"[title of show]"

October 30, 2022 — Yes, that's the title, [title of show], brackets included. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Education Department in Meredith, New Hampshire, staged this unusual musical, originally presented by Bridge Club Productions in 2004, produced by the Vineyard Theatre in New York City in 2006 and on Broadway in 2008. The "Winni" cast consisted of four appealing, talented teens. They were Miles Sargent as Jeff, Rafael Vazquez as Hunter, Drea Campo as Heidi and Riley DeGange as Susan. Timothy L'Ecuyer directed this production. Judy Hayward was music director and also accompanied on the piano, with occasional comments, as Mary. Matthew S. Crane designed the set and Wendy Davidson the costumes.

With music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, the show takes us through its own creative process in dialog and song. The best was a song and dance routine by Sargent and Vazquez early in the performance, complete with bowler hats and canes, laced with profanity, mostly by Vazquez. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse's promos have the disclaimer that the production contains "mature language and some references to mature situations. It may not be appropriate for all audiences." One of the actors was 14 years old. All but one were under 18.

The young, energetic cast kept the 90-minute show without intermission moving at a fast pace. Aside from Sargent and Vazquez's routine described above, I wasn't particularly impressed with the music. But my musical theater tastes evolved in a different generation with the likes of Oklahoma, South Pacific and Brigadoon. The audience definitely was pleased with this production. Upon leaving and looking back on what I had seen, I thought yes, all and all, this was a good show. So I can still say unconditionally I've never been disappointed in a Winnipesaukee Playhouse production.

Jalopy Hill Climb

October 22, 2022 — Not a car show in the strictest sense, but a gathering of hot rods testing drivers' skill and car endurance speeding about a mile up a rough-cut dirt road at a working granite quarry. I thought it would be a fun event to end the season, and provide some good photo and video action. I wasn't disappointed.

Named Jalopy Hill Climb, the event took place in Campton, New Hampshire, on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest, with panoramic views of the mountains from the top of the hill in the waning days of fall color on a day of fantastic weather. I'm not normally a hot rod enthusiast, but I must say these people love their cars and are the most enthusiastic group I ever had the pleasure of spending a day with. I got to ride in a couple of modestly rodded-up cars, a 1950 Ford and a 1934 Chevrolet, in both cases shooting video inside the cars while interviewing the drivers.

My coverage of the event can be seen at the following link. Be sure to play all the videos, they're the best part.

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/jalopy/

Granite State Season Closer

October 15, 2022 — My second show of the day was the Granite State Season Closer, sponsored by NH Muscle Cars, a 45-minute drive away at the Brookvale Pines Farm in Fremont, New Hampshire. I arrived shortly after noontime, my first time there, to find picturesque rolling fields covered with mostly customs and muscle cars. Cars lined up to take turns on a mound above the fields to pose individually for photographers, yielding some very nice photo ops.

The show wasn't as productive for me as the Little Red School House, but the beautiful weather continued through the afternoon and colorful fall leaves provided enhanced backgrounds for the cars. You can view the results of my efforts at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/seasoncloser/

Little Red School House

October 15, 2022 — The Antique Vehicle Meet & Tour, sponsored by the Bean Pot Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), is one of those must-see shows. Coming in mid-October, it often ends the car show season in the northeast, although this season it was followed by two more shows.

Held at the Tyngsboro-Dunstable Historical Society's Little Red School House & Field in Dunstable, Massachusetts, the picturesque 1798 school house and colorful New England fall foliage provide a photogenic backdrop for antique car display. The show draws many high-quality antiques, although many of the same cars tend to show up every year, a problem I'm having after covering shows in a relatively small geographic area of the northeast for seventeen years, with only occasional forays into New York state and Pennsylvania.

If you've been a regular visitor to my site for several years, you'll see repeat appearances by some cars, but I like to think their beauty deserves encores. You can view my effort at the Little Red School House at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/beanpot2022/

Brimfield Auto Show

October 8, 2022 — The Brimfield Auto Show has changed its name and location, but both only slightly. Formerly called the Brimfield Antique Auto Show, they have eliminated Antique from the title, opening it up to a more inclusive show, welcoming cars of all ages right up to the present. It does seem to have made the show much larger compared to previous years. They've also moved a few blocks on Route 20 from Heart-o-the-Mart to larger fields adjacent to the Brimfield Winery. Brimfield is located in central Massachusetts in an area known as the Pioneer Valley.

Personally, I preferred the Heart-o-the-Mart location. Opening up the show to models of all years has indeed resulted in a significant increase in cars, but even with the increased space, the show was over-crowded and over-busy. Cars were coming in almost all day, and by mid-day incoming and outgoing cars, maneuvering around spectators, were creating minor traffic jams. Long lines were forming at food vendors and comfort stations.

Those complaints aside, it was a productive show for photography. Proof of that can be seen on my website pages:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/brimfield22/

Castle Car Show

October 1, 2022 — It was a close call, but after devastating Florida, parts of Georgia and the Carolinas, hurricane Ian spread heavy rain and wind all the way up the east coast to southern New England, but central New Hampshire proved to be out of its reach, and the Castle Car Show in Moultonborough went on as scheduled. The annual show was held in the lower fields just below Castle in the Clouds, a popular New Hampshire attraction. Skies were mostly cloudy but with light winds and moderate temperature.

There was a heavy turnout of both cars and spectators. There were cars to satisfy every automotive taste, including classics, '50s standards, customs and imports in a scenic setting. It's one of the shows I most look forward to each year. You can see my photographic coverage at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/castle2022/