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5 Holiday Activities in the Monadnock Region

The dead of winter is when New England comes alive, especially during the holidays! New Hampshire’s Monadnock region, especially, loves to use the arts to celebrate this special time of year. Home to many diverse artists including dancers, actors, musicians, and crafters, what better way to ring in the holidays than through the arts? With

summer campers pose outdoors on and around a small building

Arts Spotlight: Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music

NICOLE S. COLSON Cellist Javier Caballero first came to the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music as a student 25 years ago. The inclusive environment he found there led him on his life path.  The non-profit arts organization, founded 52 years ago, is situated on 100 acres of fields and woodlands in Nelson. Apple Hill

fall foliage trees along a mountain road

FFAST over Columbus Day weekend showcases new artists

Bright and bold colors, dashing images, winding back roads…. these are some of the pleasures of the annual art tours over Columbus Day weekend.  Whether you’re on the road or in a new studio talking to artists, it’s an adventure!   Because the Monadnock area is so rich with creative talent – there are actually two

Jacqueline Schwab and Emily O’Brien in Nelson

Renowned pianist Jacqueline Schwab and noted Boston-area recorder player Emily O’Brien will give a concert at the home of Hunt and Allison Smith in Nelson, NH. On Sunday, March 20 at 7:30 pm, the duo will perform this dance music-infused program, featuring classical and traditional music pieces drawing on “fin du siècle” (turn of the

100 Views of Mount Monadnock

From Abbot Thayer to Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, the dramatic views of Mount Monadnock in southwest New Hampshire have captivated people for centuries. The “Mountain That Stands Alone” continues to hold rank as the second most climbed mountain in the world behind Mt. Fuji, drawing an estimated 80,000 to 100,000

The Gift of Celebrating Christmas in the Monadnock Region

Listening to acapella by candle light in Keene. Watching the Nutcracker stream live from Moscow at Peterborough Players. Cutting your own christmas tree at Carabee Tree Farm in Greenfield. Finding fresh local winter greens at Farmer John’s Plot in Dublin. Treating your loved ones to a gourmet 5-course holiday luncheon at Pickity Place in Mason.

A Holiday Music Roundup for the Monadnock Region

From elementary school sing-alongs to Christmas night contra dances, the most beloved holiday songs can be heard joyfully emanating from concert venues across the Monadnock region. These annual celebrations remind us that it doesn’t matter if you’re listening in a school auditorium, church, museum, pub, town hall or an iconic theater. That musical traditions bring

Dancing Forever in the Nelson Town Hall

This article was published on 1990,  in Leisure Weekly, a Keene-based entertainment newspaper that has long since ceased publication. Many things have changed since then, and notably, in the summer of 2014 the hall underwent significant renovations (though mostly structural) ~ Gordon Peery [<<<return to Contra Dance page] Not too long ago a piano tuner