New Hampshire’s cartoonists
Who’s behind the funnies
By Heidi Masek hmasek@hippopress.com

For some, it’s the first section of the newspaper they look for. For others, it’s a wry joke on a text-heavy magazine page. Then there are comic books.

A lot of work goes into cartooning, and not many people make a career of it. Here’s a look at some of New Hampshire’s top comic creators.

THEATER: Company, Secret Garden, and Doubt
Two community shows open nearby, plus a professional on the Seacoast
By Heidi Masek hmasek@hippopress.com

Christopher Courage said Stephen Sondheim is one of his favorite composers. “I think he gets contemporary relationships better than any other composer today,” he said.

People: Bow, on the broad side of a barn
Student sees history in farm buildings

Bow native and University of Vermont graduate student Jonathon Holdsworth, 24, is working on a project to survey the barns in his hometown. The project, which will document the barns and explain their historical value, is part of a course he’s taking,  and he’s working on it in conjunction with the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. Before attending UVM, he graduated in 2006 from St. Michael’s College in Vermont with degrees in art and history. He’ll be documenting the town’s barns with photographs and notes for the survey, which started in October. He says there are about 40 barns in Bow.

LONGSHOTS: Cassel’s in the clouds compared to early expectations
by Dave Long

Other than a blip on the screen at the beginning of the year when Tom Brady went down, football has flown under the radar in this space thanks mainly to the baseball season. That’s kind of weird when you realize I like football a lot more than baseball. And while my friend the Red Sox lover Pete Tarrier (line) is usually in denial when I say this, it’s ditto for the Pats over the Sox too, where it ain’t even close.

Food: IPA first prize
Shop owner wins British beer competition
By Linda A. Thompson-Odum food@hippopress.com

Hops are an essential ingredient in beer.

With the current hops shortage, many home brewing shop owners have had to limit the amount they sell to customers. Jason Bourassa of Kettle to Keg in Pembroke took a different approach. He developed a beer recipe that called for less hops — and won first prize at the South Shields Real Ale Festival in Sunderland, England.

Techie: How to tame the Internet
Ward off porn, drugs, and other fun adult things
By John “jaQ” Andrews  jandrews@hippopress.com

Obi-Wan Kenobi was talking about Mos Eisley spaceport, but he could have just as easily been referring to the Internet: “You’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”