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...
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,...
