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Portsmouth Halloween Parade, 10/31/07
 

Portsmouth Halloween Parade, 10/31/07
 

Portsmouth Halloween Parade, 10/31/07
 

Portsmouth Halloween Parade, 10/31/07
 

Portsmouth Halloween Parade, 10/31/07

Harriet, 05-07-08

1502GDD, 05-14-08
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riding the East Coast

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3,000-mile bike route to pass through the Seacoast

Heading south from Badger’s Island in Kittery, Route 1 crosses the Memorial Bridge and cuts through downtown Portsmouth. Bicyclists have two options to cross the bridge: They can either dismount and walk their bikes, or they can take their chances on the metal grate roadway, which can spell the end for road bike tires.

Soon that will change. When the bridge is rehabilitated next year, it will be outfitted with concrete to make for easy crossing. Memorial Bridge will become the first stretch of New Hampshire’s segment of the East Coast Greenway—a bicycle route that traverses the entire East Coast of the United States.

After crossing the bridge, cyclists travel through downtown Portsmouth. The crowded city center is one of many that the Greenway intersects on its path south. Below the city, the road opens up a little, and the route follows Route 1A and 1B through the twists and turns of the coastline.

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gentlemen, stop your engines

Every spring, a growing number of Seacoast residents have ditched their cars in favor of bikes. With gas prices climbing, celebrating Bike to Work Day makes more sense than ever. This year, New Hampshire’s sixth annual Bike/Walk to Work Day falls on Friday, May 16.

In addition to saving money, getting some exercise and doing right by the environment, participants can also take advantage of free commuter breakfasts. This year, three new locations have been added to the regionally coordinated event. Rochester, Milton and Lee will offer free breakfasts, bringing the total number of participating communities to nine.

Bike to Work Day is meant to highlight the benefits of car-free commuting. Throughout the second week of May, a number of local businesses are taking part in the Corporate Commuter Challenge, which is a competition to see which businesses can get the most employees to bike to work. 
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marijuana decriminalization bill fails; local Dems join Dean at state convention

marijuana decriminalization bill fails

The N.H. State Senate voted down a bill on May 1 that would have reduced possession of small quantities of marijuana to a violation level offense. The N.H. House passed HB 1623 in March, but the Senate Judiciary Committee roundly rejected the legislation in April and the full Senate voted it down shortly thereafter.

Sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey Fontas (D-Nashua), HB 1623 would have reduced the offense of possessing up to a quarter-ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a violation punishable by a fine of no more than $200. Although the bill ultimately failed, some advocates feel it represented a big step toward marijuana reform in the state. Matt Simon, executive director of the N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, said he was not discouraged by the Senate’s vote.

“A strong majority of voters now understand that our marijuana laws were written for the 1970s and that they need to be updated for the 21st century,” Simon said in a release. “Through this process, I think we have demonstrated that a reform of this nature is both wise and inevitable.”
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Snoop Dogg brings semester to climax

Christine Gagliano and her friends devised a plan to meet Snoop Dogg on Friday, May 2, while dodging a light drizzle at the entrance to the Whittemore Center.

“We’re going through the doors, get patted down and running for the stage,” said junior Gagliano amid a crowd of eager Snoop fans. “We’re going to take off our heels and run. These people behind us think they’re getting in first—they’re not. I’ve been here since 2.”

Gagliano and her friends, juniors Jenna Madore and Kiley Anderson, were the first concert-goers to start a line outside the Whit before SCOPE’s Spring Climax concert on May 2, featuring platinum-selling rap artist Snoop Dogg.
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Kittery Community Center on ice

court rules against construction of a recreation center on Emery Field, town considers its next move

A battle over the location of a proposed Community Center in Kittery has been raging for more than three years now, with both sides alternately cheering and sulking. The latest cheers have come from members of Save the Village, a group that opposes construction of a new Community Center on Emery Field. That’s because a York County Superior Court justice recently sided with the group, effectively rejecting the town’s application for the construction.

“I think they are very happy. It’s been a lot of hard work for them,” said attorney Alan Shepard, who represents Save the Village. “It’s not that easy to be dedicated to something when it takes several years to be resolved.”

Town officials, meanwhile, are left to consider their next move, which could involve shifting their sights to the Frisbee School.
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Superfrog at The Blue Mermaid, May 9

In many respects, Superfrog is like a live, retro jukebox filled with records hand selected by stoner hippies of the late 1960s. During the band’s two sets at The Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth last Friday, the six members covered songs by Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin, to name but a few. The only thing that keeps Frog outside the realm of a “cover band” is a smattering of original tunes, which the group will soon convert into its first full-length album.

In a demonstration of its musical training, Superfrog tuned its instruments and loosened up with “So What,” off of Miles Davis’ classic “Kind of Blue.” Once the band members were satisfied with the sound, they kicked off the show with “Badfish,” the first of two Sublime covers of the night. Midway through the song, guitarists Andy Mendola and Jeremy “Fuzzy” Grob dueled playfully on their six-strings, the former on electric and the latter on acoustic. Meanwhile, bassist Nate Proper and drummer Shane Comer maintained the beat, while trumpeter Tony DiBurto ornamented the tune with his horn. 

It was quickly evident that the musicians, most of whom are in their early 20s, strive to replicate the frolicking party atmosphere that Sublime imbued in the 1990s. While the band paid frequent tribute to its classic rock forefathers, it also tipped its cap to modern jam acts like moe. Interspersed between the covers were occasional originals that carried a similarly jammy, funk-rock sound.
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playing for peace

It’s not Woodstock, but an upcoming event at The Music Hall also celebrates peace with a big concert. Guests this weekend will commemorate the historic signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty with an evening of music fit for presidents. The Music Hall will host the second annual Portsmouth Peace Treaty Commemorative Concert on Saturday, May 17. The Seacoast Wind Ensemble will be on hand to perform a musical program titled “Peace & The Presidency: Music for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.”

The concert memorializes the end of the Russo-Japanese War 103 years ago. It was in 1905 that diplomats from Japan and Russia met at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as guests of President Theodore Roosevelt to negotiate the end of the war. The meetings led to a new era of diplomacy between the warring nations and the United States, and Roosevelt later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the negotiations.
The program on Saturday will include a performance of American composer Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait,” with narration by Phillip’s Exeter Academy chaplain Rev. Robert Thompson, whose powerful voice will reverberate through the domed theater. The program is organized and conducted by SWE music director Richard Spicer.
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RPM Jukebox Planet

The RPM Jukebox is home to more than 16,000 songs from independent musicians all around the world. The music spans every genre and style imaginable, and anyone can log on, browse, and listen at www.rpmchallenge.com/jukebox. To give you a head start in your exploration of this new world of music, here’s a sample album that caught our ear!

‘Ashen Sea’
by The Governess, 2008, Portsmouth


If Portisheady was a real adjective, we’d throw it down as one of the descriptive words for this album. It’s full of low, drawn vocals and melodies, as well as the comforting scratches and hisses we know so well from early Portishead albums.

The music of The Governess, performed by Nathaniel Raymond and sung by Nicole Speidel, has a hypnotic, other-worldly feel. Speidel’s voice is breathy and haunting, like she’s underwater or possibly orbiting just above the Earth.
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Speed Racer

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rated PG 

“Speed Racer” is a candy-coated acid trip, a string of surreal, hard-to-follow visuals wrapped up in a palette of bright, blinding colors with a storyline so sweet that your teeth may start to hurt. Anyone over the age of 16 will probably have a hard time making sense of “Speed Racer” and might wind up with cinematic diabetes and a bad seizure after watching. But “Speed Racer” is a kids’ movie through and through, and any sort of concern for adult viewers is lost among the car races (which are exciting, although a bit too much like Mario Kart), kung fu fights and monkey-related antics.

Written, directed and produced by “The Matrix” creators Andy and Larry Wachowski, “Speed Racer” is not your average summer movie vehicle, but the quality of the ride depends highly upon your age and, more importantly, love of the original cartoon.

Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) loves racing more than anything, save perhaps his family—but they all love racing, too, so it’s about equal. His dad, Pops Racer (John Goodman), founded the family’s racing company and built Speed’s ultra-slick set of wheels, the Mach 5. As Speed continues to break records and attract notice in the World Racing League, he still finds himself in the shadow of his older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), a legendary racer disgraced by scandal and seemingly killed in a fiery crash.
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The Hand

Orion Pictures, 1981
starring: Michael Caine, Andrea Marcovicci, Annie McEnroe and Bruce McGill
written and directed by: Oliver Stone

the plot: Jonathan Lansdale (Caine) is a successful comic artist with a beautiful wife, Anne (Marcovicci), and an adorable daughter. But tragedy strikes when Anne causes a bizarre car accident that claims Jonathan’s right hand. Lansdale’s recovery goes slowly, and Anne pressures him into moving the family to New York so she can attend a New Age university in the city. Unable to draw, Lansdale becomes depressed, and an attempt to pass his comic strip on to another artist ends in disaster. Through it all, Lansdale is plagued by visions of his missing hand and frequent blackouts, after which he cannot recall his activities. As his marriage becomes more strained, Lansdale accepts a teaching job in California in order to get away. But his visions persist, and he slowly begins to suspect his severed appendage is following him around and causing mayhem.
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downtown dining developments

new restaurants and owners flood Portsmouth

Last year, downtown Portsmouth saw the opening of new restaurants like Rudi’s Portsmouth, Black Trumpet Bistro and Brazo, which settled into the former locations of The Metro, Lindbergh’s Crossing and 43 Degrees North, respectively. Spring 2008 brings a new batch of fresh changes to the Port City’s dining scene. When restaurateur Jay McSharry, who still owns Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, The Red Door and Dos Amigos Burritos, sold The Dunaway Restaurant late last month, it was the latest in a spree of dining developments to hit downtown. New enterprises are quickly filling the spaces recently vacated by Isis, The Mustard Seed, AK’s and Gepetto’s, offering a variety of new lunch and dinner options. Most of these businesses should be up and running by late spring, diversifying the city’s restaurant population in time for summer. What follows is a roundup of the latest restaurant happenings in Portsmouth. Bon appetit.

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life, redemption and the pursuit of Indy

a chat with author Mark Sarvas, en route to RiverRun Bookstore

For almost five years now, author Mark Sarvas has been keeping tabs on all things literary on his blog, “The Elegant Variation.” In that time, he has managed to garner praise from such sources as The Guardian, National Public Radio and Los Angeles Times Magazine. The blog has also earned Sarvas some … well, since this is the Year of the Superhero, let’s just call them nemeses (Steve Almond, we’re talking about you).
 
Sarvas, who lives in California, has spent some of his time writing for movies and television. He just released his first novel, “Harry, Revised,” the tale of Harry Rent, a man in search of change. Harry has just lost his wife, who died while undergoing an unnecessary surgical procedure. Not having been an ideal husband, Harry feels her death was his fault. Determined to turn his life around, he sets out to gain redemption by helping others.

The Wire recently contacted Sarvas through e-mail during his national tour in support of the novel, which will bring him to RiverRun Bookstore on Thursday, May 22. The author shared some thoughts on career choices, writing and Indiana Jones.
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a moveable feast

new art at Three Graces produces motion out of stillness

Shiao-Ping Wang’s paintings are moving. Not just because a thing of beauty stirs emotions, but because the artist is inspired by growth and change, the flow of time, and the transition from her native Taiwan to the United States.

The evolution of several layers of paint expresses these ideas as well as the paint itself. Wang combines two kinds of paint to create the impression of movement. The acrylic is glossy and the flashe, a vinyl paint, is matte.

Her recent work is on display until June 9 at Three Graces Gallery in downtown Portsmouth, complemented by sculpture from Melissa Turner. The two-person art exhibit opened May 9 as part of the city’s monthly Art Round Town event.

The sculptures by Turner, which are labeled only M. Turner, like the music of M. Ward, are large but delicate bowls with walls that twist and fold into the center. The all-white or -black sculptures have a way of capturing shadows that add another facet. In her artist statement, she writes, “I am intrigued by the visual obscurity of one part by another, requiring physical movement to come to understand the piece as a whole.”
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travel the world from the comfort of your seat

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‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at Seacoast Repertory Theatre

In the late 1970s and early ’80s, there were two types of movies: big, wild, Barnum and Bailey, showy-type films, and small, intimate movies. Plenty of people could pull off the quiet films, but when it came to the circus, no one stepped up quite as well as a young director named Steven Speilberg.

I can’t think of a better description for the work of Blair Hundertmark. Whether his stage is large or small, he utilizes every corner of the theater and every facet of each actor and crew member for his latest work. He combines Jeanné McCartin’s costuming brilliance with Audra Avery’s resplendent scenic design skills, and tops it all off with Craig Faulkner’s incandescent lighting design. The result is a devilishly bold piece of art. Running at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, “Around the World in 80 Days” attracts 2-year-olds and 80-year-olds alike, and all eyes remain fixed on the stage for fear of missing a single moment.
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Pontine offers workshops for all

Pontine Theatre in Portsmouth will host a community arts workshop from May 20 to June 29, training participants for a series of public performances at Strawbery Banke Museum and West End Studio Theatre. The six-week program will culminate in performances of Pontine’s original stage adaptation of Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s novel, “The Story of a Bad Boy,” on the weekend of June 28.

Presented by Pontine’s artistic directors, Greg Gathers and Marguerite Mathews, the six weekly workshop sessions will educate community members about basic theater skills like stage design, directing, and acting. Participants will gain insights into Pontine’s creative production techniques for storytelling, puppetry, toy theater and masked acting.

Pontine recently staged its unique adaptation of “The Story of a Bad Boy” at West End Studio Theatre on Islington Street. The production coincided with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Thomas Bailey Aldrich Memorial at Strawbery Banke. Born in Portsmouth in 1836, Aldrich published “The Story of a Bad Boy” in 1869, chronicling his boyhood years in the Port City. Many historians and authors credit the unusual book with inspiring beloved Mark Twain characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
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sprucing up the skate park

When Littlefield Skate Park unveiled its new half pipe and bank last week, close to 50 kids showed up with their boards to test the new equipment. The Exeter Parks and Recreation Department is now looking for volunteers to help add some finishing touches to the newly renovated park on Saturday, May 17.

Located on Lower Court Street in Exeter, John C. Littlefield III Memorial Skate Park was originally installed 10 years ago. But, as the park’s concrete structures became outdated, activity at the site digressed from skateboarding to loitering, according to town officials.

“When we came onboard, the old concrete structures that were there were deteriorating and the park was really being trashed and not being used,” said assistant director of parks and recreation Greg Bisson. “We added approximately 10 new elements, including the two that just were installed.”  
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