Place your orders
Calling all farmers and gardeners: Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire’s annual spring bulk order is a collective buying program for organic farming and gardening supplies. No minimum order. No shipping charges. You don’t have to be a member to order, though members pay less. Save on supplies and support the association at the same time! Bulk order products include soil amendments, organic cover crop seeds, potting...
Winter Arts Market coming to Kimball Jenkins
by RACHEL WACHMANInsider staff Jessica Livingston has always loved to draw but never viewed herself as an artist until a few years ago. As her perception of her work changed, so too did her means of sharing it with the world. Livingston began creating collages during the pandemic and posting pictures of her work on social media. Then, a friend encouraged her to exhibit her work at the Kimball Jenkins arts center, so she submitted to...
Orleans brings pop-rock to Concord
With hits such as “Love Takes Time,” “Dance with Me,” and “Still the One,” the smooth melodic pop-rock music of Orleans has stood the test of time in the past 53 years since the group’s formation. Bringing its music to Concord, the band will perform at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage on Thursday, Feb. 27. Known for its tight ensemble playing, gorgeous harmony vocals, and inspired, well-crafted songwriting, Orleans formed in Woodstock,...
Movie screening
In the latest installment of its film series, NHTI will host a screening of “Every Little Thing” on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. “Every Little Thing” is a breathtaking, award-winning documentary about the beauty of hummingbirds and efforts to rescue and care for them. Australian filmmaker Sally Aitken follows the experiences of Terry Masear, who cares for injured hummingbirds. Throughout a 93-minute emotional journey, the film introduces...
book of the week
“What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma,” by Stephanie Foo(2022, 329 pages, Genre: Memoir) Stephanie Foo is an award-winning radio writer, editor, and producer who spent years burying herself in her work to avoid dealing with her past traumas. Unfortunately, the day comes when she can’t hide in her work anymore and she must face the consequences of a diagnosis of Complex PTSD. The prognosis is not good, but Foo is...
Derrick Loughlin captures community on camera
Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to the “Young Professional of the Month,” Derrick Loughlin. Each month, the CYPN Steering Committee recommends an individual in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better. Q: How old are you?30! Q: Where do you live?Mont Vernon, NH. Q: Where do you currently work?All over. Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.I grew up in New Hampshire,...
The art of Azalea Park
Last fall, fifth and sixth grade students at the Henniker Community School studied the art of illustration. They learned about the works of Helen Oxenbury, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein to gather knowledge about ink style, use of color, and background. At the beginning of the project, the students took a walking field trip down through Azalea Park to gather inspiration for their next art project. Susan Adams of the Azalea Park...
scholarship opportunities
New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs will award two college scholarships this year – a $2,000 New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. Scholarship and the Jean L. Thompson Scholarship, established in her honor by her daughters, Lindsay Thompson and Elizabeth Thompson, for the amount of $1,000. They will be awarded to undergraduate (sophomores, juniors, or seniors) or graduate...
Art & Bloom awardees
The Concord Garden Club is pleased to announce the winners of its People’s Choice Awards from the annual Art & Bloom exhibition, held at the Kimball Jenkins Estate at the end of January. Each year, club members and local florists create displays to complement artwork created by members of the community. Garden Club member Robyn Cotton won the most votes for her interpretation of Heaven North by Nicki French. Using mostly foraged...
Upcoming ‘Our Town’ auditions
The Community Players of Concord end their 97th season with a national literary treasure: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Set in a small New Hampshire town, Wilder captures the everyday lives, dreams, and struggles of ordinary people as they navigate love, family, and mortality. Auditions for this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, directed by Cindy Dickinson, will be held on Monday, Feb. 17, and Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m....
Civil War monument presentation
Throughout New Hampshire, towns, individuals, and veterans’ organizations have erected an assortment of memorials to the Civil War. Beginning with obelisks of the 1860s and continuing onto re-mastered works of the 21st century, historian George Morrison of Bow will present a diverse selection of New Hampshire’s commemorations and their stories at a presentation at the Pembroke Town Library on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. Hosted by the...
Festival receives Academy Award qualifying status
The New Hampshire Film Festival recently achieved status as an Academy Award-qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards in a new category: documentary shorts. The festival previously received this distinction in the categories of live-action shorts and animation shorts. This third milestone solidifies the festival’s status as a platform for short filmmakers worldwide, providing a direct pathway to Oscar eligibility. “For more than...
BACK IN THE OUTDOORS
By ALEXANDER RAPP and RACHEL WACHMAN Spanning three days, six ice rinks, and eight divisions, the 14th annual 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship and Winter Festival will bring together hockey players from around the state for a weekend of competition and celebration. If the weather holds up, this will be the first year the tournament has been outside since 2022. Inaugurated in 2001, the tournament commemorates the first organized...
Comedic conundrum
The Community Players of Concord will present Ken Ludwig’s comedy The Gods of Comedy from Feb. 14-16 at the Concord City Auditorium. The play follows college professors Ralph and Daphne, who discover a lost translation of Euripides while on vacation in Greece. When the only copy is accidentally destroyed, they find themselves in trouble just as their Ivy League university prepares for a highly anticipated classics event. Their plea...
Local preservation and history enthusiasts gather
A group of Concord residents will host an informal networking gathering on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Kimball Jenkins Mansion to celebrate local historic preservation successes, connect with others, and share ideas for future activities and events. The gathering will include remarks about recent rehabilitation projects and ongoing initiatives at the historic estate, as well as preservation activity in the surrounding neighborhood. The...
Natural habitats
Dotty Holcomb Doherty’s photography exhibit, “Photosynthesis: Portraits of the Wild,” will run Feb. 15–March 15 at Two Villages Art Society, 846 Main Street, Hopkinton, N.H. An opening reception with the artist is scheduled for Feb. 15, noon–2 p.m. Doherty will also give a gallery talk on Sunday, March 2, at 1 p.m. The exhibit features more than 60 photographs of birds and mammals in their natural habitats, from New E n g...
Students participate in music festival season
By RACHEL WACHMAN The music festival season kicked off last month for students at John Stark Regional High School in Weare. Several band and choral musicians attended the 20th annual Granite State Invitational Music Festival on Jan. 11, alongside students from several other New Hampshire schools. John Stark students also participated in the Chamber Festival at the University of New Hampshire on Jan. 11. This year’s festival...
NH Furniture Masters Association honor founders
Six furniture makers joined together three decades ago to form the NH Furniture Masters Association, creating a new space to share their craft with the world. The organization and its members have helped shape the growth and evolution of the studio furniture movement. To celebrate their contributions, the Furniture Masters Association is holding a “Founders Exhibition” showcasing the work of its original six members—Brian Braskie,...
Mocktails on Main Street
By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Insider Whether you’re celebrating Dry January, don’t drink alcohol, or simply love fun drinks, mocktails could be the answer you’ve been waiting for. A good mocktail provides not only an alternative to alcohol but something to sip on, to savor, to feel like you’re part of the party. The Concord Insider, in collaboration with InTown Concord, set out to explore Concord’s mocktail scene through a journey down...
Pickleball indoors
long. Club Piklbal’s goal is to provide players with a comfortable and positive play experience, making it easy to show up, play, enjoy some friendly competition, have fun, and make connecClub Piklbal! is a community-centered, state-of-the art indoor pickleball facility that welcomes players of all ages and abilities all year Club Piklbal!, NH’s Lakes Region first indoor pickleball club is now open at Belknap Marketplace at 96 Daniel...
Book of the week
The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves (2024, 372 pages, Genre: Mystery, Vera Stanhope series #11) A social worker is found murdered on the grounds of Rosebank, a “home for troubled teens.” And 14-year-old Chloe, who lives at Rosebank, is missing. Vera doesn’t want to believe that Chloe is the murderer. But they need to find her quickly. Then another body connected to Rosebank is found in the countryside, near the coastal village...
Paul Tuller for speaker series
Just starting to learn to identify the birds in your backyard, the survey is fun for all ages. Each year, dedicated people just like you participate in the Backyard Winter Bird Survey. Last year, there were over 1,500 participants. This is the 38th year of the survey. Over this time, we have seen dramatic changes both in our winters (which are getting warmer) and the birds that call NH home for the winter. Twenty-five years ago,...
Grab binoculars and start counting
Annual bird survey is Feb. 8 and 9 NH Audubon is calling on all nature enthusiasts and bird lovers to participate in the annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey, a unique opportunity to contribute valuable data from your own backyard to help track New Hampshire’s winter bird populations. Scheduled for Feb. 8 and 9, the survey is open to participants all across the state. Whether you are a seasoned birder or just starting to learn to...
$2.5M grant to reinvigorate Village
Canterbury Shaker Village has received a $2,500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support the Village’s reimagination of its on-site and online interpretive experiences to emphasize the history and culture of the Shaker faith at the core of its visitor engagement strategy. “This opportunity to share much more of the Village’s unparalleled collections is both...
History
Jan. 23, 2002: Snowmobilers, fishermen, hunters, hikers, and wildlife watchers who revel in North Country solitude can relax, the Monitor reports. It appears that the vast, privately owned forest covering the top of New Hampshire will be protected for public recreation and logging forever. In an unusual show of bipartisan support, lawmakers lined up yesterday in favor of a $10 million state bond to secure public access to the land for...
Fab Four to perform
For those who wish they could’ve seen The Beatles live back in the day, or for those who did and want to reminisce about a bygone era, a tribute may be the next best thing. The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute is set to play The Capitol Center for the Arts on Saturday with an all-new show USA Meets The Beatles, which celebrates The Beatles’ first visit to the States, with performances from The Ed Sullivan Show and the Meet The Beatles...
Illuminated Ensembles –Heartstrings on Feb. 14
Bought your special someone a Valentine’s Day gift yet? Need some help?! If your sweetheart appreciates music, Symphony NH is holding a special Valentine’s Day concert called Illuminated Ensembles – HeartStrings: A Night at the Regency Ball, which will include music played in the Bridgerton series that day from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at 16 S. Main St., Concord. “We will set the mood with a room filled with...
PILLAR Gallery + Projects opens ocean-themed exhibit
PILLAR Gallery + Projects is set to launch its eighth exhibition, “Currents,” which opens Feb. 9 and runs through April 2. Artists include Jackie Brown, Mary Mead, Hannah Perrine Mode, and Liz Nelson. “Currents” explores contemporary interpretations of the ocean, waterways, and the collective changes. This exhibition features works inspired by nature, particularly the ocean and water. The show is delving into themes of drowning,...
Art & Bloom brings vibrant art, flowers together
By ARIANNA MacNEILL Insider staff Flowers and winter in New England don’t typically mix. Like oil and water, the two are pretty much as opposite when it comes when living in a four-season state. But, that’s where the Concord Garden Club is here to help. While many are headed to downtown Concord this weekend for Winter Fest — which promises ice sculptures, hot cocoa, and other fun to be had while outdoors in January in New...
Artist takes home award
Insider Staff A Concord-based artist has won her first art award. Elizabeth O’Connor, 23, was a finalist in primary colors for a Blue Koi Gallery award in Cecember for her work “Vivid Square Harmony. O’Connor, who just moved to Concord a few months ago from Gilford, said her love of making art stretches back to doing art with her mom at 5. “Ever since then I have loved making my own art,” she told the Insider via email. O’Connor says...
