There are lots of holiday performances to see
When this time of year rolls around, there’s a different feel to the entertainment world.It seems like every performance, concert and film is geared toward Christmas, snow and some good old holiday spirit. So with this being the “gets ready for the holidays” issue, we figured why not see what the local spots for entertainment had in store for the next few weeks.We know you’re going to be busy, so we decided to stretch out our time...
Do your shopping at home
The holiday season is easily one of the most wasteful times of year. In the U.S., the annual trash from gift wrap and shopping bags totals over 4 million tons, according to Eartheasy.com. If everyone wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or fabric gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks. This year, you can take one small, fun step toward less waste by revamping your annual gift-swapping parties....
‘The Holiday Spectacular’ returns to the Audi
More than a decade ago, Cindy Flanagan brought a group of her dancers on a bus trip to take in a holiday variety show.And ever since, Concord Dance Academy has put on a similar show, The Holiday Spectacular, on the Audi stage each December. But each year, it seems to get bigger and better as new pieces and music are added to the show to keep people coming back for more.“This will be the most exciting year ever,” Flanagan said.Flanagan...
Craft fairs are in full swing this time of year
At this time of year, craft fairs are all the rage. It’s a great place to get gifts or stocking stuffers, and there are a lot coming up. So we figured why not pass along some details? Unitarian Church The annual greens and artisans fair will be held on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 1 p.m. The fair will feature local artisans, baked goods, a holiday boutique, cookie “walk,” holiday plants, hand-decorated...
Concord Handmade is back for the holidays
For the first time in six years, Alison Murphy didn’t have to find a new home for her holiday pop-up shop.Fortunately, the 26 Pleasant St. location was still available, so faithful customers of Concord Handmade won’t have to search all over the downtown area for the six-week store like they’ve had to in years past. But while the space is the same, you’ll notice a few differences. Gone is the stage at the front of the store, so you can...
VNA hosting Lights of Life
This time of year can be tough for some. While we attend family gatherings and holiday parties with friends, enjoying all the season has to offer, you can’t help but be reminded of the people you have lost. And that’s normal around the holidays. So that’s why the Concord Regional VNA is here to help. Over the next week, the VNA will host a pair of community remembrance ceremonies to remember and reflect on the lives of passed loved...
Around Town: We never know what you’ll find
A few weeks back, we were at McGowan Fine Art chatting it up with Julie Hamel, who handles the gallery’s communications duties, as well as the vice president of fun and obscure facts, and she told us about this beetle, Bert Bartholomew Barrington, she had met on Storrs Street earlier in the day. As it turns out, Barrington is a Concord native and had been helping people parallel park all week until his chimney sweeping business starts...
Tasty Brews: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale at Cheers
It’s finally starting to get a bit wintry out there.For a little while there, it seemed like we might just get away with an entire fall and winter without freezing temps or snow, but, alas, that wasn’t in the cards.In light of all this, we decided to get a beer. Why not, right?Since last week saw the first snowfall of the year, we went out in search of a winter beer, something to warm the body and spirit in these cold, dark times.We...
Now’s the time to get some new winter gear
With winter just around the corner – if it’s not officially here already – you might be in the market for some new gear for all your cold weather activities.But it can be expensive to procure new skis, boots, skates and hockey equipment, especially with the holidays right around the corner. And odds are it’s not like anyone is going to buy you the right thing anyway.So we have a solution: This Saturday, get in your car, drive to...
Getting to know Cimo, the first Mr. Concord
It’s not often that we get the chance to talk to a real life pageant king, so when we learned we had one here in Concord, we had to jump on the opportunity.We’re talking, of course, about John Cimikoski, owner of Cimo’s South End Deli and the winner of the first-ever Mr. Concord pageant.Cimikoski – or Cimo, as he’s universally known – beat out the likes of Mayor Jim Bouley, former All-Star MLB pitcher Bob Tewksbury, Rich Spaulding, a...
Book of the Week: ‘Killer Look’
Killer LookLinda Fairstein2016, 383 pagesGenre : Suspense; set in contemporary New York City (fiction)Linda Fairstein delivers another thriller in her Alexandra Cooper series. Alex is taking time off from her job in the DA’s office to recover from her recent kidnapping but is intrigued when she hears of the apparent suicide of Wolf Savage, an icon of the New York fashion scene. When Wolf’s daughter tells Alex that her father was...
This Week in Concord History
Nov. 29, 2003: The wind whips across central New Hampshire with gusts of more than 45 mph, knocking out power and tearing down lines and trees. Public safety officials spend much of the day responding to calls for downed wires and trees in at least 20 communities. Nov. 29, 1867: Ingalls & Brown’s Quadrille Band plays at a grand ball at Concord’s Eagle Hall. “If you don’t dance,” exhorts the ad in the Patriot, “go to hear...
Bulletin Board
Monthly film screening Friday The NHTI Film Society will screen The Dying of the Light (Not Rated, 95 minutes), on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Sweeney Auditorium. Admission is by donation ($5 suggested); free with an NHTI student ID. For more information contact Steve Ambra at 271-6484 ext. 4101 or sambra@ccsnh.edu. Doug Schwarz Soup supper in Penacook on Saturday Immaculate Conception Parish in Penacook is holding a soup supper...
Check out the new and improved South Main Street
In case you haven’t heard by now, the South Main Street project is (finally) over. We know – we can hardly believe it ourselves. This means construction crews and noisy trucks are (mostly) gone, detours have been removed and – most importantly – traffic and life in general can more or less get back to normal, just in time for the holiday shopping season. We all saw the fruits of the labors on North Main Street, and we’re fairly...
Let’s review the project as a whole, shall we?
It’s official: the Main Street project is done. You probably thought you’d never see the day, but here we are, alive and well in the new world. It’s been a whirlwind couple of years in the capital city, but after all of the road closures, detours and general headaches, we can finally sit back and enjoy the end result. Since we checked in with City Engineer Ed Roberge at the completion of the North Main Street project and now the South...
No downtime: More projects on the horizon
Now that those big Main Street and Sewalls Falls Bridge projects are done, the city is probably ready to take a little breather and relax a little bit, right?Wrong. In fact, things are just getting started. One project on the horizon has been talked about since 2000 and is in the same basic neighborhood as the Sewalls Falls Bridge: the Exit 16 roundabout.The plan is to replace the intersection of Mountain Road, Shawmut Street and East...
Head over to True Brew for Friendsgiving
Thanksgiving is all about food, family and friends – in no particular order. The night before Thanksgiving, well, that’s all about fun.At True Brew Barista, these things will all be rolled into one when it hosts Friendsgiving on Wednesday night.The night will be full of great local music from a lot of fan favorites, and the atmosphere will be festive and friendly.The whole idea began a few years ago, and it’s really taken off since...
Another epic display at the Feztival of Trees
The Feztival of Trees is back for a 16th year at the Bektash Shrine Center on Pembroke Road. We went and checked it out, and it’s bigger and better than ever. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (closed on Thanksgiving) and 10 to 4 Sunday. Go check out all of the cool and wacky trees they have this year.
Beyond the Cubicle: Tim learned how the city gets rid of leaves
This time of year, you probably don’t see your lawn all that much. That’s just how it goes in this little corner of the world during the fall months. Those bright and colorful leaves that people drive around for hours on end just to look at, eventually turn brown – and fall all over the place. So you spend your afternoons and weekends raking all those leaves to the curb, just hoping that the leaf fairies come and pick them up before...
Go Try It: Frictionless fun at Everett Arena
Whenever your life is in need of something interesting, consider eliminating traction and friction from the equation. You’re bound to find things a bit more engaging then.Last week, we set out for this exact type of experience, and since it was about 60 degrees all week, there was only one place we could go: Everett Arena.The ice rink is open for public skating Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. on...
It’s almost time to cut your Christmas tree
When picking out the family Christmas tree, there’s a lot to consider.How tall can it be? How many sides will be viewable? How much do you want to spend? As you’ve probably learned over the years, not all Christmas trees are made (or grow) the same. And that’s part of the fun of it. Now we don’t know about you, but we are the kind of people who like to visit a Christmas tree farm. We have nothing against the ones you’ll find being...
Listen to – and buy – some tunes at Area 23
If you like good music and good beer, there’s one place you need to be on Saturday night: Area 23.The craft brew bar at the Smokestack Center will host a CD release party for local musician Mary Fagan, who will be on hand with her trio and a special guest to play some music throughout the night. Her CD, Honey to the Bee, will be on site and available for $10.So who is Mary Fagan, anyway? “I’m kind of a gypsy,” she said. “I grew up in...
Here are some tips on how to cook for a group
We understand the panic is starting to set in. You have the family coming over for Thanksgiving dinner and you’re not used to cooking for a big group – and you want everything to be perfect.Well, first of all, it’s your family so it doesn’t have to be perfect. And secondly, we’re here to help.In an effort to make your Turkey Day go a bit smoother, we checked in with Jessie Bennington, Codi Labrecque and Greg Tompkins, three members of...
You can drive over the Sewalls Falls Bridge now
If you don’t live in East Concord or happen to be an employee of the Monitor, the fact that the Sewalls Falls bridge was closed for what seemed like an eternity probably hasn’t affected your day-to-day life all that much.Inconvenient at times? We’re sure it has been, but not to the extent where the options on which way you can leave your job – one that requires you to travel all over the city – had been cut in half.So now that the...
Grab a passport and try to Win The Window
If you’re looking to add a little excitement to your holiday shopping experience this year, might we suggest taking part in Intown Concord’s Win The Window. The task is simple: Pick up a passport at any of the participating businesses (a list can be found at intownconcord.org/events/discover/window) and then wander around downtown. The goal is to get 20 stamps from the participating business north of Pleasant Street and another five...
Don’t miss the wellness fair
Have you been looking to be more healthy these days? Do you need a little motivation to get you going? Well, look no further than the city of Concord’s wellness fair next Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Holiday Inn. More than 30 vendors will overtake the grand ballroom, and none of them will be trying to sell you anything since it’s a city sanctioned event. It’s merely a way to get information about some great resources in your neck of the...
You need to be careful deep frying a turkey
There are plenty of ways to cook a turkey. You can roast your Thanksgiving bird in the oven the traditional way, smoke it in the smoker or toss it (very gently) on the old grill. You can even microwave it, but that is something we don’t necessarily recommended unless there are no other options, and in that case, we suggest buying an oven. But over the years, deep frying a turkey has become increasingly popular. It cooks your bird in a...
Get ready to light up those Christmas trees
At this time of year, the switch to the next holiday is always quick.So while you may be reading this prior to Thanksgiving, once the calendar turns to Friday, it’s on to Christmas.And nothing quite says Christmas like a good, old-fashioned tree lighting.It’s a time honored tradition in many towns and cities across New Hampshire and beyond, and you can count Concord, Bow and Penacook in that group. Over the next week, each community...
Book of the Week: ‘Beautiful Music for Ugly Children’
Beautiful Music for Ugly ChildrenKirsten Cronn-Mills2012, 271 pagesYoung Adult Fiction Gabe Williams has been obsessed with music for as long as he can remember. Mentored by his music-loving neighbor, Gabe DJs a one-hour midnight show (called Beautiful Music for Ugly Children) every Friday at a community radio station. Gabe’s skills on air even inspire a fan base calling themselves the Ugly Children Brigade, who complete odd, harmless...
