Tuesday

A creamy conundrum

If you thought the chicken or the egg dilemma was confusing, we have an even bigger mind-bender for you: we found an ice cream dessert that existed before there was ice cream. We celebrate this confounding concoction today on National Spumoni Day.

Originating in Naples, Italy, spumoni consists of three layers of ice cream – typically, chocolate, pistachio and cherry. Each layer contains pieces of a complementary foodstuff, such as candied cherries in the cherry layer, pistachios in the pistachio layer and (surprise!) hazelnuts in the chocolate layer.

Before the advent of ice cream, spumoni was made from Italian meringue (egg whites and sugar syrup) and sherbet (milk combined with fruit puree or chocolate). Contemporary versions of the dessert may mix whipped cream into the ice cream to give it the richer consistency of yesteryear.

In the United States, spumoni is most popular in areas with a large Italian immigrant population. Neapolitan ice cream, considered a descendant of spumoni, is more widespread, and the characteristic strawberry-vanilla-chocolate variety is easily found in your grocer’s freezer.

If you decide to celebrate National Spumoni Day and find yourself spumoni-less, therefore, we recommend Neapolitan ice cream as an acceptable substitute.

Wednesday

Musical melange

Love the blues, but have a hard time deciding which style is your favorite? Enjoy the many shades of this uniquely American genre at a free performance by Jumpin’ Juba from 6-8 p.m. at Abbie Griffin Park at 6 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack.

From New Orleans swamp rock to classic boogie-woogie, Jumpin’ Juba takes the basics and spices them with calypso, country and more to create an enticing sonic gumbo.

Bring a picnic dinner to enjoy and a blanket or chair to sit on. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at the Merrimack High School theater at 38 McElwain St.

For more information, contact the Parks and Recreation office at 882-1046 or parksdept@merrimacknh.gov .

Thursday

Bundles of joy

If your kids are going back to college and you’re saddened by the prospect of an empty nest, consider adding someone small and fluffy to the family. Find your purrfect companion at a kitten shower from noon-7 p.m. at the Humane Society for Greater Nashua at 24 Ferry Road in Nashua.

The Humane Society has more than 90 cats in the shelter with another 70 kittens and mothers in foster care waiting to come in, so there are plenty of adorable adoptables to choose from.

Those who are not looking to adopt and just want to spend some quality time with the kitties are also welcome to attend. Special kitten shower games and goodies will be available from 5-7 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring items to support the shelter’s feline population, such as kitten milk replacer, Iams canned kitten food (purple can), Iams dry adult cat food (orange bag) and gift cards to pet stores.

For a complete list of needed items or more information, visit www.hsfn.org or call 889-2275, ext. 35.

Sunday

Silver screen shift

The change from silent movies to talking pictures resulted in some interesting hybrid films. Experience one of these transitional pieces at a screening of “The Iron Mask” (1929) at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre at 40 Main St.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. stars as d’Artagnan, a swordsmanship instructor and retired member of the Three Musketeers, who must spring into action when the king is kidnapped and his long-lost twin brother put on the throne in his place.

The film features two sequences of dialogue that will be included in the screening. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by local composer Jeff Rapsis.

Admission is free, but donations are welcomed to help defray costs. For more information, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call 654-3456. To learn more about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

Teresa Santoski, who writes The Week in Preview, is owned by a former shelter kitty. Know of an event worthy of filling this space? Call 594-6466 or email tsantoski@nashuatelegraph.com. Information should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event. Follow TWiP, Tete-a-tete and Teresa’s articles at twitter.com/Telegraph_TS.