Tom Wessels, author of Reading the Forested Landscape, Beyond Progress, newly-released Granite, Fire and Fog: A Natural and Cultural History of Acadia National Park and other ecological works, will be the featured speaker at N.H. Audubon’s annual Gathering on Sept. 23. The daylong event will be held at the Alnoba retreat center in Kensington and is open to N.H. Audubon members and non-members. Wessels will deliver an engaging presentation about the evolution of biodiversity and resiliency in the natural world and what we can learn from that. In addition, he will be leading a forest investigation field trip on the Alnoba grounds. The day will include a farm to table buffet luncheon, a brief business meeting and an awards ceremony to celebrate important contributions to conservation by journalist John Harrigan, biologist Dr. Pamela Hunt and volunteers Kevin and Joanne Jones. For further details, visit nhaudubon.org/events-and-news/annual-gathering/ or contact Ruth Smith at rsmith@nhaudubon.org.
Kombucha and water kefir are ancient beverages that have become trendy today as healthy alternatives to artificially-sweetened commercial sodas and fizzy drinks. On Saturday, Andover resident Lauren Duquette will show participants how to easily brew up a batch of these refreshing and healthy probiotic-rich drinks at home. Sponsored by the Andover Institute, an arm of the Andover Community Association, the workshop will be held at the William A. Bachelder Library, 12 Chase Hill Road in East Andover, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The workshop is offered free of charge. Participants are asked to bring along a Mason jar in order to take home a small piece of the crucial fermenting agent, called a SCOBY, which they can keep in their refrigerator to continue making their own home-brewed beverages. For more information, contact andovercommunity03216@gmail.com.
The 2017 Brigade Lecture Series will host “The Tavern in Early New Hampshire” on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. Presented by architectural historian James Garvin, the program is part of the Brigade Lecture Series, which focuses on New Hampshire history and culture. The program will be held at the Pierce Manse in Concord and is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. In an age when travel was often dangerous and unpleasant, the tavern offered shelter, warmth, and light after dark. It provided food for human and animal travelers. This talk will describe the architectural features of tavern buildings and the varied functions that the tavern provided in early New Hampshire. Garvin served as the curator of Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth and the New Hampshire Historical Society, and for 24 years was the New Hampshire state architectural historian. To view the complete 2017 lecture series schedule, visit piercemanse.org. The Pierce Manse is located at 14 Horseshoe Pond Land in Concord.