Fall Guide 2019: Everything you need to plan your autumn in the Granite State
Well, here we are again. While it’s still technically summer for another week and a half or so, it’s September, and many of us are already surrendering summer and moving on to fall. Such is life in New England. Although summer is pretty much in the rear-view mirror by now, that doesn’t mean it’s time to go into hibernation – not yet, anyway. One of the best parts about being in New England at this time of year is taking in all the...
Concord Heights community mural project to bring city together, celebrate culture
Public art is kind of a big deal in Concord. Just take a walk downtown and you’ll see sculptures, murals, musicians playing tunes and people taking it all in. Now, you’ll have the opportunity to not just look at, but create some public art. The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord Committee is organizing an effort for members of the community to come together to design, plan and create a mural to be installed on the...
There are plenty of home improvement projects you can do yourself
“Little putty, little paint, make it look like what it ain’t.”It’s a saying as old as time, and they’re words to live by if you want to make some improvements to your home by yourself. While spring is a popular time to spruce up the house, lots of projects can be pretty expensive if you hire a pro. But not every job requires the skills of a professional, even if you, the homeowner, don’t have much experience with that kind of work.I,...
Making Good Health Simple: Hiking is a fun and healthy activity everyone can do – that means you
So what if I go to bed a 7:30 p.m.? So what if I like to wake up before the sun to head north to the mountains? So what if I have several different backpacks depending on the length of my hike? So what? My non-hiking friends always ask me, “What’s up with hiking?,” “It sounds boring,” “What’s so great about it?” My response is always the same. “Come, and I will show you.” The truth is, there are so many “best parts” about hiking. I...
Entertainment: All kinds of live music to be heard all over Concord this week
Music Tuesday Dan Weiner at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Open mic with Mikey G at Tandy’s at 7:30 p.m. Songweavers and Songweaver Drummers Open Sing at Concord Community Music School at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday Paul Donahue at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Brad Myrick at Courtyard by Marriott at 6 p.m. Senie Hunt at Concord Craft Brewing at 5:30 p.m. Open mic at Area 23 at 6 p.m. Thursday William Schmitt at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Mallory...
Recycled Percussion to make a racket at NHTI
When your toddler (or worse, someone else’s) goes wild whacking away at pots and pans and trash cans with wooden spoons and things of the like, it’s usually not a very pleasant time. When a nationally-recognized musical troupe does the same thing in a highly coordinated, choreographed and rehearsed manner, it can be a truly awe-inspiring performance. If you go to NHTI this Friday, you’ll get the chance to be so awed when the...
City Manager’s Newsletter: File for municipal election, hazardous waste day and more
On Friday, Stefanie Breton, the city’s public information officer, sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter. You can read the full newsletter by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the Newsletter button on the home page. Here are some highlights: File for municipal election The city’s next municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Anyone wishing to file for municipal office may do so at the City Clerk’s Office through...
Bulletin Board: Open sing sessions, marijuana talk and more
CCMS Open Sing opportunities The Songweavers Open Sing will take place Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St. The fun starts at 5:30 p.m. with a Drumming Sampler, with a chance for everyone to try African-style drumming with the Songweaver Drummers. A potluck supper follows at 6:15, and the Open Sing is 7-8:30. Bring a friend and join this joyful group! Want to see for yourself what a Songweavers rehearsal is...
CYPN: Michael DeCristofaro is the Young Professional of the Month
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network introduces you to our “Young Professional of the Month,” Michael DeCristofaro. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better.How old are you? 29.Where do you live? Merrimack.Where do you currently work? I am a philanthropy advisor at the New Hampshire Charitable...
On Display: ‘Like Father, Like Daughter’ exhibit at Forest Society gallery
The gallery at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is displaying “Like Father, Like Daughter,” an exhibit of paintings from the father-daughter duo of Douglas Richards and Laura Aldridge, both of whom were born and raised in the Concord area. Most of the paintings depict scenes from nature, and you can definitely see the familial similarities – and also the differences – between the painters. The exhibit will be on...
This Week in Concord History
Sept. 10, 1861: Fire destroys the railroad storage barns and many cars of the Concord and Northern railroads. Sept. 11, 1866: Kearsarge beats Portsmouth 32-19 in one of the first reported games of “base ball” in Concord. Judge Ira Eastman, however, remembers seeing the game (or its forerunner, rounders) played in the city 50 years before. Sept. 11, 2002: Hundreds of people stand silent under umbrellas at the State House Plaza during a...
Book of the Week: ‘The Water Cure’ by Sophie Mackintosh
The Water Cure Sophie Mackintosh 2018, 266 Fiction The Water Cure is a story of familial ties, what strengthens them and what causes them to fray. The book complicates its investigation of nuclear family dynamics by placing the narrative in a time when men have been deemed “toxic” and “poisonous” and are a threat to all – as NPR’s Annalisa Quin points out, “The Water Cure makes toxic masculinity literal.” Set on a secluded island, The...
The Insider got a chance to drive a Nascar stock car around the N.H. Motor Speedway track
How many times have you heard someone say, “Racing? That’s not a sport. All you do is drive and make left-hand turns all day.”The next time you hear that, you stop that person in their tracks, because after getting a little, tiny taste of what professional race drivers do, I can definitively and enthusiastically say that racing is absolutely a sport – it might be the toughest sport there is.I was fortunate enough to get an invite to...
Get a glimpse of New England racing history at North East Motor Sports Museum
If you’re a racing fan, a car nut or just someone who appreciates history, the North East Motor Sports Museum has to be on your list of places you need to check out.Opened in 2017, the museum is a visually stunning and information-rich collection of items from New England racing history. From cars to racing equipment to photographs to trophies to books and magazines, you could easily spend a whole day here just poking around and...
While you’re in Loudon for Full Throttle Fall Weekend, try something exotic at the Hungry Buffalo
September is a busy month for New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Although the Nascar Cup Series race is over, there’s still a whole lot of high-octane action coming to the track in the very near future, punctuated by the second annual Full Throttle Fall Weekend coming Sept. 20 and 21. Full Throttle Fall Weekend consists of Canada’s Nascar Pinty’s Series in the Visit New Hampshire 100, which is only the second race outside of Canada for the...
Entertainment: Heavy load of concerts at Bank of NH Stage
Music Wednesday Steven Chagnon at Courtyard by Marriott at 6 p.m. Bear Brook Podcast: Stories From the Stage at Bank of NH Stage at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 plus fees at ccanh.com. Open mic at Area 23 at 6 p.m. Thursday The Brian Booth Jazz Quartet at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Charlie Chronopoulos at Cheers at 5 p.m. The Ballroom Thieves with Gentle Temper at Bank of NH Stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20-$30 plus fees at ccanh.com. Eric...
Bulletin Board: Thrift shop sales, film fest, comedy and more
Thrift shop for St. Paul’s ChurchThe Chapter Two thrift shop of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church announces the following sales of clothing, shoes and household goods for infants, children, women and men:Everything in the shop is half price from Tuesday (Sept. 3) to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Plus, a $5 fill-a-bag sale will be held from Sunday to Sept. 12 and Sept. 16-19. Fall merchandise starts on Sept. 23. Enter from 21 Centre St....
City Manager’s Newsletter: Library card sign-ups, cooking demo and more
On Friday, Stefanie Breton, the city’s public information officer, sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter. You can read the full newsletter by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the Newsletter button on the home page. Here are some of the highlights: File to run for municipal office The city’s next municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Anyone wishing to file for municipal office may do so at the City Clerk’s...
Making Good Health Simple: An apple a day – does it really make a difference?
An apple a day? A little overzealous – daunting even. What about an apple every other day? Possibly once a week? Definitely more doable. In New England we have a crazy fixation with apples. For as long as I can remember, apple season was a thing. Going to the apple orchard as a child was a huge event. We all had our marching orders, which included selecting very specific apples for very specific purposes. Certain apples for...
Get your tickets for Intown Concord’s Upstairs/Downtown Walking Tour
Tickets are on sale for the upcoming Upstairs/Downtown Walking Tour, to be held next Thursday, Sept. 12. View historic downtown Concord as we trek up staircases and climb through windows to take in the wonderous and beautiful skyscape of downtown Concord.The tour will start at the Atrium in Eagle Square located at 7 Eagle Square and continue to each point of interest around the city. A few of the buildings we’ll be visiting:The Attic...
Making Strides, American Cancer Society host Light Up the Capitol at State House
Community members gathered at the State House on Aug. 23 for Light Up the Capitol, a small-scale version of the Lights of HOPE event held in Washington, D.C., each year in September where Lights of Hope Bags line the Lincoln Memorial to honor those touched by cancer. The event, hosted by Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, featured food trucks, live music, lawn games and...
Looking for knowledge before baby comes?
When it comes to having a child or caring for a newborn, you will probably have a lot of questions that you’d like answered. And you’re not alone – trust us, we’re parents too. So we poked around and found a ton of great resources you can use when the questions or concerns come up. Concord Hospital The Family Place is the spot within the hospital group for classes new parents will need. There are a lot of options for parents to get...
Vintage Views: Our ancestor’s Labor Day
For the Insider Our ancestors celebrated many “firsts” in the year 1882 here in Concord as well as across the nation. The very first United States Ski Club was formed in Berlin, N.H., and the very first demonstration of pancake making was held at a department store in New York City. The famous P.T. Barnum purchased his first world famous elephant named Jumbo and America was captivated by the infamous bank robber Jesse James,...
NHTI Staff Photo Contest is in full swing – go vote for your favorite
The annual – and hotly contested – NHTI Staff Photo Contest is in full swing in the college’s library. Ten photos, each taken by a different member of the NHTI library staff, are on display in the lobby art gallery, simply numbered 1 through 10. There are no titles, captions or, most importantly, credits. All you have to do is go in, look at the photos and fill out a paper ballot indicating your top three choices, ranked 1 through...
Kiwanis Club of Concord to hold 34th annual car show at NHTI on Saturday
Gear-heads, petrol-heads, motor-heads, car enthusiasts – there are a lot of names for people who love cars, but there’s only one event – the Kiwanis Club of Concord’s Antique & Classic Car Show.The car show will return for a 34th year this Saturday, when hundreds of classic, rare and just stunning automobiles roll into NHTI from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all-day event is fun for the whole family, and you’re bound to see something...
Documentary ‘Vegas Baby’ to be shown at Red River Theatres
Did you know that about 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility issues? Maybe you did know that, but did you also know that there’s an annual contest in Las Vegas in which one lucky couple can win a free round of in vitro fertilization?Whether you know all about it or have a hard time believing such a thing exists, you should make a point of getting to Red River Theatres next Tuesday (April 24) to see the one-day-only presentation of...
This Week in Concord History
Sept. 3, 1861: Thirty-one train cars carry the Third New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiment out of the Concord station. Sept. 3, 1914: Richard F. Upton is born in Bow. He will become a prominent Concord lawyer and speaker of the New Hampshire House. In 1949, concerned with light voter turnout in previous New Hampshire presidential primaries, he will initiate legislation to make the process more meaningful. Long before his death in...
Bring the family and get wild at Discover WILD NH Day
Bring the family to New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s biggest community event of the year and one of the region’s biggest free one-day events – Discover WILD New Hampshire Day.The Fish and Game Department’s most popular event of the year is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive.Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is a fun way for the whole family to explore New...
Book of the Week: ‘American Sutra’
American Sutra: A story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World WarDuncan Ryuken Williams2019, 258 pages text; 136 pages notes and end materialsAdult non-fiction American Sutra begins with the traditional opening words of Buddhist religious texts, or sutras: “Thus have I heard.” This opening dates from the time when these texts were passed down as an oral tradition. Duncan Ryuken Williams passes down to us the story of what happened...
There are so many options for spring vacation activities in Concord you won’t know what to do with yourself
Spring break for Concord schools is next week, and many parents are probably about to hear the famous phrase: “I’m bored.” Now you parents out there can counter with, “Oh yeah?” before whipping out this copy of the Insider and showing those apathetic teens that there’s plenty to do right here in the capital city. Since it is a little bit on short notice, there aren’t a ton of week-long special programs available at this time, but...
