to www.nhgrand.com. The itinerary takes visitors to enriching arts and culture spots in Bretton Woods, Whitefield, Lancaster, Colebrook, Stewartstown, Berlin, and Gorham.
“The North Country has such a variety of exciting activities and venues for visitors interested in enjoying the arts and culture of the region,” said Pam Sullivan, marketing coordinator for New Hampshire Grand, the official visitor information source for northern New Hampshire, where the arts have flourished for well over 200 years. “When visitors think of the Grand North, they think of scenic and fun outdoor adventures. Let’s not forget about all the enriching ways to spend a day or evening visiting art galleries, architecturally grand buildings, and musical performances. Take a tour with us and plan your summer visit around one or more of these outstanding experiences!”
The New Hampshire Grand arts and culture itinerary includes locales along with top restaurant and lodging options nearby:
BRETTON WOODS:
The region’s beautiful mountain views and pastoral vistas first drew artists to the White Mountains and the northern reaches of the state in the early years of the 19th century, drawn here by a dramatic landscape of towering peaks, rushing rivers, and stately forests, and capturing them forever on canvas. Some artists, like Frank Shapleigh, had an affiliation with one or more of the Grand Hotels of the time. Visitors to Shapleigh’s studio at the Crawford House could observe him at work and purchase a painting to take home as a souvenir of their time in the mountains. Shapleigh’s home and studio is now guest lodging at the AMC Highland Center on Route 302 (www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/highland)
While in Bretton Woods, don’t miss an opportunity to visit the Omni Mt. Washington Hotel (www.mountwashingtonresort.com), a National Historic Landmark. First opened in 1902, the hotel was built by 250 master craftsmen in the Spanish Renaissance style. Enjoy a glass of wine on the wide veranda with its sweeping views of the Mount Washington range, or cozy up in one of elegant public rooms with a pot of tea and a selection of cakes and cookies.
WHITEFIELD:
Summer theatre in the North Country can trace its roots to 1934, when New York Times music critic Will Chase opened the Chase Barn Playhouse in Whitefield, the predecessor of today’s Weathervane Theatre (www.weathervanetheatre.org), whose 48th season of professional repertory performances gets underway on July 6 in the big red barn on Route 3. Visitors can enjoy a playbill that includes the musical hits “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Les Miserables,” “Shrek, the Musical,” “Sing a Song of Sondheim,” and “Once On This Island,” and the comedies “Circle Money Transformation” and “Funny Money.” Bonus: Families travelling with kids will enjoy the classic tales and musical stories staged throughout the season by the Patchwork Players. The box office opens in mid-June.
LANCASTER:
Weeks State Park (www.nhstateparks.org) on Route 3 is the legacy of Congressman John Wingate Weeks, a Lancaster native who, in 1911, sponsored historic legislation known as the Weeks Act, which led to the creation of the White Mountain National Forest. The Weeks State Park Association hosts Thursday evening programs at Weeks’ handsome stucco lodge atop Mount Prospect throughout the summer on topics as diverse as railroading, butterflies, wildflowers, and birds of prey, along with a musical evening or two to get your toes tapping. Bonus: The drive to the top of the mountain along the rustic carriage road boasts outstanding scenery, and the stone fire tower next to the Lodge is worth a climb for its 360-degree views.
Drop by the William Rugh Gallery (www.rughgalleries.com) on Route 2 east of downtown to view the paintings of artist/painter Ed Widmayer (1923-2010) and award-winning photographer Fletcher Manley. Manley’s photography has taken him around the world, including photographing four Winter Olympics Games.
Lancaster is notable for its independent movie house, the Rialto Theatre (www.lancasterrialto.com) on Main Street, whose distinctive marquee advertises both first-run movies and a growing schedule of concerts and other community events. Check out the marquee during your visit to see what’s playing, and don’t miss country artist Lexi James on May 31.
COLEBROOK:
Colebrook has embraced a lively arts scene centered on the new Tillotson Center for the Arts (www.tillotsoncenter.org) at 14 Carriage Lane, which includes a 175-seat performance and movie theatre, a community heritage museum and an art gallery. Formerly the Carriage Barn for The Balsams hotel stagecoach, and subsequently a Grange Hall with a theater and dance floor, the Center is now a magnet for cultural activities in the northernmost region of Coos County. Performances scheduled this summer include Shirley Jackson and Good Rockin’ Daddys (June 16); the Jeanne Jolly Band (June 28); the Charlie A’Court Blues Band (August 25); Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas (September 17); and fiddler April Verch (September 23).
A fine selection of quality hand-crafted items, including jewelry, pottery, home and garden, and wood products, can be found at Fiddleheads (www.fiddleheadsusa.com) on Colebrook’s Main Street, which specializes in U.S. – and Canadian-made products, along with Fair Trade items. Bonus: The on-site art gallery promotes the talents of the more than 50 artists of the Connecticut River Artisans Group (www.connecticutriverartisans.org), whose members hail from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Canada. Fiddleheads also hosts a monthly Artisan’s Spotlight, a day for shoppers to meet an artist and learn about his or her work.
STEWARTSTOWN:
The Poore Farm Historic Homestead and Museum (www.poorefamily.net) on Route 145 is the last remaining, original 100-acre farm settlement of its kind in northern New Hampshire. The museum portrays one family’s life from the 1830s to the 1980s, including the house, barns and outbuildings, all in authentic condition. Displays include clothing, artifacts, newspapers, magazines, diaries and letters, hand tools, horse drawn wagons, farm implements, and a large collection of everyday items common to the period. The Museum and grounds host a variety of cultural events, demonstrations, field trips, concerts and social gatherings.
BERLIN:
Don’t miss the 500-seat St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts (www.stkieranarts.org), both for its notable architecture and its performing arts series. Located at 155 Emery Street in a former church, St. Kieran’s is on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. Built in 1895 in the baroque architectural style, it includes a central portal with a rose window and two elaborate stained glass accents. The Hook and Hastings pipe organ, donated in 1898, remains in excellent condition. The St. Kieran Performing Arts Series includes Les Hay Babies Trio (June 24); organist Jonathan Biggers (July 2); International Musical Arts Institute Chamber
Concert (July 16); The World Acadian Congress International Tour (July 18); Big Moose Bach Fest Concert (August 31); and Rumbafrica! (September 27).
Overlooking the city is the often-photographed Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church (www.hrocberlin.org) at 20 Petrograd Street, with its six cross-topped domes and distinctive blue and white exterior. The interior includes Byzantine-style Icons, early 20th century oil paintings, framed imported prints and faux marble wainscoting.
No visit to the City That Trees Built would be complete without a stop at The Northern Forest Heritage Park (www.northernforestheritage.org) at 961 Main Street (Route 16), a logging history museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the working forest and celebrating the multi-cultural heritage of the region. Along with a full-scale replica of a 19th century logging camp, the Park hosts forest, river and art exhibits, lectures, seminars, concerts, major cultural festivals, lumberjack competitions (this year on September 29), special blacksmith demonstrations and other events. Bonus: From June-October, the Park offers River Boat Tours on the Androscoggin River, including an up-close look at the boom piers, rock islands that were built in the river to separate the logs for each mill during the spring logging drives.
Another bit of Berlin history can be found in the series of murals adorning a wall of the former Brown Company Research Building on Main Street, just south of the Northern Forest Heritage Park. Twenty-four windows on the street side of the building are covered with paintings created by students from the Plymouth State University art department. The images depict scenes from Berlin’s history including logging, ski jumping and hockey.
History buffs will want to spend some time at the Berlin and Coos County Historical Society (www.berlinnhhistoricalsociety.org) at 119 High Street, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and displaying materials pertaining to Coos County in general and Berlin in particular. The Moffett House & Genealogy Center is the repository for approximately 2,000 historical objects, 1,500 images, and 3,000 historically related books, documents and binders. Bonus: The Moffett House & Genealogy Center also contains the largest library of genealogical material north of Manchester, N.H.
GORHAM:
The beautifully restored Medallion Opera House (www.medallionoperahouse.org) at 20 Park Street is the heart of the town’s cultural activities, with a year-round schedule of performing arts. This summer visitors can look forward to several classical music performances presented by Music in the Great North Woods, including Mimi Mitchell and Eric Schmalz (June 28); Andrea LeBlanc and David Kim (July 30); and the Big Moose Bach Fest (August 30-September 1). The Heather Pierson Quartet will perform a Summer Jazz Show on July 21, and other concerts are expected to be added as the summer gets underway. Bonus: On June 29, an Art Festival will take place on the Gorham Town Common, across from the Town Hall.
Grab a cup of coffee and check out the rotating art exhibits at the White Mountain Cafe & Bookstore at 212 Main Street (www.whitemountaincafe.com), along with the photography of Jerry Monkman, who is noted for his photographs of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range (www.ecophotography.com)
Other arts and cultural organizations in the North Country worth noting are:
The Colebrook-based Great North Woods Committee for the Arts (www.gnwca.org) which works hand-in-hand with the Tillotson Center for the Arts in Colebrook, the Rialto Theatre in Whitefield and other regional venues to bring world class entertainment to the communities of the Grand North.
Music in the Great North Woods (www.musicGNW.org) promotes and supports classical music in New Hampshire’s North Country at venues in Gorham, Berlin, Lancaster and Randolph. The organization sponsors a Master Organ Recital series and the Big Moose Bach Fest during the summer months, with visiting musicians of international stature.
The Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire (www.aannh.org) promotes, supports and sustains culture, heritage and the arts in Northern New Hampshire. The Arts Alliance is a partner in the White Mountain National Forest Artist-in-Residence program; and helped to develop The Weeks Act Legacy Trail (www.whitemountainsinfo.com), a driving tour of the White Mountain National Forest, which explores 40 sites of interest, including several in Twin Mountain/Bretton Woods noted for their history and cultural heritage and arts and literature, along with trails suitable for kids and families.
“Come to New Hampshire’s Grand North to experience the scenic, majestic beauty and be entertained and informed with visits to the many performances and educational activities located throughout the county,” added Sullivan. “There really is so much to discover and enjoy – you can follow a journey noted on this itinerary or go off and discover one of your own!”
There are also plenty of other seasonal events scheduled throughout the spring months in the Grand North. For a complete list, visit: www.nhgrand.com/what-to-do/events.aspx
About New Hampshire Grand
“Experience New Hampshire’s Grand North” is the brand of New Hampshire’s North Country marketing initiative – also known as NH Grand — and is the official visitor information source for the Great North Woods and the Northern White Mountains. New Hampshire Grand is an initiative of the Northern Community Investment Corporation to promote Coos County to potential visitors. This outreach effort includes introducing visitors to the diverse range of lodging, dining, events, and outdoor activities available in Northern New Hampshire.
For more information on NH Grand, visit www.nhgrand.com, New Hampshire Grand on Facebook, and NH Grand on Twitter.
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