CANAAN — It’s no exaggeration to call the Canaan Meetinghouse readings the most cherished arts event of the Upper Valley summer.
Yes, there are lots of free concerts, Opera North is up and running, theater is non-stop. But anyone who’s been to the restored 1793 meetinghouse knows that there’s an uncommon peace in listening to great writers read from their work in that setting on a summer evening. And it’s for a good cause — support of the Canaan Public Library.
The readings, now in their 38th year, start at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, with fiction and essay writer Peter Orner, a resident of Norwich, and Brooklyn, N.Y., novelist Sara Lippmann.
Next Thursday, July 16, poets Tomas Q. Morin and Adam Giannelli, who is the poet-in-residence this summer at the Frost Place, Robert Frost’s former home in Franconia, N.H., will read from their work.
The main event might be July 23, when three Upper Valley writers present a diverse range of work. Novelist Catherine Tudish will read from her short story collections “Tenney’s Landing” and the new “A Thousand Souls,” and poets Ivy Schweitzer and Rena Mosteirin will read from new collections, “Dividing Rivers” and “Disaster Tourism,” respectively.
If you see William Craig, who started these readings and returned to present them after some years away, be sure to thank him. And the baked goods available at the readings are what furnishes funding to Canaan’s library, so donate generously.
For more information, go to canaanlibrary.org.
Second city
“Chicago” is a strange entertainment in this day and age. At least that’s what came to mind at Sunday afternoon’s performance of the classic musical at New London Barn Playhouse. It’s tale of glamorous women who seek fame while incarcerated for murdering their spouses or lovers is a kind of musty fever dream of America’s pathological attitudes toward crime, punishment and sexuality.
The audience ate it up, though, which had everything to do with the brio of the performances. The production is worth seeing for that alone, though it’s also interesting to consider the line “Give ’em the old Razzle-Dazzle” in our current political context.
“Chicago” runs through Sunday, July 12. For more information, go to nlbarn.org.
‘Baby’ in Cornish
Opera North opens its production of “The Ballad of Baby Doe” on Sunday. If you missed my colleague Nicola Smith’s excellent introduction to this complex American opera, it’s worth seeking out before you go.
While Sunday’s opening performance is nearly sold out, there are tickets for the subsequent performances at 7:30 p.m. on July 15 and 17. For tickets ($34-$72) and more information, go to operanorthnh.com.
‘Trees’ in Lyme
Matt Brown Fine Art’s summer exhibition is titled “Trees,” and that might be all you need to know about it. Landscape art tends to be predominant in these parts, so a show about all things tree seems, uh, natural.
“Trees” is on view at Matt Brown Fine Art in Lyme through Sept. 12, and a party for the artists and viewers is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 28. For more information, go to mbrownfa.com.
Be there, and be square
On Wednesday, July 15, the Hopkins Center is throwing a free concert with The Ida Mae Specker Band, a Vermont Americana ensemble, at 5:30 on the Dartmouth Green.
But first, and more importantly, the band will play a square dance workshop at 1 p.m. that day, also free and open to the public, with caller Sarah Gibson calling the steps.
For more information, go to hop.dartmouth.edu.
Free music in Sharon
The second annual Sharon Music Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, on the green in Sharon.
Promising free, family-friendly fun, the festival features performances from Nate Mott, Fez Silk, Mowgli Giannitti, The Sleepy Weasels, Sonido Mal Maiz and Rick Redington and Tuff Luv.
There will be food trucks and a beer garden hosted by Brocklebank Craft Brewing, along with crafts and other goods.
