Concord Garden Club wants to help you step up your planting game
If you have a passion for digging in the dirt and planting beautiful flowers or tasty vegetables, then do we have a group for you. The Concord Garden Club is just a group of local people who love to garden. They have been cultivating the spirit of gardening (their pun not ours) for just about 90 years, as well as the actual plants they put in the ground. It began with a group of women who shared a similar interest in weeding, trimming...
We scored all the tips you need from some local gardening experts
We checked in with some local garden centers last week to see how things have been going so far this season, and to grab a few valuable tips for you, our beloved readers. Our esteemed panel featured Len Brochu, owner of Brochu Nurseries and Landscaping; Charlie Cole, owner of Cole Gardens; Sarah Ilsley, greenhouse manager at Osborne’s Agway; and David Murray, owner of Murray Farms.What’s the most popular seller right now?Brochu: “It’s...
Bishop Brady student film among those honored at weekend festival
While it seems that all of Hollywood was at the Cannes Film Festival last week, on May 24 fans of the Granite State’s up and coming filmmakers gathered at Red River Theatres for the 7th Annual N.H. High School Short Film Festival, where 25 films by students from 12 high schools around the state were shown.Fragaria, by Pinkerton High School’s Noah Levin and Nick Auger, received the Team Kia Jury Award for Best in Show, which includes a...
Missed Connections: Feel the used-tie electricity
We at the Insider like to scour Craigslist’s Missed Connections to see if anyone in Concord digs our sweet new newsroom leotards is finding true love online. Here, presented unedited as always, are some of the best recent entries.Goodwill in Concord – m4w – 21 (204 Loudon Rd )I was at goodwill today buying ties (not something I normally do, but found a few nice Calvin Klein ones I couldn’t pass up). I had short brown hair...
This Week In Concord History
June 3, 1902: The New Hampshire State Federation of Labor is organized.June 3, 1895: A burglar or burglars clean out the State House safe, taking $6,000.June 4, 2003: Philip Dick, Kevin Gil and Christopher McNeil cut holes in razor wire fences and escape from the North State Street prison in Concord.June 4, 2001: The Concord School Board approves a policy prohibiting students on sports teams or in clubs from attending gatherings where...
Gardening – there’s an app for that; wait, there is?
It used to be the only mobile device you could bring to the garden was a wheelbarrow. But we’re not living in the stone age anymore, thanks to Cole Gardens, which recently launched a brand-new mobile app to make your gardening experience more interactive than ever. Available from the Apple Store and on Google Play, the app is a way to always have Cole Gardens at your fingertips without supergluing your hand to the greenhouse. We’ve...
Classic Concord photo – Tue, 03 Jun 2014
Don’t let the length of the line forming in the distance fool you: this isn’t Disneyland. It’s the upper part of Pleasant Street in Concord, circa 1920, during the annual (and now defunct, we think) Winter Carnival. Can you find your grandfather? He’s probably the one in the black coat and matching hat (hint: that’s everybody). Thanks to reader Earl Burroughs for sending us the photo.
City briefly
Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell shreds all his old city memos into tiny pieces and buries them in hopes of harvesting a garden full of fresh ones. And it works! Here’s one we picked this morning.Purple ReinTrash bags everywhere!Since the initiation of the Pay-As-You-Throw program in 2009, the General Services Department has been working to expand PAYT trash bag vendors in order to provide various locations throughout the city for...
OMG, it’s time to unearth the time capsule: We wonder what’s in it?
Think back to 50 years ago, way before we had flying cars or peace-keeping robots patrolling the streets. Cell phone camera technology was probably way less advanced, which explains why it took more than a half-century for us as a people to nail the art of snapping pictures of our ugly mugs in front of everything and coming up with a ubiquitous cutesy name for it. Can you imagine a world without selfies? (We can; it was like 10 months...
Center for Health Promotion receives grant
Concord Hospital received a $500 grant from Charter Charitable Foundation to support the REACH Higher Fund at Concord Hospital Center for Health Promotion. The REACH Higher Fund was developed to address priority health needs as determined by the 2012 Capital Region Community Health Needs Assessment. The REACH Higher Fund helps those in-need by providing financial assistance for health and wellness programming at the Center for Health...
Mini film festival at Red River Theatres June 15
Red River Theatres is kicking off the summer with a bang. On June 15, Red River will host an afternoon of music and film in support of the Granite State Music Festival titled, Rockin Docs mini-film festival. At 2 p.m., “In Danger of Being Discovered” will be shown, followed by “Turn It Up” at 4:30 p.m. There will also be a Q & A session and live musical performances. Tickets are $10 for each film and purchasing tickets for both...
Volunteering at CRVNA presentation June 13
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association is offering a free presentation “Giving Back-Feeling Good” on Friday, June 13 at 11 a.m. to noon at Concord Recreation Senior Program, 14 Canterbury Road in Concord. Participating in volunteer opportunities are a great benefit to you, your family and your community. Finding the right opportunity can provide you the chance to socialize, develop new skills, and better your community....
Greenway Trail to get makeover on Trails Day
As part of National Trails Day, Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail are looking for volunteers to help with sprucing up the trail for the Third Annual Northeast Delta Dental Merrimack River Trail Triathlon in July. On Saturday, June 7 we will be removing bittersweet – an invasive plant that chokes trees – from the river’s edge and we will be trimming dead branches to open up hidden views. In 2011, 92 volunteers signed up in...
Enter dad to win the Co-op Super Dad Contest
Fathers Day is just around the corner, giving us the opportunity to show our dads a little love and thank them for all the hard work they do. In honor of fathers throughout the area, the Concord Food Co-op has a little extra Fathers Day challenge for you: Enter your dad to win the Co-op’s Super Dad Contest! This year, the Co-op doesn’t just want to know why your dad rocks. “It’s important for dads to know that we’ve been paying...
Upstairs, Downtown slated for Wednesday
Intown Concord’s 6th Annual Upstairs, Downtown Walking Tour comes to downtown Concord on Wednesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. A ticket to this popular event grants participants access to spaces they typically wouldn’t see. This year’s tour features five upstairs locations: the newly renovated Endicott Hotel Apartments; the “penthouse” of Capital Commons, with its fantastic view of the city; Act One Creative on Low Avenue; the International...
Learn to row at Learn to Row Day on Saturday
Learn to Row Day will be held on Saturday, June 7 from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the boathouse at 15 Loudon Road. This event is being hosted by Concord Crew as part of National Learn to Row Day. Those interested should bring a hat, water and a snack. Additional information about Concord Crew can be found at our website, concordcrew.org.
Concord Public Library Book of the week
For more information about the Concord Public Library, visit concordpubliclibrary.net.The RookDaniel O’Malley2012, 486 pagesFictionAnother parent at a FIRST Robotics competition showed me the first page of Daniel O’Malley’s debut novel, The Rook, which begins, “Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.” I was hooked.The body belongs to Rook Myfanwy Thomas, a young woman whose brilliant administrative skills have landed her...
What’s space really like? Lee Morin will tell you – he’s an astronaut
There’s just something about outer space that gets us giddy.Can you blame us? Who wouldn’t be sent into a sense of extreme excitement when thinking about the possibility of floating around in zero gravity in one of those sweet astronaut suits? And we can even say that after seeing both Gravity and Apollo 13. But like those actors, we fully understand our chances of one day orbiting the Earth in a multi-million dollar space shuttle are...
Classic Concord photo – Tue, 27 May 2014
Apparently baseball players used to be assigned uniforms based on what the coach guessed their future profession would be (what, no journalists?) These future doctors, dentists, lawyers and medics made up the Concord entry in the first New England Babe Ruth Regional Series at Rollins Park. So how’d they do? Well, their coach was named Win Avery (that means we have no idea and just thought that was a super fitting name for a coach)....
Hey dudes (and ladies), it’s time to register to walk a mile in heels
On June 5, men and other community members will line up to register for Concord’s first W.A.M. Event (Walk A Mile In HER Shoes) to raise awareness and money to help end domestic and sexual violence. The registration event will take place at the Barley House from 5 to 6:30 p.m. There will be a speaker, contests, snacks and a cash bar. Please RSVP to: dawna@cccnh.org. Team building and peer-to-peer fundraising is encouraged and...
We checked out some tools that touch all the senses
The Insider got a peek inside the offices of the New Hampshire Association For The Blind, and they’ve got some sweet gadgets that allow people with vision loss to continue to experience the things they love.
Let us be your tour guide for the SPCA’s new Concord home
After a $2.9 million fundraising campaign, the Pope Memorial SPCA unofficially opened last month and will have a grand opening celebration on Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. You’ll be able to walk around the entire 8,000-square-foot facility (almost double that of the former Penacook facility), see the animals and maybe even bring one home.
Association for the Blind is there for anyone dealing with vision loss
Amy Nichols first noticed something was different when she would read. The text had a waviness, and it was something she had never experienced before. So she went to the eye doctor and was soon diagnosed with Punctate Inner Choroidopathy, a rare disease that attacks the retina, leaving permanent holes. Nichols was only 28 at the time, but had to quickly realize that the rest of her life would be affected by vision loss. It took six...
Licata talks turkeys, the outdoors and grabbing a quick snack
Name: Chris LicataOccupation: President of Blake’s All Natural FoodsWhat does it mean to be named N.H. Small Business Person of the Year?I’m honored and humbled. New Hampshire’s a state that is overwhelmed in a very positive way by small businesses and I can’t really even put into words how honored I am because there’s so many amazing businesses in New Hampshire. It means a lot. It means a great deal to me.Does this award reaffirm...
Instagram photo of the week – Tue, 27 May 2014
Don’t be sad, weird cartoon graffiti guy with no eyes and projectile tears, it’s the best day of the week: the newest Concord Insider is out! Bonus: starring you. Thanks to Instagram user @ danpatrickphotography for snapping this colorful and delightfully funky city tableau.
The sun is pretty far away, but tapping into solar energy may not be
The cost of solar power panels and their installation has come down considerably in the last five years, to the point that it is starting to get the attention of towns across New Hampshire. In addition to the lower cost of the hardware and the installation, a number of grants and tax credits are still available to make the financing even more attractive. Municipalities are paying attention to solar power because it is a good long...
This Week In Concord History
May 27, 1727: New Hampshire’s legislature grants a charter to a township that includes most of present-day Concord and Bow and part of Pembroke. Because Massachusetts had drawn different boundaries for a similar area, the charter led to much confusion over jurisdiction and – more important – tax collection.May 28, 2000: New Hampshire wildlife biologists are considering importing up to 150 Karner blue butterflies from New York, the...
City briefly
Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell emails the reality show, “Naked and Afraid,” pitching a season in which participants traverse the jungle clad only in city memos. While recording his audition video, one city memo falls off, and we’ve got it right here.All my Audi friendsLike to plant thingsThe Friends of the Audi are pleased to report that the 14th annual Perennial Exchange, which was held May 10, was a huge success, Aspell writes....
The governor has issued you a personal challenge
Gov. Maggie Hassan leads a physically active life. Even with her extremely busy schedule, she still finds the time to incorporate physical activity into her routine. This year, along with The New Hampshire Governor’s Council on Physical Activity & Health, she is challenging citizens of New Hampshire to take the 90-Day Challenge. The 90-Day Challenge, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is a program designed to promote...
