Poem: They
The sun sets, on this hallowed little hill, people come and visit, again, and again till. They stop and remember, recall the days from the past, wish life was more forgiving, from the first day to the last. They take the time to reflect, some, they do pray, talk to those departed, wish they were not away. They smile as they recall, planting a flower while on a knee, only remember the best moments, old thoughts of what might be. They...
Book: Poe: Stories and Poems: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Poe: Stories and Poems: A Graphic Novel Adaptation By Gareth Hinds (103 pages, graphic novel, 2017) If this book had been around when I was in middle school, I most certainly would have had a copy of it on my nightstand. In this graphic novel adaptation, artist Gareth Hinds illustrates some of the most beloved Edgard Allan Poe stories (The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart)...
Book: Fiends on the Other Side
Fiends on the Other Side By Vera Strange (202 pages, juvenile fiction, 2020) This quick read is for those who like books about magic and shadows coming to life. This children’s suspense book about a Disney villain reads a lot like Goosebumps. The villain, the Shadow Man, will intrigue you. From his purple dust to the way words twist off his tongue. And why does he want the necklace Jamal’s Grandmother left him when she died? It’ll...
Bulletin board: Find something to entertain yourself
Virtual event launches ‘In the Heights’ Before Hamilton became a global phenomenon, before Lin-Manuel Miranda became a household name, a little show called In the Heights shook up Broadway with its hip-hop and salsa soundtrack and big, bilingual heart. In the new book In the Heights: Finding Home, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter tell the story of the show’s humble beginnings, from rehearsals in a...
City news: Enjoy biking around capital
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 news and projects Face covering ordinance: The City of Concord’s face coverings ordinance expired on June 1, 2021. City Council encourages anyone eligible to get vaccinated and to continue to follow the recommendations set forth by...
This week in Concord history
June 4, 2001: The Concord School Board approves a policy prohibiting students on sports teams or in clubs from attending gatherings where other students are using alcohol or drugs. If students are caught – regardless of whether they were drinking or getting high – they, along with a parent or guardian, will have to meet with a school counselor to discuss the risks associated with alcohol and drug abuse. June 4, 1819: A great...
Exhibit: Great and small adventure
New Hampshire Art Association artist Sarah Cail will have her photographs on display in an exhibit titled, “Images made from Adventures Great and Small,” at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center beginning June 22.When Cail first came up with the title of her show almost a year ago, she said she could not have predicted that she would have a gallery showing of photographs created from very small adventures.She was...
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen By Ana Whitelock (402 pages, nonfiction, 2009) You may have heard of her, Mary, “Bloody Mary.” Not to be confused with the urban legend. Though this Mary does have blood on her hands. How could someone burn 300 people and yet wash the feet of the poor? Mary Tudor is a contrasting character. She is pious to the utmost. Loyal to her husband. Kind in her faith. But go against her faith or her...
Growing Old
Growing Old By Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (224 pages, biography, 2020) Although we don’t like to think about it, we all grow older. Maybe you are on that threshold or know someone who is already there. Wherever you may be in the process, you will enjoy Elizabeth Marshall Thomas’ humor on the subject of growing old with grace and dignity. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is a New Hampshire author. She has spent her life observing animal...
Andrew North and the Rangers create album
New Hampshire indie band Andrew North and the Rangers released their new single, Aditi, and announced their debut full-length LP, Phosphorescent Snack, arriving on July 30. The new song is whimsical and upbeat and showcases the band’s instrumental dexterity. The lyrics are based on a silly conversation that Andrew had with his then 2-year-old son.“I love being a dad and just getting to be goofy,” says North “My son and I were talking...
Bulletin board
Vape book author event Jamie Ducharme returns to Concord virtually June 2 at 7 p.m. to present a fast-paced and impressively researched account of the history and rise of e-cigarettes, in Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul. She is joined in conversation by Time magazine editor at large Jeffrey Kluger (Apollo 13, Holdout). Jamie will be in New Hampshire the week of June 7, and will be happy to sign and personalize any orders that...
City newsletter: Football camp with Patriots alums
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: Meetings Finance Committee: May 27, 5:30 p.m., FY 2022 Budget Review: Community Development, Leisure Services, Human Services, Capital Improvement Program; June 3, 5:30 p.m., FY 2022 Budget Review: Special Revenue Funds (Project...
This week in Concord history
May 27, 1861: After enlisting 71 men in Contoocookville, Joab N. Patterson takes them to Portsmouth, where most will join the Second New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry for three years’ service in the Civil War. Lt. Patterson, who recently graduated from Dartmouth at age 25, will fight in 24 engagements from First Bull Run to Appomattox Court House, rising to the rank of brevet brigadier general. May 27, 1727: New Hampshire’s...
Book: Stargazer
By Anne Hillerman (316 pages, mystery, 2021) Navajo Police Officer Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito is having a fairly routine day. But it quickly takes a turn for the worse. She goes to serve a warrant and bring a man in, and she has to maneuver around some stray cattle. Loose cattle can create dangerous situations if they wander onto a road. So she calls that in. Then she comes across a horrible crime scene. She helps one victim and...
The Long Call
By Ann Cleeves (374 pages, mystery, 2019) We first meet Detective Matthew Venn standing outside of the church where his father’s funeral is taking place. He is sure that he is not welcome inside. Matthew grew up in a strict evangelical family; they belonged to the Barum Brethren. When he rejected the church as a young man, he was ostracized. Matthew gets a call from work. A man’s body has been found on the beach. He has no ID on him,...
Hope Resource Center: A place of angels
Hope Resource Center at the Payson Center for Cancer was, and still is, the kind of support I need to get me through the hardest time of my life. Diagnosed with Her2+ breast cancer in January 2018 did not seem real. Fear, anxiety, confusion and despair, left me in a daze. The thought of chemotherapy, surgery and medications was overwhelming. I was determined to have some control and go as natural as possible while getting the...
Bulletin Board
Farmers market The Penacook Community Market will run starting in June on Mondays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on the front lawn of 88 Village St., Concord, the Making Matters makerspace. After shopping from the farmers market, you can take an open house tour of the makerspace. Author event New Hampshire historian Glenn Knoblock visits Gibson’s Bookstore virtually on May 26 at 7 p.m. to present Hidden History of Lake Winnipesaukee. From the...
Rock ‘N Race returns with modifications
COVID -19 canceled last year’s live Rock ‘N Race, but didn’t stop our community from participating virtually and supporting the Payson Center for Cancer Care/HOPE Resource Center. The Race will also look different this year. It will start and end at Memorial Field on May 22, with runners and walkers participating throughout the day. Music and food will be more limited than in years past. But Rock ‘N Race, presented by Merrimack County...
City news: Football clinic with the Patriots
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 meetings Finance Committee: May 20, 5:30 p.m., city manager’s fiscal year 2022 budget presentation; May 24, 5:30 p.m., fiscal year 2022 budget review: General Government (Administration), Public Safety, General Services; May 27,...
Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis
By Elin Kelsey (229 pages, nonfiction, 2020) This is an interesting book, with a bit of a different take on environmentalism. Elin Kelsey’s purpose is not to make the case that the natural world is in a state of crisis; she takes this as a given, citing evidence from scientists, governments, and NGOs relating to issues such as climate change, mass extinction, and air and water pollution. Instead, the aim of this book is to...
This week in Concord history
May 20, 1775: Meeting in Exeter a month and a day after the battle of Lexington, New Hampshire’s Provincial Congress resolves to raise 2,000 men in three regiments. It also passes a tax of 3,000 pounds to pay the soldiers. May 20, 1727: A charter is granted to the town of Chichester. May 21, 2001: Senior Jake Zielinski pitches a six-inning perfect game as Pembroke defeats Coe-Brown, 10-0. May 21, 1913: The...
Author events
Rom com rompIt’s a rom-com party event! Meredith Tate and Cameron Lund visit Gibson’s Bookstore virtually on May 20 at 7 p.m. to present their new young adult novels, Shipped, and Heartbreakers and Faker. It’s enemies to lovers and faking dating tropes all the way through tonight. Tate grew up in Concord, where she fell in love with her two passions: writing and traveling. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the...
City newsletter: Be cautious with water usage
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:Drought conditionsAs of May 6, recent rain made minor drought improvements to southern areas of the state. All of New Hampshire continues to experience drought conditions, with 67.12% being abnormally dry and 32.88% being in a moderate...
Pierce Manse opens for summer season
The Pierce Manse, the historic Concord home of New Hampshire’s only U.S. President, Franklin Pierce, will re-open for guided tours on May 27. The Manse will be open Thursday through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October. Visitors and tour guides alike are required to wear a face covering and to follow social distancing guidelines during the tour.Franklin Pierce was President of the United States from 1853 to 1857 and is the only...
Entertainment: A double dose of John Franzosa at Hermanos, plus lots of other fun stuff this week
Music Tuesday Craig Fahey at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Andrew Merzi at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Mike Morris at Cheers at 5 p.m. Friday Shameless at Makris Lobster & Steak House at 8 p.m. Nuff Said at Pit Road Lounge at 8 p.m. Rhythm Upstairs at True Brew Barista at 8 p.m. Fugue Mill at Hatbox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $17 at hatboxnh.com. Saturday John...
This week in Concord history
May 13, 1726: A group of Massachusetts colonists with a royal land grant arrive to settle Penny Cook. They find Judge Sewall, the first white settler, living on his 500-acre tract on the east side of the Merrimack. May 13, 1774: The New Hampshire Gazette of Portsmouth reports that the king has closed the port of Boston. May 13, 1974: Gov. Mel Thomson advises all secretaries in his office to cease use of the title “Ms.” in official...
Book of the Week: ‘Finding Dorothy’
Finding DorothyElizabeth Letts2019, 351 pagesFiction This creative novel is centered on the fascinating character of Maud Baum. Maud was the wife of L. Frank Baum, the man who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This famous book was made into the beloved film, The Wizard of Oz. It starts in Hollywood in 1938 when 77-year-old Maud, now a widow, visits the MGM set. She wants to see how they are turning her husband’s book into a film. She...
A WWII cooking contest
The Kitchen FrontBy Jennifer Ryan(416 pages, fiction, 2021)The year is 1942 in England and the country is reeling from Germany’s attacks. The Blitz is going on in London, and people there and in the countryside are constantly on the lookout for enemy bombers. Losses of men – husbands, fathers, brothers and sons – are terrible, and hardships mount. Many foods are rationed. Some examples: each person is limited to four ounces of bacon,...
Lace ‘em up for a good cause and hit up the 2019 Rock ‘N Race
It’s that time of year again. Birds are chirping, days are getting longer, the air is (very) slowly but surely getting warmer, outdoor patio sets are occupying sidewalk space – it can only mean one thing. Yes, it’s time for the 2019 Rock ‘N Race. The road race is one of the biggest community events in Concord, and for good reason – Rock ‘N Race is a big fundraiser for the Payson Center for Cancer Care at Concord Hospital. In the 16...
Braiding Sweetgrass
Braiding Sweetgrass Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants By Robin Wall Kimmerer (390 pages, nonfiction, 2013) Braiding Sweetgrass is beautiful, urgent, and brimming with wisdom. In this book, Robin Wall Kimmerer examines humans’ relationship to the natural world, as informed by her experiences as an indigenous woman (she is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation) and a botanist and professor of...
