Book of the Week: ‘A Mango-Shaped Space’
A Mango-Shaped Space Wendy Mass 2003, 218 pages Middle School Fiction Mia Winchell found out the hard way that she was different from other people. In third grade she was embarrassed in front of her class at school. Since then she has scrupulously hidden her unusual sense perceptions. To her, letters, numbers and sounds are accompanied by colors. Before the fateful day, she figured that everyone saw the world as she did. After the...
Scholarship available from Bow Garden Club
It is time for Bow High School seniors to apply for the Bow Garden Club’s annual scholarship. This scholarship is offered to graduating seniors in good academic standing who attend Bow High School and are planning to further their education in a college curriculum, majoring in horticulture, conservation, environmental science, forestry or any of the plant sciences. The application deadline is April 1. The funding for this...
This Week in Concord History
July 9, 1964:Monitor columnist Leon Anderson takes U.S. Rep. Louis Wyman to task for calling the country’s new civil rights law “a bucket of worms.” He writes: “Most of us do not mind Wyman being in disagreement with some of our thinking, at times. But we also have standards of conduct, especially in public life, which have no place for such foul language. If Wyman kicks the bucket in his second-term bid, we dare suggest his...
Organic farming conference this Sunday at MVHS
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of N.H. will host its 16th annual Winter Conference on Sunday at Merrimack Valley High School. The conference is jam-packed with over 40 workshops on a variety of topics related to organic agriculture, an exhibitor fair, organic meals, book signings and an evening keynote speaker event. Dr. Daphne Miller, a practicing family physician, author and Associate Clinical Professor at the University...
Welcome to your official Summer Guide, 2019 edition
From the “better late than never” department, the Insider is proud to bring you the official Summer Guide for 2019. While we’re about a week late in getting this to you, there’s still a ton of summer left, and a ton of summer fun to be had. We scoured the depths of the interwebs to find every fun activity taking place in the Granite State between now and the beginning of fall. We tried to find a wide array of events to satisfy every...
On Display: It’s Youth Art Month – need we say any more?
March is Youth Art Month, and currently there are a number of exhibits around the city showing off the creativity of students not only in Concord, but from around the state. You will find a massive exhibit at Steeplegate Mall featuring about 1,000 pieces from students in the Concord School District. The N.H. State Library has work submitted by members of the New Hampshire Art Educator’s Association. The tunnel between the N.H. State...
Bring the family to Memorial Field for the 4th of July fireworks spectacle
It’s hard to believe, but the nation’s greatest holiday – Independence Day – is already upon us. That snuck up quick! While many of you probably have made plans to go somewhere far away, there’s plenty of reason to stay right here in Concord for the 4th of July this year. As usual, the city will put on a magnificent fireworks display at Memorial Field to celebrate the holiday. Food vendors will start selling at 6 p.m. At 7:45, the...
Check out this contrasty photo we found on Instagram
We were browsing Instagram last week looking for some great photos from Concord, but to our dismay, it was pretty slim pickings in terms of things we typically publish. But we kept scrolling, and soon enough user @shelmckin saved the day with this shot taken from Grandview Road in Bow overlooking Interstate 93 looking north, toward Concord. The streaky lights from the cars and the guardrail and fence in the foreground really give this...
Making Good Health Simple: Your only directive this summer: Go outside
For the Insider Why does outside get such a bad rap sometimes? Growing up, that was the only directive from our mom every non-school day.“Go outside.” That’s it. Not another word, and we knew that we were not to return prematurely unless we were bleeding (I am not talking scraped elbow or knee, I am talking trickling blood that you couldn’t stop by applying pressure from a nearby leaf). As a child I loved everything about outside....
Library to host Eggstravaganza, film, weather talk
The Concord Public Library is at it again. They’ve gone and set up another full week of educational entertainment for the whole family. Apart from the Science of Sap event (see page 21), there’s a trio of non-sap items on the library’s agenda, too. Here they are, listed chronologically: Concord Reads Hounds & Hikes Film Festival presents Marley & Me, Thursday, 5:30 to 8 p.m. This is the second film in Concord Reads Hounds...
Entertainment: Some outdoor concerts to enjoy this week
Music Tuesday Michael Laughlin at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Hopkinton Town Band at Presidential Oaks at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Paul Lovely at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Open mic at Area 23 at 6 p.m. Thursday Nevers Band at Memorial Field at 6 p.m. Friday The Atomic Tones at Area 23 at 7 p.m. Senie Hunt at True Brew Barista at 8 p.m. Saturday Paul Lovely at Hermanos at 7:30 p.m. Mikey G at Chen Yang Li in Bow at 8 p.m. Saturday...
Concord Young Professionals Network: The Hvizdas love to buy and sell real estate
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to our “Young Professionals of the Month,” Michael and Ryan Hvizda. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends young professionals in the community it thinks Insider readers would enjoy getting to know better.Michael Hvizda How old are you? 37 Where do you live? Washington Street in Concord. We love living in such a walkable...
Bulletin Board: New concert series, meetings and more
Newly bereaved discussion group Concord Regional VNA is offering a Newly Bereaved Discussion Group on Tuesday, July 2, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Concord Regional VNA Hospice House, 240 Pleasant St. Groups are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the same time. This session provides grief education and support for those who have experienced the recent loss of a loved one. Registration is not required. For more information, please...
Bulletin Board: Addiction support, seal water leaks, 5K run
Run a 5K at Rollins Park on Saturday The Frank Monahan Foundation 5K will be held on Saturday at Rollins Park at 10 a.m. Proceeds will benefit Concord Parks & Rec and Tedy’s Team. The foundation is hoping to help rebuild the basketball and tennis court at Rollins Park from this event. Cost is $25 for adults, and $15 for children 12 years old and younger. The first 100 runners that register receive a free Frank Monahan Foundation...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Updates on Penacook Landing, parking garage projects
On Friday, Stefanie Breton, the city’s public information officer, sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter. Here are some of the highlights: Penacook Landing project The Penacook Landing project is moving forward. The city has engaged Jeremy Hiltz Excavating in the amount of $401,667 to demolish remaining buildings at the property, as well as to install a new sewer pump station and make other site improvements to support the...
Book of the Week: ‘The Stone Circle’
The Stone CircleElly Griffiths2019, 364 pagesMystery DCI Harry Nelson is receiving threatening letters again. They refer to a missing girl, Scarlet, a child whom Nelson couldn’t save. And the letters write about another young girl who has been missing for 30 years. Harry is told to look for a child in a stone circle. Ruth, a forensic archeologist, is also receiving letters that sound like they are from her mentor Erik. But Erik is...
The Youth Art Month shows are worth seeing
Concord is home to lots of great locations to see some incredible art. That means at any given time, on any given day, there will be a wide range of work on display all over the city. It’s hard keeping track of all the shows, hours you can view them and how long they’ll be around, so we’ve compiled this trusty list for you, so you can concentrate on checking out the art. League of N.H. Craftsmen Black and White Encore Through: March...
This Week in Concord History
July 2, 1976: Gov. Mel Thomson announces precautions are being taken to guard the State House and Bridges House because of reports of recent dynamite thefts from construction sites in Bow and Manchester. July 2, 1976: Gov. Mel Thomson orders a full investigation into what happened to 1,500 pounds of chicken that never made it to a state worker picnic at New Hampshire Hospital. The birds, worth $780, were contaminated and disposed of....
Book of the Week: ‘Best Day Ever’
Best Day Ever Kaira Rouda 2017, 342 pages Fiction Best Day Ever is an entertaining addition to a new trendy theme in popular literature, one that is the foundation of stories like Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris or The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, one that makes the reader suspect that the perfect lives of perfect couples are not always what they seem.Paul and Mia Strom seem to be one of these “perfect” couples – Paul works as...
Check out some old-world skills at Canterbury Shaker Village’s Traditional Craft Days
Concord is home to many crafters and craft enthusiasts. Bicentennial Square hosts the Concord Arts Market each weekend, in which local crafters set up shop and sell their wares. There’s also the Leage of N.H. Craftsmen headquarters on South Main Street and the New Hampshire Furniture Masters showroom right next door. Down by the prison, you can go into the Department of Corrections Retail Showroom, where high-quality items handmade by...
This Week in Concord History
March 13, 1782: The Legislature meets in Concord for the first time. The site is “the Old North,” the First Congregational Church. The building will burn in 1870. It was on the site of the former Walker School. March 13, 1852: For the third time in three years, local voters reject a plan to turn Concord from a town to a city. The vote is 458 in favor and 614 against. March 13, 1855: Edward H. Rollins of Concord and his American...
Luthier Steve Marcq to demonstrate guitar-making skills at Traditional Craft Days
Everyone has seen guitars before, and many of you have played them. But how often do you get to see a guitar built by hand, completely from scratch? If you’ve never seen it done, you owe it to yourself to check out Traditional Craft Days at Canterbury Shaker Village on Sunday to watch luthier Steve Marcq in his natural habitat. Marcq is in his 60s now, but he’s been playing guitar since he was 15. A lifelong love of the instrument...
What’s the deal with Concord’s five college campuses, anyway?
We were sitting around the office one day recently trying to think of issue ideas when a random thought popped in to someone’s head – “Hey, doesn’t Concord have a bunch of college campuses? We should do an issue about it.” And now here we are, in the middle of the Higher Education Issue. Concord, though never mistaken for a true “college town” like Boston, is actually home to five college or university campuses or satellite campuses,...
Flint knapper George Leduc to demonstrate arrowhead making at Traditional Craft Days
Ever heard of a flint knapper or have any idea what one is? Hint: it’s not someone who steals flints from their homes while they sleep.“Original flint knappers were guys who made gun flints in Europe,” said George Leduc, a flint knapper himself who will be demonstrating at Traditional Craft Days at Canterbury Shaker Village. “They would get some local flint and sit there and chip away at it and shape it into appropriate size and shape...
Concord’s college campuses have a wealth of offerings to, well, offer
We all know that schools are for learning and that an education is the most important thing we can arm ourselves with in today’s world. We also know that college is supposed to be fun.Luckily, some of Concord’s college campuses understand this important balance of work and play and offer plenty of programs that blend the two – and some that even ditch the work element entirely. As institutions of higher learning, colleges are kind of...
Scenes from Intown Concord’s 45th Market Days
Despite some sketchy weather early on, the 45th annual Market Days festival went off without a hitch and saw thousands pass through over the course of the three-day street fair. We dropped by on Saturday to take in the sights.
OLLI at Granite State College provides learning opportunities for older adults
Usually when people think about continuing and higher education, they think of recent high school grads and 20-somethings.But there’s a whole other subset of the population that can – and indeed does – take advantage of post-high school academia: grown adults. For this demographic, there’s the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Granite State College.Known as OLLI, the program provides educational opportunities to those in the...
Food Snob: Fried chicken and all the fixin’s at Georgia’s Northside
Georgia’s Northside, the barbecue joint inhabiting the former Korner Kupboard location on North State Street, is not open yet, but given the massive power of the Food Snob, we were allowed in early for a sneak peek at what’s to come. While the carry-out restaurant awaits its beer permit, it will open for a few hours each Friday night for folks to get a little taste of chef and owner Alan Natkiel’s take on Southern fare. Last Friday,...
Food Snob: Nothing says college like all-you-can-eat lunch
It’s no secret that we like to eat. We pretty much write about food any chance we get.So when we decided to do a Higher Education Issue, it was a golden opportunity to take a trip down memory lane to a time when the simple swipe of a meal plan card could get us all the food we wanted. But it’s not like we could afford anything else anyway. And since NHTI’s Capital Commons Cafeteria is open to the public and we can loosely pass for...
Mark your calendars for all of the free summer concerts coming up
We’re officially into summer now, which can only mean one thing in the capital city – it’s summer concert season.There’s never any shortage of live music in Concord, but when the weather heats up, so does the music scene. There are several long-running outdoor music series that offer free concerts at various locations throughout the city, and there’s even a new series starting this year. We pulled together as many schedules as we...
