Random New Hampshire Picture Of The Week #6

Jr Prom 1988 Sanborn High
Originally uploaded by lawriekim
This is Amazing! I randomly found a picture from 1988 from my High School's Junior Prom. Absolutely incredible!!

Fireworks!!!

I was able to make it back to NH for the recent fourth of July celebrations, a staple of every Independence Day celebration are the fireworks. Sure the big cities bring out all the people like in NYC, Boston, Washington, D.C. but if you're truly looking for a great fireworks display without the crowds just drive around NH for a little bit. See one of New Hampshire's claims to fame is their lacks, even embracing, of the fireworks laws for citizens. You'll find the best personal fireworks displays in the northeast in NH b/c of the availability of high-grade fireworks. Here's a list of the restricted states Consumer Product Safety Comission. Looking on that list you will see that every northeast state aside from Connecticut and Pennsylvania are on the restricted list for consumer fireworks bans. This leaves Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont (the three states surrounding NH) no choice when it comes to buying fireworks to come in NH and purchase their pyrotechnics. Now there are different laws per town so make sure  you frequent the towns that don't have any restrictions, this article in the Seacoast Online has a full list.

The leader in NH fireworks is Atlas PyroVision Productions. They supply all of the fireworks displays for Boston, NYC, Washington D.C. and annually hold a fireworks display in their hometown of Jaffery, NH as part of the Jaffery Festival of Fireworks. This is the 19th-year of the festival which is being held on Aug 16th at the Jaffery Airport in Jaffery, NH (For More Info). I went one year and it is spectacular, the company goes all out with syncing the show to music and it's as big as any major city, plus they usually test out new firworks so you could see things that you've never seen before.

A partial list of 'official' fireworks events can be found here. So there are plenty of ways to see how NH celebrates the art of explosions throughout the year and not just on America's birthday.

Random New Hampshire Picture Of The Week #5

the rocket's red glare
Originally uploaded by Ben McLeod
Happy 4th of July!

Public Radio: Not Just Garrison Keillor

So Aug. 24th my mother, girlfriend and I will be attending A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Milford, NH (you already knew that b/c I mentioned the place in an earlier post). I was recently reminded of the event by visiting the New Hampshire Public Radio website where there was a small advertisement for the event. Along with browsing the site I found a number of excellent features. Now I guess by this time I'm never really surprised by the amount of Web 2.0 technology that any NPR uses but it certainly impressed me to the lengths that NHPR was using it. They've got this particular section that stood out to me called Word Of Mouth which is a show on NHPR that skews to a younger audience and has some really great features mentioned. In the context of this blog specifically there was this feature titled 'Making Money On Web 2.0' and it was an interview with one of the authors of "Groundswell" a fascinating and extremely timely book about the current marketing swing toward the internet. So I found myself reading the blog and even friending the show on Facebook. If you get the chance check out the NHPR Word Of Mouth site for some well needed fresh content. NHPR can be found on these stations statewide:

• 88.3, Nashua, WEVS
• 89.1, Concord, WEVO
• 90.3, Nashua, WEVO
• 90.7, Keene, WEVN
• 91.3, Littleton, WEVO
• 91.3, Hanover, WEVH
• 97.3, Plymouth
• 99.5, Jackson, WEVJ
• 103.9, Portsmouth
• 104.3, Dover, WEVO
• 105.9, Colebrook
• 107.1, Gorham, WEVC

NH Travel To-Do of the Month - Red, Red, Wine!

So one of the main problems I've had with writing this blog is the fact that I'm writing it as if I were still in NH and I'm not trying to be a promoter of New Hampshire in the sense that I want people to go there. I do want to raise the awareness of New Hampshire but do it in a passive kind of way. With that said here's another cool monthly piece that will focus on a travel aspect of NH. 

This Month it's all about the wines! NH has some hidden gems and wine is always one of those products that people hold in high regard and only buy quote 'the good stuff'. Well let me throw this at you...

Jewell Towne Vineyards. Check it out and check out it's medal list here. That is just the first of the wineries that was featured but if you venture to the State's VisitNH.gov site you'll see there are three distinct regions in New Hampshire for wine.

The Seacoast Region (top suggested wineries by visitnh.gov) - Flaghill Winery in Lee, Jewell Towne which is in South Hampton and Zorvino in Sandown which actually has locally grown and imported grapes to make their wines.

The Merrimack Valley - Candia Vineyards, which specializes in fine wine and was "...NH’s only Diamond, Frontenac, LaCrosse, Noiret and LaCrescent wines, they were N.E.’s  #1 most awarded vineyard at the Eastern States wine competition".

The Monadnock Valley - LaBelle Winery, this winery uses assorted fruits to present it's variations of wine.

None of these are distinctly close to eachother it's not a set up like the Finger Lakes Region or the Napa Valley Region but you could certainly complete a New Hampshire wine tour in one weekend. For more detailed info and maps check out the wineries websites.