Arts and Recreation
Coming Up at Nova Arts in Keene
Nova Arts Sept 18 & 20 -- Hip Hop and Jazz!
Join us Thursday, September 18 for a night of high-energy rhythms driven by Hip Hop and Indie, as well as Saturday, September 20 for a unique twist on the soulful sounds of jazz.
On Thursday, September 18 we are welcoming Echo Finch, a New Hampshire group of producers, musicians, and artists, as they host Nova Arts' first Hip Hop showcase.
For this showcase, Echo Finch will be DJing and curating a night dedicated to indie and underground hip hop, spinning tracks that highlight the depth and creativity of the genre while introducing audiences to sounds they may not have heard before. Alongside their set, Perception brings together a crew of MCs, 7eleste, Louie Cyper, Kultt Savv, Yung Breeze, and Forever Fresh to deliver fresh beats and an energy only live Hip Hop can bring.
If you are looking to continue your weekend with more talent, come by Saturday, September 20 when Nova Arts welcomes Scott Amendola (drums, percussion, live electronics), Trevor Dunn (contrabass), and Phillip Greenlief (alto & tenor saxophones, Bb clarinet) performing together in a horn–bass–drums trio.
Amendola, Dunn, and Greenlief have been collaborators in various ensembles for more than 30 years, while each curating solo careers, these of which included work with Fred Frith, Meredith Monk, Mr. Bungle, Buzz Osborne, Zeena Parkins, and John Zorn.
As a trio, they have expanded their solo sounds into an explosive combo challenging the traditional jazz format. Their spontaneous improvisations create a unique balance of craft and creativity.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and music will start around 7:30 p.m. Access For All tickets available thanks to a grant from the TD Charitable Foundation. (Note: To purchase more than one Access For All ticket, each must be done in a separate transaction.)
Both shows are all ages and seating is first come first served. Tickets will be available at novaarts.org/events.
Nova Arts is located at 48 Emerald St, Keene, NH.
Regional News
Town of Lunenburg Welcomes Community to Attend 25-Year Remembrance of Whalom Park
On Saturday, September 13, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., the Town of Lunenburg and Lunenburg Historical Society are collaborating on a family event to mark the 25th anniversary of the closing of Whalom Park, giving the community to chance to reminisce about a treasured landmark.
Whalom Park opened in 1893 and operated continuously for 107 years. At the time of its closing in 2000, it was the 13th-oldest amusement park in the country and second-oldest trolley park in the world.
Whalom Park became iconic throughout New England for its catchy advertising jingle: "Whalom Park, for a Whale of a Time!"
Displays will include historic Whalom Park memorabilia and a "memory wall" with community-submitted photographs. Signed copies of "Images of America: Whalom Park" and limited-edition Lunenburg Police Whalom Park "whale" patches will be available for sale. Attendees can have their photo taken with the Whalom Clown.
The celebration will be held at the Lunenburg Historical Society, 10 School Street, Lunenburg. The park site off Route 13 at Whalom Lake is now a 240-unit apartment complex.
Gardening
Plant This Fall for Beautiful Spring Bouquets
A bouquet consisting of unique daffodil varieties found in one of Longfield Gardens' daffodil bulb collections.
Photo courtesy of Longfield-Gardens.com
This fall plant an array of spring flowering bulbs to brighten your garden and bouquets. There are plenty of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and alliums that will delight with an assortment of flower colors and sizes that will bloom throughout the spring.
Include animal resistant double, bicolor, and split cup daffodils that provide unique beauty and impact in floral arrangements. Create a simple bouquet with just a few stems of daffodils or an elegant arrangement of single and double flowered varieties.
Harvest daffodils when the buds show color and are perpendicular to the stem like a goose's neck. Don't worry about the sap daffodils exude, shortening the life of the other cut flowers in the arrangement. Properly conditioning the daffodils will eliminate the risk to your other spring favorites.
Consider wearing gloves as some people report itching or rashes when handling these plants. Use your hands to harvest daffodils for the longest stems possible and to reduce sap released from the stem. Reach into the base of the flower stem, thumb pointed down and pull up. Cut the stems of freshly picked daffodils to the desired length for conditioning. Place them in a clean container of cool water and floral preservative. Leave them in the water for three to six hours when the sap stops flowing. Do not recut the stems before adding them to mixed flower arrangements.
Tulips have long been a favorite of gardeners and floral arrangers. Grow some taller varieties like Finola, Foxtrot, Silver Parrot Tulips and Negrita Double (longfield-gardens.com).
Gardeners growing tulips strictly for cutting will plant the bulbs in trenches and treat them as annuals. The first-year bloom is always the biggest, but you can enjoy them cut and try for a second and third year of flowers. Just cut the stems short and leave at least two to three leaves on the plant to create and store energy for next year's bloom.
Harvest tulips when the buds are just starting to show color for the longest vase life. Wait for double and parrot type tulip buds to be fully colored but not yet open. Remove the whole plant, bulb and all, if you do not plan on saving the plants for the following year. Store the tulips upright with the bulbs attached. Cut and rehydrate the stems in water just before arranging.
Wrap the stems in brown paper if they are cut in the garden or when you rehydrate the stems and set them in several inches of cool water for 12 to 18 hours. Keep in mind tulips continue to grow after cut so plan for this when creating your arrangements.
Harvest hyacinths for cutting as you did tulips. Pull the whole plant, bulb and all, out of the ground if you are growing them as annuals for cutting. Otherwise, cut only the stem and leave all the leaves behind if you want the bulbs to bloom again next year.
Include a variety of alliums in your planting plans this fall. Alliums' long and sturdy stems make them easy to harvest and arrange. Purple Sensation, Mount Everest, drumstick allium and Allium atropurpureum make excellent additions for floral bouquets.
Cutting and arranging flowers is a wonderful way to bring the beauty of your garden indoors. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and you'll soon be sharing your flowers with friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, and everyone who stops by to admire your gardens.
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" instant video series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.