We found out how to find the perfect apple
It’s fall in New England, so you know what that means? At some point or another, you’ll be wandering around an apple orchard with a little bag looking for the perfect apple. Or more appropriately, apples – because who goes apple picking for just one? There’s nothing quite like apples right off the tree, so most people want to get as many as they can when the getting’s good. If you only eat an apple every once in a while, you can still...
What happens to all the apples on the ground?
As you walk around the apple orchards this fall, you’ll likely notice a lot of apples lying on the ground.And just like every other year, it’s something you probably won’t give much thought to as you proceed to step over the fallen fruit as you pick that perfect apple to add to your bag. But we’ve often wondered, “What becomes of those apples?” Is it safe to eat them? Are you allowed to pick them up? Do wild animals use them as a...
Tasty Brews: Downeast Cider House, available at Area 23
So if we haven’t hammered it home just yet, this is the Apples Issue, and we wanted to try as many appley things as we could. This issue features segments on apple desserts, apple ciders (the “soft” kind), apple trees, apple picking, apples on the ground and more. So it only makes sense that we also do an appley Tasty Brews, right? We know Area 23 is big on cider – the hard kind – so we went by the bar in the Smokestack Center (on...
Look what’s happening on stages around Concord
There’s a lot going on this week at the local performance houses and we thought you should know about it all. Hatbox Theatre Working Title Productions will present their inaugural Granite State Playwrights Workshop, staged readings of one act and full length plays by New Hampshire and New England playwrights on Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The event is inspired by the creative, fast-pace of 24-hour theater festivals, where...
Join the Concord Area Homebrewers on Thursday
Have you always wanted to make your own beer, but don’t know where to start? Do you wish there were people you could ask for help? Would you like to make beer with others who are equally as passionate about beer? Well, you’re in luck because the Concord Area Homebrewers are holding an open house on Thursday at 8 Allison St.The open house officially runs from 7 to 9 p.m., but the club will be whipping up a batch of homebrew that...
Donate food to Concord police
The Concord Police Department and the New Hampshire Food Bank need your help to fight hunger and stuff a cruiser with food donations! Donations will be accepted at Shaws on Fort Eddy Road on Friday, from 1 to 5 p.m., and Sunday at Hannaford on Fort Eddy Road, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stop by and make a donation, meet your local law enforcement officers and make a difference in your community. Only non-glass, non-perishable items will be...
Now that’s one giant pumpkin
We have all dreams, and one of ours is to grow an award-winning giant pumpkin. Unfortunately, ours wasn’t quite competition-worthy this year. But Parker Larocque, grandson of Carter Hill Orchard owners Rob and Annette Larocque and son of orchard manager Todd Larocque, showed us how it’s done. Parker grew a gourd that weighed 161 pounds and took home first place in the youth pumpkin growing competition at the Hopkinton State Fair and a...
Get ready for fun at Weekend on the Water
It’s starting to get a little chilly out there, but don’t let that keep you away from the water, especially this weekend. Why? Because it’s time for Weekend on the Water, and that’s kind of a big deal.The Weekend on the Water event was developed by Concord Rotary in conjunction with the Concord Parks and Recreation Department as well as New Hampshire Distributors and Concord Crew as a means to provide a multi-faceted event that...
There’s a place online for art lovers to meet
You’re a huge fan of all things art, but you don’t have a ton of like-minded friends with a lot of free time to go to exhibits and shows with. It’s a predicament many of us have found ourselves in time and again, and in the past, the solution has always been to just go alone or stay home. Those days are over. There’s now a group on the website Meetup for Concord area art lovers, and it’s gaining popularity by the second. Meetup is a...
Find the End of the Rainbow at the League
The League of N.H. Craftsmen opened its final exhibit of the year last week, End of the Rainbow, at the League headquarters on South Main Street. The show will be on display through Dec. 16, but there’s no need to wait to see it. So why not go today?
The Audubon is releasing two raptors Sunday
It’s raptor migration season, and the N.H. Audubon is doing its part to add a couple more birds to the flock heading south. On Sunday, two raptors (exact species to be determined) will be released to the wild from the observatory deck at Carter Hill Orchard with the expectation that they’ll join lots of other birds heading for South America. “It’s such a miraculous occasion to see these birds get another chance,” said Phil Brown,...
Take a tour of the State House on Saturday
If you have a traditional work schedule, you’re a little busy during the daytime hours.So it might not be that easy for you to find time to take a tour of the State House. You know, that downtown building with the shiny dome where important state decisions are made?The State House is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for either self-guided tours or for groups of 10 or more, a guided tour courtesy of the State House...
Fear of falling? Try VNA’s A Matter of Balance
For the Insider The fear of falling does not have to limit your independence. Learn what you can do to prevent falls by attending “A Matter of Balance,” a nationwide, evidence-based program offered by Concord Regional VNA that uses recommendations from healthcare professionals, exercise and experiences of participants to help older adults conquer the fear of falling. “When I registered, I thought I could get something out of it and I...
Bulletin Board
Learn about political cartoons Join the New Hampshire Historical Society’s Director of Collections and Exhibitions Wesley Balla on Saturday at 2 p.m. as he discusses how political cartoons came into wide use in the United States through the proliferation of inexpensive engraving and printing processes during the 19th century. This talk focuses on an important slice of New Hampshire history — cartoons circulated during the 1852...
Book of the Week: ‘Wolf Story’
Wolf StoryWilliam McCleery2012, 82 pages Genre: Children’s Five-year-old Michael asks his father for a story; he’s addicted to stories, especially ones with wolves in them. Michael’s father makes up a story about a wolf who is defeated by a clever hen named Rainbow. Then comes along young Jimmy Tractorwheel (an excellent name for a farmer’s son, don’t you think?) who outwits Waldo the wolf at every turn.It’s a charming story that...
This Week in Concord History
Sept. 20, 1992: The first Sunday Monitor is published. Sept. 20, 2002: State and federal officials approve a plan that allows the Concord Municipal Airport to reconstruct a 3,200-foot runway and make other improvements while protecting the endangered Karner blue butterfly. Sept. 21, 1838: A Mr. Lauriat displays his hot air balloon in Concord. He takes off from the State House plaza, touches down at Shaker Village in...
Saddle up for the Insider’s guide to fall fun
Sept. 13 PARADE OF THE PUMPKINS Tarbin Gardens is hosting self-guided tour featuring pumpkins and gourds through Sept. 18. We provide a map, featured areas are flagged throughout the gardens and all plants are labeled. Bring a picnic lunch or treat yourself to an authentic English Cream Tea served in the Rose Garden Patio from 1 to 5 p.m. (tea price $8.50). The gardens are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost: Adults $9, seniors, students...
If you look close, signs of fall are all around
After saying goodbye to summer last week, we figured why not say hello to fall in a similar fashion. This is the fall guide after all. So while the temperatures last week made it feel more like summer in these parts, we traveled all over the city limits in search of signs of fall. And what we found is that fall is around, you just have to look a little closer.
Go Try It: Walk in the woods with Nature Babes
Don’t be fooled: The transition from summer to fall doesn’t have to mean a transition from outside to inside. Just ask the parents – and kids – signed up for Nature Babes, Concord Parks and Recreation’s program that takes you out into the woods. Led by trails buff Erin Girzone, the group is all about having fun outside with your baby (ages 6 weeks to 4 years). The group meets at a different Concord walking trail each week (Thursday...
Tasty Brews: Common Man Ale
With it being the fall guide and all, we went in search of a fall beer.But we also wanted to go somewhere new. We’ve hit up a lot of happy hours for tasty brews over the last few months, so it took some time to figure out a place we hadn’t been. And then it hit us – we had never gone to the Common Man.So with the weekend about to begin, how could we not want to spend our last bit of time on the clock for the week enjoying an adult...
It was a happening Day of Caring in Concord
Every year, the Granite United Way has a day where businesses, companies and organizations volunteer to help out around Merrimack County. It’s called Day of Caring and it just so happened to be last Wednesday. So we figured we’d scope out how volunteers were helping out around Concord and report back – using pictures to tell the story. Over the course of the day, about 500 volunteers assisted 25 agencies with 60 projects. Now...
Food Snob: Hash and eggs breakfast from Newell Post
We generally devote this space to a review of some kind of meal you can have for lunch or dinner. This isn’t because we’re anti-breakfast, we’re just rarely awake and energetic enough in the morning to try to go out and do some hard-core scrutinizing of a local dish.Last week was different, for whatever reason. On Tuesday morning, this Food Snob was wide awake and ready to take on the world bright and early, and decided it would be a...
The Audi’s season-opening gala is Sunday
Over the next few months, the Concord City Auditorium, more famously known as The Audi, will be home to theater, dance, music and talks. Take a look down the schedule, and there’s so much to choose from. If only there was a way to preview some of the shows? Well, actually there is. It’s called the Season Opening Gala and it just so happens to be on Sunday. This will be the 26th year the Friends of the Audi have thrown a little get...
Red River to give Simchik Cinema a face-lift
Red River Theatres is making moves – big moves – and they could use some help, too.The nonprofit cinema is undergoing its first big capital campaign since opening, and its goals are lofty: transform the modest Jaclyn Simchick Screening Room into a modern, state-of-the-art movie space.Red River has two larger theaters that show first-run films, and a smaller one that shows some first-run films but is also frequently rented out for...
There’s a home for vanity plates on Facebook
If you happened to catch our Hidden Gems issue – which we know you did – you probably saw the spread we did on vanity license plates. We had a blast – and a very easy time – finding all kinds of funny and clever plates around Concord.Pete Duval, a Concord real estate agent and vanity plate fan, got a kick out of the spread and tipped us off to a Facebook page he’s been running for the past few years. It’s called VANITY PL8 (get it?),...
CYPN: Matt Dodge is excited about living in Concord
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to another “Young Professional of the Month,” Matt Dodge. How old are you? 27 Where do you live? I moved to Concord from Meredith in April, and have an apartment by Bicentennial Square. While the Lakes Region is a great place, I’m excited to learn more about Concord. Where do you currently work? Since 2014, I’ve worked at UBS Financial...
Try going to Back to Church Sunday at St. Paul’s
On Sunday, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Concord will join an estimated 30,000 churches nationwide in inviting community members to give church another try at National Back to Church Sunday.The 10 a.m. service at St. Paul’s Church is specially designed for both regular attendees who have been away for the summer and also, especially, for people who stopped going to church, for whatever reason, some time ago – or perhaps have never...
See a different side of downtown with tour
The 8th Annual Upstairs, Downtown Walking Tour, presented by Intown Concord, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. The Upstairs, Downtown Walking Tour offers ticketholders a glimpse into unique, notable and rarely seen downtown Concord locations and buildings. The selected locations characterize architectural qualities that allow us to step back in time to embrace long-gone craftsmanship or locations that are undergoing...
Go celebrate National Drive Electric Week
Have you ever wondered how an electric car works? What it would be like to eliminate some of your gasoline bill? Well, head down to City Plaza in front of the State House on Saturday for one of three Granite State National Drive Electric Week celebrations.The event, will take place during the Concord Farmers’ Market, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Electric cars such as the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Tesla S and others will be on...
Science Cafe returns to Concord with global warming on the docket
Science Cafe Concord gets under way again this month after a summertime hiatus, taking up a topic that is important and, unfortunately, likely to become more important: How should New Hampshire cope with climate change? The ocean level is rising and our weather is becoming more erratic, producing extremes like our current drought and the dangerous flash flooding that has become almost routine around the country. Growing seasons are...
