By Jon Bodell - Dec 10, 2019 | 1 comment

As you’ve probably noticed, we get to do some pretty cool stuff as members of the “Insider.” From taste testing all the new restaurants to shooting fake bad guys to riding along with the Concord Fire Department, there’s always a fun adventure waiting for us to try. What can we say? It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it (and we’re just glad it’s us). So when we heard that the Bounce House Entertainment Center at Steeplegate Mall had added those huge inflated balls that allow you to crash into someone else at a high rate of speed and hopefully not get hurt, we had to take them for a test drive. Here’s the lowdown: They’re called KnockerBalls, and there’s 23 of them available for use. They’re intended for people over 15 years of age, but they have ordered smaller ones for the younger kids. They have shoulder straps and handles for your safety, and it costs $10 for 10 minutes. And while that doesn’t seem like much time, it’s actually plenty. You get a little hot and winded running around bouncing off each other. Now, for full disclosure, it probably wasn’t fair that Tim had a slight weight advantage – as you can see from the photos, Jon was either flying through the air or on the ground, but it was fun anyway. Top left: Brace yourself for a crash landing. Top right: This is when Tim told Jon to just stay down. Bottom right: We can only imagine Jon’s smiling because his time of getting bounced around is over. Bottom left: Now that’s some air.

In honor of the Olympics beginning this week in Rio, we decided to our own abbreviated version of the summer games. Tim Goodwin and Jon Bodell

Jon gets in the zone at Sharing Yoga during his first-ever yoga session last week. Instructor Alison Murphy said he did a great job, so that has to count for something. TIM GOODWIN / Insider staff

Jon lines up a shot during a darts tournament at Area 23 last Thursday. TIM GOODWIN / Insider staff

Left: Erika Cook impresses the crowd with her hybrid hula hoop/slackline technique. Above: Jon impresses nobody while the group practices yoga in the background, led by Lindsay Havlicek Bell. (Photo by Aimee Larochelle.) Left, below: Jimmy Batchelder picks through some gear next to his trick line, of which he made good use.

Jon glows in the dark as he stands for his first-ever tanning session at Turbo Tan, winner of the Best Tanning Cappies award. It was hot in there. ASHLEY HOLLAND / For the Insider

Since we were only about three seconds past the allotted 75 minutes to finish The Sanctuary at Escape Room Concord, we decided to hold up the signs proudly displaying that we were victorious. TIM GOODWIN / Insider staff

The rumors are sad, but true – this will be my final Insider issue.

After about five years of getting to know the ins and outs of the Concord community and relaying important, even vital information such as the best beers around, where bands are playing and how to navigate the world’s longest mini-golf hole, I’m ending my career in community journalism. It won’t be easy to leave, though.

In my time with the Insider, I’ve seen, heard, eaten, drank and done more than I ever could have imagined. From that very first issue I worked on in August of 2015 until this one you’re reading, I’ve covered a lot of ground and gotten myself into some serious fun.

That first issue, back in August 2015, was also the first issue the Insider incorporated the town of Bow. My former colleague, Tim Goodwin, and I went into the town to do a little exploring. While there wasn’t much there, we did find the town gazebo, the Baker Free Library, Santa’s Place and Guns-N-Rocks, so that was cool.

As time went on, the Insider started, for the first time ever, branching out beyond the city of Concord and into surrounding towns and communities that were previously uncharted territory for the paper. We visited Henniker (the only one on earth), Hooksett, Penacook, Boscawen, Canterbury, Chichester, the Lakes Region, the Lake Sunapee region, Tilton, Northfield and Loudon. Hopefully those Field Trip issues were as fun to read as they were to create.

One of the major perks of writing for the Insider is getting to experience all kinds of cool things most jobs would never allow, let alone encourage.

During the Hooksett trip, for example, I got to drive a Polaris Slingshot, courtesy of HK Powersports. The roofless, three-wheeled sports vehicle was one of most fun things I had ever driven. In Loudon, I got to take part in the Media Racing Challenge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where I got to drive a Nascar-type race car around the track as fast as I could. On a trip to the Lakes Region, I stopped at Gunstock Mountain Resort in the middle of the summer and got to try a mountain coaster and jump off a high platform into a big foam pad. In Chichester, I got to tackle the famous mini-golf course at Chuckster’s and try some elk jerky from the Healthy Buffalo. In Sunapee, I got to board the M.V. Mount Sunapee II and cruise around the lake for a few leisurely hours.

All in all, there haven’t been too many bad days of working the Insider beat.

As fun as all those trips to other communities were, the job has always been about the Concord community. Since I started at the Insider I’ve seen the complete makeover of downtown Concord, the opening of not one but two top-notch breweries, the addition of multiple live-performance venues in Hatbox Theatre and the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, the opening of several new eateries including Revival Kitchen, Whiskey & Wine, Red Arrow Diner, The Post, Tucker’s, Federals Café and probably many more I can’t think of.

During my time here I’ve also met some incredible people with great talents and a wealth of information to share. What I’ve come to realize is that Concord is a special place with a vibrant community of artists, business leaders, volunteers, public servants, crafters, cooks, entertainers and educators, and everything in between. I’ve encountered very little resistance over the years, whether I was walking up to random people on the street asking them about their favorite Halloween costume from childhood or interviewing the city manager about the multimillion-dollar downtown makeover project. No matter the inquiry, I always seemed to have good luck finding what I was looking for.

While it’s sad for me to be leaving a job I have loved so much, I know the Insider will be in good hands after I’m gone. There won’t be a single person replacing me, but rather a team of dedicated, hard-working editors and reporters who are excited to dive into the Insider world. I hope you’ll all make them feel right at home.

Going forward, feel free to contact the Insider by email at news@theconcordinsider.com or call the Monitor newsroom at 224-5301, ext. 670.

It’s been a great ride, Insider readers. Maybe I’ll see you around town some time.