These flowers will brighten up your winter
Art & Bloom, an annual art show featuring flower arrangements created by Concord Garden Club members and local floral designers, was held last week at McGowan Fine Art. And in case you didn’t make it to the three-day-only exhibit, here is some of what you missed.
This here is some impressive craftsmanship
The League of N.H. Craftsmen is currently showing its first exhibit of the year, Setting the Standard. But this one is a little different from most because instead of work created by its craftsmen, this show features the work of the master craftsmen who just so happen to be jurors for the league. The exhibit is on display through March 24 at the Craft Center, 49 S. Main St. And if you like what you see here, there’s lots more to check...
Get closer to the earth with Mother Green’s Boutique
The next time you have dry skin, acne, a rash or a bad hair day, don’t go to some chain pharmacy and pay top dollar for bottles of unpronounceable chemicals. Instead, check out Mother Green’s Boutique, a new natural-products storefront in the Concord Community Arts Center on Thorndike Street. If you’re Instagram savvy, you may recognize the Mother Green’s Boutique name. The business existed online only (mostly through Instagram) for...
Concord’s Dos Amigos Burritos closing for renovations to add draft beers, double seating
Monitor staff Like an overstuffed burrito, downtown Concord Mexican restaurant Dos Amigos has been bursting at the seams.But it’s planning to double its capacity next month by expanding into the former antique store next door. It’ll add 50 seats, process orders more efficiently and offer draft beer for the first time, its manager said.“It’s going to be huge,” Dos Amigos Burritos Manager Kina Gilson said. “We’ve been having issues...
Celebrate Mozart’s b-day at the Audi this weekend
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born Jan. 27, 1756.That means this Friday, the famous composer who is one of those people who is recognizable by just a single name, would have been 261 years old.And while Mozart wasn’t born in Concord, never lived in Concord and we have no inside information that tells us that he ever visited Concord (which is actually nine years younger), he’s one of those people who’s celebrated all over the world.So in...
Granite United Way offering its free tax program
It is more important than ever to prepare accurate income tax returns during the 2017 tax season. A new law requires the IRS to delay issuing refunds for certain taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit until Feb. 15. The law has no exceptions and is designed to make it easier for the IRS to find and stop fraud. Granite United Way operates a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site in Concord, one...
Don’t miss prog-rockers Mavara at Hatbox
If you’re a big prog-rock fan but never seem to be able to find a show, Hatbox Theatre has a cure for your ills this Saturday.The progressive rock band Mavara has played venues around the globe, and now they’re ready to bring their unique style of music to the Hatbox Theatre in Concord.The show will highlight songs from their newest album, Consciousness, a concept album that touches on subjects like war, love, politics and life. The...
Author event at Gibson’s Bookstore this weekend
Author James Rollins will present The Seventh Plague at Gibson’s Bookstore on Thursday at 7 p.m. In this new thriller, he poses a solution for global warming but asks, “At what cost?” Featuring an Elon Musk-like character and a unique perspective on the friendship between Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla, there is a lot of meat on the bone in this thriller.Rollins’s creativity and succinct stylish writing have the New York Times Book...
Learn to be real funny in Laughta in New Hampsha
Have you, or someone you know, ever wanted to try stand-up comedy? If the answer is yes, then sign up for Laughta in New Hampsha’s second series of comedy workshops. The six-class workshop will give you all the ammo you need to learn the ins and outs of stand-up comedy writing and performing. So here are all the details: The workshops begin Feb. 22 and will be held each of the next five Wednesdays at the ConcordTV studio at Concord...
Get outside and enjoy some Concord trails
For the InsiderAs cabin fever starts to set in by mid-January and you’re looking for a fun, free adventure – don’t forget that the Concord trail system does not close down for the winter.Spending time outdoors is one of the best ways to banish those winter blues. The winter season is also a great time to see the natural open spaces of Concord, and perhaps catch views that are hidden by leaves and underbrush during the rest of the...
Tasty Brews: Shipyard Chocolate Milk Stout from the Red Blazer
It’s been several weeks since our last installment of Tasty Brews, and because of that delay, we went to the Red Blazer last week, where there are 35 beers on tap. Whenever we feel like we’re having Tasty Brews withdrawals, the vast selection at the Red Blazer is just what the doctor ordered.Upon taking a seat at the bar, one tap handle among the dozens was pretty attention-grabbing: the cowish Shipyard one labeled Chocolate Milk...
Food Snob: A slice from Basil Pizza & More at Steeplegate Mall
Breaking news: There’s now actually a place to buy food at the Steeplegate Mall food court (other than Dunkin’ Donuts, which may not even be considered in the food court, depending on who you ask). That’s right, Basil Pizza & More now represents the one and only true food joint at the long-vacant food court, so we stopped by last week to see what we could find.Open for about two months, Basil serves – as you might expect – pizza....
Bulletin Board
Shakespeare reading continues Want to brush up on your Shakespeare? Please join The Stratford Club members as they continue reading Coriolanus on Monday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Shakespeare Room, located on second floor of Concord Public Library. Reading of this play will continue Feb. 13 and 27 and March 13. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will then be read at biweekly meetings beginning March 22 through May 8. For more information,...
Book of the Week: ‘The Secret of High Eldersham’
The Secret of High EldershamMiles Burton2016 (originally published in 1930)256 pagesMysteryThis book is one of the British Library Crime Classics and was originally published in 1930. It takes the reader to the years between the wars, a time when there were no cell phones or email and one had to write letters or telegrams, or go and find someone to ask them a question.Horrible things seem to happen to strangers in the East Anglian...
This Week in Concord History
Jan. 24, 1901: Wilbur Sweatt, 22, of Penacook, is accidentally stabbed in the chest by his friend, Fred Carr, while playing with a knife. Sweatt dies Feb. 6, and an autopsy will show that the knife pierced the lung and cut a half inch into his heart. It was considered a wonderful case that he could have lived so long with such a wound, a local history reports. Jan. 24, 2002: The Concord Police Department announces that George...
Here’s some cool stuff for the whole family
If you’re like us, you probably spend most of your day trying to entertain and appease your kid(s). Those little ones, God love them, just have more energy than seems humanly possible, and they tend to like to let that energy out. But, you may also be like us in that we don’t really have a ton of space at home (or patience) for them to let it all out in a safe, nondestructive manner. That’s where these places come in. Concord has all...
Stay warm, dry and cozy while rocking out
If there’s one thing Concord has plenty of, it’s places to listen to some live music. Whether you’re looking for a big-time, national act or the next big thing on the acoustic scene, you’re bound to find something you like right here in the capital city. Since it’s winter and this is the Indoor Fun Issue, we decided to pull together a list of some of the best places to go for live music in Concord. Although you have to step outside...
Go Try It: Play a board game or two at True Brew Barista
It’s 20 degrees on a dreary Saturday afternoon. No bands are playing, you don’t like any of the movies that are out and you’re not in the mood to go sit at a bar.What do you do?Call up a friend and head over to True Brew Barista and play some games, of course.The Bicentennial Square coffee joint is home to all kinds of classic and modern board and card games that everybody knows and loves. Plus, you can get coffee, tea, sandwiches and...
This is the Rhythm of the Night – preview story
It’s the beginning of a new year, which can only mean one thing: It’s time for Rhythm of the Night at the Concord City Auditorium.Rhythm of the Night is a big showcase of local dance companies that has served as the traditional kick-off event for the new year’s schedule at the Audi since 1992.This Saturday – the 26th for Rhythm of the Night – will feature 172 dancers and nine companies, so there will be plenty of kicking, tapping,...
Suspend your disbelief at Discovering Magic
“Mind-numbing.” “Jaw-dropping.” “Eye-opening.” All of these terms are used in the official promotional material for Andrew Pinard’s Discovering Magic show, which occurs monthly at Hatbox Theatre. It might sound like a bunch of hyperbole, but after going to the show last week, I think the description actually undersells what Pinard does in that little theater.Pinard, who owns Hatbox, has been working his magic for years, and the...
Bonner says goodbye in the coolest way ever
In case you missed it, Concord native and NBA player Matt Bonner decided to call it a career after 12 years in the pros that included two championships and one tour of Concord with the Larry O’Brien trophy that the Insider just so happened to tag along for. And Bonner, who is also quite famous for his blog, The Sandwich Hunter: The Quest for the Hoagie Grail, decided to announce his retirement in the coolest way possible – with a 2...
Go learn about river bugs
Bug Nights are back.Since 1995, volunteers including anglers, students, teachers, paddlers and many others interested in the health of the Upper Merrimack River and general river ecology began learning about these fascinating creatures and what they tell us about river conditions.Your work as a citizen scientist helps determine the health of the Upper Merrimack watershed. Training is free, fun and a great way to spend quality time...
Granite State of Mind to shift to another key
NEC Concord has quickly established itself as a legit music venue in the heart of downtown, and it’s looking to build on that in 2017.As part of the Listening Room Series, Granite State of Mind is back for another year starting Saturday, and there will be a different feel to it this year.Last year, the first year of the live, in-person iteration of the show (which also exists on WNHN radio), was all about getting to learn about the...
Birds and Bean Coffeehouse presents Peggo and Paul Hodes with Kent Allyn
Birds and Beans Coffeehouse presents Peggo & Paul Hodes with Kent Allyn, performing “Love Songs and Other Trivia” on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Audubon’s McLane Center. Peggo Hodes is a classically trained vocalist who teaches voice and conducts the women’s choral group Songweavers at the Concord Community Music School. Former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes plays guitar and joins his wife on vocals. The talented...
Bulletin Board
Poetry, music event at Gibson’s Join Gibson’s Bookstore on Saturday at 2 p.m. as Rev Mary Francis Drake presents an afternoon of poetry and faith as she shares This Much I Know is True: Gleanings from the Path of Love, accompanied by her sister, singer/songwriter, Audrey Drake. This Much I Know is True: Gleanings from the Path of Love is a compilation of poetry and essays on spiritual topics that culminate three decades of spiritual...
Book of the Week: ‘The Girl From Venice’
The Girl from VeniceMartin Cruz Smith2016, 308 pagesFiction It is 1945, and Cenzo is fishing in the waters off Venice when he comes across the body of a young girl in the sea. He can’t just leave her there. He takes her aboard, and covers her body up under a tarp. Then a gunboat of German soldiers stops him. They are looking for prisoners who have escaped from an institution on a nearby island. But when the boat is searched, the girl...
This Week in Concord History
Jan. 17, 1942: Concord’s zoning board unanimously approves the Brezner Tannery’s takeover of an abandoned mill in Penacook. The tannery will open later in the year, creating 200 jobs. Jan. 17, 1948: Concord’s new mayor, Charles McKee, says he’s not giving up on plans for a new man-made lake on the Turkey River, despite voter opposition. “As I understand it, there was a lake there once, but someone pulled out the...
Concord author to sign copies of his new book at Gibson’s
Concord is home to countless artistic and talented people. You’ve probably seen some of these talents on display at an art gallery, performance hall, bar or movie theater, as musicians and painters/sculptors tend to have plenty of outlets to display their work in this city. But what about people whose talents aren’t the kind that are suited to live performances and big shows? That’s where Gibson’s Bookstore comes in. The bookstore is...
‘Manchester by the Sea’ a heavy, real drama at Red River
We haven’t done a movie review in quite some time – in fact, this may be the first one, who knows? – but when we saw that the critically acclaimed Manchester by the Sea was playing at Red River Theatres, we saw it as an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. Now I don’t pretend to be some savvy film critic by any means (though I did take a film class in high school), so don’t consider this the be all, end all account of the production. It’s...
Check out the Concord Chorale this weekend
The Concord Chorale is kicking off 2017 with a trio of performances. The chorale will present Handel’s Chandos Anthems, The Lord is My Light and O Come Let Us Sing, and are joined by baroque orchestra with two outstanding soloists, soprano Teresa Wakim and tenor Matthew Anderson. Written by Handel for the Duke of Chandos at Canons, the anthems represent psalms artfully put to music with an effort to match mood, much like the Bach...
