Wheeling it to the net
This weekend, more than 200 community members and business leaders will gather on the courts for Granite State Independent Living’s 9th annual wheelchair basketball tournament, Hoops on Wheels 2020. At this event, people with and people without disabilities compete in wheelchairs for the championship title. As players maneuver around the court, they get a small taste of what it’s like to use a wheelchair and the importance of...
Book of the Week: ‘The Orkney Scroll’
The Orkney Scroll: An Archaeological MysteryLyn Hamilton2006, 261 pagesFiction/Mystery Toronto antiques dealer Lara McClintock is asked by a wealthy client to authenticate a rare Mackintosh writing cabinet (as in Glasgow’s famous architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh). Lara thinks it is genuine, but wants to do some research to make sure. But before she can do so, the client buys the piece. When later it appears to be a...
Parks and Rec posts schedule for open gym
Concord Parks and Rec has planned out another season of activities and has recently release their spring program guide and March drop-in gym schedule. Concord Parks & Rec’s Spring Brochure is available at esuite.concordnh. gov/recreation/flipbook/index.html. Some programs have already started, so sign up soon if you wish to participate. On the gym schedule, pickleball is held at the City-wide Community Center, 14 Canterbury...
This Week in Concord History
July 31, 1860: Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic nominee for president, comes to Concord. The crowd at the railroad station is “dense and ungovernable,” and 5,000 people jam onto the State House yard to see the most famous politician of his day. Douglas denounces his fellow Democrat, President James Buchanan, for placating the South. July 31, 1947: The Monitor is inundated with letters to the editor urging the city to build a...
Sounds of the season
While there’s no bad time to listen to Celtic music, people’s interest seems to peak in March as St. Patrick’s Day approaches. Probably something to do with St. Patrick being the patron saint of Ireland or something. The Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio will be among those Celtic music groups getting into the action with a show at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage on March 14 at 8 p.m. The group has been performing in the Concord area for...
We got the full New Hampshire Wild experience at Memorial Field
Summer.The word conjures up so many images and ideas – sun, beaches, pools, ice cream, fireworks, vacations, flip-flops, frozen margaritas and, of course, baseball.America’s original pastime may be just one sport (and for that matter, recreational activity in general) among so many to choose from these days, but there’s nothing that quite exemplifies an American summer like nine guys taking to the diamond in the middle of July.There’s...
Entertainment: Month starts strong with nightly shows
Live music Today Dave Gerard at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Irish Music After Work with David Levine, Roger Duhaime and friends at Area 23 at 5:32 p.m. Thursday Brian Booth at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Llava Llama with Sonny Jim Clifford at Penuche’s at 9 p.m. Friday Classic Invasion Band at Makris Lobster and Steak House at 7 p.m. RosesFromRuins & B. Snair at True Brew Barista and Cafe at 8 p.m. Rev. Todd Seely at Area 23 at 8:30 p.m....
Entertainment: Plenty of concerts and shows to keep you busy
Boy – the weather has really been pretty much perfect lately. We’ve had a bit of rain to refresh, and the oppressive heat seems to have simmered down to a comfortable level. Fittingly, the entertainment schedule is finding its sweet spot, too, with live music every day/ night, some theater productions and a slate of good movies at Red River Theatres. Here’s what’s up this week: Music Tuesday Paul Desmarais at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m....
Bach lectures head to New Orleans
Concord Community Music School faculty member and multi-instrumentalist Eric Klaxton will present the next Bach Lunch Lecture on an exploration of how three musical mavericks made a lasting impact on American culture, in “Pioneers of New Orleans Music: Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and Fats Waller,” The sessions will be held Thursday, March 5, at 12:10 p.m. Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, a New Orleans native, championed New Orleans...
Intown Concord hosting art walk, photo hunt
Now that Market Days has come and gone, the folks at Intown Concord have a little more time to plan more downtown events. And next up on the list is an artisan walk or more formally known as “Discover Art” as part of their Discover Downtown series on Thursday. The walk is 5 to 9 p.m. and completely free for any and all to go to. There’s no sign-ups or meeting spots, just around 20 local merchants taking part. The whole point is to...
Children meet ‘The Violin Family’
On Feb. 29, cellist Melissa Perley and her husband, Paul, a luthier, visited Gibson’s Bookstore to share their new book, The Violin Family. They also brought instruments for young readers to examine. The picture book for children is an introduction to the family of stringed instruments with a delightful pairing of fact and fiction. With the instruments personified, readers learn the anatomy, as well as the personality, of each...
The Forest Society is having a photo contest
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (aka The Forest Society) is hosting a photo contest and they want you to be a part of it.So enter your favorite shots taken on a Forest Society reservation or on any property conserved through an easement with the Forest Society, by Aug. 15 for a chance to have your photo published in the autumn 2018 issue of Forest Notes, free passes to Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves or a...
Fiddle Ensemble dates this spring
Next month, the New Hampshire Fiddle Ensemble will begin their tour performing for charitable causes, including several shows in the wider Concord area. The group is made up of musicians ranging in age from 5 to 95 playing a variety of stringed instruments, such as fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, harp, cello and more. A 75-year old woman rips up a bluegrass fiddle solo and a 50-year old teetotaler belts out a great Irish...
Butterflies make pitstop at Joyce Kimball’s garden
Joyce Kimball knows her way around a garden – she is a longtime member of the Bow Garden Club after all – so when she saw some monarch butterflies visiting her purple coneflowers outside her home last week, she sprang into action. She grabbed a camera and documented the happenings for Insider readers to enjoy. Great shooting, Joyce!
‘Yellow Bird Sings’ author to visit
Jennifer Rosner will visit Gibson’s Bookstore on March 10 at 6 p.m. to present The Yellow Bird Sings. In Poland, as World War II rages, a mother hides with her young daughter, a musical prodigy whose slightest sound may cost them their lives. As Nazi soldiers round up the Jews in their town, Róza and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, flee, seeking shelter in a neighbor’s barn. Hidden in the hayloft day and night, Shira struggles to stay...
On Display: N.H. Women’s Caucus for Art: ‘A Second Look’
The New Hampshire Women’s Caucus for Art has quite the membership. We’re talking well over 100 ladies, all of who just happen to be good artists.So when the exhibition committee put the call out for entries for its summer show at Kimball Jenkins, it’s no surprise that the response was overwhelming. ‘A Second Look’ feature right around 100 pieces from more than 60 members.“We have a very diverse group,” said Marcia Wood Mertinooke, a...
March Mandolin Festival concerts, workshops return
The 18th annual March Mandolin Festival Concerts will be held March 6 and 7 at two venues for live acoustic music. The festival opens Friday with a 7 p.m. show at The Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine. Saturday’s concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord Community Music School, the host venue for the entire festival, which runs Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8. The March Mandolin Festival has been bringing the cream of the crop of...
Bulletin Board: Grange event, value bucks and N.H. markers
Veterans Value Bucks at markets To increase access to fresh locally grown food to our community of veterans and their families, the Merrimack County Conservation District has launched a voucher program called Veterans Value Bucks. Veterans coming to the Concord, Penacook, Contoocook, Franklin or Wilmot farmers’ markets can receive a coupon booklet worth $20. Each month Veterans Value Bucks will be available and expire on the last day...
City newsletter: Skating extended til March 19
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: Ice skating Ice skating at the Everett Arena has been extended to continue through March 19. Skating hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be no more weekend sessions. Admission is only $5 (kids...
New World Theatre is taking over Hatbox
It’s going to be a long couple of weeks for the folks at New World Theatre. Not only did they just move into the space at Hatbox Theatre this past weekend to prepare for a two-week run of It’s Academic, a collection of four short plays which opens Friday, but they’re also hosting a play writing masterclass on Saturday with a performance of the eight plays featured at the masterclass on Aug. 1-2 (both also at Hatbox Theatre). We told...
This week in history
March 4, 1861: New Hampshireman Benjamin Brown French is the chief marshal for the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. The event goes off without a hitch, and French rewards himself with a good seat for the speech. “I got a position where I could hear every word and was delighted,” he writes in his diary. March 4, 1777: Concord’s town meeting votes to “break off all dealings” with attorney Peter Green, Dr. Phillip Carrigain and merchants...
Pierce Manse to host open house with 39th Army Band
We’re all well aware that Franklin Pierce is the only president to come from New Hampshire. So even though he sat in the oval office more than 160 years ago, he’s still a pretty big deal in these parts. His entire house was moved across town and turned into a museum about his life for goodness sake. And from now until early October, you can take guided tours of the Pierce Manse on certain days and times (check out their website for...
Book can help you organize
Hack Your Journaling: Stay Organized & Record Everything that Matters with One Notebook By Lark Crafts (176 pages, 2018, nonfiction) Journaling has become a way of not just keeping track of things, but expressing oneself and de-stressing. It has been proven that having your goals visible makes you more likely to accomplish them. Making, planning and tracking your goals fun, and is another great way to get you to the...
It’s wedding season and Red River has ‘Bridesmaids’
If you’re like us, you’ve been to lots of weddings. Of course, we attended our own, there have been ones for friends and family – and even a few that we decided to crash (just kidding). We even have a few remaining on the calendar before the weather gets too cold to exchange vows outdoors. And since we’re in the middle of “wedding season,” Red River Theatres thought it would be great to put together a one-night-only event with one of...
Poetry: Old Fiddle
I have an old fiddle, the tune still very sweet to me, belonged to my great grandfather, from Ireland across the sea. He came to this country, to escape sorrow and much more, loved his family dearly, sung often of his family lore. His old calloused hands, played the fiddle to many a lad, his memories kept alive, the tales were often sad. I listen to the old tunes, in my memories they now roam,...
Book of the Week: ‘Temptation of Forgiveness’
The Temptation of ForgivenessDonna Leon2018, 300 pagesFiction/Mystery Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a colleague of his wife if he can help her. She thinks that her teenage son is using drugs, and buying them from someone near his school. A short time later this woman’s husband is attacked and he ends up in a coma in the hospital. Are the two events linked? Brunetti begins to investigate, but this tangled web of a tale leads...
Chamber to host forum with state commissioners
N.H. commissioners to present at forum The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members and the public to its annual Lunch with N.H.’s Commissioners forum on Thursday, March 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 172 N. Main St., Concord. Several of the commissioners will join the chamber for an important panel discussion covering timely topics, including plans to redevelop Interstate 93 through Concord and Bow, and...
The Arts: Final week (ever) for McGowan Fine Art
Mill Brook Gallery Spring and Summer Through: Sept. 2 Outdoor Exhibit Through: Oct. 14 Location: 236 Hopkinton Road Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. League of N.H. Craftsmen Celebrating 85 – The Stevens Collection Through: Sept. 21 Location: 49 S. Main St., Suite 100 Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. McGowan Fine Art Streetwise – John Bonner Through: Friday* Location: 2 Phenix Ave. Hours: Tuesday...
Girl Scout Cookie Weekend proclaimed
National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend is Feb. 28 to March 1. It will now also be Girl Scout Cookie Weekend in New Hampshire, following a proclamation made by Gov. Chris Sununu on Feb. 19. Five Girl Scouts along with representatives of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving New Hampshire and Vermont, presented the governor with a box of the full variety of Girl Scout Cookies, which were enjoyed right away by the...
This Week in Concord History
July 24, 2002: An 11-run second inning and sparkling defense propels Concord National to the Junior League Softball Championship, with a 13-2 victory over the host Bedford team. July 24, 2003: Manuel Gehring, the Concord man accused of fatally shooting his children, Sarah and Philip, pleads not guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in Hillsborough County Superior Court. July 25, 1874: Thirteen months after a fire destroyed the...
