This week in Concord history
Feb. 4, 1908: In Concord, the St. Paul’s School ice hockey team defeats the Harvard freshmen 9-1. Captain Hobey Baker “played a wonderful game,” scoring three goals, the Monitor reports. Baker will later become a college hockey star, and the trophy awarded to the nation’s best male collegiate player each year will one day bear his name. Feb. 4, 1932: Skating on an outside rink in a preliminary match at the Olympic Games in Lake...
Making Good Health Simple: Paying attention – it’s easier said than done
Have you ever gotten a new car (or someone close to you did) and in the following week you seem to see that same exact make, model and color car practically everywhere you go? You’re scratching your head thinking, did 50 people in the surrounding towns purchase that same car this week? You know that can’t be possible, yet that is what you see – gunmetal gray GMC Yukons everywhere. Do you know why this occurs? It is not because there...
Poetry: Once
For the Monitor There was once an old barn, on the road near my home, boards weathered by past storms, overgrown fields where horses did roam. The rusted tin roof atop, sheltering from the floor to the loft, protecting all the farmer owned, the memory of the hay so soft. The years finally claimed the barn, slowly over many winters’ past, where there once was, some things just don’t last....
City Manager’s Newsletter: Beaver Meadow driving range is open, plus other fun stuff
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 driving range open Happy spring! If you’ve been missing outdoor golf, we are happy to announce that the driving range at Beaver Meadow Golf Course is now...
Series continues
How to Raise an Elephant By Alexander McCall Smith (242 pages, mystery, 2020) Precious Ramotswe, owner of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, loves her little white van, even though it is old and doesn’t go very fast. It gets her to where she needs to go and is like an old friend. When her assistant Charlie asks her for the loan of her van, she lends it willingly. But Charlie is evasive about what he needs the van for. He says that he...
Entertainment: Concord Community Music School’s Community Music Fest highlights a musical week
We’ve got a pretty nice week of entertainment here in the first week of April. On the music side, Concord Community Music School holds its all-day Community Music Fest on Saturday, offering up all kinds of chances to both listen to and create sweet sounds. Then, later that evening, ’80s and ’90s legend Paul Reiser, star of Mad About You, among many other big-time Hollywood productions, will do a comedy show at the Capitol Center for...
Book: Mystery aboard
The Devil and the Dark Water By Stuart Turton (463 pages, mystery, 2020) The Devil and the Dark Water is a delightful take on the classic locked-room mystery — with this “locked room” taking the form of a Dutch East India trading ship traveling from Batavia (present-day Indonesia) to Amsterdam. No sooner has the galleon left port, than the strange goings-on begin. A supposedly-dead leper appears out of nowhere and curses all...
Gibson’s Bookstore to host Open Discussion Project on Monday
Reasonable people of all political persuasions view the increased polarization of our politics with dismay. Too often, we’re only talking to people who agree with us. Anyone who doesn’t agree is an idiot, a troll or a monster. This “siloing” of ideas and experiences undercuts our nation’s ability to address urgent problems and take necessary actions. This isn’t just a left vs.right issue. It has corrupted the internal politics of both...
OLLI class registrations opens soon
OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, at Granite State College recently announced that there will be 81 affordable, non-credit courses offered on Zoom during the 2021 spring term which begins on Feb. 22. OLLI courses range from single sessions to six-sessions in categories such as: history, politics, arts and literature, philosophy and religion, computer and personal skills, health and food, science and environment plus more. To...
Bulletin Board: Many happenings at NHTI, free workouts and more
International student at NHTI NHTI has students from more than 50 foreign nations. Every April, Wings of Knowledge invites one of them to speak about their homeland, and their journey to America. On Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m., join us as Human Service student Chekeri Byimanikora shares the wonders and beauties of her homeland, Rwanda. Known as Igihugu cy’I misozi Igihumbi, or Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda is rich in natural beauty....
Book: Opportunity to change
The Midnight LibraryBy Matt Haig(288 pages, fantasy, 2020)This book is a New York Times bestseller, a Good Morning America Book Club Pick and A LibraryReads 2020 Voter Favorite. Several coworkers recommended it, so I thought that I would give it a try.Nora Seed is a young woman who has decided that she doesn’t want to live anymore. She has no job, no boyfriend, no husband, her parents are gone, her brother is distant, her friend has...
Take a trip to Eastern Europe with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members, their family and friends, and interested community members to join them on an eight-day journey through Eastern Europe departing March 17, 2020. From the enchanting medieval towns of Eastern Europe to the vibrant and cultured cities of Prague and Vienna, this tour will provide guests with a close-up look at this part of the world. Regarded as Europe’s most beautiful travel...
Poem: Rusted Railroad Tracks
Rusted railroad tracks, where do you go, where have you been, what do you know? You have taken men off to war, some never again seen, tears have been shed, what does it mean? You have withstood the elements, seen many winters, summers, and falls, ushered in new generations, new conductors with new calls. You have brought people together, and torn others apart, witnessed accidents and tragedy, as each journey did start. You lost your...
Book: Painting problem
Next to Last Stand By Craig Johnson (336 pages, mystery, 2020) Custer’s Last Fight is a famous painting that was reproduced by Anheuser-Busch and has been viewed by thousands in saloons and barrooms across the country. At one point prints were distributed at a rate of over two million copies a year. The original painting was destroyed in a fire at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1946. But maybe it wasn’t? Maybe someone saved it before the...
Blast From the Past: The true meaning of Concord
It was in the year 1725 that our beloved town was granted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony as the town of Penacook Plantation. The good citizens were subjects of the crown and settled as they established themselves in the first years. There were chores at hand and buildings to be built while farms were established and a day of worship observed. Our ancestors certainly knew the value of hard work, and survival was of the utmost concern....
Cheers installs heated igloos to provide patio seating option for diners
Cheers owners Todd and Wendy Roy have taken outdoor seating to the next level – igloos. “My wife and I were talking about it, and we have this beautiful patio, so we wanted to use that and we started looking at these igloos,” Todd Roy said. The Roys found what they were looking for at TableBaseDepot in Blaine, Wash., and had four of them shipped to New Hampshire. “The customers we had in there last weekend were like, ‘We haven’t been...
CASL Part II: These 12 students are also going to change the world
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce welcomed 24 students selected to take part in Capital Area Student Leadership 2019 during a reception on Feb. 20, also attended by parents, guardians, CASL committee members and Chamber staff program liaisons. The students assembled again in early March at the City Wide Community Center for CASL Communication Day,...
City newsletter: New history display, winter activity updates
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: Skating The White Park Pond, Beaver Meadow Pond and Rollins skating areas will be open for skating. The Merrimack Lodge at White Park will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Masks are required while inside the building and...
Book of the Week: ‘The Wild Trees: A Story of Daring and Passion’
The Wild Trees: A Story of Daring and Passion Richard Preston 2007, 294 pages Nonfiction Richard Preston delivers a captivating story about some of the oldest living (some predating the fall of Rome) and largest organisms (in some instances over 350 feet high) on the planet. Described as “the dreadnaughts of trees, the blue whales of the plant kingdom,” the coastal redwood trees in Northern California harbor their own ecosystems in...
Upcoming book discussions with Gibson’s
The Last Exit Michael Kaufman will visit Gibson’s Bookstore virtually on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. to present his new thriller, The Last Exit! Perfect for fans of Ben Winters and Cory Doctorow. In this thrilling near-future novel, the secret to eternal life is closely guarded by people who will do anything to protect it – even if it means destroying everything in their path. Kaufman is the author of two novels and seven works of non-fiction....
Come along with us on our second ‘Insider’ field trip to the fine town of Hooksett
Welcome to our first field trip of 2019. In fact, this issue marks the first true Insider field trip since Sept. 5, 2017, when we hit up Penacook, Boscawen and Canterbury in a 3-for-1 deal. That was back when there actually was a we in the Insider. Nowadays it’s a one-man show, and though it’s certainly harder to cover a lot of ground alone, I found a way to get out to Hooksett last week and discover some really cool places. You might...
This week in Concord history
January 28, 1942: John G. Winant of Concord, the U.S. ambassador to England, tells a national defense luncheon in London that the United States will recruit an army of 7 million men. “Idleness has not been part of our national life,” he says. “That is not America.” January 28, 1986: The space shuttle Challenger explodes 72 seconds after liftoff, killing all aboard, including Concord High teacher Christa McAuliffe. ...
This Week in Concord History
April 2, 1835: A second temperance society is formed in Concord. It calls itself the Concord Total Abstinence Society and will attract mainly middle-aged men. The city’s Temperance Society already has 262 members, including 92 women. April 2, 1851: Concord’s town meeting votes to end the tolling of bells at funerals. The practice, the resolution says, “is productive of no good, and may, in case of the illness of the living, result in...
Parker Academy to host Empty Bowls fundraiser Wednesday
Students at Parker Academy have been working really hard preparing for the school’s annual fundraiser, Empty Bowls, which is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the school, 2 Fisk Road. The event raises money for hunger relief efforts in the local area. Parker Academy students have created pottery bowls by hand, from rolling the clay, creating the 3D structures and custom painting them. The faculty, staff and families provide...
Icy celebration returns to downtown
The Hotel Concord and Intown Concord will again be hosting a Winter Fest for the third year in a row. The ice carving competition in downtown Concord will be held Jan. 29 and 20. Masked spectators will enjoy watching ice-carving demonstrations and meeting some of New England’s most talented ice carvers. All spectators will be expected to wear masks and keep social distancing per state and city guidelines. The schedule for the weekend...
City of Concord posts load limit signs this week
The city of Concord began posting “No Trucking – Load Limit 9 Tons” signs Monday to protect roads from heavy vehicles during the spring thaw. Weight restrictions are posted on roads to help minimize additional road damage from heavy vehicles on weakened road structures. Road structures are naturally weakened around this time of year from the frequent freezing and thawing cycles. The fluctuating temperatures can cause the ground to...
Book: Pensioners look into cold case
The Thursday Murder Club By Richard Osman (Mystery, 2020) Four very different retirees live in Coopers Chase, a “luxury retirement village” in England. They meet in the Jigsaw Room to discuss cold cases. There’s “Red Ron,” the former trade union leader; retired psychiatrist Ibrahim; Joyce, a former nurse; and Elizabeth – once a spy, perhaps? No one knows exactly what Elizabeth was, and she isn’t telling. Elizabeth used to work...
Bulletin Board: Wild & Scenic Film Festival kicks off Friday
Toastmasters forum, free raffle Toastmasters is where distinguished leaders are made! The Concord area Toastmasters welcome you to a Public Speaking Forum and free raffle Tuesday (March 26) from 6 to 8 p.m. at New England College’s 62 N. Main St. location in Concord. These events will showcase great public speakers and impromptu speaking, along with tips about how to organize a speech, effectively move an audience, and to think on...
Bulletin board
Learn about wooly mammoths The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center will host its monthly online Super Stellar Friday series as Harris Center Community Programs Director and Teacher-Naturalist Susie Spikol explores “New England’s Long Ago Elephants: Woolly Mammoths” via Zoom webinar on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. Spikol will describe these ancient relatives of elephants, explain how mammoths and mastodons differ, and tell the story of their time...
Concord notes: Citizen’s Academy, dog license deadlines approaching
Apply for CPD Citizen’s Academy The deadline to apply to the Concord Police Department’s next Citizen’s Academy is April 1. The academy is a 10-week program taking place one night a week beginning April 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. Applicants who are accepted can expect an informative session examining all the duties of the Concord Police Department. The program will consist of classroom instruction, demonstration and trips to other...
