Top 20 New Hampshire Events for 2009

See Yankee‘s travel bargains in New Hampshire

Yankee recommends that you call ahead to confirm dates and times.

MAY 9: AMHERST,Amherst Garden Club Annual Plant Sale. Offering more than 1,300 locally grown hardy perennials at Wilkins School. Annuals, hanging baskets, heirloom vegetable plants, unique herbs, hostas, a raffle table of garden products, garden-accessory vendors, and more. 603-673-7054; amherstgardenclub.org

MAY 9-10: CONTOOCOOK,New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival. Held every Mother’s Day weekend at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds, with vendors, workshops, and fiber-related animal demonstrations and shows both days. Sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, rabbits, and more. 603-747-3869;nhswga.org

MAY 22-24: DANBURY,“Best of the Wurst” Festival. Indulge at the Alphorn Bistro with a three-course prix-fixe dinner showcasing fresh bratwursts and schnitzels, German beer, spaetzle, trachten (traditional costume) contests, live German music, and more. Dine-and-stay packages at the Inn at Danbury. 866-326-2879, 603-768-3318; innatdanbury.com

JUNE 6: ENFIELD,Country Life Festival. Celebrate living in harmony with the land at Enfield Shaker Museum. Find cheeses, honeys, herbs, cider, and maple syrup; enjoy crafts demonstrations and horse-drawn wagon rides; and don’t miss author and journalist Walter Paine reading from his children’s story Cousin John. Stay to end the day with a “hoedown,” contra dancing, chuckwagon supper, evening campfire, and ghost stories. 603-632-4346; shakermuseum.org

JUNE 6: PORTSMOUTH,Chowder Festival. This kickoff event to Prescott Park Arts Festival’s 2009 summer season is so popular you’ll want to arrive early before the chowder pots are empty. Sample all the offerings and then cast your vote for the best in the “People’s Choice” contest. 603-436-2848; prescottpark.org

JUNE 13-21: LACONIA,Motorcycle Week. Get ready to share the roads as more than 400,000 visitors descend upon Weirs Beach. Motorcycle races, hill climbs, touring, contests, and shows are all traditions. 603-366-2000; laconiamcweek.com

JUNE 19-20: PORTSMOUTH,Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth. Annual walking/biking tour. Private gardens in one of Portsmouth’s charming neighborhoods, including the gardens of a selected historical home, will open to ticket holders. Enjoy light refreshments and live music. 603-436-4762; southchurch-uu.org

JUNE 23-AUG. 25: SULLIVAN,Apple Hill Chamber Music Concerts. World-class guest soloists join Apple Hill’s string quartet in concert Tuesday evenings. Reserve a seat for the concert and for the preconcert dinner. Or if the skies hold, spread out a blanket and picnic on the grounds. 603-847-3371; applehill.org

JUNE 28: LANCASTER, Stark Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest. An annual event, fun for the entire family, at Lancaster Fairgrounds; approved by the New England Fiddlers Association. 603-788-4531; lancasterfair.com/fiddlerscontest

JULY 9-12: HILLSBOROUGH,Balloon Festival and Fair. More than a dozen hot-air balloons fill Grimes Field. Plus midway, live entertainment, fireworks, a parade, road race, tractor pulls, and an artists’ fair. 603-464-3077; balloonfestival.org

JULY 11-12: JAFFREY, Jaffrey Garden Tour. This house and garden tour will also feature demonstrations and “build-your-own” projects for “fairy houses”–miniature garden fixtures for children and adults alike. 603-532-7168;teamjaffrey.org

JULY 16-18: CONCORD,Market Days and Summer Music Festival. There’s fun and entertainment for people of all ages, plus two great bands on the main stage each night. Area nonprofits educate visitors about their services; shop, eat, play and enjoy Concord’s largest summer festival. 603-226-2150; mainstreetconcord.com

JULY 18: FITZWILLIAM,Historical Society Antiques Show and Sale. More than 55 selected dealers exhibit and sell their wares on the town’s historic shaded common. Featuring 18th- and 19th-century country and formal furniture, china, ceramics, folk art, architectural and garden statuary, jewelry, linens, pottery, and more–something for everyone. 603-585-9086; fitzhistoricalsociety.org/antiqueshow.htm

AUG. 1: NEW BOSTON,Barnful of Blues Festival. A family-oriented music event at the 4H Youth Center, with all profits donated to Manchester’s Webster House youth home. Come listen to the best blues and R&B bands in New England as they perform 12 shows. Feast on “BBQ Plus,” including pulled-pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, beans, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more. Bring chairs, water, blankets, coolers, sunblock, and bug spray, and get ready for a down-home good time. 603-325-8659, 603-488-1912; newbostonblues.org

AUG. 1-9: NEWBURY, League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair. This prestigious event stretches over nine days, featuring more than 200 individual booths of traditional and contemporary works by juried league members. Jewelry, woodcrafts, decorative glass, pottery, fiber arts, metalwork, furniture, and prints; plus don’t miss the sculpture garden, “craftwear” boutique, demonstrations, workshops, and much more. 603-224-3375; nhcrafts.org

AUG. 6-8: MANCHESTER,New Hampshire Antiques Show. New England’s premiere summer show presents more than 60 dealers exhibiting fresh-to-the-market antiques, arranged in room settings at The Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel. Country aznd formal antique furniture, clocks, folk art, paintings and prints, textiles, woodenware, metalware, glassware, and more. 603-876-4080; nhada.org

AUG. 9: PETERBOROUGH, Medal Day at the MacDowell Colony. Tucked in the New Hampshire countryside, this artists’ haven is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its lifetime-achievement award presentation, given in 2009 to a visual artist. Afterwards, the studios open to the public for opportunities to engage with the artists. 603-924-3886; macdowellcolony.org

AUG. 9: SUNAPEE,Love Your Lakes Day and Antique Boat Parade. Watch as dozens of vessels cruise around Lake Sunapee. Exhibits and activities for families and children. 603-763-2210; lakesunapee.org

AUG. 15: PITTSBURG,Old Home Day. An old-fashioned event, beginning with a parade down New Hampshire’s longest main street. Crafts displays, cooking and photography contests, flea market with an antique-engine display, free concerts, and a fishing derby. 800-698-8939, 603-237-8939; northcountrychamber.org

SEPT. 11-13: HAMPTON BEACH, Seafood Festival. More than 60 of the Seacoast’s top restaurants offer their best dishes. This year, the main events Saturday are music by the U.S. Air Force’s Band of Liberty followed by a fireworks display; on Sunday, don’t miss the skydiving extravaganza. All weekend, browse arts and crafts vendors, sidewalk sales, and culinary demonstrations, plus two stages of entertainment, and more. 603-926-8718; hamptonbeachseafoodfestival.com