If you’re planning on going to college, read up
Many moons ago, we were high school students trying to figure out the college puzzle. For one of us, it was a few more moons than the other. But that doesn’t mean we don’t remember the process of trying to come up with a list of schools, thinking about what we wanted to pursue as a major and doing all the research to ensure the school we picked was the right fit. Not to mention the whole financial side of getting a secondary...
You’ve got two chances to see the Purimshpiel
You might not think of Temple Beth Jacob as a local hotspot for laughs and entertainment, but for at least two nights this weekend it will be.For the last two decades, (this will be the 21st straight year), it is the place to see the temple’s Purimshpiel. Now if you’re not familiar with a Purimshpiel, it’s a comical play depicting the biblical story of Queen Esther, one of only a handful of strong female figures in the Bible. But the...
SouperFest is a soup connoisseur’s dream
Every year, SouperFest gets bigger and bigger – and better and better.The annual event is a soup lover’s dream, with more combinations than one person could possibly attempt to try in one sitting. And while filling up on soup on a Saturday night among family, friends, neighbors and complete strangers is alone worth the price of admission, let’s not forget what SouperFest is really all about. This is the ninth year that it will be held...
It’s a big week for Concord High drama club
Did you know, the last time the Concord High Drama Club participated in the N.H. Educational Theatre Guild state festival, they were one of two state champions crowned? It was two years ago, and happened to be just the second time that director/ adviser Clint Klose had brought his program to perform on the festival circuit. Their performance of My Name is Asher Lev got them not only top billing in the state, but a trip to New...
Celebrate Youth Art Month all over the city
For more than half a century, March has held a special meaning among art educators.That’s because the third month of the year has long been designated as Youth Art Month – giving teachers and students across the country a chance to show off all that creative work being made during the school day. And Concord is no stranger to showcasing all that impressive art from someone who just might turn into the next big thing in the art...
Get dunked in frigid water for Womenade
It’s been so nice out recently, we’ve caught ourselves daydreaming about summer and all it entails – including going for a swim.Let’s be real though, it’s still way too cold to do any type of water activities unless it’s in your bath tub or an indoor pool. We wouldn’t suggest jumping in a body of water any time soon, considering there’s still ice covering just about all of them.But if you’re into the whole polar plunge kind of thing –...
Escape Room: Think you can make it out of The Sanctuary?
Three seconds. Three measly seconds is all that stood between us and the ability to say that we got out alive.We had 75 minutes to complete The Sanctuary at Escape Room Concord, but just as the digital countdown clock reached triple zeroes, we figured out the final clue and made our escape. While it was technically past the allotted hour and 15 minutes, the four of us were rather impressed with our ability to work through the...
On Stage: Relationships musical to debut at Hatbox
Being in a relationship has a lot of twists and turns, ups and downs and everything inbetween. And Lend Me A Theater wants to tell you all about it. The traveling theater group will begin a three-week run of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Hatbox Theatre on Friday with shows each day over the weekend.Through a series of vignettes and songs, the cast of eight set the scene for the entire sequence of a relationship.“It really...
Concord Chorale is celebrating five decades
Sue O’Donnell has a lot of fond memories singing with the Concord Chorale.There are the trips to places like Israel, Austria, Hungry and Spain, countless concerts in and around Concord and a certain flight back from a conference in Chicago where members of the group serenaded other passengers with their beautiful singing voices. And of course, the people.“It’s certainly part of the fabric of my life,” O’Donnell said. “The music and...
Fill your breakfast needs at Cole Gardens’ winter market
Going out to breakfast is one of our favorite ways to spend a weekend morning, but there’s also something quite nice about cooking the first meal of the day at home. It can require a lot of ingredients, but you’ll be over-the-moon excited when it’s all done and sitting on a plate – or two – in front of you.While we’ve told you about plenty of great places to get bacon and eggs, French toast and breakfast sandwiches in the capital...
Who doesn’t love a baked good for breakfast?
Sitting down for a big breakfast is great – especially when someone else is cooking it and serving it.Unfortunately, we don’t always have the time to do it, with the whole having jobs and lives thing pulling us in a million directions. But you still have to eat. They do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.Well, it’s a good thing that Concord has many local spots to grab a variety of tasty baked goods that are both...
Do you want to become a better writer?
Jennifer Mitchell is working on a collection of stories for people with dementia. Her husband, Graham, has completed five chapters of a sci-fi story that he’s not sure he’ll actually finish.Barbara Lassonde, who co-chairs the Concord Writers Group with Monitor East Side town crier Chris Weeden, writes historical and non-fiction material.Anna Dunkelman is putting together a screen play, but isn’t “really sure where it’s going to go.”...
From the Crowd: We highly recommend going to see ‘I, Tonya’
If you’re at all familiar with the sport of figure skating, you’ve heard the name Tonya Harding.She’s the closest thing you’ll find to the sport’s super villain, having been blamed for the attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics and eventually given a lifetime ban from competitive skating.It’s been more than 20 years since that fateful day in Detroit, and Harding and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, have...
School vacation is right around the corner
Now this isn’t meant to send you into a complete state of panic, but if you’re the parent of a school-aged child, next week (Feb. 26-March 2) is February vacation for Concord and Bow districts – in case you forgot.It’s okay, take a deep breath; we’re here to help.Whether you have to work and need a place for your kiddo to go for the entire week, a day here or there or you have the week off and are looking for something fun for them to...
Capital Area Wellness Coalition is doing work
When the Capital Area Wellness Coalition was formed in 2009, it had a pretty broad mission: to coordinate community resources and builds partnerships to create a culture of healthy living for everyone. It was a great place to start, but for a volunteer group that met once a month, the idea was a bit overwhelming. Over the years, the coalition organized events and produced initiatives. Then a couple years ago, the coalition became a...
Find a balanced approach to eating healthy
If we had to guess, January has to be the month where the most people try to eat the healthiest.It follows a six-week stretch where people’s eating habits are likely at their worst – plus the whole New Year’s resolution thing.Although, from what we’ve heard, as hard as it can be to change your ways when it comes to food intake, it’s pretty easy to fall off the fruits and veggies wagon, especially when the calendar flips to...
Getting healthy can mean a mental battle
When people think about getting healthy, the first two things that pop into their heads are eating better and exercising. And yes, those are two very good ways to begin the path the a healthier lifestyle. We’ll get to those soon. But before you can dive head first into a completely new way of eating or workout routine, you first have to get your mind on board with the changes you’re about to make. So we checked in with Betsy Black....
Video: Enjoy ‘Music of the Americas’ at Bach’s Lunch
For many of those in the work force, lunch time is your best opportunity to check personal emails, respond to text messages and catch up on the news of the day.It’s also a popular time to take a walk or go to the gym, while mentally going over your never ending to-do list of what needs to be accomplished once the work day is over.So while it’s supposed to be a time to break from the stressors of work, it can be just as busy during...
These couples are good at being married
If you’re new to the Insider and saw our handsome mugs on page 2, we must inform you that we’re both happily married.We know it’s hard to accept, but we have both found the ones we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Don’t worry, you’ll find that special someone one day – we’re sure of it.I have been married for just over five years, while Jon is spending his first Valentine’s Day as a married man this week, after proposing on...
Community Players to perform new comedy
The Community Players of Concord are back with another performance to commemorate its 90th season this weekend, and this is yet another one you won’t want to miss.The theme for the Players’ year of celebration is 90 Years New (instead of highlighting being that old) and it came with the goal of bringing in productions that are new to the Concord area. And Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike fits that description perfectly.“It’s a very...
Everybody loves flowers for Valentine’s Day
There are just some things that are synonymous with Valentine’s Day. We’ve already covered gifts and will get to candy, so as you will soon see, this is all about the flowers.Talk to any of the local flower shops, and you’ll quickly realize it’s their busiest couple days of the year. So if you’re thinking about getting a bouquet for that special someone, a family member or the person you’d like to be your special someone, we suggest...
Want to get dunked into really cold water?
It sure is fun to watch people get dunked in a dunk tank.They look so helpless sitting up there as a steady line of people pay a nominal fee for a chance to watch them abruptly fall into the waiting water below.Add in the fact that said dunk tank is outside during the month of March and the water is very cold, and you’ve got what adds up to Womenade of Concord’s 4th annual Polar Dunk.And if that all sounds like something you’d want to...
Love is in the air at Wednesdays’ Wisdom pot luck
Kirke Olson and Sher Kamman have been going to Wednesdays’ Wisdom, the monthly speaking series at Kimball Jenkins and Mill Brook Gallery, for quite a while now. The husband-and-wife pairing that are psychologists by day at Warren Street Family Counseling have been know to contribute to the conversation during the talks. So Kimball Jenkins Managing Director Ryan Linehan asked Olson if he’d be willing to be the speaker for February. It...
Gibson’s has been nominated for a big award
If you haven’t heard the news, Gibson’s Bookstore is up for a pretty impressive award. Recently, your hometown bookstore was named to the shortlist of nominees for the Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year Award. Gibson’s is one of five stores nationwide to be named, along with Astoria Bookshop (Queens, N.Y.), Boulder Bookstore (Boulder, Colo.), Source Booksellers (Detroit) and University Book Store (Seattle). The winner of the...
Frank Monahan Foundation: Basketball showcase at Bishop Brady Sunday
Now that football is officially over until games once again start to count in September (only 31 weeks till opening weekend!), you’re going to need something to fill the void on Sundays. It can be hard going through that kind of withdrawal in the first couple weeks, especially when you’re a Patriots fan and they always play deep into the playoffs – if not the final game of the season like three of the last four years. And while we...
White Park is the place for Black Ice hockey
If you made your way to White Park for the 8th annual Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament two weekends ago, you probably were wondering where all the players were.Well, unfortunately the weather forecast didn’t get the memo about the outdoor tournament and put together a string of warm days that likely would have left the ice unplayable after a day or two. So the decision was made to postpone it two weeks – for the third time in eight...
Welcome to one of our tastiest issues ever
So if the mouth-watering slices of pepperoni on the cover didn’t give it away, this here issue is chock full of information about pizza. It could very well go down as one of the tastiest Insiders in history. We love pizza and we know that most – if not all – of you feel the same about the saucy, cheesy creation. So we figured why not get out there in typical Insider fashion and cover the different aspects of a meal that can really...
Video: The Super Dominator is one really big pizza
It’s time for dinner and you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed, and you don’t feel like cooking. What do you do? Well, if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, why not test your squad’s eating abilities against Donatello’s Super Dominator? The 28-inch, $26.99 creation by owner Bob Boisvert originally began as a bit of a joke. “We decided to come up with a large pizza that was bigger than pretty much anyone had around here,” he said....
Watch Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ with an original score
There are certain things that enhance a film watching experience.There’s the popcorn and candy, the visual effects, the music and so on. And this Friday evening, as part of the NHTI Film Society’s Friday Night Film Series, you can add hearing a live original score to that list.The film society is kicking off its spring portion of the series with a musical accompaniment thanks to an original score written for Fritz Lang’s M.M was...
Mother Nature has forced Black Ice to move
(Editor’s note: A funny thing happened on the way to the office for deadline Monday morning. We were informed that the annual Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament had been postponed – yet again. Since we couldn’t just scrap the whole issue, we made the decision to run the story, but wanted to make sure eveyone knew exactly what was happening.)The tournament, scheduled for White Park this weekend, will now be held Feb. 8 to 11, at the same...
