City smoothing over buckling downtown crosswalks
Monitor staff Nearly two years after the city cut the ribbon on its new Main Street, its crews have begun patching some of its crosswalks.Concord General Services workers were out last Monday and Tuesday ripping up bricks and pouring concrete and asphalt at the junction of North Main and Pleasant streets.City Engineer David Cedarholm said the concrete slab on Pleasant Street needed to be fixed because it was cut through during a water...
Catch the last film of the Future of Nature film series, ‘Sacred Cod,’ at Red River Theatres
Red River Theatres is more than just a place to watch movies. It’s also a cultural hub that often hosts special events such as art gallery openings, fundraisers and discussion panels to go along with film screenings. On Wednesday, you can catch the final installment of a three-part film series.The Future of Nature Film Series, put on by The Nature Conservancy, will wrap up its 2018 run with a showing of the documentary Sacred Cod on...
Entertainment: Burlesque show comes to Hatbox Theatre
In a week that almost includes Halloween, there’s a pair of Halloween concerts in Concord, with one at Area 23 and another at the Capitol Center for the Arts. There’s also a burlesque show coming to Hatbox Theatre – an 18-plus, BYOB show. Here’s what we found: Music Tuesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Open mic comedy at Area 23 at 9 p.m. Sign-ups start at 8:30. Open mic with Mikey G at Tandy’s at 8 p.m....
Author Margaret Porter to present ‘Beautiful Invention’ at Gibson’s Bookstore on Thursday
Margaret Porter will return to Gibson’s Bookstore on Thursday with a new novel of historical fiction, Beautiful Invention, surrounding Hedy Lamarr; publicly famous for her Silver Screen appearances, quietly revered for her military technology inventions (spread spectrum technology, the gateway to wi-fi and Bluetooth).Hedy Kiesler, Austrian actress of Jewish heritage, scandalizes Europe with her nudity in the art film Ecstasy. Her...
On the Road: The ‘Insider’ takes a cruise on the Baltic
Scott and Cindy Rainie took the Insider with them on a cruise of the Baltic. This picture was taken in Porvoo, Finland, just outside Helsinki. Thanks for taking us along, Scott and Cindy!
Book of the Week: ‘A Tale of Time City’
A Tale of Time CityDiana Wynne JonesOriginal copyright 1987, our edition 2012, 334 pagesJuvenile Fiction/Fantasy Anxious, worried Vivian Smith is on a train full of children who are escaping the German bombing of London in 1939. Her fears and worries on the train, as bad as they are, are nothing like what actually happens to her, as she is kidnapped off the platform and whisked away to a remarkable place: Time City. Her abductors,...
This Week in Concord History
Oct. 23, 1890: A statue of John Stark is dedicated outside the State House. Oct. 23, 2001: Former vice president Al Gore meets with several Concord-area Democrats at the Barley House in Concord. During his visit to the state, he also speaks with out-of-work mill workers in Berlin and attends a concert by Voices From the Heart, a 200-woman choir, in Portsmouth. Oct. 23, 2003: Wesley Clark keeps his appointment at Concord High School,...
Bring your appetites to the 13th annual Taste of New Hampshire
Don’t look now, but one of the greatest days on the Concord calendar is right around the corner: Taste of New Hampshire day. The festival of food, put on by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire as a fundraiser, returns for a 13th year Thursday, and with a slight tweak to its name from years past – formerly the Taste of Concord, the event’s new name reflects the fact that the Boys & Girls Clubs’ network is expanding,...
Singers to compete for the crown of N.H. Opera Idol at Concord City Auditorium
If there’s one knock against this city, it’s the relative lack of opera competitions we have around here. Thankfully, opera fans, your dreams will all come true this Saturday when the Piccola Opera and Opera New Hampshire present New Hampshire Opera Idol at the Concord City Auditorium.This will be an all-day affair featuring 40 opera singers belting it out, giving it their all to try to become the next N.H. Opera Idol. And by all day,...
David Ruedig named Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce announces David Ruedig as its 2018 Citizen of the Year. The Chamber will honor the Concord businessman and philanthropist with an award ceremony at its 99th Annual Meeting and Citizen of the Year award celebration presented by Merrimack County Savings Bank on Nov. 7 at the Grappone Conference Center. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.“This award represents the highest honor bestowed...
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests honors Ben Gayman with Conservationist of the Year award
On Sept. 29, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests presented the organization’s Conservationist of the Year award at its 117th Annual Meeting. Among the organization’s most prestigious recognitions, this annual award honors those exemplary people who have worked to promote land conservation through many different avenues, often with significant sacrifice. The Conservationist of the Year honors people whose work to...
Learn about forest bathing with Hanna Fries at Gibson’s Bookstore
No loofah required! People have been retreating to the woods for quiet, meditation and inspiration for centuries, and recent research finds that time spent in the forest doesn’t just feel good but is, in fact, good for you. Inspired by the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, poet Hannah Fries invites readers to bask in the company of trees, whether in a city park or a rural nature preserve, as she presents Forest...
Book of the week: Teen mediates with ghosts
Shadowland By Meg Chabot (304 pages, young adult fiction, 2004) Do you like ghosts? Susannah doesn’t. Even though she can see them. They are just so needy. Like always having unfinished business. Or worse getting her expelled from school. Her parents don’t know about her ability. No one does. Except the priest at her new school. He guides her through being a mediator, a link between the dead and the living, but not without...
Bulletin Board: Stamp collectors, free concert and a movie
Stamp collectors to meet today The Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on Tuesday (Oct. 16) beginning at 1 p.m. We invite all who are interested in stamp collecting to attend, share their interest, buy, sell and trade. Meet other collectors and learn more about their hobby and enjoy the fellowship of others with varied interests in Philatelic...
City Newsletter: Protect yourself from mosquito-borne illness
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: Mosquitoes A case of mosquito borne illness (Jamestown Canyon virus) has been confirmed in Loudon. For this reason, anyone living in Concord and surrounding towns should take precautions to help avoid mosquito bites. Included is some...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Liberty the comfort dog, paving updates, indoor golf and more
The city of Concord’s public information officer, Stefanie Breton, sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The newsletter contained too much information for us to fit into this spot, so we’re just printing some highlights here. For the full newsletter, go to concordnh.gov and click the “Newsletter” button on the home page. Comfort dog aims to join Concord PD If all goes according to plan, Liberty, a yellow Labrador...
This week in history
July 18, 1945: The state liquor commission bans jukeboxes from hotel grills and says women may not work as bartenders. July 18, 1945: In an effort to stop petty thievery on his Stone Porch Lodge poultry farm in Boscawen, Walter Marshall says he and all available men will sleep in tents with guns. Marshall promises they will use their weapons if necessary. He also wants to bring in a pack of dogs, “all good barkers.” Marshall...
Concord has made a change to its leaf-collection program, and you’ll probably like it
It’s mid-October, which means it’s prime leaf-raking season. In Concord, that has usually meant raking up all your leaves and somehow lugging them out to the curb for the city to come suck up with its giant vacuum trucks.But now, there’s a new option, and it just might change your life – bagged collection in the fall.Yes, you can finally put those leaf bags, previously acceptable only in spring, to use as the city will begin accepting...
Menu of Concord restaurants
If you’re familiar with the Insider at all, you’ll know one of our favorite things about Concord is all the great places there are to get food in the city limits. From juicy burgers and pizzas in every style to artfully-plated fine dining, there’s something for every taste bud. Despite the closures and cancellations, restaurants have been hustling to keep the doors open. Now in the peak of summertime, there are options for all comfort...
Coalition to hold info session at Common Man on ending homelessness in Concord
Ending homelessness in a community like Concord requires commitment, time and a wide range of talents and skills.For those who would like to be part of that effort, the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness will hold a volunteer information session next Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Common Man restaurant in Concord.CCEH staff and volunteers will describe the many ways that individuals, service organizations, houses of...
Book of the Week: An admirable heroine in a magical world
Sabriel By Garth Nix (292 pages, young adult fantasy, 1995) Poised on the cusp between multiple worlds, Sabriel must leave boarding school to take up the family business: that of ensuring that the dead stay dead. Inheriting the necromantic bells of her father recently trapped in the gates of death, Sabriel must figure out how to free him. Along the way she is aided by a powerful free-magic creature with dubious intentions as...
Entertainment: ‘Friends’ parody highlights a very busy week
We have about as busy a week on the entertainment front as you’ll ever see around here this week. On the music side, Area 23 is hosting a big “Decades Night,” in which several artists will each do a set of songs from a particular decade. As far as theater, the Capitol Center for the Arts has a musical parody of the classic sit-com Friends. And Red River Theatres will have one showing of The Divide, a gritty Western. Enjoy! Music...
Outdoor dining: Opportunity for outward expansion
For months, the coronavirus forced us to become our own personal chefs. For many of us, the idea of going out to a restaurant and having your order taken instead of making it yourself turned into a distant dream. But now that the hotter months are upon us, local eateries are expanding into outdoor dining options – many for the first time – that make it safe to enjoy eating out at some of your favorite spots in Concord. Some...
On the Road: A couple of newlyweds took the ‘Insider’ on their Hawaii honeymoon
Robert and Nancy Bussiere took the Insider along with them on their honeymoon to Hawaii in August. Along with five nights in Honolulu and a seven-day cruise was a visit to Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu.Thanks for bringing us along on your romantic getaway!Are you going somewhere exotic, or just cool? Bring a copy of the Insider with you and take a picture of yourself holding it in front of something memorable or picturesque....
Romance novel doesn’t disappoint
Unhoneymooners By Christina Lauren (416 pages, romance, 2019) Inspired by a Webinar on NoveList Plus called “Crash Course in Romance,” and feeling the urge for a light read, I thought I’d try something outside my typical reading selections. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren was a recommendation that caught my attention and it didn’t disappoint. Olive Torres is the maid of honor in her twin sister Ami’s dream wedding. Olive,...
Grange looking for donations for Concord Christmas parade, tree lighting
For the InsiderPlanning is underway for the 67th annual Concord Christmas Parade, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 a.m. on the Concord Heights. The parade route is being finalized, but Loudon Road will be the main route. The units will begin forming at 8 a.m. for floats and decorated vehicles. The remainder of the parade units will be there at 8:30 a.m. The formation location is also being finalized.The Concord Grange...
Add author events to e-calendar
Spencer Quinn returns to Gibson’s Bookstore virtually to present the next installment of his Chet & Bernie series, Of Mutts and Men on July 9 at 7 p.m. This detective series is narrated by Chet the Dog, and will have you holding your sides with laughter as Chet understands both more than the humans (with their dull noses and ears) and less than the humans (with their tricky social languages). When Chet the dog, and his partner, PI...
This Week in Concord History
Oct. 16, 1975: The Reagan for President campaign opens a headquarters at the New Hampshire Highway Hotel in Concord. Hotel owner Matthew Morton agrees to a temporary replacement of the wording on the huge sign atop the building from “Highway Hotel” to “Reagan for President,” creating an ostentatious precedent for future political candidates. Oct. 16, 2001: Citing safety concerns relating to the Sept. 11 attacks, the Steeplegate Mall...
City newsletter: Outdoor concert series begins
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 concerts The Shana Stack Band will perform July 9 at 7 p.m. at Eagle Square sponsored by the Walker Lecture Fund and the Concord Parks & Recreation Department. Please maintain social distancing of six feet or more. Face masks...
Book of the Week: ‘Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey’
Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s JourneyStephen Kuusisto2018, 239 pagesNonfiction Stephen Kuusisto grew up in Exeter, N.H. He was legally blind and could only see some colors and shapes. His parents didn’t want him to be pitied, so they told him that he had to “pass” as sighted. They thought his disability would make him a victim. Stephen went to school, read books (pressed up to his nose) and even marched in a Memorial Day parade. As...
