It’s fitting that there’s snow in the forecast this weekend, as several upcoming events have a mid-winter theme. There are two winter beer festivals coming to local breweries, and a snow-sports film festival in Portsmouth. There’s also new music, theater, and a major march coming up this weekend.
The Glass Menagerie
The Garrison Players Arts Center’s first show of 2019 is Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical memory play “The Glass Menagerie.” The show, which premiered in 1944, follows a struggling single mother raising her son and daughter in a dingy St. Louis apartment. Directed locally by Scott Richardson, the show runs Jan. 18-Feb. 2 at the Garrison Players’ theater in Rollinsford; show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15-$18; learn more here.
Jake Davis & the Whiskey Stones
Local band Jake Davis & the Whiskey Stones will unveil their latest batch of old-timey bluegrass, jazz, and country songs during a special album-release show at The Word Barn in Exeter on Friday, Jan. 18, from 8-11 p.m. The string band features some of the region’s best pickers on banjo, upright bass, and guitars, plus drums and gravelly vocals. Their new album is called “Out in the Weeds.” Green Heron opens the show. Tickets are $12; learn more here.
Winter Beer Festivals
Two of the region’s biggest breweries are holding special events on Saturday, Jan. 19, both supporting good causes. Cisco Brewers Portsmouth presents Chillah-Palooza from 12-4 p.m., featuring an ice luge ice bar, music, dancing, and food from Burrito Betty’s. The event benefits the Cross Roads House. The Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton presents the Crackle & Hops Winter Festival from 2-8 p.m., featuring bonfires, beers, music, food, and a 40-foot inflatable toboggan slide. It benefits the Hampton Fire Fighters Charitable Organization.
Backcountry Film Festival
Produced by the non-profit Winter Wildlands Alliance in collaboration with the Granite Backcountry Alliance, the annual Backcountry Film Festival serves as a celebration of the human-powered experience and a gathering place for the backcountry snow-sports community. This year’s festival, featuring 10 films, takes place at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth on Saturday, Jan. 19, starting at 2 p.m. Proceeds from the $13-$15 ticket price benefit human-powered recreation and conservation efforts, as well as education and safety programs. Learn more here.
Jon McCormack’s ‘Paintbox’
Local musician Jon McCormack has lent his guitar prowess to such esteemed Seacoast bands as Fly Spinach Fly, Museum of Science, Shango, and Wizzardess. Now, McCormack is putting out a solo album of 16 original songs titled “Paintbox.” He’ll perform the full album live at The Dance Hall in Kittery on Saturday, Jan. 19, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., with an all-star band featuring Stu Dias, Rick Habib, Joe Harding, and Duncan Watt. Tickets are $16-$20; learn more here. (And stay tuned for a theatrical production based on the album in March.)
BONUS: Seacoast Women’s March
A “Women’s Wave” will flood the streets of Washington, D.C., and other cities around the globe on Saturday, Jan. 19, during the 2019 Women’s March. Locally, the Seacoast Women’s March returns to Market Square in Portsmouth from 1-3 p.m. Local women will give speeches highlighting issues such as gender oppression, racial equity, environmental justice, economic safety, and more. Organized by a coalition of community activists, the peaceful event will also feature music from the Leftist Marching Band. Learn more here.
To see a complete list of local events, click here.