This week in Concord history
Oct. 8, 2001: Concord area cancer patients and their families win a prolonged and sometimes agonizing battle, when a state board approves Concord Hospital’s plan to bring radiation treatments closer to home. The decision clears the way for the hospital to install a $7.8 million radiation device in its new cancer treatment center. Oct. 8, 1856: A show called Price’s Ethiopian Minstrels opens at Concord’s Phenix Hall. The show,...
City man steps up to restore gate
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Resident restores Old North Cemetery gate Concord resident Doug Wyman painted the gate at Old North Cemetery to give it a beautiful, refreshed look. He intends to continue painting a section at a time going forward. Thank you to Doug for...
Book: The Invisible Husband of Frick Island
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island By Colleen Oakley (337 pages, fiction, 2021) Piper Parrish is a beautiful young widow living on Frick Island. Her husband Tom’s crab boat went down at sea, and his body wasn’t recovered. Stunned by grief, Piper carries on with life as if Tom is still alive and with her. Piper still cooks Tom breakfast, talks to him, and walks down to the boats with him every morning. Everyone in the small town...
This week in Concord history
Oct. 1, 1900: A 26-year-old egg farmer named Robert Frost moves to a 30-acre farm in Derry. Oct. 2, 1990: The U.S. Senate confirms the nomination of David H. Souter of Weare to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the State House in Concord, Souter tells a gathering of well-wishers: “I have been given much and much will be expected from me in return, and I will make that return to you and I will make it in the fullest measure that I...
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Tour upstairs downtown Join IntownConcord on Oct. 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. as they celebrate the rich culture that exists in Concord. The 12th annual Upstairs Downtown Tour will feature local theatres and entertainment venues in the downtown area. Tour stops and entertainment include Red River Theatres for a short film (everyone starts here at 1 p.m.); Capital Center for the Arts for the Grateful Dead Tribute Band, “Crawl Space”; Bank of...
Book: The Knowledge: A Richard Jury Mystery
The Knowledge: A Richard Jury Mystery By Martha Grimes (364 pages, mystery, 2018) A gunman shoots two glamorous people outside of a London casino/art gallery. The gunman then jumps into a London black cab and goes for a long ride around London, exactly as if he wasn’t guilty of a crime. The cab driver Robbie Parsons fears for his life and signals to other black cab drivers along the way. They contact the local young pickpockets (think...
Live Music
Live music Sept. 30 Brian Booth at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. DJ Lance at Area 23 at 9 p.m. Oct. 1 Karen Grenier at Moonlight Meadery in Pittsfield from 6 to 8 p.m. GA-20/JD Simo at Bank of N.H. Stage at 8 p.m. $12 live stream, $25 in person, +$2 at the door Oct. 2 Club Soda Band will perform from 4 to 6 p.m. at Eagle Square in a make-up from a rained-out summer concert. They play a wide variety of top 40, classic rock, dance, R&B, pop...
Tune into the ‘Talk Concord’ pod
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Upcoming city meetings City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green St. (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include: Zoning Board of Adjustment, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. City...
Entertainment the week of Sept. 23
Live music Sept. 23 Craig Fahey at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 Eaglemania at the Capitol Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. $35-plis Blaggards with the Outsiders Punkabilly Rebels at the Bank of N.H. Stage at 8 p.m. $15-plis Technical Difficulties at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Old Tom and the Lookouts at SHARA Vineyards at 5:30 p.m. Eric Lindberg at Moonlight Meadery at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 John Franzosa at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Fruit Flies Like a...
Capital Arts Fest schedule
FRIDAY 6 p.m. – “Sharing Oneself” Faculty Art Exhibit opening at Kimball Jenkins School of Art 6:45 p.m. – Barranquilla Flavor salsa lesson at Kimball Jenkins 7 p.m. – Ballet Misha dance performance at Kimball Jenkins 7:30 p.m. – “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” at the Hatbox Theatre (ticketed event) 8 p.m. – “Moonrise Kingdom” outdoor movie by Red River Theatres at Kimball Jenkins 8 p.m. – Eaglemania at the Capitol Center for the Arts...
League of New Hampshire Craftsmen to present
The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen plan to have a line-up of their juried members present outdoors along South Main Street during the weekend of the Capital Arts Fest. Members will be set up Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shop for fine crafts from members of the League and talk with the makers about their process and inspiration. Participating artists include Jennifer Guest Armstrong, Lori...
This week in Concord history
Sept. 23, 1972: Attorney General Warren Rudman testifies in favor of tougher laws for convicted felons including, in several specific categories of murder, the death penalty. Usually, he says, a life sentence means parole in 12½ years. “That’s appalling,” he says. “That’s just not right.” Sept. 23, 1815: Barnstead is visited by “The greatest gale in the midst of rain and storm ever known there,” according to a town history....
City News: Participate in Concord’s BioBlitz
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: City meetings City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green St. (unless otherwise specified on the city’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include: Zoning Board of Adjustment, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. City Council, Oct. 12, 7...
Kimball Jenkins display faculty show
Kimball Jenkins School of Art will be marking the opening of their faculty art exhibit on Sept. 24 in conjunction with the Capital Arts Fest. “Sharing Oneself” will feature media by more than a dozen faculty members, who teach ceramics, drawing, painting, photography and printmaking. The show will include paintings in watercolor and acrylic, woodblock prints, photographs and ceramics. Faculty include Marcia O’Brien (ceramics), Mike...
Capital Arts Fest returns for fifth year
By Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce The fifth annual Capital Arts Fest will be the biggest celebration of art and culture that the Capital City has ever hosted. On Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, artists and organizations in downtown Concord and beyond will welcome visitors to a vibrant multi-arts festival. This immersive event offers lively, joyous and interactive arts experiences. View contemporary and traditional crafts, listen to...
Book: Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers
Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers By Sara Ackerman (391 pages, fiction, 2018) It’s 1944, wartime, on the big Island of Hawaii, in the little town of Honoka’a. It’s three years after Pearl Harbor and one year since Violet Iverson’s husband Herman disappeared. Violet’s ten-year-old daughter Ella is troubled. She’s been picking at her freckles, making scabs, and wetting her pants. Violet thinks that Ella knows something about Herman’s...
Walker Lecture Series announce fall line-up
Since 1896, the Walker Lecture Series has brought stimulating speakers and musicians to Concord. COVID forced a change from live performances to virtual ones, but now the series is back in the Concord City Auditorium for the fall 2021 season. “We plan to be in the Audi for the year,” said Walker trustee Jon Kelly. “If things change, we will adjust.” Travelogues have long been a staple of the Walker Lecture Series and fall 2021...
Entertainment for week of Sept. 16
Live music Sept. 16 Ken Clark at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Drum Circle at Area 23 at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 Blue Light Rain at Bank of NH Stage at 8 p.m. $15+ MVP Band at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Decatur Creak at SHARA Vineyards from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 18 Chris Peters at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Jam at Area 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. Kilroy and Crooked Cash at Area 23 at 8 p.m. North River Duo at Contoocook Farmer Market from 9 a.m. to noon Kimayo at Gould Hill...
New Hampshire native returns for concert
Blaggards, the South Irish Rock Band from Houston, Texas, will perform Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage. The band is comprised of drummer Eric Hughes, who grew up in Colebrook and attended Plymouth State College; guitarist/vocalist Patrick Devlin, and bassist/vocalist Chad Smalley. Blaggards formed July 2004 in Houston, Texas, and plays a blend of traditional Irish music mixed with rock n’ roll, informed by...
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Duo presents family history Gibson’s Bookstore is pleased to join Books & Books in Florida and indie bookstores across America on Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. to virtually present Anderson Cooper as he shares his new book, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the...
This week in Concord history
Sept. 16, 1845: Benjamin O. Bartlett, 57, of Pembroke dies. “He has left his surviving friends the rich consolation of believing that their loss is his gain,” the New Hampshire Courier reports in his obituary. Sept. 16, 1973: Three Roman Catholic laymen announce plans to open a new liberal arts institution, Magdalen College, for 300 students, saying American universities have lost their intellectual and moral vigor. Years...
Book: A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories
A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories By Lucia Berlin (399 pages, short stories: fiction and memoir, 2015) Lucia Berlin was truly the definition of a literary diamond in the rough. Born in Juneau, Alaska, in 1936, she lived a colorful and varied life right from the beginning. Her father was a mining engineer, and his work brought the family all over the country and into Mexico and South America. While various pieces of her...
Book: The Paris Library
The Paris Library By Janet Skeslien Charles (353 pages, fiction, 2021) On a February day in 1939 in Paris, young Frenchwoman Odile Souchet goes for an interview at the American Library in Paris. She has memorized the Dewey Decimal System, and reviews it on her way. She ends up being late for the interview because she stops to read a book. “Reading is dangerous,” says Miss Reeder, the Directress. She understands. Odile is awarded the...
City news: Housing and Development head retires
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Hoyt announces retirement Concord Housing and Redevelopment Executive Director John Hoyt has announced his decision to retire after nearly two decades of serving the housing needs of the greater Concord area and leading the charge in the...
Multicultural Festival set for next week
The countdown to Concord’s annual Multicultural Festival is on. The annual event is in a new location this year and will be held at Keach Park on Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Welcoming Week will run Sept. 10 to 19, concluding with the festival. It offers an opportunity for organizations and communities to bring together immigrants, refugees, and long-time residents to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming...
Entertainment week of Sept. 9
Live Music Sept. 9 State Street Combo at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Drum Circle at Area 23 at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 R&B Dignity at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Odd Project at Penuche’s. $5 cover, 21+ Brad Myrick at SHARA Vineyards at 6 p.m. Carbon Leaf at Bank of N.H. Stage at 8 p.m. $25+ Sept. 11 Gerry Beaudoin at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Blues Bros. Tribute at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Jam at Area 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. Kyle Klose at Penuche’s. $5 cover, 21+...
The Unkindness of Ravens
The Unkindness of Ravens By M. E. Hilliard (329 pages, mystery, 2021) Greer Hogan is a librarian working in the village of Raven Hill, New York. The Public Library there is in an interesting old manor house, complete with a “Raven Room” as the kids call it – Horatio Ravenscroft’s study, with beautiful, leather-bound books and a huge stuffed raven. Greer left a high-paying job in New York City after the tragic death of her young...
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Gasholder discussion The Concord Historical Society will be hosting a special presentation about Concord’s Historic Gasholder on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. The program will include a brief history of the Gasholder by Historic Preservationist Elizabeth Hengen and an overview of the Gasholder’s current status and future plans by Jennifer Goodman, Director of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. There will be ample time for questions from...
The Bear Who Shared
The Bear Who Shared By Catherine Rayner (children’s fiction, 2011) Norris is a wise bear. He is waiting for the last ripe fruit, a plorringe, to fall. But lively Tulip and Violet are waiting, too. The fruit “smells of honey and sunny days.” It looks and smells delicious. Who will get to taste it when it falls? This is a charming picture book about sharing (even when you are the biggest and strongest, and don’t have to), and making new...
City news: New pollinator garden in White Park
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Pollinator garden A huge shout out and thank you to the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law students who volunteered to help with our second pollinator garden in White Park. Parks employees David and Chris were on hand to help. We love our...
