13 things to do this weekend

As November sets in, it still feels a lot like the end of summer here. The leaves have lost their vibrant colors and instead blanket the ground in autumnal hues. It’s Art Round Town this Friday from 5-8pm and it will be a great evening to stroll from gallery to gallery to see exhibits and maybe meet some old friends. It’s also time to head to our local restaurants where there’s more room than a month ago and fall treats to enjoy. Fall Restaurant Week gives us the boost we need to make a reservation and try that place you’ve been wanting to visit. Go ahead, treat yourself and your favorite dining partner. Winter is coming, but it’s not here yet.

Fall Restaurant Week is Here

Fall Restaurant Week Portsmouth and The Seacoast will start on Thursday November 3 and run until Saturday November 12. The 10-day culinary event, presented by the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth with support from the State of New Hampshire, offers three-course prix-fixe menus for lunch and dinner at participating local restaurants. This fall, restaurants will offer lunch at $25 per person and dinner at $45 per person.

This fall, there’s a new Restaurant Week initiative to support local food pantries. The Northeast Credit Union will donate $5 to food insecurity initiatives for each restaurant week meal purchased, up to $5,000. Not only will you be tasted and dined by the area’s favorite restaurants and chefs and treated to specially priced menus, but you’ll also be supporting local food pantries. For more information and to see which restaurants are participating, visit restaurantweekportsmouth.com or www.goportsmouthnh.com

Bugs and Suds Beer Dinner at Portsmouth Brewery

On Thursday, November 3 at 6 p.m., the Portsmouth Brewery will host Bugs & Suds, a special beer dinner with a most unusual theme: cooking with insects. Insects have been an important source of human nutrition across the globe for millennia, and they’re starting to show up on dinner tables here in our country. Insects may also prove to be one of the keys to sustainable food production in a climate-changing world.

Forty of our more adventurous guests will be seated around a delicious multi-course meal featuring dishes created by Chef Desmond Smith and Sous Chef Jorge Lopez, accompanied by beers selected for the occasion by Head Brewer John Bergeron. Tickets are $65. For tickets and menu visit portsmouthbrewery.com.

Games night at Stages

There will be Games Night with a Cribbage Tournament in The Living Room at Stages at One Washington in Dover on Thursday, November 3 at 6 p.m. Players will play for a chance to win dinner for one in Stages’ kitchen. Reserve your spot at exploretock.com/stages-dining. Stages at One Washington is located at One Washington Street, Suite 3136 in Dover.

Wedgewood Festival in Rye

On Friday, November 4 from 5-7 p.m., the second annual Wedgewood Festival will take place on the grounds of Rye Junior High School and on the Rye School District’s Wedgewood property at 501 Washington Road. Admission is $5 per person or $20 per family. An admission ticket includes one meal per person. Guests will enjoy comfort food prepared by Rye Junior High families in slow cookers. Food choices include chili, soup, mac and cheese, meatballs, pasta, or a slice of pizza.

Tickets will also be sold to enjoy the carnival games designed by RJH 7th and 8th graders. You can buy tickets and have a chance to win a cake baked and decorated by 8th graders in the Life Skills class. New this year, concession stands offer treats like popcorn, donuts and cotton candy. In addition, there will be hot chocolate and cider sold and served by 5th RJH students.

The festival will also include a 50/50 raffle; a DJ; and a bonfire with s’mores treats to roast. Don’t forget to check out the student-led tours of Wedgewood’s beautiful woodland trails lined with bags of luminaries decorated by Grade 4 students at Rye Elementary School and pumpkin carvings by Grade 6 students at ongoing RJH of mathematics. All proceeds from the event will support year-end trips for the Rye Junior High classes of 2023 and 2024.

“Buried in Trash” exhibition features the work of Bob Thoresen

“Buried in Trash: Plastic is Poison for Our Planet” is a thought-provoking new art exhibition by abstract and mixed-media artist Bob Thoresen, which will be open at the NH Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery through November 27. Using single-use plastics of all kinds, he created pieces inspired by abstract impressionist artists. Other pieces raise awareness and convey information about how the excessive use of plastic is polluting our environment. Working with his grandson Jackson Swartzendruber as his assistant, Thoresen collected hundreds of plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic credit cards, plastic lids, plastic scraps, straws and insulators and polystyrene packaging materials. These materials were fashioned into various works of art ranging in size from one foot square to three feet wide by five feet high. There will be an opening reception on Friday 4 November from 5-8pm at the State Street Gallery in Portsmouth, during the city’s monthly Art Round Town event. The welcome and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Visit nhartassociation.org for more information.

Paul Hodes and The Blue Buddha Band at the Dance Hall

A Night With The Blue Buddha is a tumultuous night of old school rock and roll, Americana, blues and psychedelia. The band consists of Paul Hodes on guitar and vocals, Jon Gabay on bass, Dean Rubine on keyboards and Ed Raczka on drums. The Blue Buddha will perform at Kittery’s Dance Hall on Friday November 4th at 7:30pm to celebrate their new CD “Turn This Ship Around”. Proceeds from CD sales are donated to The Dance Hall. Tickets are $15 and are available at thedancehallkittery.org.

Dance to Prince at Club 3S: Purple Rain

On Friday, November 4, the monthly DJ Club 3S dance session will feature the music of Prince. Club 3S: Purple Rain will run from 8pm to midnight at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth. Tickets are $12 and are available at 3sarts.org.

Sarah Shook and The Disarmers at 3S

Sarah Shook and The Disarmers will perform with special guest Scout Gillett on Saturday, November 5 at 8 p.m. on the 3S Artspace website. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13 for members, $15 in advance for non-members, and $18 the day of the show for non-members for this stand-up show for all ages. Visit 3sarts.org.

Rye Place will host an art exhibition

Rye Place is hosting a community art exhibit featuring the paintings of local artist Susan Hennigan. There will be an opening reception on Thursday 3rd November from 4.30pm to 6pm at Rye Place Shopping Centre, 150 Layfette Road, Rye. Community members are invited to attend. There will be light refreshments and ample free parking. The art exhibition will be presented until December.

Dawnland StoryFest returns to Strawbery Banke

For the second year, Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth will host Dawnland StoryFest, New Hampshire’s annual Native American storytelling festival, on Saturday, November 5, as part of the museum’s Abenaki heritage initiative. The festival is free, with a suggested donation of $10. Pre-registration is required via StrawberyBanke.org/events/dawnland-storyfest.cfm.

The one-day festival takes place at the Museum in the TYCO Visitor Center, located at 14 Hancock Street, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants listen to “concerts” or storytelling performances by five experienced Aboriginal storytellers and a keynote address by Gayle Ross (Cherokee). The keynote will be streamed via Zoom for virtual attendees. For more information, storyteller biographies and to pre-register, visit StrawberyBanke.org.

Benefit concert for the Old Berwick Historical Society

On Saturday, November 5, local rock band Earth 2 Rooney will perform a concert to benefit the Old Berwick Historical Society. The show will take place at American Legion Station No. 47 in Rollinsford, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The historical society will mingle with games and other entertainment throughout the show. Admission is a suggested $10 donation at the door. The group is asking guests to bring an unwrapped toy to give away for the upcoming holiday season. For more information, visit www.oldberwick.org.

Art Up Front Street Open Studios

Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery will be holding open studios this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The eight studios will feature oil paintings, acrylic paintings, landscapes, ceramic earrings, photographs, prints, large abstracts, industrial quilts, collages, maps and metal sculptures . There will be light bites, libations, a few specials and music. There will be ukulele favorites by Nic Orovich early Saturday afternoon and the duo of Christine Fell and Nancy Fiske on clarinet and recorder on Sunday lunchtime. The event is free and the Art Up Front is located at 120 Front St., Exeter. More info at artupfrontstreet.com.

Live on the Button Factory stage: Ezra Cohen and the Big City Band

Ezra Cohen & The Big City will return to the Button Factory stage on Sunday, November 6 from 7-11 p.m. as the final leg of their November tour. Joining them is local artist Hello Shark, who has also just completed a short tour around the east coast, making her long-awaited debut on the Button Factory stage. Liza from Planet Parlor and Megan from Work are also a wonderful act to catch, so don’t miss this huge lineup! The Button Factory stage is located at 909 Islington St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $10.