You’ve got to taste-test the local delicacies
Visiting a new place is always exciting. The sights, the sounds, the people – and of course, the food.As you’ve seen over the years, we like our food, especially when the company decides to pick up the tab. And since you can’t really experience a new location without taste-testing some of the local fare, part of our trip to Penacook, Canterbury and Boscawen included a few stops to put some tasty meals in our stomachs.The Newell...
Where does Penacook actually begin, anyway?
For as long as we’ve been around Concord, there’s been this question looming over our heads: Where does Penacook actually begin, end, and what does it include?So when we decided to do this field trip issue to Penacook, Canterbury and Boscawen, we knew there had to be some sort of an Insider investigation into the age-old Penacook debate. So we started with the man at the top of the food chain in Concord, City Manager Tom Aspell –...
Take a trip to Canterbury Shaker Village
If you’ve never made the trip to Canterbury Shaker Village, you’re missing out.Many New Hampshire children visit the 200-plus year old property during school field trips, but we also learned that it’s quite the educational experience for adults as well.When you arrive, you need to head into the visitors center to pay your admission ($19 for adults, $9 for children ages 6 to 17 and free for children 5 and under) and where staff will...
Want to see buildings not open to the public?
Do you ever wonder what some of the buildings around Concord look like on the inside? You know, the ones that are off limits to the general public.So do we. But thanks to Intown Concord’s annual Upstairs Downtown event coming up on Sept. 14 (that’s next Thursday), you can scope out a few that may be on your list to investigate.This is the ninth time Intown Concord has hosted a tour of downtown buildings and you won’t want to miss out...
Lend out your yard to a family who needs it
For the last two summers, Bob Reals and Jim Plato have had less lawn to mow.That’s because the two Concord homeowners have turned a portion of their yards into large gardens for refugee families to grow food in.For Plato, a 40-foot by 40-foot square in his Branch Turnpike backyard is where Hari Adhikari and Prem Khatiwada grow their vegetables and greens for the season. Reals lends out a 12-foot by 15-foot space in his front yard on A...
What are those large yellow horns anyway?
A while back, we got an email from a reader named Jeff.He was curious about the yellow siren horn attached to a telephone pole at the corner of North State Street and Horseshoe Pond Lane. At first he thought it had something to do with Concord Fire Department’s Central Station near by, but then he saw one by Rolfe Park along Community Drive in Penacook, which is nowhere near a fire station. He said he had tried to research and find...
Read about the Civil War at the state library
We get all kinds of requests for old editions of the Insider, links to stories and questions of, “Have you ever covered this?” And usually it doesn’t take long to get things squared away, considering the Insider is only a little over a decade old.But this latest one required a little more investigation – it dated back over 150 years. A faithful reader named William was curious as to whether or not we had any information about Civil...
We had to see what WeCycle is all about
We all have stuff that we don’t want anymore. Either it’s old, broken or we just feel it’s time for something a little newer.It usually ends up in a pile in the basement until you figure out what to do with it. Sometimes you can find a friend who wants it, but depending on the condition, the whole process typically ends with a trip to the dump or put out on the side of the road with a free sign. But there’s also the donation route,...
Get ready for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
If you’re around Memorial Field on Oct. 15, you’re going to see a lot of people wearing pink.That’s because Oct. 15 is the date for this year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Concord event, which is celebrating its 25th year of raising money for the American Cancer Society.Concord was actually the first walk in the country (along with Boston) and now there are more than 250 walks nationwide. Talk about being a trend...
Go Try It: Pick some peaches at Carter Hill Orchard
Over the years, we’ve done a lot of pick-your-own fruits.Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apples are ones we like to pick ourselves at least once a year. Nothing against the containers you can find at fill-in-the-blank of your favorite farmstand, but there’s nothing quite like going out in a field/orchard and deciding exactly which fruit you’re going to bring home. You almost feel like a farmer in some sense.But one fruit we...
Get involved with the annual Day of Caring
Are you looking to get your volunteer career off the ground, but aren’t really sure where to start? Well, have we got just the thing for you. For the 25th year, the Granite United Way is hosting its Day of Caring on Sept. 6, where individual volunteers and local organizations come together to help out area nonprofits. And you could be one of the volunteers that helps get the total number of helpers to 550 – the goal of Val Guy, area...
We got a glimpse of the eclipse at its peak
Like most of you, we were super psyched about the solar eclipse. Even though Concord wasn’t in the path of totality, who doesn’t want to see a partial black out of the sun by its nighttime counterpart.Then we heard some pretty disappointing news: Those special glasses you need to see the eclipse were just about impossible to find. Shame on us for waiting till the last minute.Now we could have been defiant and just starred at the sun,...
Need a plan for after school? We’ve got you
With school about to begin, you might be looking for some after school activities for your child to take part in. Well we cam up with a list of programs in the area that could be perfect for little Jimmy or Susie. There are probably many more options to choose from, but here’s a start. 21C The federally funded program has after school options at each Concord School District school except Christa McAuliffe School. They partner...
Jon and Aimee are officially a married couple
On Saturday, Jon married his longtime love Aimee Larochelle on Church Island in Squam Lake followed by a reception at the Common Man Inn in Plymouth. The happy couple celebrated one of life’s happiest moments surrounded by family, friends and their 2-year-old daughter, Julia. Congratulations Jon and Aimee – and thanks for the invite.
Robin Lamson’s artwork is at Dos Amigos
Our old friend Robin Lamson is once again putting her colorful painting on display for all to see, this time while you enjoy a burrito, taco or quesadilla at Dos Amigos. Lamson’s work will be showing through the end of the month.
Bill Bushnell is one extraordinary volunteer
Bill Bushnell doesn’t know where his desire to volunteer came from. He just enjoys doing it. Even at the age of 87 years young – at a time when we’d probably be spending our days watching daytime TV and taking naps – Bushnell and his trusty dog, Lola, like to help others. As a volunteer with the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Bushnell and Lola visit the Hospice House every Friday. Bushnell enjoys striking up a...
Ready to Learn Fair Wednesday
The fourth annual Ready To Learn Fair will be held Wednesday at Rundlett Middle School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Last year, the fair helped 270 students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade with a number of free services to get them ready for the upcoming school year.The fair is open to students in the Concord School District and includes free services like: Haircuts by the New England School of Barbering; Vision screenings courtesy of...
The start of school is right around the corner
It’s hard to believe that school is about to begin – and we aren’t even in school or have school aged children. While the summer seemed to just fly by, it’s time to get ready for another year of learning. In an effort to keep you informed, we came up with a list of important dates to start the year. Concord Abbot-Downing First day: Aug. 30 Back to School Night: Sept. 14, 6-7 p.m. Beaver Meadow First day: Aug. 30 Back to...
The younger kids need to have some fun, too
We can only imagine it has been a long summer with all the kids running around the house.You’ve probably been counting down the days until school starts. Don’t worry, it will be here soon. We promise.But if you’re the parent of more than one child, there’s a chance that not all of your children are old enough to go to school for most of the day.That means you’ll have to find some stuff to do with your tots while their older siblings...
With school in session, exercise is essential
By TIM GOODWIN During the summer months, it’s not too hard for the kids to keep active. Between summer camps, swimming in one of Concord’s many great local pools and warm weather activities, like bike riding, hiking and sports, it seems as though they’re always on the move.But once the school year begins, there will certainly be a lot more sitting down (unless they skipped all those above mentioned activities and spent the summer...
Murder mystery dinner at Havenwood Heritage Heights was a roarin’ good time
A night of mystery occurred at Havenwood Heritage Heights on Aug. 5. Residents came to “Rosie’s Juice Joint” (aka Barrows Dining Room) for a roaring ‘20s good time. They came not as themselves but as characters like Notorious Nick, Southside Sal, Mugsy Malone and, of course, Rosie Marie, the Juice Joint owner, still grieving from her husband’s recent murder but willing to put that all aside for a night of fun (scheming and bribing...
Chamber wants citizen of the year nominees
Every year since 1966, the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce has chosen one outstanding individual as its citizen of the year. Last year, Teresa Rosenberger, president of Devine Strategies in Concord received the Chamber’s top honor. And if you look at her list of civic credentials it’s easy to see why she was chosen from what we can only imagine was a pool of worthy nominees. And now the Chamber is seeking nominations in order to...
Zonta Club raises money for local day care service
The Zonta Club of Concord recently made a donation of $1,402 to Merrimack Valley Day Care Service’s building fund – and it’s all because people love to read. During Market Days, the Zonta Club held a book sale, and while the books were inexpensive, they sold a lot of them. Zonta President Karla Roth gave MVDCS Director Mary Jane Wallner the check that will go toward the $520,000 building renovation costs – $400,000 of which has...
Here’s a roundup of live music in the area this week
Summer may be almost over, but the live music in Concord never ends. In typical Concord summer fashion, there’s another full slate of live music to be heard all over the city this week. In typical Insider fashion, we pulled together as much as we could possibly find to let you know who’s playing, when they’re playing and where. Here’s what we found: Wednesday Paul Lovely will play at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana starting at 6:30 p.m....
Bulletin Board: Free concert, golf tourneys and bulb sale
Free concert at Penacook church United Church of Penacook is hosting a concert on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Featuring Tenth Intervention, a trio of violin, cello and piano, the program will offer traditional classical music mixed with some more contemporary music. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information about this concert, visit ucpnh.org. Tenth Intervention is in residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen...
Performances on the big stage
There are three venues for great live performances and we found out what was going on at each one. The Audi Annual Pitch In, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon, 6 to 9 p.m. For more information and a full schedule, visit concordcityauditorium.org Hatbox Theatre The second and final week of “Flight of the Bartailed Godwit and Two Others” is happening at Hatbox this weekend. Three New Hampshire playwrights: Jane Hunt,...
Plenty of great art to scope out
With lots of great art galleries in the area, which means lots of great art to see, we put together a list of all the current exhibits, so you can have a handy sheet of all the happenings in the art world. You can thank us later.McGowan Inertia Through Aug. 24 Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. League of N.H. Craftsmen Spinning Tales and Weaving Stories Through Sept. 22 Hours: Monday...
Movie listings for the week
With two movie theaters in town, we decided to see what was playing this week. As of press time, the schedules were only set through Thursday, so check redrivertheatres.org and Google Regal Cinema Concord for up to date info. Red River Wind River – Lincoln Tuesday: 2, 5:30, 8 p.m. Wednesday: 2, 5:30, 8 p.m. Thursday: 2, 5:30, 8 p.m. The Big Sick – Stonyfield Tuesday: 5:25, 7:55 p.m. Wednesday: 5:25, 7:55 p.m. An...
Book of the Week: ‘The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living’
The City Baker’s Guide to Country LivingLouise Miller2017, 352 pagesFiction Livvy’s job as a pastry chef in a fancy Boston dinner club goes up in flames, literally! She has an accident with a heavy baked Alaska and burns down the dining room. She decides that she needs a break, and she and her Irish wolfhound, Salty, go to a small town in Vermont to visit a friend. The local Sugar Maple Inn needs a pastry chef, and Livvy gets the job....
Ocean State has options for your school list
With back-to-school shopping in full swing, we decided to stop in to our favorite adventure store, Ocean State Job Lot, to see what kind of unique items we could find. And boy did we ever make some fun discoveries.
