Concord has become a hub for public art
You may have noticed a new piece of public art hanging out on the corner of Capitol and North Main streets.It’s the creation of Massachusetts sculptor Rob Lorenson and is known as Taper Deco. The large metal sculpture is pretty cool with both its smooth and tapered surfaces. If you tap on it (shh, you shouldn’t do that) it sounds hollow and you can almost make the case that from one angle it kind of looks like a C for Concord. And is...
This week in Concord history
Feb. 19, 2003: Democratic Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina brings a populist, blue-collar message to Page Belting factory in Concord, his first appearance in New Hampshire since joining the 2004 presidential race. Feb. 19, 1965: Television personality Jack Paar films a show in Gilmanton. He tells school board member Mrs. Harold Bryant he wanted to do a show about “a small, friendly New England Town.” Paar and his seven-man crew eat...
The Arts: Women’s Caucus show at Kimball Jenkins
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: July 27 Location: 2 Phenix Ave. Hours:...
Bulletin Board: Health service offered and fundraiser
CRVNA offers Walk-In Wednesday Concord Regional VNA offers Walk-In Wednesday on Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon at Horseshoe Pond Place Senior Resource Center, 26 Commercial St., in Concord. Walk-In Wednesday is held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the same time. A Concord Regional VNA team member is available to meet with people individually regarding their specific concerns. Whether it is in-home support, caregiver resources,...
Audubon’s Coffeehouse to host Bill Staines on July 19
Bill Staines is one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today. He travels throughout the country performing nearly 200 concerts a year and driving more than 65,000 miles annually, so consider yourself lucky that he’s making his way to Concord to play at the N.H. Audubon McLane Center’s Birds and Beans Coffeehouse on July 19 at 7 p.m. Singing mostly his own songs, he weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor...
Entertainment: Massive chorus takes the stage and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ remix
Live music Today Ken Budka at Concord Craft Brewing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kid Pinky at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Irish Music with David Levine and Roger Duhaime at Area 23 at 5:32 p.m. Thursday Ryan Williamson at Cheers from 5 to 8 p.m. Eugene Durkee at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Leah Cordero at Penuche’s Rescheduled Bach’s Lunch Lecture, “Jazz Lives On and On!” at Concord Community Music School at 12:10 p.m. Friday Stoned Wasp at Area 23 at...
Concord Young Professionals Network: Madeline Champlin dreams of a big road trip
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to our “Young Professional of the Month,” Madeline Champlin. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks Concord Insider readers would enjoy getting to know better. How old are you? 28. Where do you live? Concord. Where do you currently work? I work for the N.H. Audubon as a...
Yoga, musical theater and… naps
It was a Sunday afternoon in the city of Boston. I was sitting in the Boston Opera House, struggling to stay awake. My wife and I were in the first row of the balcony, with a phenomenal view of the stage. The touring production of “Phantom of the Opera” was churning through act one, and my head was doing a bob and weave act. I tried shifting positions and changing my breathing. I tensed and relaxed my muscles, tried some good old...
This Week in Concord History
July 10, 1879: John B. Buzzell is hanged at the state prison. Buzzell broke off his engagement with a young woman. She sued him for breach of promise, and he hired a young man to kill her. The young man fired a pistol through her window, blowing her head off. Buzzell was acquitted of murder. Later, when the hired gun turned state’s evidence to save his own hide, Buzzell was convicted as an accessory to murder and sentenced to die. As...
Book of the Week: Woman must find own way and kidnapper
The Spies of Shilling Lane By Jennifer Ryan 355 pages/2019/fiction In Ashcombe Village, England, March 1941, housewife Mrs. Braithwaite takes out her notebook and writes up her thoughts. “How do you measure the success of your life?” Mrs. Braithwaite thinks it has to do with how respected you are, your social standing. But when her cheating husband divorces her, she is ousted from the Women’s Voluntary Service group in the...
Homemade ice cream is a labor of love
With the temperatures closing in on unbearable and the official return of that hot New England summer weather now upon us, ice cream season is about to hit its peak time. Can you think of a better way to cool down on a sweltering July day? And as you may know, Concord is home to many places to get a cone or a sundae. At the local level, there’s Arnie’s Place, Ballard’s Ice Cream, Frekey’s Dairy Freeze, Buza Dairy Bar and Granite State...
Fun for your valentines
Sweetheart shuffle GoodLife Programs and Activities will be hosting a dance on Wednesday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. In addition to dancing to music by Bill Parker, there will be goodies and raffles. And if you’re a wallflower, that’s fine too, just come to watch and spend time with friends. Cost $5. For more information, call 228-6630 or email info@goodlightnh.org. Have to say “I love you” in a song Concord Coachmen will again offer singing...
Check out Frekey’s Dairy Freeze, Concord’s newest ice cream shop
Carol Frekey-Harkness has ice cream in her blood – though hopefully not literally, as that’s probably not good for your health. Her mother, Brenda Frekey, opened an ice cream shop, Frekey’s Dairy Freeze, in Chichester in 1983, and Frekey-Harkness was always around the business, eventually purchasing it in 1995. When she turned 50, she wanted to do something exciting and spontaneous. So what does an ice cream lifer do for excitement?...
Entertainment: Take your honey to comedy or concert
Live Music Wednesday Dean Harlem at Concord Craft Brewing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kid Pinky at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night to fundraise for weather-proof guitar for Kevin Clark at Area 23 at 7:30 p.m. Irish Music with David Levine and Roger Duhaime at Area 23 at 5:30 p.m. Thursday April Cushman at Cheers from 5 to 8 p.m. Mike Morris at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Bach’s Lunch Lecture at Concord Community Music School at 12:10 p.m....
Concord has quite the Fourth of July planned
It’s hard to believe that the Fourth of July is nearly here, but that is the case, so it’s time to celebrate America. While we know that a lot of people like to enjoy backyard barbecues with family and friends, maybe light up a couple sparklers (be careful!) or head to the beach for a picnic and day by the water, there are others who prefer to celebrate the holiday by gathering with thousands of others for a host of fun events. And...
Stand-up show ready for Valentine’s Day
The next monthly comedy showcase at Tandy’s is one they hope you’ll love. “For the Love of Laughter: A Valentine Standup Comedy Show” will be held Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Laughta in New Hampsha, a project of Nodo Productions, has assembled a performance by five New England comedians hosted by Rick Gauthier. The comedians are Chad Blodgett of Claremont, Stephanie Elliot of Massachusetts, Chris Justice,...
Concord Town Pound gets a makeover from local volunteers
The city of Concord has a lot of iconic, historic landmarks. There’s the State House, White Park, the gasholder building, the Pierce Manse, St. Paul’s School and plenty more.But there’s another key marker that doesn’t get the same love as the aforementioned sites – the Concord Town Pound.Established in 1830, the Town Pound on North State Street was a granite-enclosed pen where wayward animals of the 1800s would be rounded up and...
Community Players perform rom-com
Opening Valentine’s Day, the Community Players of Concord present Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple – The Female Version. This is Simon’s own 1985 adaptation of his fabulously popular play about two friends who really shouldn’t live together but decide to give it a try. Here, it’s Olive Madison who is the easy going, sloppy divorcee who agrees to take in Florence Unger, her high strung, ultra fastidious friend, after Florence’s husband...
Entertainment: Outdoor concerts highlight a light Independence Day week
With the Fourth of July falling smack dab in the middle of the upcoming week, it’s a relatively light schedule on the entertainment front. That said, Granite State of Mind, the popular live music series put on by NEC Concord, has begun its Concert in the Park Summer Series, with free shows at Memorial Field in Pembroke – not Concord – at 6 p.m. This summer’s lineup is as follows: Saturday: Green Heron July 21: Scalawag Aug. 4: Dean...
This week in history
Feb. 11, 2000: A Massachusetts development company is considering building a large shopping center anchored by a supermarket on land in the South End, the Monitor reports. Working through a local real estate agent, the company has approached at least 10 different property owners in a triangular-shaped area between Hall and South Main streets near Exit 13 off Interstate 93. Feb. 11, 1941: President Franklin D. Roosevelt appoints John...
On Display: Catch Mixtape in the Robert Larsen Gallery
You may not know this, but tucked away inside the law firm of Sulloway & Hollis is the Robert Larsen Gallery.Once a year, they host an art exhibit and this year’s show is a little different. Mixtape has been guest curated by the folks at Kelley Stelling Contemporary, a new contemporary gallery in downtown Manchester. It includes eight artists that have shown at the gallery through its first nine months.The featured artists include...
CYPN: Emily Sullivan has a thirst for sustainability
Emily Sullivan How old are you? I am 24 years old. Where do you live? I live in Canterbury. I am originally from Hanson, Massachusetts, but knew I had to relocate for college. I miss being so close to the ocean, but I consider New Hampshire my home now! Where do you currently work? I work for Southern New Hampshire University as an Academic Advisor for graduate STEM students. What’s your favorite part of your workday? I enjoy first...
Ugandan Kids Choir to perform at Discovery Center on Saturday
The Ugandan Kids Choir has traveled across the country to engage audiences in their high-energy performance of traditional African songs and dances. And their tour now brings them to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on Saturday afternoon for a free public performance at 3:30 p.m. in the planetarium theater. In the Discovery Center’s planetarium, visitors can see how the night sky appears from any place in the world. The Center...
Legion Auxiliary, students send support
American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 21, of Concord participated in a statewide project, Holiday Card Challenge, to provide holiday cards to active duty servicemembers. Chairwoman Kyme Locke, a member of Unit 21, and her mother, Barbara Locke, contacted local schools to involve children in this project in memory of her cousin, George Phillip Desmarais Jr., who was a Marine who died in service to his country. The elementary and middle...
Want to listen to a podcast? Check out the latest Good Times installment
They say that practice makes perfect. So after a few months of planning and lots practice, we decided that Good Times was finally ready for public consumption. What is Good Times you ask? Well, it’s a new weekly podcast that’s a collaboration between Insider Editor Tim Goodwin and Concord Monitor Features Editor Sarah Pearson that will most definitely be worth your time. Our goal is to bring you a lineup of fun things that you can do...
Is wealth waiting for you in fastlane?
Millionaire Fastlane By M. J. DeMarco 322 pages nonfiction We’ve been taught to be employees, not millionaires. It’s not our fault, but DeMarco explains how we can correct the road we are on. By saying goodbye to the Slowlane, we can speed into the Fastlane where wealth is waiting for us. It’s really about having your own business, but not just any business. One that meets the commandments of Control, Entry, Need, Time, and...
Missed Connections: Nice server, gym mornings and a volunteer
Even though Craigslist officially removed its entire “Personals” section a few months ago, that hasn’t stopped the legions of die-hard Missed Connections fans from hoping to find Mr. or Mrs. Right through anonymous internet personal ads – now filed under the website’s “Community” section. Once again, we rounded up some of the highlights (if you want to call them that) posted during the month of June and reproduced them here, in all of...
City Newsletter: Lots of things happening with the library
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: Concord NEXT zoning update public meetings The Phase 1 Draft of the new Zoning Code will be presented in a series of public presentations and stakeholder meetings on Feb. 18 and 19. Come to a small group stakeholder session to learn...
Bulletin Board: Nominations, chic picnic and N.H. storytime
Family storytime begins July 10 Families can learn more about the state we all love at the New Hampshire Historical Society this summer with the return of the popular Tales of New Hampshire Family Storytime series, a free program for kids and their families. Each week, the story time will focus on a different children’s book author or illustrator based in the Granite State. After one of the Society’s storytellers reads aloud a...
Bulletin Board: Meetings and gatherings
Governor to present at chamber forum The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members and the public to its annual State of the State forum featuring New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave., Concord. Sununu will share what economic challenges and opportunities are priorities for the state in 2020. Attendees will gain insight into initiatives and...
