Gorgeous journey
Take Your Time A Tale of Harriet, the Galápagos Tortoise By Eva Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Laurel Molk (children’s fiction, 2017) Harriet the Galápagos Tortoise travels to see the world, swimming and walking for months on end, meeting all manner of wonderful creatures, great and small. Some push her to pedal faster, but her pace allows her ample time for observation and enjoyment.These simple and striking illustrations...
The Yogi: There’s a lot more to yoga than just stretching and holding poses
Mindful? Or Mind Full? Last week in this column, I wrote about yoga as movement, and the importance of moving your body in a modern life that has us stuck in a chair, slumped on a couch and staring at a screen. When asked, “What is yoga?” you might think about stretching, or holding a familiar yoga posture, or bending into an uncomfortable position – moving your body in ways or positions you may not think of as natural. As I wrote...
A book for apprehensive little readers
Madeline Finn and the Library DogBy Lisa Papp(children’s fiction, 2016)“I do NOT like to read!” asserts Madeline Finn. She tries to read but can’t figure the words; sentences get stuck in her mouth; classmates giggle.Then one day dogs come to the library to read with children. Bonnie the dog is the best audience for Madeline Finn, patiently and lovingly listening as Madeline painstakingly makes words out of the letters before her, and...
Bulletin Board: Spring leaf collection, Discover Wild NH Day and more
Discover WILD N.H. Day is Saturday Discover WILD New Hampshire Day, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s most popular free community event of the year, is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Fish and Game Department at 11 Hazen Drive in Concord. Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is a fun way for the whole family to explore New Hampshire’s wildlife resources and legacy of outdoor traditions. Browse...
This week in Concord history
March 4, 1777: Concord’s town meeting votes to “break off all dealings” with attorney Peter Green, Dr. Phillip Carrigain and merchants John Stevens and Nathaniel Green. Although the four are among 156 area men who have signed the Association Test, an oath of loyalty to the Patriot cause, they are suspected of being Tories.March 4, 1834: Mill workers in Dover and Newmarket walk out at mid-morning, the first work stoppage in New...
High school poets to be featured at Gibson’s Bookstore event
The Poetry Society of New Hampshire returns to Gibson’s Bookstore! This month, National Poetry Month, their meeting casts a spotlight on high school and middle school poets reading their work. Any middle/high-schooler is invited to come to Gibson’s on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and read poems of their own choice – memorized poems, poems that they have written or poems that they like. (Please note, this open mic is for students to perform...
Read book before Netflix serial
Shadow and BoneBy Leigh Bardugo(358 pages, YA fantasy, 2012)Sent to cross the Shadow Fold, Alina and her regiment are attacked by the monster predators therein. A strange light emanates from Alina, momentarily warding off the mutants and allowing a hasty retreat back to safety, but Alina’s life as a mediocre map-maker will never be the same. Her newly awakened magic may be just what her country needs to free itself from the darkness...
Book of the Week: Not a book review, but a review of RB Digital, an app for reading magazines
RB Digital app Online magazine reader Available for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire With 60-plus popular magazines to choose from, Concord Publi Library’s electronic magazine service through RB Digital has something for everyone. Some examples include Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Food Network, Highlights, National Geographic, ESPN and Cosmo. The magazines are always available, so no waiting in line, and there is no limit to the number of...
Digital art display
New Hampshire Art Association digital artist William Townsend will have his work on display in an exhibit titled, “Transformations: Nature And Beyond,” at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center beginning March 23.The images in Townsend’s exhibit began as photographs of natural objects. The photographs serve as the primary material for the transformations of line, form and color through the use of digital tools and...
CYPN: Tabitha Dunn is the Young Professional of the Month
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network introduces you to our Young Professional of the Month, Tabitha Dunn. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better.Where do you live? Tilton.Where do you currently work? Girls Inc. of NH. We are an after-school and summer camp facility, where we inspire girls to be...
Mud Season Sampler a fully virtual season
Last week we let you know of a project to record local bands at the Bank of N.H. Stage that will be streamed as virtual shows. Since then, the Bank of N.H. Stage has released its schedule for the Mud Season Sampler, a winter/spring season of shows you can watch from home that will support the theater in your hometown. Local Bands Mixer, Side A will feature the recording sessions of The Special Guests with Lucas Gallo, Andrew North...
This Week in Concord History
April 16, 1965: After a major organizing and fundraising effort by, among others, Dudley Orr, Russell Martin, Malcolm McLane and figure-skating Police Chief Walter Carlson, construction begins on the ice hockey rink that will become Everett Arena. April 16, 1967: The governor and Executive Council approve the state’s acquisition of 224.5 acres of marshland off Hoit Road in East Concord for a fish and wildlife preserve. April 17,...
Plenty of winter fun around the capital city
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: Outdoor dining begins April 1 During their February meeting, City Council approved the renewal of temporary expanded outdoor dining once again in the City of Concord. This temporary program is an effort by the Council to address the...
Spring Guide Concord: Your guide to the capital city’s can’t-miss spring 2019 events
Welcome to the 2019 Spring Guide – Concord edition. Over the next two pages, you’ll learn about the signature spring events the capital city has to offer. These are all family-friendly activities, and several of them are completely free. This roundup focuses on seasonal events, so you won’t see traditional concerts or plays. The statewide guide can be found here. April 13 Spring Fair at United Church: The annual United Church of...
This week in Concord history
Feb. 18, 1942: Gov. Robert O. Blood urges coal and fuel oil conservation to aid the war effort. Homes should be heated to no higher than 65 degrees, he says. Feb. 18, 1842: The radical and conservative factions of the Democratic Party brawl in Concord’s town hall over control of a party caucus. An observer, Henry McFarland, writes that “seats and desks were smashed, wigs flew in the dusty air, and bloody noses were seen on most...
Spring Guide NH: Here are some spring highlights going on across the Granite State
Welcome to the 2019 Spring Guide – statewide edition. The following several pages lay out as many fun, springy events across the Granite State as we could find. This is by no means everything that is going on – it’s probably less than half – but we only have so much space. The events listed here are primarily seasonal, family-oriented, one-off events. In other words, you’ll find things like holiday meals, festivals, community...
Bulletin board: Poetry and performance in the capital city
Poetry evening Gibson’s Bookstore will host a virtual night of verse with poet Arisa White on March 9 at 7 p.m. Her new collection, Who’s Your Daddy, is a lyrical, genre-bending coming-of-age tale featuring a queer, Black, Guyanese American woman who, while seeking to define her own place in the world, negotiates an estranged relationship with her father. She is joined in reading by poet Dara Wier, whose next collection of poems,...
Making Good Health Simple: Spring cleaning: It’s good for your health (it’s true!)
Just as bears hibernate for the winter, so does hardcore cleaning. The open-the-windows-because-it-smells-like-bleach kind of cleaning. I’ll admit it, when it’s dark before you drive home from work, it is natural to order take-out on the nights you’re not eating homemade mac and cheese. But, alas, spring is making its debut, and with natural sunlight comes the clarity of dust and cobwebs. The horrifying realization of how unclean your...
Poetry: Life
Life is to be lived, time spent and invested wise, perhaps we are not all frugal, living our days under blue skies. Some may look but they do not see, make sure you see what is seen, love those you choose to love, embrace life don’t be mean. Walk under the sun, before you pass the shade of the tree, measure wealth in a different way, just look back and you will see. Remember those special moments, hold them close to your heart, take...
The Yogi: There’s never a bad time to get into yoga
Yoga or exercise: Which is it? The human body is designed to move. Our spines, like our bodies, are designed to move in all directions. Contrary to popular belief, our bodies are not really designed to sit on the couch on Sunday afternoons and watch the Patriots dismantle opponents. In fact, all that soft furniture on which we’re sitting and reclining is part of the problem. It’s a strange paradox in our modern world: as we get...
Beauty in a business book
Brand Brilliance By Fiona Huberstone (272 pages, nonfiction, 2017) Who are you? What do you stand for? How do you want to be remembered? These types of questions go into making your personal brand. Whether you want to brand yourself or your business, this book has everything you need. And best of all there are pictures! Most business books drudge on with just black and white text until your eyes glaze over. This one is full of big...
Bulletin Board: Comedy Club, cooking workshop and more
VNA offers Grief Goes to the Movies Concord Regional VNA and Concord Public Library offer a “Grief Goes to the Movies” program on Tuesday, April 9 at 2 p.m. at Concord Public Library. This evening’s movie is Collateral Beauty (1 hour, 37 minutes; rated PG-13). Join us as we learn about, explore, and discuss grief and its impact on our lives through the use of popular films. Movies are followed by a short discussion of food-for-thought...
Looking back: My grandfather became a legend
It was the fall of 1892, the forest surrounding Concord was home to many hunters. They traversed the wooded land from North State Street, up over Rattlesnake Hill and onto the sloping hills above Long Pond. The air was chilled and the forest ablaze with the vibrant colors of fall foliage. If I close my eyes, I can imagine the scene my grandfather spoke of from his past. Enjoying a rare day where he did not work at the quarry,...
Entertainment: Wild Kratts bring their wild antics to the Cap Center
With so much going on, there’s no room for a real intro! Music Tuesday Paul Lovely at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Camerata New England at Concord City Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday Senie Hunt at Barley House at 8 p.m. April Cushman at Cheers at 5 p.m. Will Hatch at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Bach’s Lunch Concert: Jazz Guitar Generations at Concord Community Music School at 12:10...
Bulletin board: Virtual programs and new art exhibit on view
Fitness book to help young people Dr. Dan O’Neill will visit Gibson’s Bookstore virtually Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. to share his new book, Survival of the Fit: How Physical Education Ensures Academic Achievement and a Healthy Life and discuss how we can set up our young students to get the most out of their education and get ahead in life. Young people in America are facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions – yet no one is...
City Manager’s Newsletter: School Street garage update, steam line installation 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.School Street garage updateBeginning this week, structural steel repairs will begin on the first floor of the School Street garage. This will result in temporary parking...
Andrew North’s new album
No stranger to recording music on a tight schedule, Andrew North recently released a new quarantine “live” album on Feb. 5. Flannelog, Vol. 1, so named for the flannel shirts Andrew loves to sport while performing shows on his YouTube channel, is a collection of live tracks that he recorded in his basement studio. Andrew North is a pianist and singer, who’s been spotted performing around the Concord and Burlington, Vt., areas as a...
This Week in Concord History
April 9, 1975: State representatives from Concord say they have mixed feelings about a plan by Gov. Mel Thomson to convert the Pleasant View home into a treatment center for the criminally insane. (It won’t happen.) April 9, 1991: After two consecutive days when the temperature reached 85 degrees, Concord settles for a high of 77. It’s apparently a big year for hot streaks: The city enjoyed another historic heat wave at the beginning...
During ‘pause,’ Bank of N.H. Stage presses ‘record’
Though restrictions on large gatherings have kept the box office closed for some time now, all has not been silent at the Bank of N.H. Stage. Ten local bands partnered with the Capitol Center for the Arts to record a few songs at the smaller of the Capitol Center’s venues. The recording will be edited into a pair of mini-concerts with a mix from the bands. Joe Gleason, assistant executive director, said earlier in the winter, musician...
Book of the Week: ‘The Library Book’
The Library BookSusan Orlean2018, 317 pagesNonfiction In 1986, “the most catastrophic library fire in American history occurred at the Los Angeles Central Library. Burning for more than seven hours, it consumed 400,000 books and damaged another 700,000.” Susan Orlean writes in detail about the day of the fire, how the fire grew to burn so hot, and how it destroyed so many books. For a book lover, it is very hard to read this part. She...
