I have been able to experience many things over my past four years here at Keene State, but there are many that I was not aware of until my senior year. It is not that I chose to ignore these things, but I never really immersed myself into the cultures of these locations and experiences until coming to the realization that this year is to be my last.
I genuinely really love being in Keene and attending this college, so while this article is me telling you all things I enjoy from the area, it will also be me reminiscing on some of the good times I have had here as a result of these new things.
Something that I never really gave a whole lot of thought about was the theater program here. I had been to shows before since I have friends in the theater department but besides watching these performances, I never gave much thought to how much work actually goes into them, nor have I ever really given them much of my time as I was never very familiar with how much time and effort was put into them!
My roommate, Jaden Rogers, is in the theater department here and he tells me about all the work he does and how much time it takes up. It is honestly really amazing to hear how much goes into the shows. I really think if you have the chance you should check out the musical this fall, it’s called “Urinetown” and I am so excited to see my friends in this show. I wish I paid more attention to this sooner because it is just so fascinating to hear about their work and how proud of them, the department, are of their projects. These shows are usually really great and I urge everyone to go and see one before they graduate too!
I think that there are also a ton of good restaurants around town and down mainstreet people should try out too. Ones that I never really thought about before my senior year. As someone who is 21, I have been to a few of the bars in the area and I think the culture surrounding Lab ‘n Lager specifically is super unique to Keene and something I never really noticed until my senior year either. Granted I was not able to enter them until my senior year, but regardless I never noticed how prevalent it was in our city until recently. I own two sweatshirts from here and I never realized how many people do too, and honestly those are some of the comfiest sweatshirts I have ever owned. It is probably a bit odd to examine a bar in this piece but I really do mean that the culture surrounding this place seems very unique to anywhere else in Keene. If you are of age, and vaccinated, I would urge you to check out this spot as I think it is essential to the Keene State College experience.
There are some other great places around Keene too including Stonewall Farm which is a very quaint farm with all sorts of animals and plants. As well as some other restaurants including Elm City Brewery and Odelay’s.
I think I would have thought I knew more about Keene considering that I have lived here for almost four years now, but it seems everyday I learn about something new here. I really suggest that if you can, you should get out and see some of these places for yourself or even just try something new at a place you already know. Keene is a really cool place and I think everyone should explore it a bit more too.
