Mary Selvoski on New Hampshire Chronicle

Guess what?

The famed Mary’s Closet is on New Hampshire Chronicle tonight. Yesterday, Tom and Tiffany hosted the show in costume from Mary’s, in Manchester.  Today, the WMUR show is featuring this costuming company.

NHIA’s Sidewalk Artfest date change

The New Hampshire Institute of Art’s Sidewalk Artfest is now happening Sunday, Oct. 4, rather than Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Spain Brothers are playing, it’s free, and you can register ahead of time if you want to create your own chalk masterpiece.

More free park concerts

Henniker apparently offers free concerts on Tuesdays it looks like.

More summer park concerts in southern New Hampshire are posted here.

Film-tastic

The “Best of” New Hampshire’s first 48 Hour Film Project are screening tonight at Red River in Concord. Check them out.

The Sarah Silverman show is NOT sold out

There was a mistake in The Hippo this week. We are sorry. Things can get crazy on deadline.

However,  the Palace Theatre assures me there are plenty of seats available for the benefit show, “An Evening of Comedy with Sarah Silverman and Friends,” Sunday, July 19. You can pick up tickets at the box office at 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and three hours before a show starts (or order them via phone or Web).

The show benefits New Thalian Players free Theatre in the Park performances.

Wednesday music in a park

Grammy nominated Cajun band, The Pine Leaf Boys, play the Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth tonight at 7 p.m.  I’m told this should be a good show.

Closer to home, recent South by Southwest performers, The Jason Spooner Trio, play in Londonderry’s common.

I’ve listed links to lots of free concerts in parks around the area, but let me (Heidi)  know at the Hippo if I missed any, or leave a comment.

Park concerts

• Concord holds concerts in Eagle Square on six Thursdays at 7 p.m., and the Nevers’ Band performs at different parks throughout the summer.

• The Londonderry Arts Council plans Concerts on the Common, mostly on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the bandstand on the Londonderry Town Common at Mammoth and Pillsbury Roads. They also run the monthly open mic Nutfield Sessions.

• New Boston’s Recreation Department organizes summer concerts on alternate Sundays at 6 p.m. (New Boston’s Blues Association’s “Barnful of Blues Festival” Aug. 1 is at the county’s 4H Youth Center.)

• Derry uses their MacGregor Park bandstand for Tuesday and Thursday night summer concerts.

• Milford’s “Sounds on the Soughegan” concerts run Wednesdays for about 10 weeks this summer at Emerson Park.

• Merrimack holds concerts mostly Wednesdays at 7 p.m. through Aug. 26 at the Abbie Griffin Park bandstand. (The form to request use of the bandstand is here.)

• Community Events, LLC, is running outdoor family film series at Veterans Park in Manchester and Greeley Park in Nashua this summer.

• New Thalian Players produces Disney’s High School Musical at Veterans Park and Nashua Theatre Guild produces Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Greeley Park (July 17-July 26). (The application to use Veterans Park is here.)

• For information about concerts and other events at Nashua’s Greeley Park’s bandshell see Nashua’s “SummerFun” calendar and check for updates here.

• For more downtown Manchester events, also see Intown Manchester.

• Not outdoors, or in a park, but still free, the SummerSundays Concert Series is at the Hillsborough Center Congregational Church.

~Let me know what else to list…

A map

Looking for still more summer stock? Try checking the New Hampshire Professional Theatre Association map.

How very cultured

Reserve your space for the Currier’s First Thursday fun “The Art of Salsa Dancing,” going on March 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. They have a lot planned for two hours at the Manchester art museum, starting with a “Rhythm in Art” museum tour, followed by a 30-minute lesson from Royal Palace Dance Studio at 6 p.m., and a “Dance Social” at 6:30 p.m. Watch Royal Palace dancers perform at 7 p.m. Museum members pay $10, and nonmembers pay $20.

Stimulus for arts: operating grants, anyone?

When I was gathering info for the Feb. 26-March 4 Hippo, it looked like the federal stimulus bill included $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. Earlier, NH Citizens for the Arts had put out a call to action to make sure it was included.

Now, the NH Council on the Arts has posted how that NEA funding can help New Hampshire. The state Arts Council expects $200,000 or more to come through them, probably for operating grants. See their post for details and how to apply.