Jun. 30—KANSAS IS HOME to the world's biggest ball of twine. California can claim the world's tallest thermometer.
New Hampshire had what ski historians call the "World's Largest Ski Pole." I am not sure if it's true or not. (I can't find it on Wikipedia.) The ski pole is part of the historic sign of the former Carroll Reed Ski Shop in North Conway. The building is now a part of Norcross Place, a retail and restaurant development in North Conway Village.
The sign first appeared in the 1950s, according to Paul Durfee, marketing and communications manager for Berry Cos.
"The only change to the sign was the face," he said.
The closing of Olympia Sports in 2022 opened up space for three new tenants: Cheese Louise, Sap House Meadery of Ossipee and Saco River Brewing Co. of Fryeburg, Maine.
"It is really becoming North Conway's dining district, in our opinion," Durfee said. "We wanted to promote and brand it to give it its own twist."
Saco River and Sap House both will have roof decks.
"It has an extremely scenic view of Cranmore Mountain to the east and the Moat Mountains to the west," Durfee said.
Saco River Brewing is set to open this fall.
Ben & Jerry's has a new franchise owner, Matt Braun, who owns and operates Matty B's Mountainside Cafe in Bartlett.
"He has completely renovated the restaurant," Durfee said.
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Cheesy lines
Cheese Louise, which started as a grilled cheese food truck, has two other locations in Conway, as well as one in Portsmouth and Portland, Maine. The Norcross Place location opened on June 22.
Nearly 50 people camped outside in order to get free sandwiches for a year. The line was nearly 200 people long by the time the place opened at 11 a.m., according to Durfee.
Sen. Maggie Hassan stopped by the new location on opening day.
"You cheddar believe I had to stop by Cheese Louise's new location in North Conway and try a sandwich," she wrote on X, which I still call Twitter.
But the puns didn't stop there.
"This Granite State small business is un-brie-lievable!"
Keep 'em coming, senator.
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Surf's up
GroundSwell Surf Cafe, which serves breakfast, lunch, coffee, smoothies, acai bowls and frappes, has opened at 210 Ocean Blvd. in Seabrook. The original location in Seabrook, Mass., opened in 2015.
The cafe offers a takeout window, online ordering, curbside pickup and outdoor seating.
GroundSwell is part of Ride the Wave, which offers yoga, fitness classes and paddleboard rentals. An outdoor yoga space overlooks the harbor.