SO MUCH GOOD STUFF, UPPER VALLEY!
Friday
Opening reception for AVA Gallery’s annual high school exhibition. The exhibition, which this year features more than 100 works by emerging artists from 14 schools around the Upper Valley, includes ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and wearable art—”the future of art in our region” says curator Samantha Eckert. Includes awards ceremony. 5-7 pm.
Hop Film screens Marty Supreme. Timothée Chalamet as fictional table tennis prodigy Marty Mauser in Josh Safdie’s “manic, madcap odyssey of ambition, resilience and reinvention.” Loew Auditorium, 7 pm.
The Anonymous Coffeehouse returns to the First Congregational Church of Lebanon. Boston-based singer-songwriter Emily Margaret (who performed with Lake Street Dive when she was 11) starts things off at 7:30 pm. At 8, the husband/wife duo of Mike T. Lewis and MaryBeth Zamer, (the Twangtown Paramours) bring folk and retro blues to the stage. And at 9, Kyle Singh (now studying comp lit in Boston) returns with some of his Dartmouth buddies as The Lone Pines.
Morrissey Blvd. returns to Sawtooth Kitchen. “Morrissey Blvd. is a sibling trio from New Bedford, Massachusetts made up of Zan (lead vocals/guitar), Henri (bass/vocals), and Wilson (drums). Their sound blends soulful funk and the raw energy of rock, with influences ranging from Stevie Wonder and Jack Johnson to Mt. Joy and Marcus King.” 9 pm.
Saturday
Ski orienteering at French’s Ledges in Meriden. Pretty much what it sounds like: Ski orienteering combines cross-country skiing (mostly on trail, but also sometimes off the trail) with navigation. Skiers need to use the map to choose the best route to find checkpoints, which they tag with electronic punches. Up North Orienteers is hosting this 9:30 am to 2 pm event (there's another in Holderness on Sunday) with Beginner, Intermediate, and two Advanced courses. Registration and starts 9:30-noon.
Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Center hosts US Rep. Ro Khanna. Khanna is the California Democrat who, along with Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, has been driving the Epstein files effort in Congress (they first joined forces in 2019 on a War Powers Resolution aimed at US involvement in Yemen). Khanna will be talking with government prof Brendan Nyhan as part of Rocky’s "Law and Democracy: The United States at 250" series. 1:30 pm in Filene Auditorium and livestreamed.
Hop Film screens Oscar Shorts: Documentary. Four somber bite-sized films and one not-so-somber one: a reporter and photographer documenting the rooms of children killed in school shootings; a profile of the first American journalist killed in the Ukraine war; Israeli peace activists in vigils commemorating young Gaza victims; an abortion clinic director besieged by anti-abortion activists in Atlanta; and three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory. 2 pm in the Loew.
Billings Farm’s Woodstock Film Series screens Folktales. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s documentary is set in Arctic Norway, “where teenagers spend a transformative ‘gap year’ at Pasvik Folk High School: Relying on one another and a loyal pack of Siberian huskies, they learn to dog sled, navigate the wilderness, and discover new strength and purpose.” 3 pm both Saturday and Sunday.
Winter Wonderland Walk at the Etna Library. “The library's Story Walk will be decorated with wintry lights and decorations. Grab a flashlight and some glowsticks from the welcome desk and then head into the snowy hills, reading a winter-themed Story Walk tale along your way.” 6-7:30 pm.
The Howe Library brings in Valley Improv. "Expect quick thinking, big laughs, plenty of surprises, and a lot of heart. The show is family-friendly and suitable for all ages. This performance requires no registration and is open to all.” 7 pm in the Mayer Room, and it’ll be livestreamed: Sign up here.
Roots & Wings hosts the Draa Hobbs Quartet. Upper Valley Music Center's Hobbs on guitar; vibraphonist and Berklee prof Rich Greenblatt; Leb’s Tim Gilmore on drums; and Vermont Jazz Center Sextet bassist Wim Auer. 7 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich.
The Lissa Schneckenburger Trio at the Chandler in Randolph. The great traditional-music fiddler, singer, and songwriter is joined by Rachel Aucoin on piano and Samuel Foucher on accordion for an intimate evening of original and traditional music from New England, Scotland, and Québec. 7 pm in the Esther Mesh Room.
The Vermont Mandolin Trio at Artistree in S. Pomfret. Jamie Masefield, Will Patton, and Matt Flinner, with Pat Melvin on bass, in a “rare evening of bluegrass, jazz and roots music in the unique (and very happy sounding) setting of three mandolins.” 7 pm in the hayloft.
At the Hop, Illegal Crowns and the Coast Jazz Orchestra. Coast Jazz is joined by the collective ensemble Illegal Crowns (which features guitarist Mary Halvorson, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and cornetist and Coast Jazz director Taylor Ho Bynum) with legendary trumpet player and composer Wadada Leo Smith. 7:30 pm in Spaulding.
Sunday
A Celebration of Life Gathering for Chris McKinley. Hosted by the local group of Amtrak Caretakers in the train lobby at the Amtrak station in WRJ from 3-5 pm. With displays and photos of the well-known, highly popular WRJ fixture and his 30-year dedication as ‘Yardmaster’ for the station and all things trains. Chris died suddenly on Feb. 19. Attendees are encouraged to share their stories and memories as well. No event link.
The White River Indie Festival kicks off. The chock-full eight-day fest starts up at 4 pm Sunday with a screening of Natchez (more below) in the Hop’s Loew Auditorium and, at 6 pm, the start of the festival-long Light River Junction, with downtown WRJ’s walls and windows transformed into “glowing canvases for film and video artists." An astounding variety of films, conversations, a comedy showcase, open mics, workshops, and more follows over the course of next week. Schedule at the link.
Hop Film screens Hamnet in Spaulding. Chloé Zhao’s raw and resonant adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel, as William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) grapple with the death of their son, Hamnet, their distance as Will plies his art in London, and the place of art and grief in life. 4 pm.
WRIF and Hop Film screen Natchez. WRIF’s opener features Suzannah Herbert documentary as she follows "owners of historic plantations, local activists and politicians and both white and African American tour guides as they tell their ever-more conflicting versions of the town's past, and of American history." 4 pm in the Loew Auditorium.
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