What is it? W.H.A.T.’S. Keene 2013 … A 10-Day Celebration of Keene’s Wine, Hospitality, Arts, Tastes and Shopping

Come April, most northern New Englanders are weary of winter and ready to celebrate.

Keene is offering up the best excuse yet to don your spring jacket and get out into downtown with its W.H.A.T.’S. Keene! Festival, a 10-day celebration of Keene’s wine, hospitality, arts, tastes and shopping, i.e., the acronym for the event.

Forty local businesses are participating in the event, which begins on Thursday, April 4 and ends Sunday, April 14. The celebration, sponsored by several local non-profit and for-profit organizations, will feature daily events by downtown merchants including discounts, two-for-one specials, free gifts, and special offers by Monadnock Region B&Bs and inns. And some merchants – such as Kristin’s Bistro & Bakery, Life is Sweet, Luca’s Café, Local Burger, Good Fortune and Colonial Corner -- will open their doors to featured musicians.

The event will also host the first annual Monadnock International Film Festival, with an April 4 opening night film at the Colonial Theater, and films shown throughout the 10 day festival. If that wasn’t enough, there will also be a guitar festival at Keene State College, a burger eating contest at Local Burger, and much more.

Don’t miss all the fun at the first annual W.H.A.T.’S Keene! Celebration.

Bookstore Tourism in the Monadnock Region

Travelers who are bibliophiles can’t help but wander into local bookstores when visiting a new place. Visiting an independent, used, or antiquarian bookstore is an exciting adventure for book lovers … the thrill of the “local authors” section, the delight in finding a rare book, and then there’s the relaxation of sitting down and reading the first page of a coveted hardcover.

According to Larry Portzline, the author of “Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies”, bookstore tourism is a growing grassroots travel niche that encourages book lovers to plan group trips to cities and towns with interesting, fun and unique independent bookshops.  “It taps into this thirst for literary adventure,” he writes. Portzline suggests combine your bookstore trip with other literary attractions, such as writing retreat centers, sites of well-known books and tours of famous authors’ homes.

Here are some bookstores along the way if you plan a literary adventure in the Monadnock Region. Asterisked (*) booksellers are open by appointment or by chance only, so make sure you call ahead. And don’t miss the upcoming “Round the Mountain Book Sale” on April 11-14, 2013. For more information about this sale and participating bookstores visit:

Aard Books*
31 Russell Ave., Troy NH
603-242-3638.

Bequaert Old Books*
37 Rt 119 W, Fitzwilliam, NH
603-585-3448

Callahan & Company Booksellers*
Rte. 123, Sharon, NH
603-924-3726

Eagle Books*
19 West St., Right off Central Square in Keene, NH

603-357-8721 


Homestead Books
221 East Main St. (Rt 101), Marlborough, NH

603-876-4213


Hurley Books, Inc.*

1752 Rte. 12, Westmoreland, NH 03467
603-399-4342 


Ray Boas, Bookseller*

On the Common, 44 Elm St., Walpole, NH 03608

603-756-9900


Ted Cole Books*
7 West Street, Antrim, NH 03440

Books also for sale at New Hampshire Antique Coop in Milford, NH
603-588-3145


The Book Preserve*
33 North Main St., Antrim, NH
603-588-4020


Toadstool Bookshops
3 Locations:
  12 Depot Sq., Peterborough, NH
  222 West St., Keene, NH
  586 Nashua St., Milford, NH


8th Annual Currier and Ives Cookie Tour

Cookie tours are a delightful cross between trick-or-treating (without going through the trouble of dressing in a costume) and the thrill of house hunting (without the impending mortgage payment).

You get to tour the inside of an inn, bed and breakfast, store, library or historical society with your friends, see enchanting Christmas decorations and ideas for your home – AND you get a cookie treat (and a recipe card)! It doesn’t get any better than this.

The Monadnock Region’s Currier & Ives Cookie Tour – held this year on December 8, 2012 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. -- takes you on a 13-stop tour through the quintessentially New England towns of Fitzwilliam, Jaffrey, Rindge, Troy, Marlborough, Peterborough and Swanzey. Tickets are $10; a portion of this year's proceeds will be donated to the Santa's House of Jaffrey, which provides toys to local children in need.

Tour Stops include:
Little River Bed & Breakfast, Peterborough*
Paper & Roses, Peterborough
Anytime Apparel, Peterborough
The Woodbound Inn, Rindge*
Jaffrey Public Library (Santa’s House), Jaffrey
The Monadnock Inn, Jaffrey*
The Inn at East Hill Farm, Troy*
Common Collections, Troy
The Fitzwilliam Historical Society, Fitzwilliam
The Troy Historical Society, Troy*
Inn of the Tartan Fox, Swanzey
Swanzey Historical Society, Swanzey
Unbridled Chocolates, Marlborough

*Tickets can be purchased at these locations from November 26 through the day of the tour. Cash or check only.

A tour map will be printed on your ticket. You can begin the tour at any location. The average time between locations is about a 10 minute drive. Make sure you bring a cookie tin or container to store your cookies.

So pack up your friends, your sense of adventure, and have a great time touring great local establishments and tasting delicious homemade cookies!  Turn your cookie tour into an overnight or weekend getaway by staying at a local B&B or inn.

From Pickles to Schnitzels: Harvest Festivals in the Monadnock Region

Fall foliage is at its peak around Columbus Day (and the weekend after). But the weeks leading up to “leaf peeping” are quite special in the Monadnock Region. The days are pleasant, nights are cool (bring along your sweater!) and harvest festivals are in full swing.

Along with artist tours, there are several other notable festivals in the region in September and early October – before the “peeping” crowd descends. And the variety of festivals are remarkable – from pickles to schnitzels!

So, mark your calendars, book your room at one of our beautiful B&Bs or inns, and enjoy this relatively quiet season.

Sept. 15-16 (Sat., Sun., starts at 4 p.m.)
Antrim’s Home and Harvest Festival
Antrim, N.H.
This is a traditional New England harvest festival that features art and crafts, a “home grown” parade, fireworks, kids’ games, live music and a lot of food. There’s also a skateboard race and slalom championship.

Sept. 22 (Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Marlborough Madness Festival
Marlborough, N.H.
This town-wide event features food (lots of it and so many different kinds – from BBQ chicken to vegetarian fare) and tons of yard sales. There’s a 5K race starts at 9 a.m.

Sept. 22 (Sat., starts at 5 p.m.)
Fall Harvest Celebration and Potluck
Tracie’s Community Farm
Fitzwilliam, N.H.
Bring your favorite potluck dish! There’s a band and a chance to pick your own pumpkins.

Sept. 22 (Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Winchester Pickle Festival
Winchester, N.H.
This is an old-fashioned town fair with a focus on pickles, of course! Enjoy a downtown parade unlike anything you have seen before – with pickle-themed floats and costumes. There’s also an arts and crafts fair, lots of food (and free pickles), and free entertainment.

Sept. 23 (Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Ultimate Harvest Challenge
Stonewall Farm
Keene, N.H.
A combination of the summer Olympics and Highland Games – except that you’ll be on a farm doing farm chores and tasks. A fun and challenging romp for adult and their kids.

Sept. 29 (Sat., noon-5 p.m.)
10th Annual Schnitzelfest
Hillsborough, N.H.
Visit downtown Hillsborough the last Saturday of September for the most authentic German food outside of Germany. Try some schnitzels (breaded or grilled), bratwurst, wieners, homemade German potato salad, beer, wine and more. Live “um-pah” bands, music, crafters and more.

Sept. 29-30 (Sat., Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
4th Annual Farm Family Fun Days
Crescendo Acres
Surry, N.H.
Join the farmers of Crescendo Acres for two days of fun and education on the farm … sheep shearing, felting and knitting demonstrations, sugarhouse tours, live honey bee observation hive, farm tours, refreshments and more. Visit with the farm’s alpacas, miniature horses and the visiting sheep, goats, honey bees and rabbits.

Oct. 7 (Sun., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Local Food Festival
Thayer Public Library
Ashuelot Village, N.H.
A celebration of the local farms in the village of Ashuelot and town of Winchester. Live music, food sampling and more. For more information contact: Julia Ferrari at 603-239-6830 or Harriet Charland 603-239-6521.

Treasure Hunting in the Monadnock Region

After watching the Antiques Roadshow, you can’t help but fantasize that a sweet little ceramic bowl you picked up for a buck or a wood armoire you got for a steal will fund your retirement or put your kid through college.

While finding priceless treasure is a rarity (even Roadshow guests are sometimes disappointed), the thrill of the antiquing is still a wonderful pastime.

If you are in the Monadnock Region this summer, you might want to spend a rainy day or two trying your luck in the region’s many antique haunts – from shows to shops to dealers and auctioneers. You never know what treasures you might uncover!

One of the most well known antiquing opportunities in the Monadnock Region happens every year in the historic town of Fitzwilliam and this year is no exception.  Saturday, July 21st is the 37th Annual Fitzwilliam Historical Society Antiques Show & Sale held on the town commons with more than fifty dealers invited.  A special exhibit, "Wedding Bells", will be presented in the Amos J. Blake House Museum during this time. Admission to the Museum is free and tours are conducted by trained docents.

In addition to the Fitzwilliam Show, here are some of the shops you may want to include in your tour around the region:

Fitzwilliam is worth a special trip for its nine antique shops in town – including Dennis and Dad,  which specializes in 18th and 19th  century English ceramics and Macreay Landy, which collects unusual architectural hardware, wrought iron, oil lamps and fireplace equipment.

Head northeast from Fitzwilliam to Peterborough and you’ll find five antique shops in town, all with a different focus. Bowerbird & Friends on Depot Square sells antiques, gifts and plants for the home and garden … and don’t miss their fabulous collection of antique children’s books. Visit Grove & Main Antiques on Grove Street for their intriguing mix of French and Swedish enamelware including body pitchers and turn-of-the-century lunch pails and more. Murray’s Home Again on the corner of Routes 101 and 123 sells an eclectic mix of household and garden items, check out their Facebook Page where they update new items almost daily.

If you happen to be staying the western part of the Monadnock Region, check out the several antique shops in Walpole. Of note is Robin Fernsell Antiques on School Street, where Robin sells folk art, furniture, art work and accessories for the home. And for the dog and horse lover, take a side trip to Dog and Pony Show on the outskirts of town on Country Road, located in a horse barn. Their collection of horse- and dog-related items date from the late 18th to the first quarter of the 20th century and include porcelain, pottery, metal ware, prints, paintings and home furnishing. They also sell custom-made needlepoint dog collars for your furry friends.

Have fun treasure hunting in the Monadnock Region and let us know what you find! For a complete list of the Monadnock Region’s antique shops, visit the Monadnock B&B Association's website and listing of Antiques stores all across the region.