Bulletin Board:
Ty Gagne to speak at NHTI On Feb. 15, 2015, Kate Matrosova, an avid mountaineer, set off before sunrise for a traverse of the Northern Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Late the following day, rescuers carried her frozen body out of the mountains amid some of the worst weather ever recorded on these deceptively rugged slopes. At 32, Matrosova was ultra-fit and healthy and had already summited much larger mountains...
An enduring melody
For the InsiderThe ship left Galway under a heavy fog. The light rain coating the already slick surface of the sailing ship destined for the port of Boston. Between the many passengers stood four young Irishmen destined for America, Martin, James, Michael and Thomas. The indentured servants were destined for the next chapter in their short and difficult lives. Their passage was paid for by an investor and all four of the young men...
Around Town: Missing kidney poster spotted in True Brew bathroom
It’s been quite a long time since we found something weird around town worth taking a picture of and running in the paper. At long last, that drought is over, courtesy of this gem here.During a stop into True Brew Barista last week, a call of nature sent us to the unisex bathroom. Upon entering, an alarming sign was posted on the wall, impossible to miss: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS KIDNEY?We’ve all seen lost dog and lost cat (and lost bonsai...
City news: Spring activities around Concord
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:Weatherize ConcordThe City of Concord is pleased to announce the launch of Weatherize Concord, a campaign to increase participation by Concord homes and businesses in weatherization and energy efficiency programs administered by NH Saves...
Entertainment: Double doses of Morris, Franzosa at Hermanos this week
MusicTuesdayMike Morris at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m.Liz Hogg at Rattlebox Studio at 7:30 p.m.WednesdayBryan Killough at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m.Open mic at Area 23 at 7 p.m.Scott Kirby, Gary Green and Bob Doolittle at Concord City Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.ThursdayMike Morris at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m.Ryan Williamson at Cheers at 5 p.m.Hometown Eulogy at Penuche’s at 9 p.m.FridayBrick Yard Blues Band at Makris Lobster & Steak...
Book: Lesson is writing a new world
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative FictionBy Jeff VanderMeer(323 pages, nonfiction, 2013)Looking for some advanced fiction writing techniques? This book has everything from worldbuilding to properly using beats. All packaged between wonky illustrations that will make you wonder if you ended up in one of Tim Burton’s stories. Written for authors by authors with all the twisted imaginings you would expect from the...
Ahead of talent show, homeless resource center to host open house May 1
Ahead of the Oct. 5 talent show fundraiser, the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness is inviting interested businesses and individuals to drop by an open house at the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness resource center, 238 N. Main St., on May 1 at 5 p.m.At the open house, guests will have the opportunity to visit the Resource Center, Emergency Winter Shelter and hear brief comments about how the coalition is working with the...
Book: Little Blue Chair is delightful
Little Blue Chair By Cary Fagan, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper (Children’s picture boOk, 2016) A child outgrows his little blue chair, so it sits in a pawn shop until it catches the eye of a woman who uses it as a plant stand—until her plant too outgrows the little chair. Free on her lawn, the chair next finds a ship captain to bring it on board…. Cyclical and sweet, this story follows a chair as it is passed...
Break out those prom dresses, moms – it’s time for the 7th annual Mom Prom
Time to dig out your old prom dresses, wedding dresses, or anything that makes you happy, ladies – all for a great cause.The 7th Annual Concord Mom Prom, which will take place Friday, May 3, from 7 to 11:30 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Drive, will again benefit Hearts for Kindness, a Concord organization. Tickets are $48 and available at Your Closet Resale Boutique, 7 N. Main St., or online at...
Book: Plucky ducky is shipwrecked
The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred FiddleducklingBy Timothy Basil Ering(picture book, 2017)This plucky little duckling survives a storm at sea, plucking the strings of a fiddle shipwrecked alongside him. The sound draws others toward him, rescuing all who hear in this simple story of the magic of music and the power of love. The unique storyline pairs well with the gentle, whimsical pictures, representative of the plot without...
On Display: ‘Patterns’ exhibit at League of NH Craftsmen
The League of N.H. Craftsmen headquarters on South Main Street is displaying an exhibit called “Patterns,” featuring the work of juried League members. “The League represents the highest quality craftsmanship and innovation, and this exhibition does not disappoint,” according to a press release. “Juried members have stepped up to the challenge of a specific theme and each has made it his or her own in surprising, unpredictable, and...
Some author events to join in online
Danny CaineDanny Caine will visit Gibson’s Bookstore virtually on March 23 at 7 p.m. to share the updated version of his popular pamphlet, How to Resist Amazon and Why, newly expanded from 20 pages to 128! When a company’s workers are literally dying on the job, when their business model relies on preying on local businesses and even their own vendors, when their CEO is literally the richest person in the world while their workers...
On the Road: The ‘Insider’ takes a trip to Iceland
It had been quite some time since a reader had submitted a photo of the Insider in some exotic location, but Melanie Doiron of Gilmanton came through big time last week with this shot. Doiron took a copy of the Trees Issue with her to Reykjavikur Hotsprings in Iceland on April 15, and it looks like quite a spot. Thanks for bringing us along, and nice shot!Are you going somewhere exotic, picturesque or just cool any time soon? If so,...
This week in Concord history
March 18, 1949: Concord native Edward H. Brooks wins promotion to lieutenant general in the U.S. Army. From a second lieutenant of cavalry during World War I through his post-World War II service in the Caribbean, Brooks has had a distinguished military career. He won the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in World War I and the Silver Star, Bronze Star and French Croix de Guerre, among other decorations, during World War II....
Book of the Week: ‘The Black Ascot’
The Black Ascot Charles Todd 2019, 342 pages Mystery/Fiction This mystery is set in England in 1921. Inspector Rutledge is a World War I veteran, and is a complex and intriguing character.Inspector Rutledge is given some new information about a 10-year-old murder. Alan Barrington was a suspect in a murder involving the crash of a motor car after the Black Ascot. (The race was called the Black Ascot because everyone was in mourning...
City News: Road limits posted for mud season
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: Fix a Leak Week Join Concord General Services in celebrating EPA WaterSense’s Fix a Leak Week, March 15-21, 2021. More than 10,000 gallons of water are wasted in the average household each year from leaks. Sometimes leaks can be silent...
This Week in Concord History
April 23, 1843: Convinced that the end of the world is near, a considerable number of people in Concord and elsewhere neglect all worldly business and give themselves up to prayer. A few become insane, some destitute. April 23, 1945: Thirteen-year-old Larry West of Concord is killed with a 12-gauge shotgun. The weapon discharges accidentally while he is climbing a tree to shoot a porcupine. April 24, 1853: Miffed that Franklin Pierce,...
March is the month to visit a sugarhouse
There may still be snow on the ground, but the weather is turning warmer, which means it’s maple season in New England.Festivities for March’s maple month are more muted in 2021 compared to the usual hype as the country hits the year-mark of dealing the novel coronavirus.But, there’s still plenty of places planning to celebrate the sap flowing.Sugarhouses will have their own COVID protocols for visiting and/or buying during the...
Spring is here, so it’s time to get outside and start cleaning up
We’re into late April now, and the snow and frost are hopefully gone for good – or at least until about October or so. That means there are no excuses left to avoid doing that essential spring yard work. While it might still be a little mucky out there in some spots, the spring thaw has been underway for some time now, and you’re probably already seeing some buds peek up through the soil. And, if you’re like me, you probably still...
A WWII mystery
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight MurdersBy Tessa Arlen(311 pages, historical mystery, 2019)Poppy Redfern trains to be an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden in war-torn East London during the Blitz. She returns to her small village of Little Buffenden to be a ARP Warden there. She patrols the village to make sure that everyone is keeping to the blackout, keeping their lights hidden. If the lights are hidden it is much harder for the...
Gearing up for a sappy season
We have heard the p-word (pandemic) incessantly over the past year; however, that word means nothing to Mother Nature. Our maple trees are still in the woods, the sap will still flow, and we will be making a new crop of maple syrup very soon. Politics, viruses, and even snowstorms will not stop the sap from flowing from our maple trees in February, March, and April. The drought last summer may affect the amount of sap, but it...
The ‘Insider’ gets a rare interview with World Series hero David Ortiz
It isn’t too often that the Insider gets the chance to interview a world champion. Sure, two-time NBA champion and Concord native Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs famously hung out with the previous Insider regime in 2014, hitting up some of the basketball star’s favorite local spots with the championship trophy in tow. Bonner also invited the Insider to hang out with him in July 2015 during his youth basketball camp at Rundlett...
This week in Concord history
March 11, 1952: Sen. Estes Kefauver’s grass-roots presidential campaign pays off, as he upsets President Truman, who campaigned through surrogates, in the first modern New Hampshire primary. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower easily wins the Republican victory over Sen. Robert O. Taft and two other candidates.March 11, 1734: Its right to self-government recognized seven years after the first white settlers arrive, Rumford in Essex County,...
Concord musician Brad Myrick has a new album out, and an event coming up
Concord musician Brad Myrick lives a pretty busy life. When he isn’t managing operations at Strings & Things Music, he’s booking and promoting shows through his venture New Hampshire Music Collective. When he’s not doing that, he’s usually touring – here in the Granite State, in Italy, in India, in Chile. In between all that musical activity, he has also found time to hit the studio with his playing partner Nicola Cirpriani to...
Plenty to do online or in person
Bow nativepresents novelJessica Olson returns virtually to her hometown bookstore on March 17 at 7 p.m. to present her debut novel, Sing Me Forgotten, a YA fantasy, gender-swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera! She is joined in conversation by Adalyn Grace, author of All the Stars and Teeth.Purchases of Sing Me Forgotten from Gibson’s Bookstore will also include a free signed bookplate and themed art print!Registration is...
Rob Azevedo to release book ‘Notes From the Last Breath Farm’ at NEC Concord
Fans and members of the local music scene are probably pretty familiar with Rob Azevedo. The Manchester resident does quite a bit – he hosts the Granite State of Mind radio show on WKXL, as well as the Listening Room Music Series at NEC Concord. He has also written music-themed columns for papers such as the Monitor, and he’s written six short films, including Muddy, winner of the Best of the Festival award at the 2011 SNOB Film...
City news: Winter activities coming to a close
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:New fire chiefSean Brown will take over as Fire Chief effective Feb. 28. Fire Chief Guy Newbery retired on Feb. 27.Brown has been with the Concord Fire Department since 1995, where he started as a Firefighter/EMT. In 2007, he was promoted...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Beaver Meadow opens, hydrant flushing and more
Last Friday, the city’s public information officer, Stefanie Breton, sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter. There was too much to fit into this space, but you can see the full newsletter by going to concordnh.com and clicking on the Newsletter button on the home page. Beaver Meadow Golf Course opens Last Tuesday night’s snowfall scuttled plans to open Wednesday, but Beaver Meadow Golf Course staff spent Thursday finishing...
Debut novel mirrors reality
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous By Ocean Vuong(246 page, fiction, 2019) Ocean Vuong’s 2019 debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, is at once haunting, heartbreaking, beautiful, and poetical. In fact, it should come to no surprise to readers that Vuong’s previous work was largely poetry; the lyricism with which he paints his characters and their surroundings is striking.At the same time, the novel reads like a non-linear memoir,...
Entertainment: A ton of live music to be heard in Concord this Easter week
From now on, there will be no intro to these entertainment listings. That’s all! Music Tuesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Dave Gerard at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Open mic at Area 23 at 7 p.m. Voice department recital at Concord Community Music School at 7 p.m. Don White at Concord City Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday Richard Gardzina at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Karen Grenier at Cheers at 5 p.m. Zooo Crew...
