Bulletin Board: Jail forum, dog licenses and Manse lectures
County jail forum at St. Paul’s Church Just Visiting: A Forum Concerning County Jail Incarceration in New Hampshire will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (21 Centre St.) on Saturday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Who goes to jail in New Hampshire? Why they are in jail? What programs are available to them in jail? What helps people not return once they leave? How to volunteer? Those are just some of the topics that will be discussed. Five...
Plenty of awards given out recently
Recently, the Concord Grange and the N.H. Center for Nonprofits gave out awards at local ceremonies. Concord Grange The Concord Grange held its 42nd annual Grange Month Celebration honoring members and individuals in the community on April 16. William Marston and Mary Stuart Gile, a N.H. State Representative, were presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Community Spirit Award went to Matt Finney, a third grade teacher at...
Book of the Week: ‘Born a Crime’
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood Trevor Noah 2016, 304 pages Memoir In Born a Crime, comedian and Daily Show host Trevor Noah offers a glimpse into his upbringing as a mixed-race child in South Africa, growing up amidst the violence and hatred of Apartheid. Humorous, insightful and unabashedly honest, Born a Crime is sure to delight Noah’s many fans – and earn him some new ones along the way.Noah’s memoir traces...
This Week in Concord History
April 24, 1853: Miffed that Franklin Pierce, now president, has relegated him to a lowly clerical job, Benjamin Brown French reminisces in his journal about the early days of their friendship. In 1831, on the way to serve in the New Hampshire House, the two met in Hopkinton, Pierce on horseback, French in a chaise. In Concord, “we took rooms at Gass’s Eagle Hotel, nearly opposite each other, & then commenced a friendship that has...
Tim got pregnant for 24 hours last week
For those of you who don’t know, my wife, Mary, is pregnant. We’re really excited – and so is our 3 ½ year old daughter, Sophie – to welcome a new addition to the Goodwin clan. Our little bundle of joy is due next month – May 8 to be exact – but that’s just an educated guess. She’ll come whenever she’s good and ready. And yes, we’re having another girl. So at this point, we’re not far from becoming a family of four – or seven if you...
The Family Place welcomes babies every day
If you ever go to The Family Place at Concord Hospital to either have a baby or visit someone who just did, every so often you’ll hear this chime sound throughout the fourth floor.That’s what happens when the hospital’s birthing unit welcomes another life into the world.On average, The Family Place sees almost four babies born in a 24-hour cycle with that totaling in the neighborhood of around 1,250 births per year. “Some days we have...
The Concord Birth Center provides options
Kate Hartwell has seen a little bit of everything in her career as a midwife.Since opening the Concord Birth Center at the Smokestack Center in 2006, Hartwell, a licensed midwife, has been part of close to 600 births – and plenty of unique ones.There was one mom who didn’t want to go any further and delivered her baby in the center’s lobby. One time she pulled up to meet a laboring couple at 4 a.m. and the husband was about to welcome...
Songweavers gives women a chance to sing
British poet T.S. Eliot once wrote, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” And last week, during the second straight day of rehearsals as the Songweavers prepared for the first of two spring concerts, the all-women’s chorus director Peggo Horstmann Hodes reminded members of the quote. Because it really embodies what she’s trying to preach to the 100-plus member group; you’ll never know...
Expand your horizons with these cool spring events
For the most part, we stick within the Concord city limits when it comes to informing you about upcoming happenings. But from time to time, we’re allowed to stray outside the confines of the capital to share information about some fun things that just don’t happen to be here. And yes, this is one of those times. Thanks to our annual Spring Guide, we get to look at all the cool events and get togethers around the state over the next...
Jason Seavey is once again the Iron Chef of Concord
Walking into last week’s fourth annual Iron Chef Competition, hosted by GoodLife Programs & Activities, Havenwood Executive Chef Jason Seavey wanted to simplify things. After all, last year was the first time he didn’t leave with the winners trophy.But simple didn’t mean his meal wasn’t going to be delicious. It was so tasty in fact, Seavey was once again crowned the Iron Chef of Concord, bettering the likes of Chris Normandeau,...
We finally gave the Friendly Kitchen a check
Thanks to the more than 100 people who attended the inaugural Pizza Pie Showdown, the Concord Monitor/Concord Insider was able to make a sizeable donation to the Friendly Kitchen.Last week, we took a very normal sized check – we were vetoed on the idea for one of those cool giant checks – and gave it to Friendly Kitchen Director Tricia Foisey in the amount of $858.14. But that didn’t prevent us from setting up a picture that made it...
On the Job: Nothing like filling potholes to start the day
The dictionary defines a pothole as “a deep natural underground cavity formed by the erosion of rock, especially by the action of water.” It also lists “a depression or hollow in a road surface caused by wear or subsidence.”But around these parts they’re more known as an annoyance, a nuisance and an unfortunate part of the early spring freeze/thaw cycle. How can the same process that allows trees to produce sap that is then turned...
Rotary Club of Concord to host 4-Way Speech Test
It’s been so long since we’ve done it that the idea of giving an actual speech in front of actual people is a little terrifying. Sure, we talk to people and groups all the time, but that’s different – we can hide behind our notebooks and cameras. When you’re standing at a podium as the center of attention with folks hanging on your every word, it can be a bit overwhelming. But at the same time, its an important skill to have. Just ask...
Bow High School to host theater guild’s annual state festival
If you like high school drama, then you’ll want to be at Bow High School this weekend. And by drama, we mean the kind that takes place with actors and actresses on a stage – not the kind that can happen within the walls of a school that houses teenagers. Beginning Friday, Bow will play host to the two-day New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild’s annual state festival. The top two schools will then move on to the New England festival,...
Go Try It: Dye some eggs with the kiddos for Easter
Being parents to young children really allows us to redo all the fun things we took part in as kids.When it comes to Easter, we’ve certainly missed hunting for eggs, waking up early to see what the Easter Bunny left in our basket, and of course, eating all that candy in one sitting. Wait, that last one still happens.But with the others, our daughters allow us to vicariously live through them to usher back the days when Easter was a...
We found 3 egg hunts happening Saturday
There’s just something thrilling about sprinting around an open area in search of candy-filled plastic eggs.It’s not only a race against others who seek to collect the most eggs filled with candy, but also the clock. If you’ve been to an Easter egg hunt recently (or ever), those eggs never last very long.It’s been a number of years since we were eligible to take part in the time-honored tradition for young kids, but having little ones...
Tasty Brews: You need to try this Made for Walking IPA
Rarely do we need an excuse to try a new beer.Whether its for work or pleasure, it usually doesn’t take much of an arm twisting for us to enjoy a cold, refreshing pint.But when we got an email last week from Lithermans Limited co-owner Michael Hauptly-Pierce about a new creation hitting the tap room draft lines last week, we were really intrigued.Not only was it a New England-style IPA – which we love – but it was a special concoction...
Try to win this big bunny from Granite State Candy Shoppe!
Walking by the front windows of Granite State Candy Shoppe is hard enough under normal circumstances, but these days, it’s down right impossible. Because it’s hard not to think about how much we’d enjoy tearing into that giant chocolate bunny that’s currently sitting all nicely presented on a little white table in one of the store’s giant windows. It’s kind of like what we all do when we buy a lottery ticket, except this prize won’t...
Did these three students actually see a UFO?
So there’s these three middle school boys and they’re certain they’ve seen a UFO. But did they really? Well, you have to make your way over to Hatbox Theatre over the next three weekends to find out, as the Community Players of Concord performs Kid Cult Cosmology, beginning Friday night.“Whether they’ve actually seen a UFO is a question you have to see the show to find out the answer,” said director Doug Schwarz. This is the...
The Pizza Pie Showdown sure was delicious
Whenever an event happens for the first time, you never really know what to expect.But it was safe to assume a night that made taste-testing pizza the star of the show would be a hit. And was it ever.The inaugural Pizza Pie Showdown, hosted by the Concord Monitor (and us) and held at the Holiday Inn, took place last week to once and for all decide the best pizza in Concord.By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Constantly Pizza...
Christa McAuliffe students voted for the best pizza, too
If there’s one food that kids are pretty much experts in, it’s got to be pizza.So while we value the opinions of the almost 150 people that showed up for the inaugural Pizza Pie Showdown and named Constantly Pizza as tops in Concord, we thought in order to crown a true champion, there had to be a sample vote from a group of youngins. And one of the easiest ways to get a group of kids together is at school. Now you probably saw that...
Cathy Menard solved our scavenger hunt
If you remember a few weeks back, we put together one of our world-famous scavenger hunts for any and all to try to solve. We do them about twice a year, picking a different theme each time with categories like Christmas decorations, restaurants, snow banks and farewells to Insider alum. Our latest one had all to do with buildings in our coverage area and what you could find in and around them. Now we’re not going to sit here and...
Concord High School drama club to perform ‘Nora’s Lost’ on March 28
The Concord High School drama club will make good on its promise to give the public a one-time-only viewing of Nora’s Lost on March 28. The club was originally supposed to perform its New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild submission on March 8, but Mother Nature had other ideas, as she dropped a nice coating of snow that day. That performance was intended to be a tune-up for the guild’s regional festival that weekend, but it didn’t...
Two performances of Aesop’s Fables this week
You have two chances to catch the Junior Service League of Concord’s spring show this weekend.Held in St. Paul’s School’s Memorial Hall, the annual performance dates back at least 75 years (the tradition actually started as a puppet show), and this year’s family-friendly production of Aesop’s Fables is one you don’t want to miss. Since it is a show geared toward families, it’s only an hour long with both an evening show (Friday at 7...
The Knights of Columbus are hosting a 24-hour food drive
The first year the Knights of Columbus held its 24-hour food drive, they actually did it for 24 straight hours – in March. Turns out there aren’t a lot of people donating non-perishable food items at 3 a.m., so they kept the 24-hour format last year, but decided to span it over the course of two 12-hour shifts. “It was my bright idea to have it around the clock,” said Grand Knight Chuck McGee. “Then we moved it to 12-hour days...
When your trees give you sap, make syrup
When Andrew Mattiace decided he was going to try making maple syrup this spring, he put in his research. Between YouTube, books and talking to some seasoned maple producers, he got a good idea of what it would take to get his small-scale operation, Beaver Brook Maple, off the ground.He tagged all the maple trees on his Bow property last fall, designed and built an outdoor evaporator over the winter and purchased/ collected all the...
Mapletree Farm expanded its sugarhouse
If you make your way to Mapletree Farm this spring to grab some freshly boiled syrup, you might notice something a little different about the sugarhouse. Well, actually, the sugarhouse will look a lot different.That’s because the old 16-foot by 20-foot sugarhouse, which was built soon after the operation opened in 1975 and slightly expanded in 1995, was moved about 100 feet to the right and back and is now attached to a new 22-foot by...
Concord Food Co-op is hosting Maple Madness
Thanks to all those maple trees producing some sweet sap these days, fresh maple syrup is in abundance across the region and state.You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a quart, pint or half gallon of the sweet sticky stuff for your next batch of pancakes or waffles.And while we love those breakfast foods smothered in recently boiled syrup, it turns out that maple syrup also makes a great ingredient in many recipes.As you can...
Concord, Bow earn spots at state festival
Both the Concord High and Bow High drama clubs had a similar goal for this past weekend: earn one of the top two spots at the New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild’s regional festival and advance to states.It sure is nice when you accomplish your goals.After being the top two performances on Saturday, the local groups of young actors and actresses will put their talents up against the other six clubs chosen from the three remaining...
Plenty of fun in store for St. Patrick’s Day
Odds are you’re going to see lots of folks wearing green this Saturday, and for good reason: it’s St. Patrick’s Day. In case you forgot, the annual March 17 holiday honoring the foremost patron saint of Ireland is right around the corner, so you better wash and dry every piece of green clothing that you’ve got to make the most of it. And the fact that it just so happens to fall on the weekend this year is an added bonus. It’s common...
