Billy Collins to headline Jazzmouth 2008

local manufacturer and regional artists put their best bag forward

At a time when most manufacturing jobs can’t get overseas fast enough, it’s no small wonder that BaileyWorks has been able to thrive on the Seacoast. The Portsmouth-based manufacturer is not sheltered from the stormy winds of international trade, but it has been able to carve out a sizable share of the messenger bag market while remaining true to its local roots.

Locally, the bags have a certain cache. Walking around downtown, you are likely to see at least one pedestrian or cyclist with a Bailey bag slung over his shoulder. But the popularity of BaileyWorks extends beyond the confines of Portsmouth. Wherever a whiff of bike culture exists, Bailey bags are often present. Jonathan Bailey, owner of the Islington Street business, has received letters and postcards from as far away as Cambodia, all from customers extolling the virtues of the simple satchel. 

RPM bloggers reflect on the trials and triumphs of February 2008

The mainstream music industry is filled with savage competition and rabid money-grubbing, which has led to some damned ugly situations. In a nasty demonstration of this trend, Kid Rock recently sucker-punched Tommy Lee in the face. And remember when Axl Rose publicly challenged Vince Niel to a rumble? For that matter, remember the Guns N’ Roses song “Get in the Ring?” Here at RPM headquarters, however, we deplore violence. The RPM Challenge promotes a sense of collective musical camaraderie that has been reflected in countless blog entries on the RPM discussion board. Musicians across the globe found creative unity in the singular objective of writing and recording 10 songs or 35 minutes of original music in 29 days. Artists who were oceans apart went through the same daily rigors as they attempted to balance their RPM projects with day jobs, families and basic necessities, like eating and sleeping.

The 2,400-plus participants who signed up this year were propelled forward by a common motivation. The noncompetitive nature of the Challenge, which offered no reward other than the personal gratification of finishing, spurred determined participants to support and encourage one another throughout the month, bolstering each other’s spirits when they encountered inevitable setbacks, and congratulating one another when they successfully laid down a track or wrote a new tune.

UNH professor looks back on five years of war coverage

It’s been five years since the war began, and the U.S. military is still operating in Iraq. The war, which many believed would be a short-term engagement, has turned into a long-term disaster. If Americans had foreseen such a lengthy involvement, would they have been so eager to invade Iraq? If more accurate information had been available before the invasion, would support for the war have been so strong?

Joshua Meyrowitz is a professor of media studies in the Department of Communication at the University of New Hampshire. His research explores how the war in Iraq has been covered by the American news media, the challenges faced by U.S. journalists covering this conflict and how changes in the news industry have tied the hands of war reporters.

Boys of the Lough plays pre-Paddy’s Day show

Few people outside of Ireland and Scotland were familiar with Celtic music prior to the early 1970s. It existed, primarily, in kitchens and pubs sprinkled across the Irish countryside. Generations of self-taught musicians fiddled and sang folk tunes while exchanging local gossip, filling small spaces with colloquial banter and song.

“Irish traditional music existed only in tiny little unknown ghettos, really,” said Dave Richardson, multi-instrumentalist for Boys of the Lough. “To a great degree, as far as the general public was concerned, they didn’t even know it existed.”

When Boys of the Lough embarked on its first overseas tour of the United States in 1972, the band members believe it was the first time any professional Celtic folk ensemble had toured in North America. More than 35 years later, traditional Irish music has thoroughly infiltrated the United States—especially in New England, where Irish immigrants maintain a strong presence.

“Other bands saw that we had been able to tour this music, and it gave them the courage to attempt it themselves,” Richardson said. “It has turned into an incredible worldwide phenomenon.”

N.H. Sports & Social Club sends balls flying

Dodgeball was originally conceived by humankind’s prehistoric ancestors Australopithecus robustus, who would scratch lines in the savannah sands and hurl rocks at each other.

The game hasn’t changed much. Only now, instead of rocks, the players hurl six-inch, rubber-coated balls and compete on courts with parquet floors. And, without all the terrible rock-inflicted wounds and concussions, it’s a lot more fun.

On a snowy night in February, fellow field reporter Larry Clow and I embarked on an in-depth exploration of the modern game. We arrived shortly after 8 p.m. at Spinnaker Point Recreation Center in Portsmouth, where games were underway between participants in the local chapter of the New Hampshire Sports & Social Club. There we met local dodgeball organizer Todd Henley, captain of Casual Encounters, who gave us an introduction to the awesome world of dodgeball.

It was about 2:30 a.m. when a trio of hikers pulled into the Appalachian Trail parking lot in Randolph on Sunday, Feb. 17. They hoped to ascend the Valley Trail and reach the summit between Mount Madison and Mount Adams before first light so that they could watch the sunrise from above the tree line. After reaching their initial destination at about 8:30 a.m., one of the hikers, Will Chere, turned around and headed back to the car. The other two hikers, 30-year-old Alex Obert and 29-year-old Steven “Dewey” McCay, both of Arlington, Va., continued southward. Their goal was to hit all eight peaks of New Hampshire’s Presidential traverse and arrive at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center at the top of Crawford Notch by 7 p.m., traveling a total of 19 miles in a single day. Chere would be waiting there to pick them up.

They didn’t show. Chere waited as the hours passed, but his friends did not arrive. He eventually contacted authorities and, at about 2:30 a.m. on Monday, word reached N.H. Fish and Game that two hikers were missing in the mountains.

Two Mexican art exhibits are bringing balmy breezes to the Seacoast, reminding us of warmer climates. “Frida Kahlo: Images of an Icon” is on display in the Lamont Gallery at Philips Exeter Academy, while “Lola Alvarez Bravo” can be viewed at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. The exhibits, which both portray the lives of Mexican female artists, were not planned by either curator to coincide. The conjunction of these two shows provides an unexpected opportunity to get an in-depth look at the relationship between these two important artists, as well as a taste of life in 20th century Mexico.

The Red Door celebrates four years of its Monday night music series

It’s easy to walk past The Red Door without even noticing that it exists. There is no sign beckoning customers to the State Street location in downtown Portsmouth, just an unadorned entrance between AK’s Bar and Bistro and Dos Amigos Burritos. The windowless door would be entirely inconspicuous were it not painted blood red, which makes it stand out slightly against the white façade of the building. 

Once you open the door and climb the narrow staircase on the other side, however, you discover a thriving metropolitan alcove with wood floors, leather sofas and all-red walls. The scene within varies, depending on the night of the week. On Tuesdays, DJ Beat Pervert hosts an evening of experimental soul and hip-hop called the “Scissor Test.” On Wednesdays, the Green Lion Crew hosts its popular reggae night. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, a range of guest DJs and artists provide house music. And, on Sundays, hip-hop ensemble Pharos improvises fresh beats.

Like it or not, dramatic change is headed Portsmouth’s way. Within a couple of years, the outdated Parade Mall office building that is currently nestled between Deer, Hanover and Maplewood streets will be replaced with massive new development. As motorists head east on Maplewood Avenue toward downtown, they will be greeted by four gigantic brick buildings with large windows reflecting the azure sky. The ground level of each building will feature shops, cafés and restaurants with outdoor patios lining broad brick sidewalks. On Deer Street, an extended stay hotel with 128 rooms will hover over retail spaces, and 28 new residences will fill the top four floors of a building on Hanover Street. The two other buildings will offer a combined 160,000 square feet of office space abutting Deer, Hanover and Maplewood streets. 

In October 2007, the N.H. Lottery Commission made available a $30 scratch ticket called Polar Express. Offering a top prize of $1 million, it is the highest priced instant lottery ticket ever to be sold in the state. The odds of winning the lowest possible prize of $40 are one in six. The odds of winning the $1 million prize, however, are one in 150,000. Good luck.

The $30 ticket represents the latest development in a state and national trend of lottery players requesting higher priced scratch-off tickets with bigger payoffs. It was only a couple of years ago, in fiscal year 2006, that New Hampshire first unveiled a $20 scratch ticket. The state now offers at least five different $20 games and one $30 game, and higher priced tickets could be on the way. Texas began offering a $50 scratch ticket last year, and other states could soon follow suit.

“There’s always a discussion on how we can make better products that appeal to our players,” said Maura McCann, spokesperson for the N.H. Lottery Commission. “We are continually assessing our products to make them more entertaining to our players, more fun for our players to be a part of and that sort of thing.”

Lottery critics contend that Americans with low incomes and limited education tend to spend the most money on scratch tickets. Opponents also argue that higher priced tickets lend themselves to problem gambling and addictive habits typically associated with casinos. 

The Wire’s 2008 legislative preview

The New Hampshire primary has come and gone, and while most of us are still nursing political hangovers and wondering what sort of terrible, strange surprises democracy has in store for us next, the political work that matters most to Granite Staters is already underway. The New Hampshire Legislature is back in session, and more than 400 members of the House and 24 members of the Senate are in Concord, ready to debate, pontificate and maybe even pass a law or two. Some of the topics up for discussion this year are familiar to voters—debates over how to fund education in the state, questions about spending cuts and so on—while others are new and, occasionally, weird (why is the legislature talking about peeing in public, anyway?). Here’s a look at what lawmakers will be talking about during the legislature’s 2008 session.

the big two: education funding and revenue shortfalls

It’s 2008, and the new year brought a number of fresh laws into effect in New Hampshire. From highly publicized bills, like the passage of civil unions, to lesser known mandates involving dog penalties and hunting regulations, the new laws will have varying degrees of impact on the average citizen’s daily life. But, after a full year with a Democratic majority in Concord, New Hampshire’s basic ideologies seem to be undergoing changes. While Republicans see the latest policy changes as evidence of a left-wing, “nanny state” government, Democrats feel they are making long-awaited and necessary changes for the betterment of the Granite State.

Surely the most controversial law to take effect this year was House Bill 437, which “permits same gender couples to enter civil unions and have the same rights, responsibilities, and obligations as married couples.” The state made available applications for civil union licenses beginning in early December, and a flood of applications followed. Dozens of homosexual couples entered into civil unions during ceremonies held just after midnight on the morning of Jan. 1.

More than a foot of new snow settled across Sunday River’s eight peaks during the overnight hours between Jan. 1 and 2. By the time the lifts opened the following day, the mountain had surpassed 100 inches of total snowfall for the season, just two days into 2008.

According to Sunday River spokesperson Alex Kaufman, a typical December brings about 24 inches of snow to the resort in Bethel, Maine. In December 2006, a measly eight inches fell, Kaufman said. December 2007, however, was a different story. Kaufman had not yet tallied the final sales numbers for the busy holiday week that encompassed Christmas and New Year’s Day, but he knows they were significantly higher than last winter.

“It was potentially record-breaking,” Kaufman said. “It was head and shoulders above last year, as far as snow conditions and visitation.”

Reports from New Hampshire ski resorts were similar. At Attitash, located in Bartlett, ticket sales for holiday week were double the previous year, according to spokesperson Krissy Fraser. She expected all 75 of the mountain’s trails and glades to be open by Monday, Jan. 7, and December was highly successful.

a roundup of polling places for the first-in-the-nation primary

New Hampshire voters have had ample opportunities to meet the 2008 presidential candidates. In anticipation of the Granite State’s first-in-the-nation primary, candidates from both parties have spent months trekking along the campaign trail that stretches around the state. If you haven’t had a chance to get out and see the candidates, you have less than a week to educate yourself on their policies and make a choice. Primary ballots will be cast on Tuesday, Jan. 8, in every New Hampshire community. With a field of eight Republicans and eight Democrats to choose from, it’s time for you to decide who will best represent your party as we head into the general election next fall. What follows is a list of polling hours and voting locations in southern New Hampshire. Help determine the nation’s future and vote!

a guide to Seacoast happenings on New Year’s Eve

Why do we celebrate New Year’s Eve? As a wise man with a weird mono-nomenclature once said, “Nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” It’s true—when we wake up on Tuesday, Jan. 1, not much will have changed from the previous day, other than the date on the calendar. It will still be cold and snowy outside, you will still have the same banal day job, and your gambling debts will still be unpaid. 

But that’s a pessimistic view. If New Year’s Eve is nothing more than an excuse to temporarily break free from the tethers of your inhibitions and celebrate life with friends and family, there’s nothing wrong with that. Still, it broaches the question of what to do on New Year’s Eve. Expectations of extraordinary fun are high, and time is running low. So decide!

For years, terms like “consumerist holiday” and “bah humbug” have been flung at Christmas like monkey detritus, besmearing the holiday’s shimmering, tinsel-draped spirit. This year, even Father Christmas himself has come under attack, accused of using offensive language every time he rears back for a good belly laugh.

A number of media outlets have reported, with a mix of horror and fascination, that Santas across Australia and some parts of the United States have been advised to veer away from their traditional “ho ho ho” greeting because it is offensive to women and frightens some children. The jolly laughter sounds too close to the American slang word for prostitute, argue representatives from Westaff, an international supplier of Santas. Therefore, the famous elf is advised to instead bellow “ha ha ha.”

On Dec. 6, the U.S. House of Representatives passed “The Energy Independence and Security Act” by a vote of 235 to 181. The legislation sets strict mandates for energy policy, improving the environment and reducing dependence on foreign oil. The bill, which received support from N.H. Representatives Carol Shea Porter and Paul Hodes, will increase national fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020 and establishes national standards for renewable energy production.

The phones at Rockingham Community Action (RCA) start ringing before the office opens, at 8:30 a.m. They continue to rattle throughout the day, usually until about 4:30 p.m., when the office closes. This time of year, many of those calls come for Sharon Brody, director of the RCA’s Fuel/Electric Assistance Program. As temperatures drop and fuel prices soar, many Seacoast residents are turning to Brody for help.

When Jim Buttrick and Peter Bowers bought the historic brick building at 855 Islington St. in Portsmouth in 1986, they founded a thriving community for artists and craftspeople. Originally a manufacturing building for shoe buttons, the structure experienced a variety of uses before establishing itself as the heart of Portsmouth’s working arts scene. The Button Factory will celebrate its 21st anniversary as art space with its annual open studios event on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Those Norman Rockwell images of children caked with dirt and mud, catching frogs and playing stickball in fields, once captured what it meant to be a kid. Not anymore. Now, the prevailing image of kids has them sitting on couches, gaping sedately into the television, swathed not in sunlight but in the iridescent glow of the TV screen or computer monitor.

The dirt roadway leading to the Stuart Farm in Stratham is lined with silver maples, the leaves of which are tinted gold and yellow in the fall. According to local folklore, the majestic trees served an unusual purpose for former owner Charles Whitcomb, who operated the farm 100 years ago. Whitcomb supposedly planted the trees to guide his carriage horses home after long nights of carousing the pubs in Newmarket.

what’s in an endorsement?

The State Employees’ Association of New Hampshire ignited a wave of controversy last week when it apparently reversed its original decision and endorsed former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) for president. According to some SEA board members, the Board of Directors originally voted 7-5 in favor of U.S. Rep. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). A second vote, taken about a week later, favored Edwards by a count of 9-8.

Edwards accepted the endorsement amid a firestorm of questions from media and union members skeptical of the vote’s legitimacy. And, with a membership of 10,000 workers statewide, many question whether such a narrow margin of victory accurately reflects the members’ collective opinion.

John Larochelle

David Walker

Doug Lachance

Jeff Winders

Brian LaBranche

Raymond Varney Jr.

Shawn Mickelonis

Elaine Lauterborn

Sandra Keans

"TJ" Thomas J. Jean

Peter A. Lachappelle

Rick Healy

Ray Lundborn

Geoffrey Hamman

Ralph Torr

Fred Glidden

Larry Goelz

James P. Gray

Charles Grassie Jr. 

Thomas G. Ferrini 

Christine Dwyer

Laura C. Pantelakos

Ned Raynolds

Kenneth Smith

David Adams

John "Jack" Blalock

Nancy Clayburgh

Charlton M. Dobson

Steve Durgin

Leo Gagnon

William Gladhill

Jerry J. Hejtmanek

Esther E. Kennedy

Merton "Skip" Mobbs

Norman Patenaude

Eric Spear 

Robert Keays 

Douglas Dede 

Parks L. Christenbury III 

Jan Nedelaka 

David Scott 

Gary R. Gilmore 

Rick Hebbard 

Peter M. Lester 

Dean Trefethen 

Catherine Cheney 

William "Bill" McCann 

Dennis Ciotti 

Rick Callaghan 

Mary Hebbard 

Bill Colbath 

Steven McCusker 

Karen Weston 

Thomas C. Dunnington 

Scott Myers 

Charles Reynolds 

Joyce El Kouarti 

As the days grow shorter and New Hampshire delves deeper into fall, a number of sensory experiences accompany the changing weather. The air becomes crisper and clearer. Chrysanthemums of all colors accost front porches, and plump, orange pumpkins decorate doorsteps. But what would a New Hampshire autumn be without its brilliant foliage? The changing leaves define the season in the Granite State, and the vibrant colors mean big bucks for New Hampshire, as “leaf peepers” flock to the area.

Portsmouth’s proximity to the ocean has always inspired a sense of connection to the outside world. Through the establishment of several “sister city” relationships, the Port City has become part of a global community that includes Japan, Hungary, Russia, Estonia, Ghana and Northern Ireland.  

In late 2003, the idea to establish a sister city relationship with two Ghanaian villages was brought before the Portsmouth City Council. Several citizens had visited villages in the West African country and decided that both communities could greatly benefit from such a relationship. After the council approved the sister city program, members of the Portsmouth-Greater Accra Sister City Connection committee invited chiefs from two Ghanaian villages to New Hampshire. Their visit coincided with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail. During that visit, a ceremony was held to cement the relationship.

“We resolved to continue the exploration of our historical and cultural connections and to support educational programs between our community schools and churches, such as assistance with technology, scholarships and exchanges with faculty and students, as well as to foster business initiatives between our communities with programs for micro-economic lending, trade and business education,” said Liz Doucette, a member of the committee. Her statement accurately reflects the overall mission of establishing sister city connections.