Want to make a tiny gingerbread house?
If you haven’t done your annual holiday construction project yet – and by that we mean made a gingerbread house – don’t worry, there’s still time.But if you’d rather share your building experience with others, might we suggest stopping by the library on Wednesday, between the hours of 3 to 7 p.m., for its tiny gingerbread house night. Now while this is being billed as a kids/family craft evening, adults are welcome to take part in the...
Celebrate Festivus with the gang at Area 23
Before Santa embarks on his all night journey to drop off presents to every good girl and boy in the world, there’s another holiday to celebrate.It’s a little something called Festivus. And as the Dec. 18, 1997 episode of Seinfeld taught us, it’s a holiday for the rest of us.In the almost 19 years since it originally aired, the made-up holiday featuring an aluminum pole instead of a decorated tree has become something of a big...
CYPN: Ian Russell has written a superhero story
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to another Young Professional of the Month, Ian Russell. How old are you? 24 Where do you live? Epsom Where do you currently work? Harris Family Furniture in Chichester Where did you go to school? University of New Hampshire at Manchester for communication arts. What do you like to do for fun? I like...
Check out this photo we found on Instagram
Instagram user @True_Marketing posted this very festive shot of downtown Concord last week. Looks nice now, but just think – in no time at all, all that snow will be a blackish-brown slushy mess.
Bulletin Board
Stamp collectors to meet in Bow The Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on Dec. 20, beginning at 1 p.m. All who are interested in stamp collecting are welcome to attend. For more information, call Dan Day at 228-1154. Dan Day Audubon seeking grant applications Grants are available to schools with students in pre-kindergarten through grade...
Book of the Week: ‘Big Magic’
Big Magic : Creative Living Beyond FearElizabeth Gilbert2015, 276 pagesNonfictionTold in a casual, conversational tone, filled with anecdotes from the author’s life and advice that is universal across any creative pursuit, Big Magic is the permission slip to indulge in a passion. Being a creative person is not easy. It’s far too easy for responsibilities to get in the way of making something that might bare the soul, or might be...
This Week in Concord History
Dec. 13, 1863: Major Edward E. Sturtevant of Concord, a member of the Fifth New Hampshire Infantry and the state’s first Civil War volunteer, is killed leading his regiment in a suicidal assault during the Battle of Fredericksburg. His body is not found. His men assume it is one of many stripped and buried on the field. Dec. 13, 1999: A move by the Clinton administration to permanently restrict new logging roads on federally...
You’ve got to see this epic display all lit up
Every December, it’s not hard to find Don and Nancy Moore’s Borough Road home.Just follow the glow.The Moores are the ones who put on that epic lights display in Penacook that is a must-see destination each holiday season.And while you drive up to their yard and aww at the Christmas wonderland for a few minutes, the Moores spend many hours creating – and expanding upon – the show year after year.The display was turned on for the first...
Lacking swag? Joyce Kimball can help you with that
We could all use a little more swag in our lives, right?Although many of us will never truly possess that intangible sense of confidence and braggadocio, we can certainly all obtain the door-hanging version – you know, the kind made out of evergreen branches and red bows. Since we know little to nothing about the intricacies of this kind of thing, we decided to drop in on Joyce Kimball and the Bow Garden Club during last week’s...
We found some classy Christmas displays at downtown businesses
Around this time last year, we drove all over the city looking for some of the biggest, wildest, weirdest and generally most impressive light and decoration displays we could find on people’s houses. This year, in the spirit of always keeping you guessing, we decided to see what local businesses had going on (which is good, since a lot of house displays are still popping up at this point). As it turns out, we barely had to step...
Still need to decorate? Here’s some stuff you should get
Look at all of the cool Christmas decorations we found around the city. If you still haven’t decked your halls yet, consider going with some of these options.
Go out and perform these 25 Acts of Kindness
‘Tis the season to be jolly.It’s not just the opening line of “Deck the Halls,” it’s an expression of what this time of year is all about. We don’t want to get too sappy on you, but you know what we’re getting at – whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, or all or none of the above, it’s the perfect time to show how you care.One person who knows a thing or two about this is Jessica Fogg Livingston. You may...
Go Try It: We hit up Lithermans Limited for a flight
As you’ve probably figured out, we like beer.And over the last few months, we’ve been “working” hard to let you know about some of the tasty brews that have hit tap lines around Concord.We’re always in search of something new and different. But while Lithermans Limited is not necessarily new anymore (they’ve been open since April), the brews that Lithermans has been putting out are definitely one of a kind.You can find them on tap at...
There are two renditions of the Nutcracker this weekend
It just wouldn’t be the holiday season if you didn’t catch a performance of The Nutcracker, now would it? So you’re in luck. There just so happens to be four performances of the famed ballet, at two different Concord locations this weekend. The St. Paul’s School Ballet Company will present The Nutcracker: Act II, free of charge for anyone who would like to go – assuming there are seats available. This abridged version of the ballet,...
Food Snob: Trying a beef kebab wrap from Aissa Sweets
It can be a gamble when a company well-known for doing one thing very well tries to branch off into a different area. Some of these ideas inevitably tank – The Chevy Chase Show or the XFL, for instance – but some of the best can pull it off. Yamaha makes great keyboards, percussion instruments, sport motorcycles and speedboats, among a slew of other things.And then there’s Aissa Sweets.You might remember this place as a Middle Eastern...
Catching up with the new Intown Concord duo
If you’re not up to date with the happenings over at Intown Concord, there’s been a bit of a transition going on. Okay, well kind of a big transition.The two-person team of Liza Poinier and Susan Sokul decided to say their goodbyes, opening the way for Michelle Motuzas Johnson to take over as executive director and Kate Fleming to become the new events and outreach coordinator.Both began work in October and since they’ve had a little...
Tim tested his facial hair in a beard contest
It became quite apparent when I looked around at the other contestants of the Midnight Merriment beard contest that I was out of my league.But it’s not like I didn’t expect that to be my fate. Let’s face it – my beard growing skills aren’t exactly top notch, if you hadn’t noticed.I usually just let it grow out without any shaping or care to speak of. Deep down, I desperately want to grow a sick beard.But right now, after about a year...
From the Crowd: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Hatbox
For one month out of the year, you get to indulge in all things Christmas.We get to watch classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. There are ballets like The Nutcracker and books including titles such as The Night Before Christmas, The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, to read after sitting on the shelves for the last 11 months.But even we...
Sign up to make your famous mac and cheese
Do people rave about your macaroni and cheese when they come over for dinner? Have you spent hours in the kitchen perfecting the right combination of cheeses? Do you have a bread crumb/ cracker topping that’s just to die for? Well, you might want to consider testing your recipe against other home cooks for the right to be named New Hampshire’s grand champion of macaroni and cheese.New Hampshire’s own Macaroni and Cheese Bake Off is...
Where the Insider Goes
In September, the Insider set sail on a seven-day cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to St. Martin, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba with these lovely ladies, (from left): Rita Faretra, Jean Chase, Beverly MacInnis and Diana Merrill. Thanks for taking us on the sweet cruise, ladies!
Missed Connections
We took to Craigslist last week to see who had been posting on the missed connections pages in our neck of the woods during the month of November. And lo and behold, we found all these great entries to share. So here’s a sampling of what we found and could print, unedited, of course. Target Concord – m4w (Concord) – Nov. 30 I thought you were so cute but I didn’t have the courage to ask if you were single. We kinda...
Bulletin Board
Holiday pickleball tourney Dec. 23 Concord Parks and Recreation is hosting a Jingle Bell Pickleball Tournament on Dec. 23 at the Green Street Community Center from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The tournament is a mixed doubles, round robin format, and cost is $12 per team. There are 60-plus (9 a.m. to noon) and 50-plus (12:30 to 3:30 p.m.) age divisions. Registration deadline is Friday. There will be a limit of 10 teams per age group. Members...
Book of the Week: ‘Stalking Ground’
Stalking Ground: A Timber Creek K-9 MysteryMargaret Mizushima2016, 310 pagesGenre: Mystery, set in rural Colorado Deputy Mattie Cobb and Robo, her K-9 police dog, have just finished up a training exercise in Denver when they are called back home to help find a missing person. Robo’s tracking skills are needed for the rugged terrain. The search is not going well until they receive an anonymous tip that the missing person is near Tucker...
This Week in Concord History
Dec. 6, 1963: Concord Alderman Eugene C. Struckhoff urges that the city lead the battle against a Boston & Maine Railroad plan to end passenger service to New Hampshire. Dec. 6, 1963: Dr. Thomas Ritzman, a Concord obstetrician and a backer of Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign, tries to undo the damage he did the day before with a statement to an Associated Press reporter. Ritzman told the reporter that President...
Downtown will be staying up real late Friday
By now, you’ve clearly switched over to holiday shopping mode – or at least intend to in the very near future.May we remind you that December begins on Thursday and that doesn’t leave a lot of time to make it through that list of yours. So why not begin your shopping endeavor during Concord’s most festive way possible – by checking out Midnight Merriment Friday night, from 5:30 p.m. till, well, midnight.This will be the 24th year of...
Need a tree? Here are some places to get one
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to get down to business. By that, we mean it’s time to start really getting ready for Christmas, the main course of the holiday season.Christmas rivals Halloween in terms of the holiday with the most accompanying decorations, and while the pumpkin may be the centerpiece of the Halloween spread, the king of the Christmas display is, of course, the tree.If you’re one of the many out there who...
Go Try It: Cut down a Christmas tree at Rossview Farm
Picking out the family Christmas tree is a big deal. One wrong move and it could be coal in your stocking – and you’ll be the family pariah around the holidays, and nobody wants that.If you want to make sure you don’t end up in the Christmas dog house, go to Rossview Farm and cut down your own tree.When you buy a pre-cut tree, there are some advantages, like not having to cut it down, for one. But you also don’t know much about the...
Adults: We want your lists
Why should kids get to have all the fun around the holidays? After all, it’s the grown-ups who do all the hard work, right? Luckily, we here at the Insider know full well that adults like to have fun, too. That’s why we’re opening up our inboxes for some adult letters to Santa. Now before your imaginations get carried away, let’s go over a couple of things first. By “adult,” we don’t mean “adult” as in the film genre – let’s try to...
Nothing says holiday spirit like a festive craft
Are you looking for a way to spice up your decorating game this year? Do you look at all your old holiday decor and want something new and different? If you haven’t seen anything you like in the stores, maybe this is the year to create something festive yourself. We took to the internet to see what we could find in the Concord world of crafts, and are we ever glad we did. There’s tons going on between now and Christmas to spruce up...
