Here’s some news to know this morning:

Here’s what’s inside today’s newsletter:

📸 Reader photo: Talk about a bird’s-eye view. Two bald eagles perch high above Atkinson. Send us your photo! 

📰 What we’re reading, including: 24% of Granite Staters want to leave NH. Here’s why

🇺🇸 Things to do: 9 affordable ways to spend Labor Day weekend in New Hampshire

📢 Question of the week: What’s something about New Hampshire that outsiders just don’t understand? Share your take! 

🗓 Top events: Top things to do in New Hampshire

(Courtesy of Nancy Halloran)

Thanks to Nancy Halloran for sharing this incredible shot of two bald eagles in Atkinson.

🦅 Fun fact: New Hampshire’s bald eagle comeback is relatively recent. After disappearing as a nesting species in the state, they began nesting here again in the late 1980s.

📸 Share your photo: Have you spotted something worth sharing? Click the button below to submit your New Hampshire photo for a chance to be featured in this newsletter.

🔗 Related: Four stunning places to explore NH and Maine 

🏠 Nearly 1 in 4 Granite Staters are thinking about getting out of Dodge …

A new UNH survey found about 24% of New Hampshire residents said they might or are likely to leave the state within the next five years. Younger and unmarried residents were the most likely to consider leaving, with researchers pointing to a mix of factors including the cost of living, the economy, politics, family, and simply wanting a change. New Hampshire Public Radio

⚡ And while five New England governors are saying ‘no thanks’ to a massive utility merger, New Hampshire is sitting this one out …

The governors of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut are opposing a proposed merger between NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy, warning it could give the company too much power in the region. The deal would create what NextEra says would be the world’s largest regulated utility and put New England’s two active nuclear plants—including Seabrook Station—under the same ownership. Gov. Kelly Ayotte did not join the other governors’ letter and has not publicly taken a position. New Hampshire Public Radio

(Aaron Burden, Unsplash)

By Stacy Milbouer 

🛶 Chocorua Annual Picnic and Parade of Lights
Sept. 6
📍 The Grove at Chocorua Lake, Tamworth
Bring a picnic, then watch—or join—a sunset parade of canoes and kayaks decorated with lanterns, lights, and candles across Chocorua Lake. Admission is free.
More info

🎆 Hampton Beach Labor Day Fireworks
Sept. 6
📍 Hampton Beach, 169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton
Close out Labor Day weekend with live music at the Seashell Stage followed by a special fireworks display over the beach at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.
More info

🎶 First Friday Concord: Labor Day Weekend Kickoff
Sept. 4
📍 Downtown Concord, Main and Capitol streets, Concord
Kick off the long weekend with food trucks, live music, kids’ activities, and downtown shops staying open late. Admission is free.
More info

My colleague Stacy Milbouer recently broke down some Granite State myths and stereotypes.

So I thought now would be a great time to ask …

What’s something about New Hampshire that outsiders just don’t understand?

Here’s what you’re saying:

“The fact that NH is still a lot of open area, a lot of farms, a lot of woods. On my street, if you go 3/4 of a mile in one direction, you’re in the city, with restaurants, stores, banks, etc., but 1 1/2 miles in the other direction, there are working farms, including a sheep farm. Some of our terms and habits would probably be a little strange, and as mentioned, if you’re not in the city you might have a well and septic tank instead of city services. Every time we go to the beach, my mother looks at the passing landscape and comments that people from NJ would be shocked to see all the wooded areas. Town meetings would probably be a bit foreign to some people as well.” — David Masters 

(Google My Maps)

🫎 36th Annual North Country Moose Festival
Colebrook, Aug. 28-29
A free festival with a moose-calling contest, parade, live music, craft vendors, a dog show, and more.
More info

🪕 Moore Dam Bluegrass Festival
Concord, Vermont, Aug. 28-30
A weekend of bluegrass, dancing, jam sessions, food, craft vendors, and camping.
More info

🚚 5th Annual Seacoast Food Truck Festival
Kittery, Maine, Aug. 29-30 
Food trucks, live music, drinks, and a free kids zone. $5 admission; ages 14 and under free.
More info

🇺🇸 America’s 250th Gala: Food and Drink that Shaped the Nation
Portsmouth, Aug. 29
A special food-and-drink event celebrating America’s 250th.
More info

🍟 New Hampshire PoutineFest
Merrimack, Aug. 29
A festival dedicated to poutine, with plenty of fries, cheese curds, and gravy.
More info

🎨 73rd Annual Greeley Park Art Show
Nashua, Aug. 29 
More than 50 artists, plus live music, demonstrations, raffles, and kids activities.
More info

🎶 Family Music Festival
Concord, Aug. 29 
Instrument demos, jams, music activities, live entertainment, food trucks, and family activities.
More info

🐕 The K9 Carnival
Hillsborough, Aug. 30 
Dog demonstrations, food, raffles, and a chance to meet the Living on the Ledge Mondioring Club. Free.
More info

🎡 Lancaster Fair
Lancaster, Sept. 3-7
A Labor Day weekend fair with rides, food, entertainment, and agricultural events.
More info

🎠 Hopkinton State Fair
Contoocook, Sept. 3-7
A Labor Day weekend tradition with rides, food, entertainment, and agricultural events.
More info

👽 Exeter UFO Festival
Exeter, Sept. 3-7
A Labor Day weekend celebration of UFO history and the unexplained.
More info

✂️ Manchester Scrapbook Convention
Manchester, Sept. 11-12 
Scrapbook supplies, classes, and exhibitor demonstrations.
More info

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage with stories from Stacy Milbouer. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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