I’m a New Hampshire native who has spent more than half his life living in the Granite State and most of the rest in Colorado.
I have climbed mountains, hiked in national parks and driven scenic byways. I’ve ridden my bike along swampy bogs and trekked near quiet spots where forest animals have been known to gather. I have walked off the beaten path and taken the road less traveled.
Never once have I seen a moose.
At least not a live one. While vacationing in the Berkshires years ago, I visited the watery grave of one of these majestic beasts. Word had spread among locals in the Massachusetts town that a moose had drawn its final breath near a small pond not far from the road.
The attraction had become so popular that while we were walking back from our viewing, another party was heading along the path toward us to sneak a peek. All this for a moose cow with no antlers to steal.
We have a live one for you with a handsome pair in this issue.
Photographer Kelly Norcross, the first-place winner of the inaugural New Hampshire Magazine Reader Photo Contest, captured our hearts and eyes with a bull moose dripping with drool in a pristine lake setting in Pittsburg.
See the magical moose, plus our second- and third-place winners and several honorable mentions, beginning on page 48. We’re already contemplating how to make next year’s contest even more dynamic.
New Hampshire Magazine, the Next Generation
Welcome to Season 2. This issue marks the beginning of my second year as editor of New Hampshire Magazine, which I took over in June 2023 from long-time editor Rick Broussard. Since then, we have added new members to our team: Assistant Editors Elisa Gonzales Verdi and Emily Reily, and Managing Editor for Custom Publications Sarah Pearson. They join our veterans, Managing Editor Emily Heidt and Art Director John Goodwin.
In this issue, see Elisa’s interview with New Hampshire novelist Jodi Picoult and feature on New Hampshire food trucks (page 20); Emily Reily’s story about summer stargazing (page 38); and Sarah’s double-feature debut for the magazine, a guide to camping with kids in the Granite State, and an inside look at Cummings, the New Hampshire printing company that has long produced New Hampshire Magazine for us (page 26).
On the day our team visited Cummings’ plant in Hooksett, our annual “Best of NH” issue was in production. We were able to watch the printing and assembly process at various stages. Just a few days later, the magazines were ready for attendees at our Best of NH Party at Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee.
The day before the event, Yankee staffers prepped for the party at the event site. We set up tables for our Best of NH winner vendors and filled hundreds of gift bags with magazines, gift cards and other giveaways. While stuffing our July 2024 issue into those canvas totes, I felt a deep connection to every copy I touched.
All the stories, headlines, photos and captions were written, edited, designed and proofed by members of our team and our growing stable of freelance writers and photographers. We’re proud of our best work and even our imperfections. This magazine is generated 100 percent by humans. (OK, with occasional help from the AI plugged into John’s design software.)
Stay tuned, and please let us know what you think. You can reach me at [email protected] for cheers, jeers and random thoughts about the universe.