The musical productions just keep rolling out of NCCA Papermill Theatre (Papermill Dr., I-93, exit 32, Lincoln, 603/745-6032, www.papermilltheatre.org [1]), where everything from Evita and Cats to Chicago and Beauty and the Beast have been staged over the past 20 years by the North Country Center for the Arts. The company also produces a children’s theater.
In nearby Whitefield, the nonprofit Weathervane Repertory Theatre (389 Lancaster Rd./Rte. 3, Whitefield, 603/838-6072, www.weathervanetheatre.org [2]) puts on musicals and comedies (plus shows for young children) in a red-barn theater.
The mountain meadows north of the notch are filled with violet blossoms every year in time for the Lupine Festival (603/823-1800, www.franconianotch.org [3], mid-June), a street festival and art show with events throughout the region.
By governor’s decree, each year in early July, Frost Place [4] holds Frost Day (603/823-5510, www.frostplace.org [5], early July) with readings of poetry by the poet-in-residence and musical performances at the farmstead.
Littleton [6] rolls up a whole year of celebrations into its annual Summer Fest (www.summerfest03561.org [7], early June), which combines a typical New England county fair with fireworks and a colorful New Orleans–style street parade.
Links:
[1] http://www.papermilltheatre.org
[2] http://www.weathervanetheatre.org
[3] http://www.franconianotch.org
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/new-hampshire/white-mountains/franconia-region/franconia-and-littleton/frost-place
[5] http://www.frostplace.org
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/new-hampshire/white-mountains/franconia-region/franconia-and-littleton
[7] http://www.summerfest03561.org