Entertainment: Summer schedules winding down, but there’s no lack of music in Concord
We’re getting into one of the more depressing parts of the year now. Days are getting shorter, and although it’s still summer, most of the world is transitioning to back-to-school mode (including this publication). All the summer concert series in Concord are done for the year, but that doesn’t mean the tunes end. There’s still plenty to listen to this week, and a few things to see, too. Have a look: Music Tuesday Scott Solsky at...
We tried Keno at Chen Yang Li and, shockingly, did not win $1 million
I grew up in Massachusetts, and keno was always everywhere – coffee shops, bars, restaurants, even a lot of convenience stores. That’s why I found it very odd that the Live Free or Die State, the one where government-run lottery itself was born (Puerto Rico was the first to launch a government-run lottery, but that’s not a state), had not allowed the game until pretty recently. Even still, it is not available statewide – each city or...
Bulletin Board: Concert, fall bulb orders and ‘Monitor’ tours
Credit union to host saving class N.H. Federal Credit Union Center for Finance & Education is hosting 101 Ways to Save Money on Aug. 29 at 5:15 p.m. Join us for this interactive, fun session as we share 101 ways to save money from “couponing” hacks and tools to tips for truly building your savings balance. We’re covering a lot of territory. And, bring your tips. The person with the best tip wins a prize. Class is open to the...
Book of the Week: ‘Manhattan Beach’
Manhattan BeachJennifer Egan2017, 438 pagesHistorical Fiction Twelve-year-old Anna Kerrigan has a special relationship with her father that she understands is markedly different than what she shares with her younger, disabled sister and her beautiful, tired mother. When she accompanies her father on one of his always-mysterious business outings and meets Dexter Styles at his Manhattan Beach home, she has a feeling that this meeting is...
This Week in Concord History
Aug. 21, 1851: Concord’s downtown is ravaged by the worst fire in its history. The fire starts in the old “Mechanics Home” and spreads through old wooden buildings on the east side of Main Street from Park Street south and past the State House. Lost are the Eagle Coffee House, a drug store, the Merchants Exchange, the Prescott Piano Factory and a host of other stores, offices, sheds and houses. More than 1,000 firefighters joined the...
Go full steam ahead to the 33rd annual Concord Model Railroad Club Train Show at Everett Arena this Sunday
All aboard! Last call! Pick your favorite piece of train terminology, but whatever you do, don’t miss the 33rd annual Concord Model Railroad Club Train Show this Sunday at Everett Arena. If you’ve never been or never heard of it before, you’ve been denying yourself quite the experience. Model railroad enthusiasts from all over the state flock to this one-day-only event at the arena for a chance to see some high-end model train...
Get a workout while helping others at Fit 4 A Cause Triple Challenge
If you like the idea of helping local nonprofits by attending a community barbecue (see story at left), you’d probably also be interested in helping cancer patients by participating in a triathlon of sorts. We’re talking about the Fit 4 a Cause Triple Challenge, a 5-mile bike, 5K run/walk and five-circuit bootcamp event coming up this Sunday. If you don’t have a bike, you can just do the 5K and bootcamp. There will also be post-event...
Concord City Auditorium to host 28th Pitch In
Ever wonder why the Concord City Auditorium – the Audi as its more affectionately known – looks so good at the start of each season?Well, you can thank the Friends of the Audi and a swarm of volunteers for that. Every year, the Friends go through the city-owned theater with a magnifying glass looking for any dust bunnies, chipped paint or blown light bulbs during the three-day Pitch In. And it just so happens that the Pitch In is...
Q & A: We caught up with Mr. Aaron ahead of his show at the Capitol Center for the Arts
Aaron Jones – you know him as Mr. Aaron – is the family- and kid-focused musician who has taken Concord by storm over the last couple years. He runs Rattlebox Studio, a studio for kids to listen to and create some music, and he plays all over either by himself or with the Mr. Aaron Band or Bosey Joe. He’s playing a show at the Capitol Center for the Arts on Thursday at 11 a.m., just the latest in a very busy schedule for him.We caught...
Heritage Harley-Davidson to host community barbecue for Concord Friends Program on Saturday
If you like a good barbecue – and who doesn’t? – as well as helping out your community, there’s no better event to check out than Heritage Harley-Davidson’s Community BBQ this Saturday afternoon. The second-generation, family-owned Harley dealership has been hosting these barbecue events every Saturday during riding season since 2013, marketing manager Ryan Jelley said. “We want to make it a point to support our local charities,” he...
Bulletin Board: Jazz Sanctuary, Penacook concert and golf
Concert at Penacook church United Church of Penacook is hosting a concert featuring the duo Danielle Buonaiuto, soprano, and Jason Wirth, piano, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Directions to United Church and additional information about this concert are available at ucpnh.org. This duo will be in residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen this August. Lynne Raleigh Village association to...
On Display: See Alison Vernon’s art at the Forest Society
Through August, Alison Vernon will be showcasing her artwork at the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests. Vernon started painting after the birth of her three children, and over the years, her painting style and technique have evolved as she has learned to appreciate the texture and richness of painting with palette knives. You should totally go check out her work.
Learn the ins and outs of the harmonica at Concord Public Library
First of all, did you see what we did there with the headline, with the ins and outs of harmonica? We thought that was pretty funny, too.Anyway, Concord Public Library is at it again. There’s seemingly something cool and fun going on there every day, and next Wednesday, Aug. 22, it will be a program called Harmonica 101.We know that title is very ambiguous and mysterious, so we’re here to tell you that it is, in fact, a little...
Making Strides Concord kickoff event to be held Thursday
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Concord is hosting a team kickoff event on Thursday at Red River Theatres.Anyone interested in putting a team together for this year’s event – scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 14 – is encouraged to attend the kickoff event to get materials, team kits, coin cans, posters, registrations. Team leader kits will be available.Whether you’ve faced it yourself, or someone you love has, almost everyone has been...
Entertainment: No festivals? No problem – it’s still a big week
You’d think Rock On Fest might be a tough act to follow, but there’s a pretty swell lineup of music this week to keep you rockin’ through the summer. Have a look: Music Tuesday Lester Hirsh at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m.Wednesday Paul Heckel at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Club Soda at Concord Public Library’s Music on the Lawn at 6 p.m.Thursday Richard Gardzina at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Aaron at the Capitol Center for the Arts...
Does your pooch know how to act? The Community Players are looking
Have you ever wondered if your dog would do great on stage? Well, here’s your chance to find out. The Community Players of Concord is hosting auditions for the classic musical Annie, and if you’re familiar with the story, it involves Annie’s dog, Sandy. And you can’t put on a production of Annie without one of the main characters in the story. So the Players are holding auditions on Sunday for “a dramatic dog” on Sunday at 5 p.m. at...
Concord Young Professionals Network: Joseph Conti wants to see all 30 MLB stadiums
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to our “Young Professional of the Month,” Joseph Conti. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks Concord Insider readers would enjoy getting to know better.How old are you? 28 Where do you live? Manchester Where do you currently work? I am an associate at Crisp Law Firm, PLLC. You...
Book of the Week: ‘Universal Harvester’
Universal HarvesterJohn Darniell2017, 214 pagesFiction John Darniell’s Universal Harvester largely follows Jeremy Heldt, a video store clerk living (resentfully) in the town of Nevada, Iowa, with his widowed father. What begins as a poetically humorous depiction of life as a twenty-something in the Midwest turns slowly into a dark gothic mystery novel when customers of the video store begin to complain about mysterious splices in the...
This Week in Concord History
Aug. 14, 1852: Concord officials vote to build the Sewalls Falls bridge. Aug. 14, 1864: One day before the deadline imposed by the Legislature, Concord Mayor Benjamin Gale and other citizens remove a house south of the State House to make way for the building of Capitol Street. Aug. 14, 1945: The victory bell rings at 7:11 p.m., signaling the defeat of Japan and the end of the war. Thousands of people rush into downtown Concord to...
Get downtown this weekend for Rock On Fest 2018
We’re heading into mid-August now, which can only mean one thing – Rock On Fest is on its way. For the fourth year in a row, the Rock On Foundation will hold its big music-and-basketball festival in Concord. For the second straight year, the bulk of the festivities will take place right in the heart of downtown Concord – in the middle of North Main Street, in fact. The festival is the creation of the Bonner brothers, Luke and Matt....
Rock On Fest 2018 schedule
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10: Rock On Court Noon: Youth 3×3 Hoops 6:15 p.m.: Concord Police vs Concord Fire 7 p.m.: MVHS vs CHS Unified Hoops Eagle Square 8 p.m.: Outdoor Movie Night featuring Coco SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 Merrimack County Savings Bank Stage (North Main Street) 2 p.m.: Mr. Aaron 3 p.m.: Novel / Novella 4 p.m.: Ed Balloon 5 p.m.: Honeysuckle 6:15 p.m.: Damn Tall Buildings 7:45 p.m.: Overcoats Eagle Square Noon: Youth...
Concord Craft Brewing Co. is making a special Rock On Fest beer
You know what they say – you can’t have a music festival, or any kind of festival, for that matter, without booze.That’s just a joke, but only kind of. While it is completely fine to have a music festival with no beer, it just adds a little bit of excitement for the 21-plus crowd when brews are readily available. It gets even more exciting when there’s a specialty brew that only exists because of said festival.What we’re getting at...
Eat pancakes with Intown Concord at Rock On Fest
Show us a person who doesn’t like pancakes and we’ll be shocked. Because, really, who doesn’t like pancakes? That light and fluffy breakfast food all smothered in butter and syrup is something we’d eat just about every morning – if our wives would let us. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to whip up a batch on weekdays so it’s usually a weekend thing, which makes it quite the special treat.But this Saturday, instead of dirtying...
On Display: Tracey Goodwin at NHTI library
The NHTI library is currently home to the art of Tracey Goodwin. Goodwin (who has no known relation to Insider Editor Tim Goodwin) has put together a collection of paintings that include wildlife in their natural settings, along with picturesque landscape scenes. Using both acrylic and oil, Goodwin’s work has a very real feel to it – as you can see from those two moose in Hesitant. It’s like they’re right in front of you. And the...
Entertainment: Nevers’ Band, State Street Combo lead a packed music schedule
As we head into August, the entertainment schedule is really heating up in Concord. This week features live music every night (including two shows by the State Street Combo at Hermanos) and some good movies at Red River Theatres, including Three Identical Strangers, which sounds like a fascinating true story about triplets separated at birth and reunited years later. Have a look: Music Tuesday Mike Loughlin at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana...
More public art in downtown Concord
If you can remember all the way back to last month, we told you about the partnership between the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord committee and the city to bring public art to the downtown area.After installing two pieces in 2016 – post Main Street redesign – there have been new works popping up all over the place (or at least that’s how it seems).And toward the “tail” end of July, American Dog by sculptor Dale...
Learn about Taiko drumming at Keach Park on Thursday
The city of Concord hosts dozens of concerts, both outdoors and in, all throughout the summer. It seems like you can catch some sort of show just about every day around here. But it isn’t too often that you can take in a musical show while also learning a thing or two about music, culture and performance. That’s why you’d be wise to get over to Keach Park and/or the new City Wide Community Center (they’re still working on exactly...
Bulletin Board: Flag football, CYPN event and crosswalks
Composer concert at St. Paul’s church Join St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for a relaxing yet inspiring concert of living classical composers with the Artful Noise String Quartet. The Seacoast-based group will perform the work of Geoffrey Hudson, Gwyneth Walker, Steven Kukla, Jennifer Higdon – as well as New Hampshire composer William Fletcher. There is no charge for the Aug. 15 concert, but donations will be accepted at the door. The...
NHTI library staff is hosting a photo contest
The staffers in the NHTI library are back at it – and it’s up to you to decide who is the best photographer of the bunch.Last week, this year’s crop of photos were hung on the walls to kick off the third annual library staff photography contest and in the words of Library Director Steve Ambra – who finished second last year – it’s bigger and better.A total of seven staff members are taking part in the contest, including defending...
Missed Connections: Finding love on Craigslist
Even though Craigslist officially removed its entire “Personals” section a few months ago, that hasn’t stopped the legions of die-hard Missed Connections fans from hoping to find Mr. or Mrs. Right through anonymous internet personal ads – now filed under the “Community” section. Once again, we rounded up some of the highlights (if you want to call them that) posted during the month of July and reproduced them here, in all of their...
