Jaffrey St. Patrick's Day Parade sign dusted off for March 12 parade by Executive Producer

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (March 7, 2022) Co-founder and Executive Producer of the Jaffrey St. Patrick's Day Parade, Kevin Hampsey, dusts off the official parade sign for the 2022 green event in front of The Park Theatre in downtown Jaffrey.

The big parade starts at 2:00 p.m. this Saturday, March 12 in downtown Jaffrey. The parade starts at St. Patrick Parish at 89 Main St in Jaffrey and heads east to downtown and finishes just beyond Route 202. The parade began in 2018 and became the 2nd largest St. Pat's parade in New Hampshire. Due to Covid-19, the parade took a hiatus in 2020 and 2021.

The Parade is now part of the new Shamrock Festival, a week of music, dance, comedy, movies, and more. The festival goes from March 12 through the 19th. The Park Theatre produces the parade and festival. For more information, go to theparktheatre.org/shamrockfest or call (603) 532-8888.





Photo attribution: The Park Theatre Media Dept

Riverdance Part of Shamrock Fest in Jaffrey

Park Theatre presents acclaimed 25th anniversary performance of world-renowned Riverdance during week-long Irish festival

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (March 7, 2022) The Shamrock Festival, taking place in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, from March 12 to 19, is blooming even more prominent with the addition of two screenings of the acclaimed 25th-anniversary performance of the global sensation, Riverdance. The special screenings will take place on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m., with an encore on Wednesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m.

It was an event they have never forgotten for those who have seen Riverdance. Those who have not seen these amazing dancers are in for a treat. 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the world-famous Irish dance troupe. To commemorate the special anniversary tour that year, they filmed their gala performance in ultra high definition at the 3Arena in Dublin on February 9th, 2020. Cinemas across the United States (including The Park Theatre) were scheduled to present the filmed production during St. Patrick's week the following month. However, due to the onset of Covid-19, theatres could not present the film. Sadly, this acclaimed exceptional performance by Riverdance 25 has been seen by very few people in a theatre.

The Park Theatre obtained the rights from London's Trafalgar Releasing to present the film exclusively in the Monadnock region during Shamrock Festival 2022. It will be shown in the 333-seat Eppes Auditorium with a 27-foot wide screen with "you are there" 17-speaker surround sound.

Tickets for Riverdance 25 are $15. Children 12 and under are $10. Group sales and private screening parties are also available.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, NH. The facility is fully accessible. For tickets and information, call The Park Theatre box office at (603) 532-8888 or visit the website theparktheatre.org.

A New York Jazz Master with New Hampshire Roots

NH born, critically acclaimed jazz performer brings his quartet to Jaffrey this Friday

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (March 7, 2022) He was born and raised in Hudson, New Hampshire. He moved to New York to attend NYU and fine-tune his jazz skills. Now an acclaimed jazz musician, Alex Minasian returns to his home state this Friday, March 11, to perform at jaffrey's The Park Theatre with his star-filled quartet.

With two degrees from NYU, Alex Minasian has, at a remarkably young age, established himself as a versatile pianist, educator, and impresario in many different musical genres. As a pianist, Alex has studied with some of the greatest pianists in jazz history, including Hank Jones, Don Friedman, and James Williams, and has performed in most of the country's most famous jazz rooms, such as Birdland, the Blue Note, Cafe Carlyle, Yoshi's, Bohemian Caverns Iridium, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard, and the Apollo Theater.

He has shared the stage with such legends as James Ingram, Arturo Sandoval, ?UESTLOVE, Sam Moore, Marylin McCoo, Curtis Fuller, Hank Jones, Clark Terry, and such jazz greats as Brian Lynch, Billy Pierce, Kenny Washington, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Gary Bartz, and Hugh Masekela.

Dan Bilawsky of Jazz Improv Magazine said, "The greatest attribute of this performance was their ability to make all of the songs feel good. Alex Minasian is a name to remember."

"Minasian has a 'Lyrical and swinging trio." -Boston Globe July 9, 2019

"The synergy of the band distinctly revolved around Alex Minasian's mastery of the piano." -Khachatur Melikyan, Yerevan Magazine May-June 2012

Alex Minasian brings his quartet of jazz talent from New York to Jaffrey's Park Theatre's acoustically acclaimed stage on March 11. The concert begins at 7:30pm in the Eppes Auditorium. Reserved seats are $20, $25, and $30.

The theatre's new performance and bar space, The Lounge, will be open 60 minutes before showtime.

For tickets and information, go to theparktheatre.org or call the box office at (603) 532-8888. The theatre is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, NH, just 95 minutes from Boston.

Best-Selling Author From Ireland Participating in Shamrock Fest

Olive Collins talks about her books, followed by a performance of The Flying Irish Dancers

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (March 7, 2022) Award-winning and best-selling Irish author Olive Collins will talk about her books and writing during Jaffrey's upcoming Shamrock Festival. After her talk and Q&A, the Flying Irish Flying Dancers will perform. It takes place on Sunday, March 13 at 4pm in the Eppes Auditorium at Jaffrey's Park Theatre. The ticket price is $6.00.

Olive Collins is an acclaimed historical fiction writer. Olive grew up in Tipperary, Ireland. She has traveled extensively and lived abroad for years.

Her first novel, The Memory of Music, tells the story of one family during Ireland's most turbulent years, the 1916 uprising and the subsequent War of Independence and Civil War. It is one of the few novels to explore the role of women. It was the winner of the Annie McHale Best Debut and remained in the Bestselling Charts for three months.

The Tide Between Us (#1 best seller on Amazon) is her critically acclaimed second novel. It retraces Ireland's long history with Jamaica. 25% of Jamaicans' claim Irish ancestry; most were deported during colonial times for committing little to no crimes. The Tide Between Us follows the story of one boy; an indentured servant deported to the cane fields of Jamaica and his subsequent generations. This epic novel spans 170 years.

Her third novel, The Weaver's Legacy is a family saga based in The America West. It explores the history of the Irish colonies in the West. Their ambition was to self-govern far removed from the prejudice of the prejudice of the cities. As the Great Indian War rumbles in the Black Hills, their colony remain neutral until one of their community is suspected of arming the Indians. Loyalties are tested as their own nameless war ensues.

The Flying Irish Dancers hail from Ashby, Massachusetts. This noted school of Irish Dance has been producing talented dancers ages 4 to adult since 1998 through their distinctive small class, one-on-one teaching style.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, NH. The facility is fully accessible. For tickets and information, call The Park Theatre box office at (603) 532-8888 or visit the website theparktheatre.org.

2nd Annual Healthy Minds Event Focused on Health and Skill-building for Students in North Central Mass to be held on April 13

GARDNER, MA - March 7, 2022 - The MWCC's Portrait of a Graduate initiative in conjunction with community partners Gardner CAC, Growing Places, HEAL Winchendon, LUK, Inc., Making Opportunity Count (MOC) Inc., and Pathways for Change, announce the second annual Healthy Minds Virtual Youth Conference, scheduled for April 13, 2022 from 10 am to 1 pm.

The 2021 event was a tremendous success, with over 1,700 students across North Central Massachusetts participating in the live virtual event, and over 2,200 registered to access the session recordings, which addressed topics requested by students that fall outside of the realm of traditional academics.

This year's Healthy Minds event brings health and real-world skill-building to K-12 schools across the region with a theme of "Curiosity and Connection". Teachers and students will be able to select from breakout sessions that spark personal interests, satisfy curiosity, and help them plan for their future.

"Local organizations have so many great resources to share," states Fagan Forhan, MWCC Dean of K-12 Partnerships and Civic Engagement. "This event extends our classrooms into the communities and broadens our students' horizons."

Speakers include educators and community members covering topics ranging from physical and emotional health and self-care, STEM topics, interpersonal relationships, financial intelligence, and even how to rent an apartment. Healthy Minds event organizer and HEAL Winchendon Coordinator, Miranda Jennings states, "The last couple years have been incredibly difficult for students and educators--we see Healthy Minds not just as an youth-centered learning opportunity, but also as a gift to learners and their teachers from the many community organizations supporting them and rooting for their success."

The Healthy Minds: Curiosity and Connection event will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, from 10 am to 1 pm. The conference is free and open to any school and student to participate. Event preview and registration information will be available at uwyv.mwcc.edu.

Current sponsors are the Barr Foundation, Reliant Foundation, and United Way of North Central Massachusetts. Organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring should contact Donna Toothaker, UWYV Program Manager at 978-630-9138 or dtoothaker@mwcc.mass.edu.

About Portrait of a Graduate
The Barr Foundation's "Portrait of a Graduate" grant program at MWCC is working to develop a collective vision of what all high school students will know and be able to do by graduation. MWCC was one of 14 awarded communities in New England for the Portrait of a Graduate Grant. This grant program benefits from joint collaboration with the Fitchburg Public Schools, Gardner Public Schools, Leominster Public Schools, Winchendon Public Schools, and the MWCC Early College programs. Learn more at uwyv.mwcc.edu.

Events at Nova Arts Next Week

Nova Arts is proud to continue in person entertainment at 48 Emerald St in Keene NH!

Thursday, March 17 the contemporary Irish folk band, ISHNA will be performing. On Friday, March 18 the power trio Vapors of Morphine will rock the house!

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with ISHNA, fronted by Ciaran Nagle (Three Irish Tenors) & Tara Novak (Riverdance). Ciaran & Tara have both dazzled solo and as a duo, but in this formation are joined by a full band of some of Boston's greatest musicians! A fun evening of songs, stories, and dance music!

The trio Vapors of Morphine is composed of electric baritone sax, drums, and 2 string slide bass (often guitar). Vapors of Morphine performs much of the Morphine repertoire, plus new material and original versions of selective covers. They expand on the ethereal, hypnotic sounds popularized by the group in the nineties, and dig into their influences, from African music to delta Blues. Jordan Holtz (of Rick Rude & Footings) opens.

For both of these events the doors open at 7:00 p.m. and music begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for these events can be purchased on our website novaarts.org, under the event tab.

Nova Arts is supported by and under the fiscal sponsorship of Arts Alive.