SEE and GO
Harrison Thorp photos
A veteran instructor points out finer points of the pizza wedge during a lesson at King Pine.
At King Pine ski area,
we felt like royalty
posted 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 16
By Harrison Thorp
EAST MADISON, N.H. - If the Mount Washington Hotel is New Hampshire's grande dame of resorts, than Purity Spring and King Pine Ski Area must surely be its Prince Charming.
King Pine Ski Area, just an hour from Seacoast New Hampshire and less than an hour from much of York and Cumberland counties, may not have the verticality and challenge of New England’s marquee ski destinations, but for families and beginning skiers (and age-challenged seniors who don’t want to fall too much) it could very well be tops in New England.
The ski area, which is celebrating its 50th year, has 17 trails, 75 percent of which are suited for beginners or intermediate-skilled skiers.
And if you build it that way, the families will come.
On the Sunday my family and I were there, at least 90 percent of skiers comprised families, 60 percent were under age 10 and 90 percent of those got down the mountain faster than me.
What the mountain may lack in length of trail runs, it makes up for in length of lift line waits. There are three triple-chair lifts and this writer never encountered a lift line over one minute, with most waits non-existent, tow operators often exhorting a giddy-up for the next chair.
Purity Spring Resort, which runs the ski area and is celebrating its centennial, has lots of lodging options, including the ultra homey accommodations at Millbrook Lodge, the original family dwelling of the Hoyts who have run the resort since its inception. There are also rooms in a base lodge at the ski area; in the original inn, which serves as the resort’s main dining room and opened to guests in the late 1800s; and The Mill, which also houses an indoor pool and fitness area.
An adjacent building near The Mill, which formerly housed part of the 19th-century Purity Spring water bottling operation, has been retrofitted as a therapeutic massage facility.
The 1,000-acre resort, which encompasses the pristine 250-acre spring-fed Purity Lake, also offers a vast array of Alpine skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking trails. Other activities offered at the resort include tubing, ice skating and sleigh rides.
While the resort reflects a commitment to history and traditions, its owners are equally committed to technology and modernization. Earlier this year, a project was completed converting its snowmaking to all-electric compressors. The move enabled the resort to remove underground tanks that held diesel fuel, further safeguarding Purity Lake’s pristine allure. The resort also offers full Wi-Fi access and individual-room digitally controlled thermostats, a move the reflects the Hoyts’ commitment to reduce wasteful energy usage.
And after a day of skiing, tubing, ice skating and swimming, I could relate to that. I had precious little energy left, certainly none to waste.
For more information on King Pine Ski Area and Purity Spring Resort, visit www.kingpine.com and http://www.purityspring.com/.
On a typical day at King Pine Ski Area, the lift lines are short, the chair lifts sparsely populated and the slopes a sculpted corduroy
Morning sun breaks over the mountains of East Madison, N.H., and the main inn at King Pine, at left.
Editor's note: This is a reprint of an article done last winter, when many New England Ski areas opened around Halloween. With that in mind, we here at The Lebanon Voice thought it prudent to repost, so skiers are mindful, keep their options open and their weekends clear.
posted 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 25
By Harrison Thorp
HOLLYWOOD BEACH, Fla. - If you’re looking for a stress-free winter getaway, Hollywood Beach in Florida should definitely be on your hot list.
Hollywood Beach is home to the renowned Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, often misstated boardwalk, a 2.5 mile brick-paved walking, jogging and biking esplanade that is the lifeblood of this quaint, laid-back community of sun worshipers.
And it’s here you want to pick your place to stay, where scores of hotels and motels beckon just steps from the beach, which has been named 10 consecutive years as a Blue Wave Certified Clean Beach by the Clean Beaches Council and a 2010 Travel and Leisure pick as America's Best Beach Boardwalk.
One section of the broadwalk is set aside for bikes, rollerblades and jogging, while the wider brick-lined surface is for walkers.
Make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes, because you’ll be doing a lot.
Bikes can be rented by the day or hour. The cost is $10 for an hour, plenty of time to leisurely travel the broadwalk and beyond.
Another highlight of the broadwalk is the Hollywood Beach Theater, an outdoor pavilion that offers free concerts every night and some weekend afternoons.
A pizza shop beside the theater seating offers reasonably priced pints of beer served in plastic cups to enjoy while you watch the show.
For dining and entertainment there are dozens of outdoor eateries, tiki bars and nightclubs that can satisfy any culinary taste and pocketbook.
Restaurant staff stand outside hawking the “freshest fish” or “the best pizza” or specials of the day.
The sheer volume of restaurants keep prices reasonable. There’s no problem finding a $4 breakfast, a $10 dinner or a $2 beer.
And of course there’s the beach; More than seven miles of pristine sand manicured daily.
The water temperature hovers around 80 degrees most of the year. The surf is moderate, but plenty rough enough to get knocked around. Monitor beach lifeguard stations for current conditions.
The beach crowd is sedate and respectful, many middle-aged Europeans, Canadians and New Englanders with families as well as older snowbirds. (This is not Daytona Beach by any stretch.)
There are many nearby attractions, such as the Bass Fishing Museum or the Hard Rock Casino, but what may be the best way to truly appreciate the uniqueness of this destination is to get a taxi at the Fort Lauderdale airport (flights available from Manchester), stop by a Publix market or Target superstore, get supplies for a few days and soak up the sun, the beach and the ambience of the broadwalk and all its charms undisturbed.
A wide avenue of sand sandwiched between dunes beckons a visit to the pristine shoreline of Hollywood Beach.
posted 10 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 25
By Harrison Thorp
The Dolphin Motel, a one-story peach-colored cement building that houses just 10 units, sits just steps from the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s not directly on the beach (though you can see it from some of its units), which keeps rates down. Rooms which include kitchens, full refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and all utensils and china, start at around $100 in season, which starts in November.
The staff at this small 58-year-old motel are cordial, courteous and rarely rest.
On any given day, you might see the owner,
Wayne, and his assistant, Olivier, digging out a tree whose roots are threatening the cement infrastructure of the motel, or refurbishing or repainting one of the units.
When winds occasionally whip up to 40 mph on the broadwalk on a stormy night, you barely hear or feel it a half-block away from the beach in the Dolphin’s patio area.
The quiet surroundings sometime seem surreal given the activity on the broadwalk just steps away.
But a welcome respite after a hard day of tanning, swimming, bicycling, shopping and the other myriad pleasures of this cozy, quirky community of sun lovers.
Courtesy photo
The Dolphin Motel on McKinley Street, a short block from the beach.
The Dolphin: small
in size, but big in
comfort,convenience
See just how close the Dolphin is to the beach!
A The Lebanon Voice video
THE PATH
MORE TRAVELED:
THE BROADWALK
OF HOLLYWOOD BEACH
Harrison Thorp photos
Snowbirds, rollerbladers, joggers, bicyclists, foodies and families all find common ground on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk.
A laid-back mecca
of sun and fun shines
amid this Florida jewel
Vintage sleds
to strut stuff
Moose Mtn. hosts annual event
posted 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 26
More than 100 snow machine enthusiasts from throughout New England are expected on Sunday as Moose Mountain Recreation holds its 5th Annual Vintage Snowmobile Show, Trail Ride and Hill Climb.
The event gets under way around 9 a.m. and will include a hill climb and trail riding exhibition as well as a People’s Choice Award trophy for the best snowmobile, according to Moose Mountain Recreation Manager Ashlee Maimes.
There is no admission for spectators, and for those looking for a bite to eat during the day, the facility offers a full menu.
Moose Mountain Recreation is located at 107 Moose Mountain Road in Brookfield, about 20 to 40 minutes from most points in Lebanon and Milton. For directions go to http://moosemountainrecreation.com.
A trail ride and hill climb event will be part of festivities tomorrow at Moose Mountain Recreation.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A REVIEW
posted 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 5
By Harrison Thorp
With this month’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and next month’s “Glengarry Glen Ross”, the Rochester Opera House is showing it’s not shy about bringing to the local stage some meaty, hard-hitting drama that lesser theater troupe’s would likely shy away from.
And if the acting and direction in Harper Lee’s masterpiece is any indication, Rochester-area theatergoers are in for an amazing spring.
From the tomboyish, sometimes impertinent Scout, played by Amanda Cortina; to the moralistic, romantic Atticus, played by David N. Durham; to the stoic, sensitive Tom Robinson, played by Jaime Pointer, these local actors shine in a sincere, no-holds barred performance that, in the end, had a large, appreciative audience standing and cheering.
The only shortcoming to the cast was more of a make-up malfunction as “Boo” seemed a bit too clean-cut and dare we say normal as the neighborhood mystery man and recluse who proves the unlikely great equalizer at the play’s climax.
Director Jonathan Rockwood Hoar took advantage of crisp scene transitions and prop movement to keep the play flowing smoothly, while the lone intermission juxtaposed with a courtroom recess during the highly charged rape trial of a white woman by a black man in the fictional town of Maycomb, Ala., in the 1930s.
The actual culprit is the woman’s, rowdy, alcoholic, bigoted dad, played marvelously by Timmy Plaisted, who didn’t rape his daughter but beat her severely after seeing her make advances to the black man, whose only sin is his good-natured generosity to a white girl in the segregated and racist South of the time.
Adding humor and diversion to the heavily charged subject matter were a host of wonderful supporting characters, including Sandi Clark as Calpurnia, the doting yet strict Finch family maid; Carol Seeley as Miss
.
Stephanie Crawford, the neighborhood busybody; Bonnie Bergeron as Miss Maude Atkinson, who like a wise grandmother guides the children through their philosophical questions and us through the narrative; and Kevin J. Dumont as Heck Tate, the ineffectual county sheriff who steps to the plate in a big way at the end.
The play is as much about growing up and seeing how the world really works as it is the plot that develops, with the innocent and inquisitive Scout, her brother and a young, precocious stranger watching “grownups” deal with some of the injustices of the day, as well as their own demons.
For anyone who has read the novel, a 1961 Pulitzer Prize winner recognized as one of the best novels of the 20th century, or seen the movie masterpiece starring Gregory Peck, this production will prove a true representative of the emotions and feelings Harper Lee was trying to evoke.
For those who haven’t seen it, treat yourself to a taste of one of American literature’s finest works, served up truthfully, and entertainingly.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” continues at the Rochester Opera House this week with 8 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, plus one final matinee Saturday at 2 p.m.
Courtesy photo
From left, Amanda Cortina (Scout), David Durham (Atticus), Kylee Brown (Jem) and Sandi Clark (Calpurnia).
Harper Lee's
classic shines
at Rochester
Opera House
The Lebanon Voice: Lebanon and Milton's hometown paper
Strafford Wind Symphony
goes visual
Take a tour of the musical interpretations of the visual arts with the Strafford Wind Symphony's 'A Picture is Worth A Thousand Notes Concert' this Friday at the Rochester Opera House. Scenes From The Louvre, "Promenade" from Pictures At An Exhibition, selections honoring American artists, Norman Rockwell, Georgia O'Keefe, and others. The wind ensemble will be hosting its first ever Art Show, before the show and during intermission, featuring pieces made by SWS band members and participants of Arts In Reach and Art With A Splash! Call the Rochester Opera House for details.
www.straffordwindsymphony.org
Courtesy photo
From building the first and only skimobile in New England to constructing a host of new attractions next to its ski slopes...
...Cranmore Mountain Resort
just keeps zipping along
posted 1 p.m., Tuesday, March 19
By Harrison Thorp
The Lebanon Voice
NORTH CONWAY, N.H.- Cranmore Mountain Resort turned 75 this winter, but it shows no signs of slowing down.
The resort formerly was the home of the skimobile, a unique lift that chugged skiers to the top of the mountain on a chain-driven car up a wooden trestle starting in the 1930s. Ski trains in the 1940s used to bring hordes of skiers up from Massachusetts and deposit them outside the Cranmore Inn a few blocks from downtown North Conway and other lodging options.
Today the resort’s relentless push for uniqueness continues with a ski coaster, giant swing, zip line and tubing park.
And last Sunday the snow conditions and climate on the mountain were almost as varied as the attractions with which this winter carnival of a resort beckons.
After we grabbed our skis and lift ticket at the base lodge, we headed straight up the high-speed quad to the top of the mountain where winds gusts made for single-digit wind chills.
We decided to start off with an easy glider, a novice trail called Easy Street that meanders gently down the south side of the mountain that featured a well-groomed corduroy surface good for easy turns and stops.
It was considerably warmer over there with less wind, so we stayed on the spacious south slope for a few runs to get our legs loose.
Lift lines on the south quad were nonexistent and after a few runs the sun began to do its work and the temps warmed up. Plus I’d put on a gator I’d stowed for such an occasion and was pretty comfy by now.
The North Conway area got whacked last week with several inches of rain but the trails and slopes were in good shape, only the bare patches off the trails revealing the loss of what was a substantial base.
By midmorning we decided to venture back to the high-speed quad which whisks you to the top of the mountain darn quick. Lift lines were there now, but the wait was still under a minute.
At the top we spied a four-pack of intermediate slopes like Kandahar, Skimeister, Rattlenake and Arlberg that had a nice combination of laid-back and challenging terrain, plus some of the most spectacular views in the northeast.
Most of the snow on this side of the mountain was packed power and the trails so demanding of your constant attention you didn’t feel the cold anyway.
One of the trails – Kandahar- goes from an Intermediate to Kandahar Steeps, a black diamond that empties onto a swath of trail that ambles by a row of Cranmore condos. Once beside the condos, it’s an easy glide a couple of hundred yards back to the lifts, if you didn’t play it to shy down the steeps.
During the day we stopped between runs to warm up with hot chocolate and a roaring fire at the Meister Hut café at the top of mountain.
Then it was back to the slopes and a few friendly intermediates to round out the afternoon.
Day lift tickets at Cranmore are $59.
Coming up: This Saturday participants will test their water-skiing ability skiing across a man-made snow pond at the base of the North Slope. Free registration with a lift ticket or Cranmore seasons pass. Starts at noon.
For more information visit http://cranmore.com.
Above, Brandon Lambert, 5, of Voluntown, Conn., gets ready to head back to the slopes with his family after warming up in front of the fire at the Meister Hut cafe at the top of Cranmore. His mom said the family comes up to Cranmore weekly during the winter. Left, Sara Thorp of Lebanon, Maine, enjoys a moment in the sun at the top of Kandajar on Sunday. After a chilly start, the day turned out quite tolerable.
Harrison Thorp photos
Sara Thorp photo
Above, at the top of Kandahar, where views are worth pausing to enjoy before, or during, the downhill run. Left, the high-speed quad gets you to the top in a hurry.
Bill Lee photo
Courtesy photo Harrison Thorp photo
Left inset, the resort's famous skimobile lift built in the 1930s. Right, one of its newest additions, a zipline on the mountain's south side.
Courtesy photo Rochester Opera House
Jonathan Rockwood Hoar, as Ricky Roma, looks to manipulate his latest client, James Lingk, played by Michael Stailey, in Rochester Opera's House production of Glengarry Glen Ross.
It's all about 'the leads'
in 'Glengarry Glen Ross'
ROCHESTER - Rochester Opera House Productions presents David Mamet’s 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross from Thursday, April 25, to Saturday, May 4, with evening performances at 8 p.m. and matinees at 2:p.m.
The audience is seated on stage with the actors for a uniquely intimate theater experience. Seating is limited to 80. The play contains strong language and adult situations.
Heather Glenn Wixson directs this intense drama that follows two days in the lives of four small-time cutthroat real estate agents as they try to grind out a living.
The most successful salesman Ricky Roma (Jonathan Rockwood Hoar) is ruthless and immoral; the once-successful Shelly Levene (Peter Motson) has fallen on hard times; the aging George Aaronow (Robert Macadaeg) lacks confidence and hope and the big-mouthed salesman Dave Moss (Anthony
Ejarque) has big plans to steal the best leads. For the salesmen, it’s a never-ending scramble for their fair-share of the American Dream.
Reserve tickets online at RochesterOperaHouse.com and at the box office (603) 335-1992, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and two hours before the show. Cash bar.
Patrons age 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult. This show is sponsored by Eastern Propane and Oil, Foster’s Daily Democrat, WHOM 94.9, Fat Tony’s Italian Grill and The Lebanon Voice.
The Rochester Opera House is located in City Hall, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester. N.H.
Tickets for Glengarry Glen Ross: $16/$14
ROH lottery
cocktail party
is April 12
Take a chance to win the Grand Prize of $10,000 at the Lottery Cocktail Party at this Rochester Opera House premier fund-raising event. Ten lucky ticket holders share over $13,000 in cash prizes and the last ticket drawn names the Grand Prize winner. The theater will turn tropical with beachy hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, music and games. Eventgoers can bid on dozens of unique items: trips, services, gift certificates and much more at the silent and live auction.
To reserve your ticket (a $100 donation admits two), call (603) 335-1992 or stop by the ROH box office on M/W/F from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Only 300 tickets are sold. For this event the floor is leveled (orchestra seats removed), so there's lots of room for guests to mix and mingle.
Romeo and Juliet:
What's not to love?
posted 9 a.m., Saturday, March 30
By Harrison Thorp
The bawdy and profane side of the bard sparkled in the opening scenes of Romeo and Juliet last night at the Rochester Opera House.
The whimsical and capricious ardor of Romeo, played by Kelly Litt, proved the perfect antithesis for the rough and tumble, and tawdry, Mercutio, played by Jerard-James Craven, whose cavorting about the stage had the audience fully engaged, especially as he tormented and taunted Juliet’s poor nurse, played by Leslie Robinson.
Fifteen-year-old Olivia Dodd as Juliet executed near-perfect Shakespearean diction and Litt and Dodd combined to portray beautifully the fickle nature of young love run amok at the hands of adults.
Unfortunately, as we all know, the fortunes of Romeo and Juliet go downhill in a heartbeat, and the final death scene lacked the gravitas we have come to expect, most likely because we have come to expect it so much.
Other acting kudos go out to Tim Robinson as the pontificating Lord Capulet, Kelly Grete Ehlert as a solid Benvolio and Michael Stailey as Friar John.
Romeo and Juliet continues today at the Rochester Opera House with performances at 2 and 7 p.m.
A REVIEW
