Sugaring Season is Right Around the Corner

Maple Syrup (and other maple products) might as well be one of the four major food groups...at least in New Hampshire and the exciting news is that the maple sugar season is just about here.  The precise date of the start of sugaring season varies from year to year (depending on the right combination of cold nights and above-freezing temperatures during the day).  However, sap houses are gearing up for the season which could start in the next few weeks (the season in the Monadnock Region runs roughly from mid-February to mid-April).

In the meantime, mark your calendars for the New Hampshire Maple Weekend which will be held this year on March 23 & 24, 2013. During that time, you can visit one of the many sugar houses that open their doors and give you the opportunity to become maple connoisseurs.  You can learn all about how maple sap is collected and the process by which it becomes syrup.  Learn about the different grades of syrup and sample many tasty treats made from the sweet delicious liquid.

Learn more about the New Hampshire Maple Weekend and participating Monadnock Region sugar producers.

I Scream, You Scream...

It was 1984 when President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month. He also proclaimed the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day, where all people of this great nation should observe the day with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Ice cream lovers in the U.S. will forevermore tip their cones to the 40th president of the United States for this awesome proclamation. We can eat our favorite dessert with abandon throughout the hottest month of the year – and relish some sweet celebrations held everywhere on the third Sunday – this year held on July 15 – that’s right, this Sunday!

Before digging into those cones and dishes laden with frozen desserts, here are some fun facts courtesy of the International Ice Cream Association) about ice cream:

• America is the ice cream capital of the world – it produces 1.5 million gallons per year; each American consumes an average of 22 quarts per year.
• Not surprisingly, vanilla is the most popular flavor in the U.S. (it comprises about 20 to 29 percent of all ice cream sales); chocolate is a distant second and garners about 10 percent of the market.
• One out of every five ice cream eaters admit to binging on ice cream in the middle of the night; this study discovered that men binge in the middle of the night more than women.
• About 9 percent of all the milk produced in the U.S. is used for ice cream.

In the Monadnock Region we are fortunate to have our own share of locally-made, high quality (okay, its amazing!) ice cream.  Below is a list of some of your local innkeepers favorite ice cream places.

• The best known in the area may be Walpole Creamery, which not only sells out of its Scoop Shop in Walpole, but is available in many retail locations in the region.  Their ice cream is of the highest quality and some of the tastiest around!
• Kimball Farm in Jaffrey is known for its huge portions, extensive variety of flavors, and great quality.  It is more than just an ice cream stand, it's more like a clam shack that's not on the beach since they serve plenty of lobster rolls, fried clams, burgers, fish and chips and chicken finger baskets.
• Connolly Brothers Farm in Temple is a true farm experience.  You drive up the dirt entrance road till you reach the dairy barn...cows on the right and dairy store on the left.  If you drive up on the right day you can walk in on them (the owners...not the cows) actually making and packing the ice cream.  This is not a scoop shop, their delicious home made ice cream is available in cups or pints or as cookie sandwiches and chocolate covered pops.  Don't forget to thank the cows on your way out :)
• Step back in time at the Central Square Ice Cream Shop in Hillsborough, an old fashioned soda-shop and parlor reminiscent of a bygone era.  The ice cream is homemade and worthy of a stop!

The latest local entry into the frozen dessert business is Stonewall Farm, a non-profit educational farm in Keene that is now producing ice cream from certified organic milk from its own cows.To commemorate the day with a celebration Reagan would have most certainly approved of, visit Stonewall Farm this Sunday where the farm will be celebrating National Ice Cream Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you get there early (at 9 a.m.) you’ll catch the “Bikes for Bovines” fundraiser race.

It Takes a Village … to Hold a Music Festival

Actually it takes many villages – more than a dozen -- in the Monadnock Region to host the annual summer Monadnock Music Festival. The village concert festival – now in its 46th year -- is a series of free classical music concerts set in intimate New England venues – from town halls to churches to historic meeting houses.

“What has always made Monadnock Music special is the intimacy of our venues and the quality and range of offerings across a spectrum of periods, styles and genres,” says William Chapman, executive director of Monadnock Music.

The 2012 summer festival season – July 6-August 11 -- brings some rising stars and renowned artists; selections include a season-long examination of the works of Virgil Thomson, the return of opera, Sanford Sylvan and Appalachian Spring. At the helm of the season is Monadnock Music’s new artistic director, Gil Rose, the former artistic director of Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Opera Boston, and a three-time Grammy Award nominee.

The concert series is a perfect excuse to catch a world-class concert, and explore some old New England villages in the Monadnock Region such Peterborough, Harrisville, Wilton, Francestown, Walpole, Jaffrey and Dublin.  It is also a way to get to know village residents, who come out in droves to support the concert series; the goal of the concert series, after all, say organizers, is to make classical music accessible to people in rural areas.

So, this summer, spend a day (or night) in some of the Monadnock Region’s most picturesque towns – and listen to some beautiful music.   Complete your evening of classical music with an overnight stay at one of our many wonderful local B&Bs or inns.

Here’s the lineup:

Note: Village Concerts are free, other concerts require ticket purchase; visit Monadnock Music  for details and reservations.

Friday, July 6, 7:30 pm – Peterborough Town House
Town House Concert (tickets required)
OPENING NIGHT

Monadnock Sinfonietta performs music commissioned by Martha Graham

Sunday, July 8, 3:00 pm – Harrisville Community Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players

Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 pm – Deering Community Church
Village Concert (free)
Guest Artists: Irina Muresanu (violin), Rob Auler (piano)

Friday, July 13, 7:30 pm – Peterborough Town House
Town House Concert (tickets required)
Guest Artist: Claremont Trio

Sunday, July 15, 3:00pm – Wilton Center Unitarian Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players

Wednesday, July 18, 7:30 pm – Keene Ahavas Achim Synagogue
Village Concert (free)
Guest Artists: Hirsch-Pinkas Duo (pianos), 
Jonathan Hess, Robert Schulz (percussion)

Friday, July 20, 7:30 pm – Peterborough Town House
Town House Concert (tickets required)
Guest artist: Alan Feinberg (piano)

Sunday, July 22, 3:00 pm – Francestown Old Meeting House
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players

Wednesday, July 25, 7:30 pm – Temple Community Church
Village Concert (free)
Guest artists: Terry Everson (trumpet), Scott Jarett (organ)

Thursday, July 26, 7:30 pm – Sullivan Congregational Church
Village Concert (free)
Guest Artists: F. A. E. Duo, Nicholas DiEugenio (violin), Chi-Chen Wu (fortepiano)

Sunday July 29, 3:00 pm – Keene Colonial Theatre
Opera Celebration (tickets required)
Guest Artists: Heather Buck (soprano), James Maddalena (baritone), Frank Kelley (tenor), Aaron Engebreth (baritone); directed and conducted by Gil Rose

Wednesday, August 1, 7:30 pm – Hancock Congregational Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players with Krista River

Thursday, August 2, 7:30 pm – Washington Congregational Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players

Saturday, August 4, 7:30 pm – Peterborough Town House
Town House Concert (tickets required)
Guest Artists: Sanford Sylvan (baritone), David Breitman (fortepiano)

Sunday, August 5, 3:00 pm – Walpole Unitarian Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Players

Wednesday August 8, 7:30 pm – Jaffrey Center
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Quartet

Friday, August 10, 7:30 pm – Peterborough All Saints’ Church
Village Concert (free)
Guest Artists: Lorelei Ensemble

Saturday, August 11, 3:00pm – Dublin Emmanuel Church
Village Concert (free)
Monadnock Quartet