Daily
It IS easy bein’ green
…at least at Market Days. Recycling bins will once again dot downtown, so please fill them with your cans, bottles and paper goods. Green Concord – a group of earth-lovin’ local businesses – is sponsoring the effort. The containers are donated by New Hampshire Distributors.
Many of this year’s vendors are considering the environment, too. GreenPoma.com, a source for efficient lighting, will recycle compact flourescent light bulbs, and Imagination Village will help kids make musical instruments out of recycled materials.
You’ll also see hybrid vehicles, courtesy of Grappone, and have the chance to purchase all sorts of local, all-natural goods.
Have your birthday cake and eat it, too
Caring Gifts, 18 N. Main St., is having a birthday party during Market Days to celebrate turning 25. Because sharing is caring, the store is giving away free birthday cake, food samples, balloons for the kiddies and more. Plus,everything in the store will be 25-percent off!
The staff at Caring Gifts will be partying it up all three days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Don’t leave without trying to weave!
FreedomWeavers Studio and Community Bridges have teamed up to offer free SAORI weaving lessons all three days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Community Bridges tent.
According to the FreedomWeavers’ website, “SAORI is a philosophy and technique of improvisational weaving created in Japan in 1968. Unlike traditional weaving, SAORI method has no preplanning, restrictions or complicated rules.”
No restrictions or complicated rules? We like the sounds of that!
Participants can either add onto an “inclusion banner” or make a friendship bracelet. For more information, visit freedomweavers.com.
Sidewalk spontaneity
The economy is in shambles, the world is perpetually at war, your bills are late and the sun has gone on hiatus. Good thing for a little bit of spontaneity once in while. The Society for Spontaneity will be giving the people of Market Days a chance to leave all the problems behind and put their imaginations to good use with a sidewalk-chalking activity. The organization believes that people never take time to smell the roses and pride themselves on being random and imaginative all for the sake of some fun.
In the spirit of being spontaneous there has been no set time for this event. It will be offered at random. Keep an eye out and you might be able to make your mark on the streets of Concord.
Critters, goodies and other organic fun
This year, the Concord Cooperative Market will host a new contest for locals to test their all- natural culinary skills. There are three categories: jams, jellies and relishes, cookies and pies. Entries will be judged on creativity, appearance and appeal. Judging for the jams and jellies will take place on Thursday at 6 p.m., judging for the cookies will be on Friday at 6 p.m., and the judging for the pies will take place on Saturday at noon.
Winners will receive co-op gift certificates and have their recipes on display during the festival. Now it’s time for a downer: The entry deadline passed earlier this week. But you can still check out the goodies.
The co-op will also host a petting zoo on Saturday with the help of Hopkinton’s Owen Farm. There will be chickens, goats, sheep and other farm animals for children to see and learn about.
There will also be a kids’ “creation station” where, for a small fee, kids will have the chance to paint canvas bags, bake a chocolate cake in a co-op mug and get their faces painted.
There will also be an all-natural outdoor cafe that will offer, among other things, a watermelon gazpacho, chorizo sausage and ice cream from the Walpole Creamery. The co-op will also allow other local and natural businesses to sell their wares under their tent. For more information, call 225-6840 or visit concordfoodcoop.coop.
Free, you say?
Each day during Market Days, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Museum of New Hampshire History in Eagle Square will be offering free admission.
Yes, you heard us right . . . you can scope out such exhibitions as “America’s Kitchens” and “Abraham Lincoln and New Hampshire” completely free of charge.
Admission is usually $5.50, $4.50 for seniors and $3 for children. Just think – with all that money you save you can finally buy that Franklin Pierce bobblehead you’ve been eyeing in the museum store.
Thursday, 5 p.m.
Bring your answers
Attention! Attention! The Barley House needs at least 1,567 people to assemble by the main stage on Thursday night to break the world record for the world’s largest pub trivia game.
The restaurant’s staff hosts a (much smaller) weekly game on Wednesday nights and the Market Days version will follow a similar format. Teams will be able to ponder their answers for the duration of one song. Those teams that answer correctly will be entered into drawings for prizes including tickets to ball games and concerts, and gift certificates to local businesses. One lucky team will win $1,000 in downtown dollars.
Registration is free and will start at 5 p.m. in front of the Barley House. For more information see thebarleyhouse.com.
Bonus: Everyone who enters receives a $10 gift certificate to MeadowBrook.
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Harmonies by Lucie
Looking for a little well rounded culture to fill up your Market Days experience? On Thursday at 7 p.m. Gibson’s Bookstore, 27 S. Main St., will be featuring Lucie Therrien, a multi-faceted singer/songwriter from Portsmouth, who will be sharing her tunes and a few stories.
With both a masters in music history and a bachelors in piano performance from the University of New Hampshire, Lucie has performed on five continents, released 15 albums and four study guides which are distributed nationally. What makes her act so special is her multi-lingual ability to sing in both English and French which is showcased in her newest album “Dual Citizen.”
Friday, starting at 6 a.m.
Help kids, get stuff
On Friday, the Concord Boys and Girls Club and 107.7 FM will host a radio-a-thon to benefit after school programs at the club. The event runs from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. with hosts Peter St. James and Ken Cail. Guests include baseball legend Bob Tewksbury in the morning and local NBA star Matt Bonner in the afternoon.
There will also be opportunities for listeners to call in and bid on auction items including tickets to Red Sox games and the Sprint Cup.
Centrix Bank, 11 S. Main St., is sponsoring the event. Look for the inflatable bounce house outside the bank. There will also be face painting, peanuts and popcorn and fresh lemonade and snow cones.
For more information, contact Carol Morse at 224-1061 or at morse@concordkids.org.
Friday and Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a . . . mover
On Friday and Saturday festival goers will be treated to a real show put on by the Ciel Rouge Moving Company. The Concord dance and theatre group will be performing a new aerial dance act with local musician Lindsey Schust. The new dance is Afro-Cuban in style and will be performed on a portable aerial rig outside of Pitchfork Records at 12:30 p.m. on both days. The performance consists of three aerialists and four drummers/singers.
Each performance will last about 20 minutes. Viewing is free, but donations are requested to offset the cost of the show.
So if you’re looking for something a little different during Market Days, or if you feel your life is lacking a little theater culture, stop by to see a show you’re not likely to forget.
Friday,1 p.m.
I scream, you scream
On Friday, the Granite State Candy Shoppe will host an ice cream eating contest in Bicentennial Square at 1 p.m. There will be a $5 entry fee, with all the proceeds going to benefit The Friendly Kitchen. Any person who signs up will receive a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream. All entries must be filled out by noon to be eligible.
The winners will be chosen by who eats the ice cream fastest in their age group. Prizes include gift certificates, T-shirts and, of course, candy. The contest is open to anyone except employees of Granite State Candy and their families.
The amount of ice cream eaten will range from kiddie-size to a quart, so not to worry, moms, your kids won’t necessarily be bouncing off the walls all day.
Saturday at 1:30 P.M.
Big people on small bikes = tons of fun
For all you adults out there who’ve ever dreamed of being in the Tour de France, have we got a treat for you.
Okay, maybe there aren’t many of you who have ever dreamed of being in the Tour de France, but still, this really is going to be a lot of fun, we promise.
The Teddy Bear Fund is holding an adult trike race in front of the main stage on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., which essentially amounts to a bunch of adults pedaling like mad on tiny bikes while being pelted with water, bubbles and silly string. Each rider must be sponsored in the amount of $200.
For those of you who aren’t into trike racing, we also promise that it will be a lot of fun to watch. If you’d like to donate money, the fund is additionally seeking sponsors for the trikes at a cost of $45 each and trophies at a cost of $25 each.
What is all this money going to, you ask? We’ll tell you. The Teddy Bear Fund is a nonprofit group whose mission is to provide toys and clothing to underprivileged children throughout Merrimack County and beyond. So not only will any money raised go towards the fund, but you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.
For more information about the fund or to help, visit theteddybearfund.org or call 798-4443.
