This Saturday, May 18^th, from 10am – 4pm, the museum will open its garden gates for its annual Spring Farm Day Market, Plant Sale & Farm Day Activities. The Spring Market, which is open to the public free of charge from 10am – 2pm, will feature homemade crafts, plants, baked goods, and an organic seedling sale. Spring Farm Day events include historic farmhouse tours, horse-drawn wagon rides, gardening activities, farm tours, wool spinning, and demonstrations of traditional crafts. Kids can make a paper pot and plant a seed to take home, as well as help plant the museum’s Children’s Garden. Curious folks of all ages can learn about making spring tonics in the morning, and butter making in the afternoon. Everyone can dance around the Maypole!

There is no charge to visit the Spring Market, but there is a small admission fee of $7 per adult and $4 per child for the museum and Farm Day activities. Museum members get in free.

The New Hampshire Farm Museum consists of two adjoining farmsteads situated on 50 acres located on Plummer’s Ridge in Milton, New Hampshire. The historic Jones Farm and the Plummer Homestead date to the late 18^th century and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farms were passed down in the same families for generations, and now serve as a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and carrying forward New Hampshire’s rural and agricultural heritage. For more information or to check out the museum’s special events, please visit their website or call 603-652-7840.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

photos courtesy of The New Hampshire Farm Museum

Sponsored by the Meredith Area Chamber of Commerce, the 18^th Annual Community Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, May 18^th from 9 am – 3 pm at over fifty locations in the Meredith area. According to Susan Cerutti, Executive Director of the Chamber, the event has become a fun tradition for folks in the Lakes Region of NH.

“The Community Yard Sale began almost 20 years ago,” says Susan. “It was scheduled to be the weekend before Memorial Day, as that had typically been a quiet weekend, and we were looking to create an event that would bring people to town. Now with so many antique shops on Main Street, the event dovetails perfectly with the shops in town.”

The idea seems to have worked. Locals and out-of-towners alike look forward to the day they can cruise around town searching for treasures and visiting with neighbors.

“People seem to love yard sales,” says Susan. “Those who attend fall into a couple of groups: antique dealers looking for bargains at the individual sales (and of course they also stop in at the antique shops), and residents who make a day of yard sale-ing—spending the day with friends and looking to see what is out there each year. Since this is our 18^th year, we also have a loyal following of out-of-town people, too.”

In addition to the many garage and yard sales at individual homes, several local businesses and organizations will also participate in the big sale. The Trinity Episcopal Church in Meredith and the Congregational Church in Center Harbor will both host group sales. As in the past, a book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Library will take place at the Meredith Public Library, and the Meredith Altrusa Club will hold a sale on the lawn of the Chamber building. Inter-Lakes Builders will hold a yard sale at their location on Foundry Avenue, and the Meredith Kiwanis Club will conduct their sale at Keytown Automotive. The Shops at 38 Main, including Once New Antiques and Her Prerogative will be open for business, and the Ballard House Bed & Breakfast will join with other homeowners on Parade Road to sell various items. On Winona Road, the Meredith Historical Society will be open at their farm museum, while in Center Harbor, Canoe Restaurant will participate in this fun event.

The Community Yard Sale will be held rain or shine, and, beginning at 8 am on Saturday, maps identifying the locations of the various sales will be available at the Chamber of Commerce Information Center located at 272 Daniel Webster Highway. Signs will be posted at the individual locations as well. For more information, please call the Meredith Area Chamber of Commerce at 603-279-6121.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

This weekend, May 4^th and 5^th, don’t miss the Mother’s Day Craft Fair at Laconia High School. The event takes place on Saturday from 10 – 4, and on Sunday from 10 – 3. This wonderful fair will feature over 70 exhibitors with great gifts for Mother’s Day or any occasion, including beautiful quilts, quilted jackets, table runners, glass art, handcrafted scarves, fine jewelry, bat & bird houses, gourmet pickles, dips, and jellies, hand-poured soaps, unique wax room fresheners, American girl clothing & accessories, wearable art, clothing, and much more! Fairgoers will enjoy the music of Tim Janis, as well as free admission. What a great way to find a special gift and support our local craftspeople at the same time!

For those who prefer the do-it-yourself approach, The League of NH Craftsmen is hosting two workshops this weekend: A Variety Basket Weaving workshop and a V.I.P. (Very Important Pin or Pendant!) class.

The Variety Basket Weaving workshop with Ray Lagasse will take place on Saturday, May 4^th from 9 – 5. Participants can choose which kind of basket they would like to make from start to finish—a garden basket, laundry basket, wool gathering basket, or a market basket. Full descriptions, dimensions, and pictures are available at the gallery. Tuition is $95 per student, and there is no additional materials fee.

On Sunday, May 5^th from 1 – 5, try the V.I.P. (Very Important Pin or Pendant!) class with Amee Sweet-McNamara. In this beginner-level workshop, students will learn the basics of bead embroidery and soutache, a narrow, flat, decorative braid technique used in the trimming of drapery, clothing, or jewelry. Working through a project that results in a pin that can also be worn as a pendant, this informative class covers all of the basic stitches required to begin coaxing beautiful braids into tantalizing textile jewelry. Tuition is $45 per student, with an additional $30 materials fee to be paid to the instructor at the time of the class (this fee covers a Soutache Kit, which includes everything you will need).

For both programs, space is limited, and pre-registration is required. Please email the League of NH Craftsmen for more information or check the Meredith Gallery event page at www.nhcrafts.org/localsites/meredith/education.html.

Mother’s Day is next weekend on Sunday, May 12^th! To celebrate, Mill Falls at the Lake will be offering their annual Mother’s Day Brunch in the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing. This grand brunch buffet will be prepared by Lakehouse Grill and served from 10:30 – 4. For reservations, please call 279-5221.

How about a Sunday Brunch Cruise aboard the M/S Mount Washington?  On Mother’s Day, families taking Mom out can choose between the 10 am or 2 pm cruise from the Weirs Beach docks. What a glorious time of year to be out on Lake Winnipesaukee as flowers are blooming and trees are budding along the shore! Tickets for all cruises are available by phone at 888-843-6686.

Mill Falls at the Lake would like to wish all mothers everywhere a very happy Mother’s Day this year!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Images courtesy of The League of NH Craftsmen and the M/S Mount Washington.

Delbert McClinton will be at The Flying Monkey on May 17th.

Concert season is shaping up to be a great one in the Lakes Region, with some really big names lined up to play at two of the premier stages in NH. The Flying Monkey and Meadowbrook have booked a lot of international stars this year, and they are adding new acts almost everyday—it won’t be long before their summer concert schedules are full!

The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center in Plymouth has been hosting fabulous performing artists year-round since 2010, and it seems the shows keep getting better and better! “The Monkey” features several movie series, nationally and internationally recognized bands and solo artists, well-known comedy acts, and community theater productions. Just in May, Rockapella, Phil Vassar, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Delbert McClinton, among others, will grace the stage at the Monkey. Tickets to these shows are selling quickly, so get yours soon! While you’re there, check the Monkey’s diverse schedule for upcoming shows through next fall.

At The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook, there is truly something for everyone. This popular outdoor concert venue is always hopping, but this season looks like it’s going to be extra special, with a wide variety of musical genres represented. Meadowbrook’s calendar is showing some exciting names, including The Avett Brothers, Willie Nelson & The Charlie Daniels Band, Rascal Flatts, Journey, Kiss, John Mayer, and The Allman Brothers Band & Steve Winwood. Tickets for all these shows are expected to go fast—in fact, both July dates for the Zac Brown Band are already sold out. Don’t miss the experience of seeing some of your favorite bands in such a beautiful spot on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee!

It looks like New Hampshire is becoming a destination for summer concert tours… time to start planning the fun now!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Gabriella indulges her creativity at The Arts Collaborative.

For children who will be on vacation in the Lakes Region next week, a wonderful opportunity for fun and creative self-expression awaits at the Arts Collaborative Teaching Studio in Meredith…

On Monday, April 22^nd, Tuesday the 23^rd, and Wednesday the 24^th from 9:30 to 12:00, The Arts Collaborative will host “Crazy Creative Kids,” a program to encourage children to stretch their imaginations, try new things, and have a blast! Kids ages 6 – 12 are welcome to join in the fun, led by experienced teaching artists Heidi Little and Cynthia Robinson.

“Our intention is to offer families an affordable activity that nurtures children’s individuality and provides them with a unique experience and the ability to try something new in the arts. The space is warm and inviting and full of all kinds of inspiration, from art work and collaborative pieces to a huge array of natural, repurposed, recycled, and traditional art materials. Kids blossom here! I love to watch them light up with ideas galore, as they jump in and get immersed in the creative process—something that comes naturally to them and brings them such delight.” says Heidi Little.

Each day of “Crazy Creative Kids” vacation art classes will have a special theme.

Monday is “Build it… 3D” Day – Imagine fantastical creatures, contraptions, and structures, and then construct to your hearts content using wood, recycled, and repurposed materials and fasteners.

Tuesday is “Colorful Paint” Day – Make a masterpiece painting on canvas, inspired by your dreams and imagination or a still life or photograph that we provide.

Wednesday is a “Tie Dye Party!” – Flaunt your colorful creation using your own white T-shirt, pillowcase, socks, etc., or use one that we provide for a small materials fee.

Participants can register for one, two, or all three mornings. Sessions are $25 each or 3 for $65, and pre-registration is required. For more information, contact heidilea@metrocast.net or Cynthia@ecoartalacarte.com, or call the studio at 603-707-1631.

The Arts Collaborative consists of the working artisan studios of David Little of Winnipesaukee Forge, Steven Hayden of Steven Hayden Arts, Cynthia Robinson of Eco-art a-la-carte, and Heidi Little of ArtsEnlight LLC. The space also features a gallery showroom and a teaching studio. The Arts Collaborative was formed by owners David and Heidi Little with the intention of celebrating and sharing the joy and importance of creativity in self-expression and in our surroundings. The Teaching Studio offers after school classes for children, community gatherings and events, and adult classes and workshops. For additional information, please visit www.theartscollaborative.net or http://artscollaborativeteachingstudio.blogspot.com/.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

photo courtesy of The Arts Collaborative

Taking place from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the Sacred Waters Yoga Studio, the Wedding Prep Dance Crash Course is designed for those getting ready for that special day, be they the engaged couple, parents of the bride or groom, members of the wedding party, or guests who will be attending receptions and celebrations this coming wedding season. The class will focus on dance moves that can be performed on a small, social dance floor. Instructor Juli Pruden says all wallflowers are welcome!

Juli has been an instructor of Ballroom, Latin, and Swing Dance since 1999. She began teacher training at Portsmouth Ballroom in 1998, supervised by Mandy Ball, current examiner for the U.S. Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance for the East Coast. Juli also participated in Mandy’s Technique Class for Advanced Dancers at Maine Ballroom. She has received training from well-known figures in the Ballroom, Latin, and Swing realms, including Nick Kosovich of Dancing With the Stars, Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova of Strictly Come Dancing, as well as other national and international champions. Juli continues to attend dance and training events to keep her teaching fresh and imbued with best practices.

In the fall of 2006, Juli began building the dance community for the Newfound Lake Region at the Tapply-Thompson Community Center, and she is delighted to now be extending her teaching to the Greater Lakes Region.

Juli came to dancing reluctantly, so she knows how difficult it can be to get started. Once she began, however, she fell in love, and her enthusiasm and enjoyment for what she’s doing shine through her instruction. Her teaching philosophy is to make dancing fun and easy by relating it to things her students already know while incorporating humor into the lessons. Juli’s teaching has inspired many former wallflowers to get out on the floor and enjoy themselves. Juli says her students also benefit by meeting new people, getting exercise that doesn’t feel like work, and building confidence and poise.

Please register for the Wedding Prep Dance Crash Course by Wednesday, April 10^th at the Sacred Waters Yoga Event Page, or for more information, please call the studio at 603-279-3243.

Brush off those dance shoes and have some fun!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

On Friday, April 5^th, two nationally renowned comedians will perform at Church Landing as part of the Comedy Night fundraising event. This is the third year Kidworks is setting the comedy stage as its annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the event will go towards bringing “Miles of Smiles” to the kids as the center looks to purchase a new transportation vehicle. This year’s fundraiser starts with a cash bar at 7 pm, followed by an 8 pm comedy show featuring Mike Burton and Paul Keenan.

Mike Burton, the evening’s headliner, has been seen on NBC, Law & Order, Comedy Central, and Dr. Oz. Mike grew up in North Carolina and Delaware listening to George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, and Steve Wright. After college he moved to New York City to pursue his dreams. It has been said that Mike’s southern roots make him hospitable, and he has enough of New York in him to give him an edge.

Paul Keenan, who is an established Boston comic, will warm up the stage at 8pm. Paul was the winner of the first annual Plymouth Rock Comedy Festival in 2010 and has also been a finalist in the Magners Comedy Festival, Sierra Mist Comedy Search (Boston), HBO Standup Standoff, Catch a New Rising Star contest, and the Rhode Island Comedy Festival.

Tickets are $20 per person and include a dinner coupon for a buy one entrée, receive the second one at half price, valid that night at Lakehouse, Camp, Lago, Mame’s, or Giuseppe’s. Tickets can be purchased at the Meredith Mobil Station (across from the Town Docks) or by emailing michelle@millfalls.com. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the event. Mill Falls is offering special guest-room rates for that night through the Travel NOW program. Childcare will be available with the Laugh Out Loud Movie Night for Kids, presented by Sacred Waters Yoga Studio, at $20.00 per child, ages 4 and up. Deborah Dow, a native of Meredith and community educator for the past thirteen years, will provide a fun-filled night for the kids with a G-rated movie. To reserve childcare, please call the studio directly at 603-279-3243.

The mission of the Kidworks Learning Center is to provide high-quality early childhood education and childcare programs at an affordable cost to families. The center provides a warm, safe, and nurturing environment with developmentally appropriate materials to foster individualized learning. Program goals and curriculum have been developed to promote the emotional, social, cognitive and physical development of each child. Through daily activities, children are provided with a variety of opportunities to explore and develop to their maximum potential. For more information, call Kidworks at 603-279-6633.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Kate O’Donnell of Ayurveda Boston

Winter is over, and thoughts are beginning to turn toward opening the windows and letting the fresh air in! Spring cleaning, anyone? How about new beginnings? A refreshed and healthy new you? In any yoga practice, there’s always an opportunity to begin again, every time we come to our mats. However, Sacred Waters Yoga is offering a special weekend program that will nourish and renew you on every level, and offer you a chance to take home some skills that will bring health and wellbeing into your everyday life.

Sacred Waters Yoga at Mill Falls is delighted to present a Weekend of Ayurveda April 5^th – 7^th, 2013. The weekend retreat will feature Ayurveda yoga, cooking, and workshops, where students will fully engage with this ancient and powerful way of living. Kate O’Donnell of Ayurveda Boston will lead the weekend events. Her wealth of experience and knowledge offers us a deeply foundational, practical, and experiential immersion into the theory and practice of the principles of Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is the science of nature—largely preventative medicine—that enhances self-awareness to help us make choices that support our wellbeing. This system encourages us to catch imbalance before it begins to create disease. Ayurveda uses food, spices, herbs, bodywork therapies, daily and seasonal rhythms, and gentle seasonal cleansing to nourish the tissues and remove stagnation and toxicity. Those who attend the weekend events will learn to apply the principles of Ayurveda to their yoga practice or teaching, as well as their personal daily lives.

The weekend starts off with an Ayurveda cooking class led by Kate on Friday from 6 – 8:30. Saturday morning begins with Ayurveda Yoga practice from 8 – 9:30, followed by workshops all day Saturday and Sunday. Participants in the Ayurveda workshops are also eligible for special overnight rates at Mill Falls at the Lake. Stay at the Inn at Mill Falls for $79.00 per night, or at Church Landing for $119.00 per night!

For more information about Ayurveda or the special weekend events, visit the Sacred Waters Yoga website or call 603-279-3243. To reserve your room at Mill Falls, please call 603-279-7006.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

“Duetto Concertante,” will take place Saturday, March 23^rd at 7:30 pm at the Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium, located at Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith, NH. The LRSO, along with sisters Margaret Hopkins and Bozena O’Brien, will be performing W. A. Mozart’s Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra. Also on the program are “Fatinitza Overture, Part 2” by Franz Von Suppé and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 2 in C minor, (“Little Russian”).

Margaret Bruziak Hopkins

Margaret Bruziak Hopkins was born in Poland and began violin studies at age 7, adding piano at age 12. As a teen she was a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra for five years and a fiddler with the Polish Dancers of Boston.

Ms. Hopkins received BM in Performance from U. Mass, Lowell, where she also pursued Music Education. She received extensive Suzuki training at Ithaca College in NY, Hartt College at University of CT, New York State University in Buffalo, and Capital University in Ohio. She has performed in her native Poland, Switzerland, Israel, England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, and the United States.

Ms. Hopkins is a member of the Suzuki Association of America and Maine Suzuki Association and is the past president of Maine Suzuki Association and secretary of Maine String Teachers and Players Association (MSTPA). She served on the board of Maine Music Educators Association as Orchestra VP. She teaches violin at schools in Saco and Old Orchard Beach, ME, as well as at the Portland Conservatory of Music and her private home-based studio. She currently performs with the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, the Maine Pro Musica, Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, and the New Hampshire Music Festival, and also freelances in the New England area. Margaret is very proud and happy to be performing with her sister, Bozena O’Brien.

Bozena O’Brien

Bozena O’Brien was born in Poland and came to the United States at age 10. She continued her musical education in this country with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony and as a “Young Artist” member at Tanglewood. Bozena also trained at Boston University, where she was a student of Walter Eisenberg, and later studied with Marylou Speaker Churchill of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. O’Brien holds a certificate for Suzuki pedagogy and Suzuki Book 1, and teaches at Concord Community Music School, where she is string department chair. She has taught at St. Paul’s School for 20 years as well as at the Holderness Preparatory School and Kimball Union Academy. She performs with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, CCMS Musicians of Wall Street, and the Brinkler Piano Trio, and continues to perform as a freelance violinist throughout New England.

Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $15 for adults and $8 for students college age and under, and are available online or at Innisfree Bookshop, the Mobil station across from the Town Docks in Meredith, Greenlaw’s Music in Laconia, and Bayswater Books in Center Harbor. For more information visit the LRSO website.

LRSO would like to thank their season sponsor, Meredith Village Savings Bank, for their continued support. The Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra is a Meredith-based, non-profit orchestra that performs throughout the fall, winter, and spring months. Orchestra members have ranged in age from teens through retired seniors, representing over 36 communities in the Lakes Region.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

photos courtesy of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra

If you’d like to see the process up close in the Lakes Region of NH, you can get in on all the maple sugaring action at Prescott Farm in Laconia. Every Saturday throughout March, Prescott Farm welcomes the public to its Maple Sugar Madness program, where visitors can learn everything about the techniques of sugaring, from tapping to tasting!

The program runs three times each Saturday: from 10:00 – 11:30, 12:00 – 1:30, and 2:00 – 3:30.  Guests will have an opportunity for hands-on participation in every step of the syrup-making process. The farm’s environmental educators help visitors build tree identification skills, learn the parts of a tree, and discover how each part functions. Then visitors use measuring tools to find an appropriate maple tree to tap, and try their hands at historical as well as modern tree tapping tools. The experience is enhanced with presentations of the history of maple sugaring, including Native American legends, woven into the program. Guests also learn the math and science involved in the boiling process. Then it’s time to taste the results!

This program does involve a 20-minute walk to the Sugar House and a hike back up the hill after the program, so dress appropriately for the weather, and don’t forget the snow boots!  Snowshoes are available if needed. For more information and to reserve your spot, call 603-366-5695.

Over 110 NH maple producers are gearing up the 18^th Annual NH Maple Weekend taking place March 23^rd & 24^th this year. Sugarhouses will be open to visit and will have plenty of fresh maple syrup and other maple products. Some locations will be offering pancake breakfasts, while others will have live entertainment and family activities. Every sugarhouse offers a great learning experience about one of the Granite State’s oldest industries. Also check out NH.com for a long list of maple syrup farms and sugar shacks in the state.

Celebrate the sweetest season of the year—now is the time to stock up on real NH maple syrup and support our local maple producers!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team