"Murder for Two"

September 29, 2022 — There's been a murder. A detective arrives to investigate and begins questioning a houseful of suspects, all of whom have an alibi but all of whom also have motive and opportunity. Evidence seems to lead to one individual, only to prove false, then lead to another. Clues appear and disappear. Suspects tell conflicting stories. Red herrings abound. The culprit isn't identified until the final minutes. Are you thinking an Agatha Christie mystery? Not this time.

Murder for Two is a murder mystery set to music with comic antics which had its world premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2011 with lyrics by Kellen Blair and music by Joe Kinosian. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampshire has produced the play under the direction of Clayton Phillips. Judy Hayward is the music director, Matthew S. Crane the scenic designer and Christina Vargas the costume designer.

A cast of only two carry this spoof of traditional murder mysteries in about ninety minutes with intermission. Micah Weese is detective Marcus Moscowicz. Mark Schenfisch plays all the suspects, allegedly thirteen, although I couldn't count that many. The story is told mostly in song lyrics by the two actors who also play a grand piano, sometimes individually, sometimes together. Novelist Arthur Whitney is done in by a gunshot early in the first act. Detective Moscowicz begins his investigation of Schenfisch's odd-ball characters. Among them, besides the late Whitney, was Whitney's wife and a ballerina, a psychiatrist and three choirboys. There were no costume changes. Schenfisch skillfully portrays the different characters with subtle changes in voice and mannerisms. He gets down on his knees as the short choirboys, distinguishing them simply by changing the position of his baseball cap.

The performance of the two actors is a tour de force. The huge parlor of an isolated manor in rural New England is a masterpiece of design and construction. To me, the play seemed to get better as it progressed. The energy level never flags from beginning to end. It's a late-season triumph for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse.

Stratham Hill Car Show

September 25, 2022 — The full name of this show is the 29th Annual Stratham Hill Car and Bike Show. Boy Scout Troop 85 presents this show at Stratham Hill Park each year. It's one of the better New Hampshire shows, but attracts many of the same cars year after year, so to avoid a lot of repetition I've greatly reduced my coverage. Still, if you're not a regular visitor to my site, most of the photos may be of cars you haven's seen before. I've also included nine motorcycles, a few very rare and original. You may view this series, one of my shortest of the season, at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/stratham22/

Carriagetown Car Show 2022

September 24, 2022 — A variety of outstanding vehicles, a picturesque downtown as background, convenient parking and good dining all add up to make this one of my favorite shows of the season. On this particular day, bright sun and moderate temperature completed a perfect day. Amesbury, Massachusetts is the home of this annual show. Cartoonist Al Capp, creator of Li'l Abner, shmoos, Fearless Fosdick and Sadie Hawkins Day once called Amesbury home. You'll find some outstanding vehicles in this pleasant, hilly city at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/carriagetown2022/

39th Rye Lions Car Show

September 18, 2022 — It was the 39th annual Rye Lions Club Car Show in Rye, New Hampshire, and my second show this weekend. It's been a summer of incredibly good luck with weekend weather. I can only remember one show all season that got rained out. However, extreme heat was also a feature of this season, hot enough to reduce participation in some shows. But temperature was moderate for this particular show.

Rye Lions is a long-time favorite. You'll see many of the same cars return year after year, but you can depend on it for a few surprises. This year's show featured some very rare vehicles, including a couple of  models I had never heard of. Competition Motors LLC of Portsmouth, NH brought two of their restored Bugattis from the '20s. There was also a 1958 AC and a 1935 Fiat Balilla. You can see these and many others at:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/rye22/

Aviation Weekend

September 17, 2022 — The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts had a busy Saturday. They featured two World War I planes, one original, the other a replica, and both planes were flown. Later, there was a WWI battle reenactment featuring a WWI M1917 tank. As if that were not enough, over one hundred Model A Fords from the Ford Model A Regional Auto Show were invited. On top of all that, their three museums, American Heritage, Historic Aviation Hangar and Classic Automobile Barn were open. On Sunday, they repeated all except the appearance by the Model A's.

The two World War I planes were a Nieuport 28, restored but 80 per cent original, and a replica of a SPAD VII. Both planes were flown, and while they were on the ground, spectators were allowed to give them a close inspection while experts described their attributes and answered questions. Many photos of the planes, Model A's, and videos of the planes in flight at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/wwiweekend/

Kiwanis Car Show 2022

September 10, 2022 — The Kiwanis Club returned after a two-year absence to New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord for their 35th annual car show. It was somewhat disappointing. This was a show where you could count on high turnout and wide variety year after year. But it seems to be a victim of the general decline in interest I've observed in many shows, especially since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Indeed, many former good shows have disappeared for good, such as the Vermont shows in Manchester and Bennington, the Hemmings Concours d'Elegance which was last held in Saratoga Springs, New York in 2019, and the biggest disappointment for car enthusiasts in the Eastern Massachusetts-Southern New Hampshire region, the permanent closure of the popular Skip's Snack Bar in Merrimac, Massachusetts. Skip's held bi-weekly cruise nights and an annual mega-cruise for the last 25 years of their more than 70-year history. This past season they had no car shows and limited open hours due to inability to get help and announced at the end of the season it would be their last.

Record heat and high fuel cost may have been responsible for some of the decline this season. If that's the case, maybe we can hope for a rebound if weather and gas return to more reasonable levels. My photos of one of the smallest-ever Kiwanis shows can be viewed at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/kiwanis22/

"The Conference of the Birds"

September 8, 2022 — It was my second play this season in Meredith, New Hampshire at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse’s outdoor amphitheater, built in 2020 to provide a safer outdoor space for patrons during the pandemic. In July, “Robin Hood,” was terminated right about the halfway point when rain sent actors and audience scurrying for cover. The rain continued and the play was not resumed that evening. Full credit for admission was granted to all attendees in the form of gift certificates. The play would be in its final run the next day, not convenient for me, so I held on to my certificate until today’s play, never learning how “Robin Hood” ended.

Today’s presentation was the most unusual performance I’ve ever seen. “The Conference of the Birds” is a 900 B.C. sufi poem by Farid ud-Din Attar. This stage version was written by Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere in 1977. The Winnipesaukee Production was wonderfully directed by Teisha Duncan. Klimchak (he only uses one name) composed and performed the score. The many colorful costumes were designed by Nick Cochran.

The cast, each playing multiple roles, featured Lupa Aguilar, Sarvin Alidaee, Nazlah Black, Erica Colarusso, Krystal Pope, Viviana Renteria and Alyssa Naka Silver. Klimchak was seated off to the side of the stage with all the instruments and other devices he used to produce the musical score and other sounds.

I have to own up to the fact that before I could complete writing down my impressions of this play, I had to do some research. The play moved too fast for me to catch all the dialog, action and underlying subtleties. The plot goes like this — the birds of the world have to decide who is to be their king. The leader of the birds tells them they have to cross seven valleys to reach Simorgh. The valleys are Quest, Love, Knowledge, Detachment, Unity, Wonderment and last but not least the valley of Poverty and Annihilation. Got that? Of course, these valleys are all human qualities and failures.

The cast of seven, in colorful costumes, face paint, masks and other adornments, frequently changing to different characters, performed beautifully in just an hour without intermission at a hectic pace, very close to the audience in the small amphitheater. Unlike my earlier experience, there was no danger of a rain-out on this sunny day with moderate temperature in the 70s in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.

Cruising Downtown

September 3, 2022 — Cruising Downtown, Manchester, New Hampshire's annual car show always held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, had perfect summer weather for this year's show. It now ranks among the largest shows in New England. They have counted over 1,000 cars at a few past shows. I haven't heard an official count for this show, but I thought it was one of the biggest I've seen. It fills several blocks of Manchester's main drag, Elm Street, as well as Veterans Memorial Park, several side streets, and this year they made space on the Notre Dame Bridge for NH Muscle Car members to display their cars, creating what could be called a show-within-a-show.

The show never lacks for variety. You'll find everything from rat rods to customs to muscle cars, all the way up to classics of the '20s, '30s and '40s in original condition. You'll walk about four miles to cover the entire show. I'm not pretending it's like being there, but you can view my photos and videos of the event on your PC, laptop or phone at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/cruising2022/

Aleppo Shriners Car Show

August 28, 2022 — The Aleppo Shriners, besides their fine work benefiting children, know how to put on a great car show. Cars overflowed their spacious auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts, and began filling the parking lot. There was a good mix of classics, muscle cars and customs. The customs showed real mechanical and artistic talent, with a good dose of humor.

You'll find many of the best examples in my photo coverage of the event at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/aleppo2022/

Bean Pot Summer Show

August 20, 2022 — The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Beanpot Region once again presented their annual show at Melmaark New England in Andover, Massachusetts. Melmark serves individuals with autism and has generously made their property available for the show for several years.

This show is gaining in popularity, with increasingly higher turnout of show cars and spectators with each passing year. My photos from this year's show can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/beanpotsummer22/

Antique and Classic Car Meet

August 13, 2022 — The granddaddy of New England car shows, the Antique and Classic Car Meet in Waterbury, Vermont, formerly in Stowe, isn't what it used to be, but it can still generate excitement albeit on a smaller scale. I've attended this show, presented by Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts (VAE), thirteen out of its last fifteen years.

In 2018, after sixty years in Stowe, the three-day show moved to Waterbury. This year was its 65th annual show. Farr's Field in Waterbury is better for car display than the cow pastures of Nichols Field in Stowe, but the cow pastures had a charm all their own. Waterbury can't match the intimate small-town feel of Stowe for the Saturday afternoon car parade and evening street dancing. I miss Stowe Volunteer Fire Department's cooking and dining under tents in Stowe. In Waterbury, it's hard to find shelter from the hot sun (or some years rain). Some have complained about a lack of variety in the show, with many of the same cars appearing year after year.

With the exception of one year out of thirteen, I've always attended the Saturday show which offers the most variety of the three days. There's a fashion show on the field where owners dress in the same period as their cars and compete for awards. The cars leave the field at 3:30 p.m. and drive into town for a parade. Following that, there's a break of over an hour where you can find a place to dine, then street dancing to '50s rock music commences.

I arise at 5:30 Saturday morning and get ready to make the more than two-hour drive north. I usually leave as street dancing begins and arrive home after 9 p.m. after my longest car show of the season. It's still an exciting day in spite of the shortcomings I mentioned, and I hope to do it again.

You can view my coverage, videos and stills, of the 2022 show at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/vermont22/