This Week in Concord History
Dec. 12, 1991: Campaigning in Concord for her husband, Hillary Clinton tells a reporter how she and Bill Clinton have prepared their daughter Chelsea for the negativity of a presidential campaign: “We’ve told her to be ready for it. We try to take criticism – fair or unfair – seriously but not personally,” Hillary Clinton says. Dec. 12, 1996: Free agent pitcher Bob Tewksbury of Concord signs with the Minnesota Twins, his sixth...
We found some pretty wild Christmas light displays around Concord
There’s still no snow on the ground around here, but that hasn’t stopped many of you from getting into the holiday spirit. Admittedly, we don’t have a real scientific way to gauge the level of holiday spirit in the community, but looking for light and decoration displays is one indicator that’s usually pretty reliable. Given the amount of time, energy and, in many cases, money that goes into some of these displays, we have a hard time...
Need a Yankee swap gift for your next party?
One of the best parts of a holiday get-together, whether it be with family and friends or with the crew from work, is the Yankee swap. It’s all about the element of surprise, because you get to bring something unique that will appeal to the entire group, but you don’t want to bring the gift that someone gets “stuck with.” And we know you don’t have a ton of free time, so we meandered around Main Street to see what we could find for...
Tips for an inexpensive holiday decoration
For the InsiderIt’s time to decorate the exterior of your home for the holidays and we all know that it can get a bit expensive when you want to put decorative greenery on your doors, lamp posts, etc. Why not make your own swags for instance? Evergreens, whether pine, spruce or fir have symbolized Christmas throughout history. Typically we associate Christmas greens as the Christmas tree itself proudly decorated and displayed inside...
We found some tasty holiday sweets around Concord
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – that time when bakeries and other eateries start rolling out the Christmas cupcakes, cookies, pastries, danishes and anything else that’s sweet and can somehow be vaguely associated with the biggest holiday of the year. In one of the tougher assignments anyone has ever taken on, we went out last week to see who had what in terms of the holiday sweets, and how they tasted.Our first stop was...
Check out these handy Christmas craft ideas at Art Plus
Now that it’s officially December, there’s only one thing on everybody’s mind: Christmas, and more importantly, Christmas shopping.Whether you’re a kid who’s working on perfecting your list or a parent who’s trying to check off every last item, these next few weeks are sure to be a mad scramble for the majority of the public.But it doesn’t have to be that way.It’s an old (and somewhat cheesy) saying, but the best gifts are often the...
Bulletin Board
Double feature with film society The NHTI Film Society will host a canoeing and kayaking double feature on Friday, Paddle for the North (Not Rated, 2015, 53 mins.) and – back by popular demand – Kayaking the Aleutians (Not Rated, 2017, 70 mins.). The screening will be held at 7 p.m. in the Sweeney Auditorium. Admission is by donation ($5 suggested); free with an NHTI student ID. For more information, contact Steve Ambra at 271-6484...
Poster contest winner earns pizza for class
Local third graders celebrated America Recycles Day, held on Nov. 15, by participating in a recycling poster contest hosted by Concord General Services. Concord General Services manages trash and recycling services for the community and has successfully reduced trash tonnage by 40 percent in Concord since the introduction of Pay-As- You-Throw trash bags in 2009.Unit-based pricing methods, such as pay-as- you-throw, have proved to...
Live music, theater and movie listings for Concord
As it is officially the month of Christmas now, the entertainment calendar is jam-packed with shows that fit that bill. Between holiday concerts and plays, it looks to be a very festive week ahead in Concord. Most music shows are free, but check with the venue before heading out to see whether there will be a cover charge. Music Thursday -Granite State Revival will be joined by Walker Smith at Penuche’s at 8:30 p.m. for a...
N.H. nature photographs at Forest Society
During his adventures in the forests of New Hampshire, photographer Ken MacGray has been drawn to the sights and sounds of water. So much so, MacGray has an entire exhibit dedicated to its natural beauty at the Forest Society that you can see through the end of the month.
Concord is home to great exhibition spaces
Concord is home to lots of great locations to see some incredible art. So that means at any given time, 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. McGowan Closer: Gary Haven Smith and Bert Yarborough Through Dec. 22 Hours:...
Missed Connections: Look who’s trying to find love on Craigslist
We took to Craigslist last week to see who had been posting on the Missed Connections pages in our neck of the woods during the month of November. And we found a ton of great entries to share. If you happened to make a connection from one of these missed connections – or any for that fact – we definitely want to know about it. Email us at news@theconcordinsider.com with all the juicy details. hurt my neck you were lookin so...
Book of the Week: ‘Turtles All the Way Down’
Turtles All the Way Down John Green 2017, 286 pages Young AdultIn this novel, the main character, Aza, struggles to handle her obsessive compulsive disorder while leading a somewhat normal life. Juggling life, school and friends as a teenager is never easy, especially when it feels like a never-ending spiral, which in Aza’s head it is. However, a twist gets thrown her way when a local billionaire goes missing once the police come...
This Week in Concord History
Dec. 5, 1908: Fire Chief William Green sets out for the movies at Phenix Hall, but even though the same show played at the nearby Opera House for more than a year, the Phenix is filled. There are plans to convert yet another building in the Durgin block into a theater. “Verily, the people are moving picture mad,” Mayor Charles Corning writes in his diary. Dec. 5, 1963: Under a new state law, all drivers over age 75 must be...
It’s a busy weekend on the craft fair circuit in Concord
If you caught wind of our Craft Fair Issue earlier this month, you know how popular the one-day holiday sales are in this area. And this week is going to be pretty busy on the craft fair circuit in Concord. So pick one or go to all of them. Abbot-Downing On Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., the Abbot-Downing School PTO will host a holiday vendor fair in the school cafeteria (152 South St.) featuring a wide range of vendors selling their...
Live music, theater and movie listings for Concord
Thanksgiving is now officially over, which means we’re in full-on pre-Christmas mode from here on out. We have several holiday-themed shows on the docket, plus a few other random fun performances. Most music shows are free, but check with each venue before you head out to see whether there will be a cover charge. Music Wednesday Mike Stockbridge will play some jazzy tunes at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Open Jam Night...
CASL is seeking local high school sophomores
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce announces that applications for the spring 2018 Capital Area Student Leadership program are now available. CASL is open to high school sophomores who reside in and attend school in the Greater Concord area. A longstanding component of the Chamber’s Business & Education Partnership, CASL encourages students to become active, effective participants and future leaders in their schools and...
Food Snob: Ramen and bubble tea from Noodles & Pearls
If you’ve been following the food scene in Concord lately, you might be curious about Noodles & Pearls.The ramen and bubble tea restaurant on Pleasant Street had a soft opening in mid-October, then after only a few days of business, it abruptly shut down. The sudden move left many people wondering whether the business had already folded. But fear not, ramen fans, because the place is back up and running – they just performed...
Have you seen the gigantic new octopus mural at Area 23?
Area 23 is not your typical bar. The place has a skeleton band hanging out above the bar, a TV that rarely (if ever) shows sports, bowls of bacon and board games galore.Now it has a gigantic fighting octopus mural, too. Because of course it does.The work is the product of artist and bartender Krystin Watts, who used to work at Area 23. “When they were first opening about two years ago, I found an article about them and decided we...
Help restore Rollins Park by taking part in the Adopt a Tree program
If you haven’t been to Rollins Park in a while – or if you haven’t kept up with the Monitor over the past year or so – you might not have noticed that about 250 trees were cut down in February. The move, painful to many Rollins Park fans, was necessary – about 200 red pines were infected with invasive bugs called scales and were expected to die at some point this year. Since then, the once-shady area on the Bow Street side of Rollins...
SPCA is holding an open house, wish list drive
It’s no secret that the Pope Memorial SPCA is an important part of this community.When an animal is abandoned, surrendered or lost, the staff and volunteers at the shelter are there to feed and take care of them until a new forever home – or their owner – can be found.And if you’ve never been to the Silk Farm Road facility, you have a golden opportunity to learn all about the inner workings at the SPCA’s open house on Saturday. It’s a...
Nature journaling class turns into artwork
Once a month, a nature journaling class meets at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art. Led by Becky Darling, the group of nature enthusiasts are introduced to artists and writers who are inspired by nature. They are given monthly assignments and what you see on this page is a result of all their hard work. The work is on display at the N.H. Audubon McLane Center through Dec. 30.
Concord is the place to be for exhibitions
Concord is home to lots of great locations to see some incredible art. So that means at any given time, 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. McGowan Closer: Gary Haven Smith and Bert Yarborough Through Dec. 22 Hours:...
Bulletin Board
Celebrating 200 years of St. Paul’s St. Paul’s Church, 16 Park St., will host a bicentennial celebration Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. During the duration of the celebration, enjoy the bell tower chimes and organ music, take a self-guided walking tour, see historical displays and precious artifacts and experience hospitality in the Upper Parish Hall. From 1 to 3 p.m., meet some of the artisans who helped rebuild the church after the 1984...
Book of the Week: ‘Glass Houses’
Glass HousesLouise Penny2017, 400 pagesMystery Louise Penny has written another wonderful mystery set in Three Pines.A figure in a black cloak appears on a cold November day on the green in a quiet village in Canada. The person’s face cannot be seen. Is it a man or a woman? And why do they stand there all day long? What at first looks like a joke soon seems threatening to people. Chief Superintendent Gamache speaks to the person, but...
This Week in Concord History
Nov. 28, 2001: Former Concord High basketball star Matt Bonner returns to New Hampshire to play with his University of Florida team against UNH. Bonner scores 15 points in a Florida victory. Nov. 28, 2002: New Hampshire is served a Thanksgiving Day appetizer of snowy, slushy weather. Temperatures drop to the mid-20s in Concord, with a high of 31 degrees. Light snow and mist falls across the region throughout the day. ...
Get those last-minute essentials you need for Thanksgiving
It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and you open the fridge to discover you have no beer, no pies and no clue where you’re going to be able to stock up at this point in time. It’s true that by now it is probably too late to place your special orders for pies, turkeys or complete, ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals, but that doesn’t mean you have to show up to the in-laws’ empty-handed. There are plenty of local businesses around here that...
Support your community this weekend with Plaid Friday, Shop Small Saturday and Stuff a Truck
Can you believe the Christmas shopping season is already breathing down our necks? What happened to fall? Anyway, as most of us know, the day after Thanksgiving has become an all-day shopathon known as Black Friday. This is when people pitch tents and sleep in parking lots for a chance to buy an Xbox or a TV or an iPhone – you know, the true essentials in life. But rather than run the real risk of being trampled, mugged or repeatedly...
Go Try It: Try to strike it rich with the Treasure Tree at the Feztival of Trees
The Feztival of Trees is a good time for the whole family. With so much to see – and so much potential to win fun prizes – it can be easy to lose your concentration in there.We’re here to remind you that there’s one tree you definitely don’t want to miss – the Treasure Tree.The Treasure Tree is exciting because of all the potential money it could come with, as well as the inherent risk.What’s this risk, you might be wondering? Well,...
McGowan Fine Art makes move up the street
McGowan Fine Art has finally said goodbye to the only home its ever known (10 Hills Ave., for the last 37 years), and made the big move three streets over to 2 Phenix Ave. The gallery will reopen in its new space on Friday at 10 a.m. There is an open house scheduled for Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., during Midnight Merriment.
