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...
City newsletter: Ponds have thawed for now
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: Trail Guides Due to the rising cost of printing and supplies, the Conservation Commission had to raise the price for the trail guides to $11 (or $13 if mailed). This price covers the printing cost, no revenue is generated through the...
Book of the Week: ‘Mycroft Holmes’
Mycroft HolmesKareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse2015, 323 pagesFiction This is an exciting adventure story about Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’s big brother. Mycroft is a 23-year-old English gentleman who has just finished at Cambridge, and has a responsible job working for the Secretary of State for War. He asks beautiful Georgiana Sutton for her hand in marriage, and she accepts. But Georgiana has a terrible secret that began...
This week in Concord history
Jan. 21, 2000: Barney’s Clothing, a fixture in downtown Pittsfield since the 1940s, announces it is going out of business. “It’s an end of the era for the downtown,” says shopper Sandy Burt of Barnstead. “I think it’s too bad they can’t compete with the superstores.” Jan. 21, 1857: A choral concert celebrates the opening of the new city hall and county building on the site of the current Merrimack County Courthouse. Jan....
Maple Weekend 2019: Everything you need to know to have the stickiest time of your life
New Hampshire Maple Month 2019 is in full swing, with dozens of sugarhouses across the state opening their doors for tours, demonstrations, samples and sales. While the official Maple Weekend is this Saturday and Sunday only, many operations offer special experiences every weekend of March – some even open up every day. Here is a roundup of sugarhouses in Concord and the general surrounding area that have events planned for Maple...
Book: NPR host examines top businesses
How I Built This By Guy Raz (302 pages, nonfiction, 2020) Ever wonder how successful businesses did it? What steps did they take in the early days to get them to where they are today? If you are an entrepreneur or you just like hearing the story behind the business, then this book is for you. Guy Raz, from NPR, looks at the origin stories of big names like Airbnb, Five Guys, Southwest Airlines, and tons of other businesses. Get...
Don’t feel like traveling for Maple Weekend? You don’t have to
Hardcore New Englanders and pancake lovers have longed to hear it – maple season is finally here.Hosted by the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, March is Maple Sugaring Month, and this upcoming weekend is Maple Weekend, when dozens upon dozens of maple operations all over the Granite State – from commercial size to hobby size – open up their sugar shacks to let visitors in and check out the process. This is always a...
Bulletin Board: Look overhead
How to be a stargazer The Harris Center for Conservation Education is hosting a free online session with the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center’s David McDonald to find out what to look for in the winter sky. The Zoom presentation will be held on Friday, Jan. 15, from 7 to 8 p.m. It will include how to find specific constellations. McDonald will also show us the sky as it is this very night, using special software to highlight...
Injustice for Brawl 2 to provide family-friendly fun for a good cause
The Undertaker. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Randy “Macho Man” Savage. Hulk Hogan. The Rock.These names are all legendary in the pro wrestling world now, but they all started off somewhere else, likely bars and local sporting arenas.On March 31, Everett Arena will become one of those venues, as Injustice for Brawl 2 brings pro wrestling to Concord for the first time in about 30 years. The best part is that proceeds from the show will go...
City ponds open for skating
Insider staffOn Jan. 8, Concord Parks and Recreation announced that the White Park and Beaver Meadow ponds were ready for skating. Another skating area is available at Rollins Park.The city does not open the ponds for ice skating until there are at least 5 inches of frozen ice. Staff takes measurements in several locations to make sure ice is safe. All skating is at your own risk. Please follow all posted signs. You can check the...
Album Review: Andrew North’s ‘Lost City’ a piano-lover’s dream
If you’re a regular reader of the Insider or a regular fan of the local music scene, you’ve probably seen the name – and probably the person, too – Andrew North. Maybe you’ve seen it as Andrew of the North, or you’ve seen the full-band version called Andrew North and the Rangers. The point is, it’s all the same guy (with sometimes different accompanying members), Andrew Grosvenor of Concord, and he has a new solo album out.Following...
Frozen excursion: Ice Castles open
You don’t have to travel to the North Pole to find Frosty’s winter wonderland. The company that has built a frozen fortress in New Hampshire for the last seven years has returned again in 2021. Ice Castles is an award-winning frozen attraction located in four cities in the U.S., including Woodstock, an hour drive up Interstate-93. It is opening for the season on Jan. 14. The attraction is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles...
Making Good Health Simple: Crock-Potting 101: Rules to live by
Crock-Potting – a verb. To some, a sport. For me, it’s a time-saver. In the late 1930s, Irving Naxon (one of my heroes) applied for a patent for a portable cooking device that would be able to cook evenly and replace hours of someone miserably and inefficiently standing over a stove stirring. The two-part appliance contained the crock housed inside a casing that contained the heating element. Can we say genius? I have attempted to...
