Book of the Week: ‘Family Plot’
The Family PlotCherie Priest2016, 368 pagesFiction Chuck Dutton is living on the financial edge. His business, Music City Salvage, is about to go under and with it his family’s livelihood unless he can sell some of his stock. Enter Augusta Withrow, with an offer he really should refuse: a grand family estate about to go under the wrecking ball, in a remote location, with a troubled history. Falling to temptation, Chuck sends his...
Thanks to all the snow, skiers are quite happy
While many of us have seen just about enough of all this February snow, the same cannot be said for local cross-country skiing enthusiasts.After what amounted to a busted winter last year, and a real slow start to this one, the local hot spots were bustling last week thanks to more than 2 feet of new white stuff over the course of a week.People couldn’t wait to strap on their skis and hit the freshly groomed trails at White Farm, so...
Go Try It: Go sledding at White Park
You know that old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,”? Well, around here it’s more like, “When life gives you snow, go sledding.” So that’s exactly what I did last week. After the region was pelted once again with more of the white stuff, it was time to (finally) head out there and enjoy some of the snow while we had the chance – for a little while there it was kind of looking like we wouldn’t get any at all this...
Concord has lots of great spots for winter hiking
As cabin fever starts to set in, and you’re looking for a fun, free adventure – don’t forget that the Concord trail system does not close down for the winter. Spending time outdoors is one of the best ways to banish those winter blues. The winter season is also a great time to see the natural open spaces of Concord, and perhaps catch views that are hidden by leaves and underbrush during the rest of the year. For example, grab your...
Jon gave cross-country skiing the ol’ college try
Since I basically mastered snowbiking on my first-ever attempt for last week’s issue, I figured I should keep up the snow-sport conquering with a little foray into the world of cross-country skiing. This was yet another snow sport I had never tried, and since it’s so easy to do in Concord, I figured I should give it a shot.My first stop was Carter Hill Orchard. You probably know this place for its apples, pumpkins and famous cider...
Make sure to hit up Everett Arena to skate
We know that it’s winter and most people associate ice skating with the great outdoors.And Concord is home to some great locations to lace up the ol’ skates, like White Park, Beaver Meadow Golf Course, Merrill Park and Rollins Park.But some people prefer the comforts of the indoors, where they don’t have to deal with the elements. Although you better hurry up if you want to enjoy it, because there’s not a lot of time in the Everett...
Check out memoirist Melanie Brooks at Gibson’s
In her attempt to write a memoir about her father’s death from a secret AIDS infection in 1985, Melanie Brooks was left with some painful questions: What does it take to write an honest memoir? And what happens to us when we embark on that journey? Would she manage it?Brooks sought guidance from the memoirists who most moved her, including Andre Dubus III, Joan Wickersham, Mark Doty, Marianne Leone, Richard Hoffman, Edwidge Danticat,...
We went to our first CYPN networking event
The Monitor and Insider are members of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, meaning any of the employees are entitled to certain benefits that come with membership, including monthly networking events put on by the Chamber’s Concord Young Professionals Network. Despite this fact, neither of us had ever been to one of these events before, and since we’ve been in the mood for first-evers lately, we decided to give it a shot. The...
Check out this cool wintry shot we found on Instagram
There were a lot of great Instagram shots of winter scenes and sunsets over the past few weeks, but this one, by user @Putnam18, seemed to best capture both in one photo. Nice shootin’!If you’ve taken a cool photo in Concord, post it to Instagram using the hashtag #concordnh to put it on our radar. If you absolutely want us to see it, throw #concordinsider in there, too.
Rundlett Middle School students made little Strandbeests
Do you remember any of your class projects from middle school? Maybe you made rockets using soda bottles, baking soda and vinegar. Maybe you built a bridge out of popsicle sticks. Or perhaps you remember making paper mache sculptures of your own head, or something of the sort. Well, the kids of today are up to a whole lot more than that, as evidenced by a quick visit to a pair of eighth-grade art classrooms at Rundlett Middle School...
Check out some Oscar-nominated shorts at Red River
Sure, you’ve probably heard about some of the big-name films up for Academy Awards this year – The likes of Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, La La Land, Lion and Manchester by the Sea, to name a few. Whether you’ve seen them or not, odds are you’ve heard someone at the office talking about them or caught a preview on TV.Over the last month or so, you’ve even seen us review a few of the nominees in Manchester By the Sea (Best...
It’s important to bring your kids to the dentist
Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommend that all children have their first dental visit by age 1? Studies show that there is a substantially greater risk of developing dental decay for children who don’t receive dental care in their early years. The Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC) clinics are an ideal place to develop community partnerships to provide...
Here’s an example of what to make for the Big Bicycle Project
The Big Bicycle Project is in full swing, and, in an effort to give people an idea of what to create, Ryan Linehan, managing director of Kimball-Jenkins Estate, made this Ode to Dechamp sculpture for people to check out in the Carriage House of the estate. Artists of all levels are invited to create an original sculpture from bicycle parts or decorate a bicycle. Parts and entire bikes are available for people to use and at...
Don’t miss Colin Callahan’s work at NHTI
St. Paul’s School fine arts faculty member Colin Callahan is now displaying his artwork in the NHTI Library. You’ll find some of his famous fruit paintings mixed in with a few picturesque landscapes. There’s even a series of paintings that show just how he creates a piece. The work will be on display through February.
N.H. has the oldest state library in the U.S.
Despite being one of the smaller states, New Hampshire is pretty well-known for some important moments in history. We hold the distinct honor of being the First in the Nation Primary, we were the first of the original 13 colonies to declare its independence from England and the state house is the oldest state capitol in which the legislature still meets in its original chambers. And those are just a few fun facts we came up with....
Red River wants you to walk the red carpet
Walking the red carpet at the Oscars is a pretty big deal, and unfortunately we haven’t heard of anyone from Concord who will be strutting their stuff this Sunday.But that’s okay, you don’t need the bright lights of Hollywood to feel like you’re at the biggest film party of the year. That’s because Red River Theatres is hosting an Oscars night get-together with Hollywood to Main Street: Concord’s Own Red Carpet.“It’s going to be a...
Concord native Troy Patoine has a new book
We went quite a while around here without finding any local authors, but now it seems like we discover one every few weeks. Our latest discovery in this field is Concord native Troy Patoine, who has written two books, the latest being Nalapazoo. The book was released in August, but we only learned of it last week when Patoine reached out to us, wondering whether we might be interested in writing something about it. Of course, we were....
Bulletin Board
McGowan opening exhibit Tuesday McGowan Fine Art opens its latest show today, “Dreaming of Another World, Nomadic Reflections,” featuring the work of Valerie Hird. The exhibit will be on display through March 24, with Hird giving a talk on her travels on March 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, at the gallery. Hird’s refined watercolor style highlights her roots as an archaeological illustrator in the 1980s – a career she found unsatisfying....
This Week in Concord History
Feb. 21, 1968: The death of 21-year-old Army Sgt. Ronald D. Roach of Concord is confirmed. He had been missing for nine days since coming under mortar fire in Hue. Roach was the most valuable player on the Concord High hockey team in 1964, the year he graduated. His father Arthur says his son believed in his military mission: “His letters always said we must help South Vietnam.” Feb. 21, 2000: More than 500 students join...
Book of the Week: ‘Radio Girls’
Radio GirlsSarah-Jane Stratford2016, 384 pagesFiction Although she’s supremely unqualified, American-raised Maisie lands a job as a secretary at the brand-new British Broadcasting Corporation. Radio, which is still new and strange in 1926, is competing with newspapers for the attention of the nation and isn’t catching on yet. Maisie isn’t sure how long she will last, but as she arranges broadcasts by the most famous writers,...
We’re taking the ‘Insider’ show on the road
As you well know, it’s no secret how much we enjoy Concord. For more than a decade, the Insider has thrived covering anything and everything that happens with the Concord city limits. There’s no shortage of things to try, food to eat and stories to tell. About a year and a half ago, we ventured into Bow and recently we got an idea. What if the Insider – just for one week at a time – left the city to see what’s happening in all these...
Jon earned his snowbiking license at Pats Peak
I like to think of myself as a pretty athletic guy – I played on a town baseball team 11 years ago and have kept in shape through a range of yard games ever since. When it comes to snow sports, though, it’s kind of a different story. Sure, I can ski, but I might get to a mountain once a year, if that (I didn’t go at all last year). Nonetheless, when I saw that Pats Peak offered snowbike lessons, I knew it was an opportunity I had to...
Take a day trip to Henniker and explore
There’s nothing quite like embarking on a new adventure. Jumping in the old family sedan and hitting the open road to a place you’ve only heard about, but have never experienced for yourself. So you can only imagine our excitement when we left the confines of our office (and Concord) for a day trip to the town of Henniker – which if you didn’t know, is the only Henniker on Earth. It’s about 40 minutes from the ol’ Insider pod to the...
Look at all this cool stuff we found while exploring Henniker
Since this was our first trip to Henniker, we figured an extra batch of photos was in order. Here’s some cool stuff we found during our expedition last week.
We got a tour and taste of Henniker Brewing
It’s no big secret that we like beer. We pretty much do whatever we can to try to include something beer-related almost every issue, and we enjoy doing so.That’s why it should come as no surprise that during our field trip to Henniker, we stopped by Henniker Brewing Co. to see what it was all about.We’ve tried some HBC beers before and even reviewed some in these pages, but due to our electronic monitoring anklets we were never...
NEC has a gallery full of great student work
We stopped by New England College’s Chester Gallery, located at 39 Main St. in Henniker, to check out the school’s annual student art exhibition. The show, which will be on display through March 3, is free and open to the public during gallery hours, Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You’ve got to sample some of the local fare in Henniker
Whenever you visit a new place, the top thing on your to do list has to be trying some of the local eating establishments.Food is a great way to get a lay of the land, and you gotta eat, right? Unfortunately, there’s only so much time in the day and space in the ol’ stomach, so while we wanted to taste a little bit of everything on our trip to Henniker, it just wasn’t in the cards.But don’t worry, we ate as much as we could and took...
There are lots of events coming up in Henniker
While we whipped through Henniker in one day, like one of those recent nor’easters, the one thing you should take from this issue is that there’s plenty to do and see in the town.And that includes tons of great events coming up throughout the year.We tried to find out as much info as possible so you can keep this page and refer back to it later when you’re looking for something new and different to do.So without further ado, here’s a...
Here’s a little insight into how our trip went
When you embark on a trip to a place you haven’t been before, you never quite know how it’s going to affect the old wallet.But we are happy to report that going to Henniker won’t cost you much – especially if you make your way from Concord like we did.From the office in East Concord, it’s a little over 25 miles (or just shy of 40 minutes) to the blinking light at the intersection of Main Street, Maple Street, Bridge Street and Western...
