• Hackleboro Orchards offers apples, a picnic area, hayrides, and a chance to visit with some farm animals. They are located in Canterbury.
• Stonybrook Farm has apples, hayrides, pumpkins, farmer’s market, snacks at a refreshment stand, a picnic area, and it is all located in Gilford.
• Birchwood Orchard has a variety of apples, ready for the picking and is located in Mason.
• Brookdale Fruit Farm Inc. has apples and pumpkins to get you into the spirit of the fall season and it is located in Hollis. This farm also offers weekend “seasonal” festivals.
• Currier Orchards has a sizable selection of ripe apples & pumpkins and is located Merrimack.
• Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard is another option for apples, pumpkins and a little something for everyone, located in Greenville. The orchard also has fall produce, mums, cider, ornamental corn, gourds, maple syrup, honey, caramel apples, apple pies, handcrafted gifts, and a farm market.
• Appleview Orchard in Pittsfield has apples, pumpkins, other vegetables, a gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, a bouncy castle or moon bounce, petting zoo, and farm animals to pet and see.
• Apple Annie in Brentwood has low-spray apples (pick your own or picked by them), unpasteurized apple cider, fall vegetables, jams and jellies from our produce (blueberry, grape, raspberry, rhubarb, peach), apple pie, apple cider donuts and other delicious baked goods.
• Applecrest Farm Orchards in Hampton Falls has pick your own apples or pumpkins, make your own cider, and provides hayrides through the orchards throughout the fall. They even offer a storybook hayride.
• Hazelton Orchards, in Chester, has McIntosh, Cortland, Baldwin, Red Delicious, Northern Spy and Gravenstein. They provide bags and picking poles -for that perfect apple that is just barely out of reach.

If you are looking for some corn maze challenges, here are just a few options in the Granite State:

• At Sherman Farm in East Conway, their maze is offered each weekend through Oct. 25. “Alice in Farmland” is the name of this year’s intricately cut, 12-acre corn maze near the banks of the Saco River. Mixed along the 12-foot stalks of corn, is a series of turns and signs and questions. Kind of like Alice’s rabbit hole. There are different levels of difficulty. If you answer a question wrong, you return to the same spot where you might want to answer the question differently.
• The Dark Crop Haunted Corn Maze at Lavoie’s Farm. October is extra spooky. The Dark Crop is a haunted corn maze located at Lavoie’s Farm in Hollis. Make your way through the maze with a provided flashlight…just be aware of the “demented harvesters” that watch over the crop, and try to make it to the end………..ALIVE!
• Beech Hill Farm, in Hopkinton, provides each guest with a brochure as you enter the maze, which is filled with questions to answer (answers are hidden in the mazes) and items to find related to the theme. The mazes are approximately 4 acres in size and take about 40 minutes to find all the answers. Great entertainment for the entire family!
• Coppal House Farm, Lee, is where you can enjoy a timeless stroll through 3 mazes! There are several ways to get through the maze, not just one path.
• Moulton Farm, in Meredith, where the full size corn maze covers several acres and the corn can be as high as 15 feet depending on when you visit the maze.
• Elwood Orchards, Londonderry, has a 14-acre corn maze!

Organized by the North Andover Merchants Association on the grounds of the North Andover Common, it will be a fun-filled day for the young and old, with Food Vendors, Pony Rides, Hayrides, Pumpkin Decorating and Facepainting and many Local Merchants will be on display to keep the community informed on what services are available in their backyard.

All proceeds from the festival will benefit the North Andover Middle School after School Robotics S.T.E.M. program and Everyone’s A Player.

Come join us as we celebrate being part of a great community, look for our tent, stop by and say hi, because we will have a few surprises to give away!    It is supposed to be a great FALL day!

Established as a city in 1893, the town’s name was likely taken from the name of the original company, the Laconia Company, formed by the Captain John Mason and the Masonian proprietors in order to sell parcels to the original colonists during the colonial era. Laconia likes to be called “Our Town.”

Next to the beach along Lakeside Ave lies the boardwalk.  Rebuilt in 2010, the boardwalk is over 1300 feet long and offers amazing views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee mountains. The lake has been a popular tourist destination for more than a century. The communities of Meredith, Laconia, Sanbornton, Belmont, and Tilton surround the lake.

Senior Bikers Enjoy The Oldest National Bike Rally

A major annual event for Laconia is Laconia Motorcycle Week, now the oldest national bike rally in the United States. From its humble beginnings with just a few hundred bikers, the event grew to a week long in 1935 and Laconia Bike Week was born.

The rally remains the world’s oldest, and is one of the largest rallies in the country with over 300,000 attending. The Rally began humbly way back in 1916, alongside the roots of the sport of motorcycling, and needless tosay, continues to make a significant economic impact on Laconia.

The 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest is a powerful presence in the White Mountains and loaded with awesome scenery. Highly popular, Weirs Beach, is located on the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, a lake that contains has many as 258 islands, many with the same name.

Perennial favorites for senior visitors include cruising Lake Winnipesaukee and taking in the views while touring the Castle in the Clouds estate. What does Winnipesaukee mean? It’s an Indian word, which is is thought to have several meanings. The most common interpretation is “Smile of the Great Spirit”.

Seniors Visit New Hampshire’s Lakes Region

New Hampshire’s Lakes Region is made up of over forty towns, most of which are of the friendly and  small variety.  Seniors, when you visit the Lakes Region, be sure to visit as many of these towns as you can. Their individual personalities and histories are a big part of what makes this area in New Hampshire so special.

Join me for a DragonFly aerial view of Laconia.  Senior travelers, expect to breathe in some clean mountain air, bring your fishing gear for some great excitement and plan to spend a few days enjoying the scenery and getting to know the locals. -jeb

Article written & submitted by Jim Becker of Senior Citizen Travel.  To read more of Jim’s articles for Seniors, please visit him online at http://seniorcitizen.travel/author/jim-becker/.

Andover’s biggest Fall Street fair is organized by a group of volunteers.   The group ABCA (Andover Business Community Association) is an organization of companies and organization who work diligently together to make Andover a wonderful place to shop, eat, work, live and enjoy!   So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, come visit ANDOVER!

While you’re there, visit Berkshire Hathaway Verani Realty at Booth T25 on Park Street.  There will be goodies and giveaways. See you there!

26th Hampton Beach Seafood Festival – September 11, 12, 13 2015.

Hours: Friday 4PM to 9PM, Saturday 10AM to 9PM, Sunday 10AM to 6PM Friday

Admission: Saturday $8, Sunday $5, Admission Children under 12 are FREE

http://www.hamptonbeachseafoodfestival.com

Article submitted by Christian Ford of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce

If you are new to New Hampshire, or are preparing to move here, perhaps you need a few suggestions of where you can head to cool down on a hot summer’s day. The water is cool, refreshing and only a quick car ride away.

The Basin, located on the Franconia Notch Parkway, offers an ideal spot for swimming in its cascade brook, which is only a short walk up from the Basin. From either direction on the Parkway, follow signs for the Basin-Cascades Trail, walk up about ¼ mile. The cascades and waterfalls that extend for a mile along the brook are also great fun to explore, offering a mixture of broad ledges, cool glens, and tempting pools. Altogether there are more than a half-dozen distinct levels of cascades and pools stacked along the ledge.

Sawyer Rock Swimming Hole, a couple of miles west of Bartlett, this awesome swimming area is just off RT 302, on the north side of the road on the Saco river. Deep pools, cascading water, and cliff diving are available. There is a small sandy beach, and shallow area for youngsters. The full afternoon sun makes this a very warm swim, well into the late afternoon. An additional treat is watching the Conway Scenic Railroad “Notch Train “passing by every afternoon around 3 pm, accompanied by the usual train whistle and chugging locomotive.

Pemigewasset River is long and winding, but there are areas with easy access to get in at the base of Loon Mountain Club in Lincoln, and in downtown North Woodstock. Known as Crystal Cascade, this town park in North Woodstock is where Pemi Brook tumbles a fair distance over a slideable or tubeable chute, over several small rapids, into a small pool.

Lower Ammonoosuc Falls, located in Carol, offers a large round pool of water with easy to maneuver banks for walking as well as rocks to sun yourself on and places you can slide into the water.

Ammonoosuc River runs its course near downtown Littleton, and the somewhat shallow pools are great for wading and cooling off on a hot summer day.

Profile Falls, located in Bristol, the falls has picnic tables for lunch and its own parking lot. The falls itself is beautiful and refreshing boasting a 25-foot drop which creates a refreshing spray to cool down in.

Cockermouth River, in Groton, offers an impressive watering hole complete with a waterfall. The river flows swiftly through a towering gorge and creates a mist above a long succession of pools in which locals go to cool off.

Nothing is better than cooling off in the waters of an invigorating New Hampshire river. If you are up for a little exploring, you will find that there is much more to experience in the Granite State than its ocean beaches this summer.

Add the charm of one of America’s most historic homes along with the Garden in full bloom and you have the perfect place for a mid-summer’s wedding in NH.   As the home of one of the signatories of The Declaration of Independence, William Whipple, there’s a charm and atmosphere that cannot easily be replicated.

So if time permits and you’re like me, and a little rusty on American history, plan to take in a visit to the Moffatt Ladd House. If you have a daughter scouting out a sight for a wedding and you are willing to risk the weather for a gorgeous pastoral setting, give this unique piece of American history strong consideration.

Jeff Rapson is a REALTOR with Berkshire Hathaway Verani Realty in Bedford, NH.   He is also a Manchester Community expert and enjoys serving the real estate needs of buyers and sellers throughout Southern and Coastal New Hampshire.

The annual Hampton Beach’s Children’s Festival is set to kick off in August 17, taking over a stretch of Ocean Boulevard in Hampton.  Thousands are expected to attend the week-long offering of games, shows and a chance to participate in an enormous costume parade. This family fun event has been entertaining children for more than 45 years.

With more than 30 events, all for free, it is a family favorite destination for those outside the N.H. borders as well as Granite Staters. The five days of fun will be held August 17 to Aug. 21, and typically draws thousands of people each year.

And this is not the beach you remember from years past. Hampton Beach has evolved over the years and has recently completed many upgrades, like a large bathhouse, lockers for visitors and a beautiful stage area that received renovations that add to its beauty and comfort. The town and state spent millions of dollars to overhaul the beach infrastructure and guest facilities, with the mission of creating more picturesque aesthetics to the entire area. Mission accomplished, because it really is beautiful place to visit or vacation.

The Children’s Festival kicks off on Monday with a magic show by BJ Hickman on stage at 10 a.m. Then, enjoy face painting, marionettes and mini golf, and end the day with movie night on the beach. What follows is five full days of festivities with music, miniature golf, a sand castle competition, balloons, dance, storytelling, puppetry, free ice cream, a Ronald McDonald show and a kid’s bumper sticker contest (where they could win a new bike) and children’s talent competition.  A costume parade that marches up the length of Hampton Beach on Friday, August 21, will wrap up the long list of events with every child who participates getting a prize.

The biggest favorite is the children’s parade where everyone gets involved.  The parade starts at the State Park and proceeds down Ocean Boulevard. There will be fire trucks, police on motorcycles, trains to ride, police horses, bands playing, State of New Hampshire parks vehicle’s, life guards, and kids and adults with their favorite costumes. Every child in the parade also get to go on stage and receives a prize.

There are plenty of great places along the strip to grab a quick bite and even some fried dough or ice cream, so even the adults can enjoy some treats and bring out the child within.

All Children’s Festival activities are free and open to the public.  For more information visit the website at www.hamptonbeach.org for a complete Children’s Festival schedule and other Hampton Beach events

This is the third article in a series of non profits that help NH children get access to the right resources and help.

Right here in Greater Manchester is a non profit, called Network For Educational Opportunity (NEO) offers a Scholarship program for children that have unique educational needs and are financially underprivileged. The NEO helps fund kids in NH’s K-12 via business sponsored Scholarships, and the Program has Quadrupled in the last year.

Over forty New Hampshire companies donated a total of almost $250,000 this year to fund scholarships to help needy children attend better schools.

The Network for Educational Opportunity (NEO) received more then 900 applications for scholarships for the 2015-2016 school year. NEO Executive Director Kate Baker spent months before the June 15 deadline for both donations and scholarship applications beating the streets, visiting businesses to let them know how they could help a child, improve education and earn up to 85% tax credit on their state taxes for it.

• Advocating for Kids in Manchester’s Public Schools

“The program was able to raise four times as much money this year as it did last,” said Ms. Baker. “That’s so many more children we will be able to help get make the leap into better educational settings.”

NEO is a scholarship-granting organization that helps parents who are struggling to provide their children with a great education get over the financial hurdles that keep them from reaching their goals. “That’s why we use the term Bridge Scholarships,” said Ms. Baker. “We don’t pay 100% of the tuition expenses. Many families are working very hard to find and get a quality education for their children, but they need a little help to bridge the gap that’s keeping their kids from moving forward.”

• “Breakthrough Manchester”: A Great Cause

Families must meet certain low to moderate-income criteria to apply for tuition scholarships. Eighty-percent of the children NEO has helped were eligible for the free/reduced priced lunch program in their public schools.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Ms. Baker. “Studies show it encourages area public schools to improve, it empowers businesses to directly impact the education so vital to their future success, it empowers parents – the people who know children best – to make good education choices for their children. Above all, it changes children’s lives and futures for the better.”

Businesses wishing to invest in education and earn tax credits for their contribution can contact NEO Executive Director Kate Baker at kate@networkforeducation.org. Parents who need help finding better school choices for their children can find information at www.networkforeducation.org or by calling 888-325-1776.

Jeff Rapson is a REALTOR with Berkshire Hathaway Verani Realty in Bedford, NH. He is a Manchester, NH community expert and enjoys serving the real estate needs of buyers and sellers throughout the greater Manchester area.

The Sand Sculpture competition is highly popular and folks from all over the country come to enjoy viewing some of the talented artistry and scenic views.

Hampton Beach State Park has a playground and an amphitheater. The Park provides year-round recreation, with Atlantic ocean-front facilities situated along miles of sandy beach. Activities in the park include swimming, fishing, picnicking, and RV camping with full hook-ups in the campground.

Situated on a Victorian farm with tours & a retail store, Smuttynose Brewing is a brewer of craft beers since 1994. And get this: 72 current beers and 63 that archived. With a name like Smuttynose, this senior would just have to check it out for myself.

Article written & submitted by Jim Becker of Senior Citizen Travel.  To read more of Jim’s articles for Seniors, please visit him online at http://seniorcitizen.travel/author/jim-becker/.