SO MUCH GOOD STUFF, UPPER VALLEY!
Friday
For starters, the Hopkins Center’s four-day opening celebration will be going on all weekend. It begins today with two full-up events, picks up steam tomorrow (Friday) with a dedication of the new wing, an open house, a sold-out evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry, and more; then on Saturday there’s everything from a sunrise gathering to an “Arts Are Essential” discussion to a free community celebration with singer/songwriter Hans Williams to Shonda Rhimes and Mindy Kaling in conversation hosted by Jake Tapper to Yo Yo Ma… Whew. Some events are sold out, several have overflow possibilities, hit the link for details.
Bluegrass and country at the Howe Library with Dan Freihofer. The Lyme musician started out on piano, but “took up guitar and mandolin early on because the instruments are more portable and I love to sing. I guess it all started at 10 years old, when I began watching the Smothers Brothers, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and Hee Haw when they all had variety shows on Network TV!" 3 pm in the New Books area.
Tim O'Brien & Jan Fabricius at Seven Stars Arts in Sharon. When O’Brien was on tour some years back with Mark Knopfler, Knopfler would introduce him variously as “A master of American folk music” or “a true Renaissance man of country music.” Both are true—and he and his wife, Fabricius (a nurse and a mandolinist) “bring an intimate and warm acoustic music roots repertoire that’s at once both original and traditional,” Seven Stars writes. Doors at 6:30 pm, music at 7.
Frank Vignola and the Birdland Trio in Haverhill. The guitar virtuoso has played with everyone from Ringo Starr and Madonna to Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, and Les Paul (who once named Vignola to his "Five Most Admired Guitarists List" for the WSJ). He and his jazz trio will be at Court Street Arts in Alumni Hall Friday at 7:30 pm.
Troy Ramey at the Claremont Opera House. The indie country-soul-rock singer-songwriter and storyteller spent the first 15 years of his life in VT, before his family moved to Rhode Island. He came to national attention with his appearance on The Voice in 2017, and since then has pretty much been able to pack audiences in even for self-booked shows. 8 pm.
The Rear Defrosters at Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover. The Brattleboro-based honky-tonk dance band “play a mix of originals and covers, with a deep setlist of country/soul/early rock ‘n’ roll classics.” 9 pm.
Saturday
Halloween’s not for two weeks, but festivities are already starting up. BarnArts’ Haunted Village Theater gets going Saturday at 5 pm, the Howe Library’s got a Zombie Prom for teens in grades 7-12 Saturday evening, West Lebanon Feed and Supply’s hosting a Howl-o-Ween Pup Trick-or-Treat Trail for the canine set Saturday from 11-2, and the West Leb Congregational Church has Trunk-or-Treat from 1-3. There’s lots more going on next weekend and especially the weekend after. The VN’s Liz Sauchelli rounds it all up at the link, with links.
Enfield Home Creators Expo. This is the first of two events—the second is in Springfield, VT on Nov. 8—hosted by Vital Communities and bringing together planners, lenders, builders, architects, septic designers, and local and state officials under one roof to make it easy for Enfield-area homeowners interested in creating accessory dwelling units and other housing to find resources and information they need. Drop in 9 am to noon, Whitney Hall, 23 Main St., Enfield.
Apple Cider Festival at the Etna Library. They’ll have an apple press set up in the Reading Garden for kids to help make fresh apple cider. Home-baked treats will be on hand, too. 11 am.
Jake Tapper and Race Against Terror at Still North Books & Bar in Hanover. The CNN anchor, bestselling author, and Dartmouth alum will be reading from and talking about his new book, subtitled Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War—about the US effort to prosecute an avowed Al Qaeda member who’d surrendered to Italian authorities after killing American troops in Afghanistan. 1 pm.
At the Norwich Bookstore, Jill Nooney and Bedrock, the Making of a Public Garden. Nooney spent four decades creating a 30-acre garden in Lee, NH. Her new book features some 300 photographs of the garden, sculptures, water features, and built structures, taking readers from the garden’s private beginnings to its current life as a public garden. 2 pm.
Valley Improv’s night at the museum. They’ll be at the Main Street Museum for an evening of off-the-cuff comedy. 7 pm.
The Grand Kyiv Ballet at the Chandler in Randolph with Swan Lake. The dancers of the Ukrainian National Opera and Ballet Theater will bring their performance of the classical ballet masterpiece about a prince who falls in love with a swan princess who’s under a spell, all set to Tchaikovsky’s music. 7 pm.
A chance to watch a voice masterclass with Richard Lissemore. Upper Valley Music Center is bringing in the well-known singing coach for a weekend residency, and Saturday evening he’ll be working with students of Upper Valley voice instructors as they perform, “giving the audience a front row seat into the process of integrating technique, story, and musicianship.” 7 pm, First Congregational Church of Lebanon.
Meet Loaf – The Ultimate Meat Loaf Tribute at the Claremont Opera House. Need anything more be said? 7:30 pm.
Sunday
The CHaD Hero takes over the Dartmouth Green. And, of course, the streets of Hanover and Norwich. The opening ceremony is at 8:50 am, and the half-marathon, 5K run and 5K walk set off at 9 am. Online registration’s closed, but you can register in-person that morning starting at 7 am. The annual event and festival of hero costumes supports the kids and programs at Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at DHMC.
If You Must Know at Roots & Wings. The duo of harpist Rachel Clemente and piper Dan Houghton bring a thoroughly modern sensibility to traditional Celtic tunes. Fresh off their appearance last week at the Anonymous Coffeehouse, they’ll be at the coffeehouse at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich on Sunday at 2 pm.
The Champlain Trio at Woodstock’s UU Church. It’s the North Chapel’s second concert in their Chamber Concert series, featuring violinist Letitia Quante, pianist Hiromi Fukuda, and cellist Emily Taubl with a program of “Soir" by Melanie Bonis, the Trio in A minor by Charlotte Sohy, and the Piano Trio in G minor by Bedrich Smetana. No charge. 2 pm Sunday, 7 Church St.
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