There are only five months until the big day
For as long as we can remember, the term “Christmas in July” has been perplexing.It isn’t the halfway point between Santa’s last visit and his next. If our math serves us correct, that would have been last month.Nothing about July screams Christmas, but yet you hear the phrase all the time.So we took to the internet to see what we could find and according to Wikipedia, “Some people throw parties during July that mimic Christmas...
Mingle and check out a Black Hawk helicopter at National Night Out
The city of Concord is pretty big on community interaction and family fun. Whether it’s Market Days or Midnight Merriment or Halloween Howl, there seems to always be something going on that encourages people to come together and have a good time.National Night Out is one of the main events playing into that theme, and it’s coming up next Tuesday, Aug. 1, at Rollins Park. National Night Out events are held across the country every year...
Go Try It: Order a pint at Concord Craft Brewing Co.
There’s nothing worse than being given a little taste of something you end up really liking, only to be told that’s all you can have. Up until a couple weeks ago, that had been the scenario at Concord Craft Brewing Co. – you could go in and order a small taster of each craft beer they had on tap, but when you finished, you couldn’t get any more (unless you got something to go). Now that’s all changed. The Storrs Street brewery has...
Food Snob: Spicy chicken sandwich from Red Arrow Diner
It really has been a banner couple of weeks for The Food Snob lately. First, there was the opening of Dairy Queen on Loudon Road, which meant we had to go try a burger and a Blizzard. Then, just a short walk down the same road a few days later, Red Arrow Diner opened its doors, which we assume have since never closed due to it being a 24-hour joint. In true Food Snob fashion, we went over to check out the new place as soon as...
Pierce Manse to host open house and concert on the lawn
Do you like open houses, ice cream and live music, all for free?Of course you do – who doesn’t? In that case, you’ll really like the event the Pierce Manse is putting on this Thursday.Festivities begin with an open house and an ice cream social from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. If you’ve never been to the Pierce Manse – the only home ever owned and lived in by President Franklin Pierce, the only president from New Hampshire – this will be a good...
From the Crowd: ‘Barnum’ will keep you entertained all night
It’s the greatest show on Earth – and it just so happens to be at Hatbox Theatre.Well, technically Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was the greatest show on Earth, but that came to an end in May, so we saw the next best thing – Barnum.Barnum first debuted on Broadway in 1980 and follows the life of showman P.T. Barnum as he goes from one sideshow to the next, using “humbug” to get people to take in his shows.There’s...
McGowan to host an opening, artist talk
Fresh off its announcement that McGowan Fine Art will remain open and move to a new space in the fall, the gallery has a new group show, “Inertia,” on display through Aug. 25.There will be an opening reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m, which is free and open to the public.Over the past months, artists have brought in a lot of fresh work that has not been in previous shows. “Inertia” will feature the art that has the gallery staff...
Concord Food Co-op introduces online shopping
These days, it seems like you can order just about anything online.While it’s convenient, we’re still big fans of supporting local businesses.But now you can do both – at least at the Concord Food Co-op. A few weeks back, the Co-op launched an online Co-op eShop (powered by Rosie) to allow its customers to do all their grocery shopping from their computer, tablet or smartphone.“The online purchasing convenience, it’s definitely moving...
We got chocolate chip cookies from Intown Concord
We got a nice surprise last week when the Intown Concord team brought us a coupld homemade chocolate chip coookies for all our hard work on this year’s Market Days issue.
The Capital Area Cyclones are going big time
The Capital Area Cyclones had a pretty impressive season on the softball diamond.So much so that the local 10 and under all-star team not only qualified for the Babe Ruth World Series that begins this week in Jensen Beach, Fla., but they did it twice.That’s right, the group earned an automatic bid when they won the Londonderry Memorial Day tournament, but just for good measure, they won the New England regional title, which is also an...
On Display: Watercolorist showing work at N.H. Audubon
The N.H. Audubon McLane Center is home to a new exhibit featuring the work of Tanya Tenkarian. A watercolorist, Tenkarian uses photography and observations to research her subjects before diving into a piece, which will evolve as her work takes shape. She focuses on patterns, colors and the playfulness of nature. The show is on display through the end of August.
Bow Fire Department has an interesting new flag
The Bow Fire Department is all settled in its new home at the Bow Safety Center. And thanks to firefighters Brandon Skoglund and David Eastman, the department has something pretty cool hanging in its kitchen area. About a year ago, Skoglund saw a story about another fire department that had used an old hose that was out of service to create an American flag. He thought it was a cool idea, and when there was a couple sections of hose...
The YMCA puts on a fun-filled summer camp
Summer was such a great time when we were young.Trips to the pool, no school work and lots of ice cream. Now – outside of the ice cream component – our summers are filled with yard work, work work and trips to the playground with our daughters.But if we could go back to a time when life was a little more care free and pick one thing to do, it would probably be a week at summer camp.Unfortunately we’re a little old to participate, but...
It’s official: The ‘Insider’ is king
During a stop at Quality Cash Market last week to grab a mid-afternoon snack, we realized that we have now surpassed The New York Times on the newsstand and overtaken one of the top publication spots. We know we’re popular and it was only a matter of time, but even we didn’t see it happening this fast.
Children’s author Chris Van Dusen to present ‘Hattie and Hudson’ at Gibson’s Bookstore
If you like kids’ books, you’ll want to get over to Gibson’s Bookstore on Saturday for a special storytime with Maine author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen.Van Dusen’s new picture book, Hattie & Hudson, went on sale in May and is Gibson’s lead picture book read for the summer. Van Dusen, who is probably best known as the illustrator of Kate DiCamillo’s bestselling and award-winning Mercy Watson series, is at the top of his game...
Bulletin Board: Where readers can post to other readers
Youth theater at Capitol Center RB Productions will return to the Capitol Center for the Arts stage this weekend for three performances of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Put on by the theater company’s summer youth program, the shows will be held Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, and $12 for students and seniors. For more info, visit ccanh.com/series/upcomingevents. Insider staff Hospice volunteer...
Book of the Week: ‘Dragon Teeth’
Dragon TeethMichael Crichton2017, 295 pagesFictionThis is not a tale of dinosaurs coming back to life, but an exciting story set in the Wild West of the 1870s. Pioneers are heading West, Indians are attacking stagecoaches and gold rushes are drawing fortune-seekers in the Western territories. Rich, young Yale student William Johnson takes a bet that he will go out West, and signs on to be the photographer with the fossil hunter...
This Week in Concord History
July 25, 1874: Thirteen months after a fire destroyed the church on the same site, the cornerstone is laid for the North Congregational Church at North Main and Chapel streets. It will be ready for worship in March 1876. July 25, 1927: A police squad of six officers enters the home of Ruth A. McKinnon on Runnels Road in Penacook. The officers arrest MacKinnon and confiscate 106 bottles of beer, empty pint and quart bottles and...
Lots of elbow grease goes into building a set for a play
Part of the fun of taking in a stage production is being able to fully immerse yourself in another world for a few hours and forget about the real one outside the auditorium doors. You can’t really get that immersive experience unless the stage is adorned with a nice, well-made set. While the acting, singing and dancing may be the main attractions of any stage show, it can sometimes be easy to overlook the set – after all, the...
We checked out all the hard work that goes on at a rehearsal for ‘Barnum’
Anyone who’s ever been to a play before knows that there are a lot of elements that go into a show – especially if that show is a musical. There’s dialogue, stage directions, choreography, singing, live music, costume changes and all kinds of other things that have to come together for the play to be a success. We wanted to find out just how much work goes on before the curtains open for a live audience, so we dropped by a rehearsal...
One week to pull off a show? Not a problem
We’re by no means theater experts, but from what we understand, it usually take quite a while to get a performance ready for the main stage.We’re talking weeks and months, not hours and days. But the latter is all the crew involved with the RB Productions Summer Youth Theatre program have to prepare for their annual summer shows. Think of it as summer stock for children’s theater, but using a crazy condensed approach.“What we do here...
For the Wilberts, a lot goes into writing a play
When we go to a play, we get to enjoy a couple hours of entertainment filled with character story lines, plot twists and first-rate acting.As you can probably imagine, those kinds of performances don’t just happen. You have to find the right crew, and hold auditions to fill each role with the right actors, followed by months of rehearsals.But before any of that can take place, there actually needs to be a play to perform. That’s where...
New Hampshire Brewers Festival to showcase Granite State brews at Kiwanis Waterfront Park
For a state with a relatively small population, New Hampshire is quickly becoming a real hot spot for craft brews. There are more than 60 companies producing beer in the Granite State right now, with more on the way, too. And now, Concord will be right in the middle of everything when the fourth annual New Hampshire Brewers Festival comes to town for the first time on Saturday. The festival, which had been held in Manchester for the...
Food Snob: Dairy Queen is finally open on Loudon Road
When we first heard the rumblings back in April that a new Dairy Queen might be coming to Loudon Road, you can imagine our excitement.One it meant yet another option for lunch on the Heights, but also would include a trip soon after its opening for a taste test – and a story.So last week, after we got word that Dairy Queen was indeed finally open, we had to take a drive by to see for ourselves, as well as for a late lunch.From the...
Ice Cream Snob: Trying a Butterfinger Blizzard at the new Dairy Queen
As you can see on the adjacent page, we recently took a lunch trip to Dairy Queen for a Bacon Cheese Grillburger, fries, chicken strips and a drink. It was delicious and filling, and while the last thing we wanted to do was over indulge, there’s really no way you can go to Dairy Queen and not get dessert. We have certain standards and expectations to uphold here, people. So after eating every last bite of our lunch, we got back in...
Go Try It: Look for Waldo when you’re out and about
At some point or another, we’ve all picked up a Where’s Waldo book and attempted to locate the red-and-white-striped-sweater-wearing character. He’s always off on a crazy adventure surrounded by lots of people – some who are wearing very similar outfits to his sweater, glasses and winter hat attire. But there is only one Waldo, which is why it can be so hard to find him sometimes. You can spend hours searching through the pages of his...
The new Bow Safety Center is really nice
As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.And for members of the Bow police, fire and emergency management departments, the wait is over.After many years of trying to get approval from town residents for a new safety building at Town Meeting, the measure was finally pushed through last year. Work began on the project last August, and the three departments began using the building last month.Last week, the town held an...
From the Crowd: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ a fun, silly time
I’m not a huge comic book/superhero movie kind of guy. I enjoyed the first three X-Men movies, the first Iron Man and the first Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, but other than that I’m not very well-versed in this world. But after seeing about 50 trailers for the latest Spidey installment – Spider-Man: Homecoming – and seeing its great reviews online (8.1 out of 10 on IMDB, 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), I decided I...
Wireless Zone is giving away free backpacks
We understand that the last thing all you kids out there want to do is think about school when summer vacation really just began.But your parents have probably already started thinking about back to school shopping, making sure to budget for new clothes and supplies. And while we want all of you to have the freshest gear for next school year, we can with almost 100 percent certainty that money doesn’t grow on trees – at least we...
On Display: NHTI is home to the artwork of Judy Palfrey
The folks at the NHTI Library are always bringing in new artwork for any and all to enjoy. For the month of July, Judy Palfrey is covering the walls with her watercolor pieces, as well as some prints of her original creations. Palfrey’s work at NHTI consists of flower paintings that make you feel like summer followed you inside and scenic old barns that just scream New England-created art. The work will be on display through the end...
