Elaine Povich to present ‘John McCain: American Maverick’ at Gibson’s Bookstore
Award-winning Washington journalist Elaine S. Povich will be at Gibson’s Bookstore on Thursday to take you on a photographic journey of Sen. John McCain, sharing personal stories from her extensive time following his Washington adventures as she presents John McCain: American Maverick.As of Jan. 3, John Sidney McCain III, one of the most influential statesmen of our time, will have served as a U.S. senator for 31 years – 11,324 days....
New gallery set for downtown
Concord artist Jess Barnett will be open a new studio and gallery at 4 Park St., adjacent to City Plaza, on Saturday with a studio-warming and holiday party from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The gallery currently features only Barnett’s work but may eventually open its door to work by other local abstract artists. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Barnett, a self-taught artist who has been painting since 2004, relocated from...
Missed Connections: Sewalls Falls trails, the gym among hot spots for courtship, apparently
Even though Craigslist officially removed its entire “Personals” section over a month 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 in the past month and reproduced them here, in all of their...
Entertainment
Music Tuesday Open Mic at Tandy’s from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Kid Pinky at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday April Cushman at Concord Craft Brewing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Poor Howard at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Joel Begin will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Common Man in Concord. Alex Cohen at Tandy’s from 6 to 8 p.m. Dwayne Higgins at Cheers from 5 to 8 p.m. Chicken at Penuche’s Ale House at 9 p.m. Integrated Arts Recital at Concord...
On The Road: The ‘Insider’ goes to Aruba
The Insider was lucky enough to take an exotic, tropical vacation last month, thanks to three hardcore fans. Irene Dupont, Kathy Daggett and Priscilla Masse brought a copy of the Insider along with them on their trip to Aruba in May. Masse hand-delivered the photo to our office, reporting that they had great weather the whole trip – which was, of course, made so much better by having the Insider with them. Thanks for bringing us...
City Manager’s Newsletter
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 on the home page. Here are some highlights from last week’s letter: Fall leaf collection Bulk fall leaf collection was suspended last week due to the arrival of snow. Favorable weather conditions this week allowed bulk collection to resume in areas not yet...
Book of the Week: ‘Song of the Lion’
Song of the Lion Anne Hillerman 2017, 384 pages Fiction/mystery Navajo Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito responds to a bombing at the Shiprock High School. Someone has set off a fire bomb and destroyed a car. Bernadette must deal with crowd control and maintaining the crime scene. Her arrogant rookie co-worker and the crowds aren’t making it easy. And then they find the body in the car.The intended victim may have been the mediator...
Book of the Week: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
By Robert Dugoni Sam Hill, dubbed Sam Hell from his father’s reaction upon his birth, was born with ocular albinism causing his eyes to shine a bright red. His mother, a devout Catholic, believes it is God’s will that Sam lead an extraordinary life. This is more difficult for Sam to believe, especially when he begins at Our Lady of Mercy and is immediately met with bullying by the hands of other students as well as Sister Beatrice,...
This Week in Concord History
June 5, 1845: John Parker Hale and Franklin Pierce debate slavery before an overflow crowd at the Old North Meeting House in Concord. After one antislavery speech from Hale, a veteran known as Old John Virgin blurts out: “Give it to ‘em, Jack. Drive the poor vipers into their dens, and make ‘em pull their holes in after them.” In response to a pro-Southern argument from Pierce, Hale proclaims: “I refuse to bow down and worship...
Give the gift of your time
Gift ideas. Gift ideas? The worst. Worrying about what to get who and how much to spend: a giant no thank-you to all of it. I have spent countless hours poring through Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and Amazon’s Top 10 Gift Guides. Guides for men, women, children, gender-neutral, aging parent, swim teachers. I’m talking every guide there is, and very few times did something spark an immediate “I have to buy this” reaction. Although I did...
Let’s take a smooth, light-bodied tour of the region’s wineries
There are plenty of things associated with New Hampshire – maple syrup, forests, granite, moose, fireworks, covered bridges and, more recently, craft beer, just to name a few.Now, you can add high-quality, handcrafted wine to the list, too.You may not realize it, but the Granite State is booming with independent wineries and vineyards, and given how popular pretty much all alcoholic beverages are, there’s no sign of things slowing...
Handmade, and in a hurry
Open again for its ninth holiday season, Concord Handmade has opened a pop-up shop featuring the creations of New England artists. This year, it has popped up in the former Outfitters Thrift Shop, 20 S. Main St. For last-minute shoppers, there’s still a chance to find something special before the shop packs up on Dec. 29. And the good news is, it’ll be open every day between now and Christmas, with just shortened hours on Christmas...
Consider making your wine at home
Perhaps you’re a wine-lover who often finds yourself spending a fortune on sub-par house wines served at restaurants or found on the grocery store shelves. If that’s the case, we have found the solution for you. Keg to Kettle, a brewing supply store in Pembroke, happens to sell at-home wine making kits. Now, when your grapey-beverage craving arises, you can grab a homemade bottle instead of having to trek out to the store or local...
This week in Concord History
Dec. 17, 1979: New Hampshire’s multi-million dollar ski industry, already plagued by high fuel prices, is getting nervous about the winter. With just five days until the start of Christmas vacation, only six of the state’s 35 ski areas are open. Not only has there been a shortage of natural snow, but warm weather has hindered artificial snowmaking operations. Ski area operators are praying for a heavy snowfall before Christmas to bail...
Lifestyle items for wine lovers
We took a stroll around Bed Bath and Beyond in Concord to find some wine-related accessories that every household with a wine lover living in it should have.
Time to make the chocolate
A sneak behind-the-scenes peek of the chocolate-making operation at Granite State Candy Shoppe in Concord
Take a stroll for a cause at the Walk for Sight
If you’re looking to spend a Saturday morning taking a stroll around Concord, you might as well do it for a good cause! The 15th Annual Walk for Sight is on June 2, and it benefits New Hampshire’s visually impaired and blind people through the nonprofit Future in Sight. At 11 a.m., all of the participants who have made a $20 donation to the cause will do a non-competitive 3K walk around the city. Afterwards, there will be music,...
Making Good Health Simple: Obsessed with Hallmark movies? There may be a biological reason for that
I watch Hallmark movies. I watch all of them. I watch them obsessively. Last week I watched one from 2015. Didn’t care that I’ve seen it at least five other times. Still watched it until the end. I don’t watch them for the Academy Award-winning acting, or the predictable and typically unrealistic plots. I watch them because they make me happy. I have the Hallmark movies app downloaded on my phone. It is level 10 rewarding to be able...
We judged the 2018 Healthy Solutions Spice Blends Recipe Challenge
Whenever there’s a contest that involves eating, drinking or any combination of the two, you can be sure this Insider team will be all over it. And when there’s an opportunity for us to judge one of these types of competitions, it’s really a no-brainer.It should therefore go without saying that we were thrilled when we were contacted about judging the 2018 Healthy Solutions Spice Blends Recipe Challenge at Red Arrow Diner last...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Winter operations, construction updates and more
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last week. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button on the home page. Here are some highlights from last week’s letter: Winter operations The snow has arrived and the City of Concord has already issued three winter parking bans so far this season (as of last Friday). Sign up for winter parking ban email notifications...
Entertainment: Mostly music on a relatively light week
With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, it seems many entertainers have taken the week off to enjoy the holiday. Here’s what we found. Music Tuesday Brad Myrick at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Mike Morris at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Mike Stockbridge at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Friday Shameless at Makris Lobster and Steak House at 8 p.m. River Sister at True Brew Barista & Cafe at 8 p.m. Saturday...
Instagram: Nothing cozier than a nice beer and some good tunes
How cozy does this look? That’s Dwayne Haggins playing an acoustic set at Concord Craft Brewing on a recent Wednesday evening. The beer, the brick, the lighting, the flannel – it all seems to work very well together, and it makes us want to go check out the next show. Instagram user @nhmusiccollective posted this one, and if you missed out on Haggins’s show, there are plenty more in the works. Up next is Tim Kierstead this Wednesday...
Concord Arts Market, Penacook Farmers Market about to open
With the weather in perfect spring mode, it’s a great time to do some shopping outside. That’s why it’s convenient that two popular outdoor markets are about to open up for the season. Concord Arts Market If you find yourself sampling and tasting your way through Concord’s Farmers Market some Saturday morning and are craving some visual entertainment to go with that of your palate, try stopping by the Concord Arts Market. Just two...
Author Mitch Albom to present new book ‘Finding Chika’ at Capitol Center for the Arts
On Monday at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts, Northeast Delta Dental and Gibson’s Bookstore present bestselling author Mitch Albom, with Finding Chika, his first work of nonfiction in more than 10 years! This poignant memoir celebrates Chika, a young Haitian orphan whose short life would forever change the heart of a family. Albom is a best-selling author, screenwriter, playwright and nationally syndicated columnist. The...
On Display: Contrasting styles featured at 2 Pillsbury St.
The artwork of Mary Crump and Marilu Arket is currently hanging in the hallway of 2 Pillsbury St. The two members of the N.H. Art Association have quite different styles. Crump uses oil to show off her landscape abilities, with her scenes coming from around the Granite State. Arket has a way of using colors and white space to showcase her unique style. The exhibit, Visions of Wonder, will be on display through June 30.
Two holiday events at Duprey properties to benefit the community
There are two holiday-themed events coming up soon that will help several areas and subsets of the community, and both are being hosted by Steve Duprey-owned properties. First, 43 Degrees North Athletic Club will host its second annual Holiday Market on Thursday where local vendors will be set up around the facility and people can shop, work out, sip some wine and get their gifts wrapped for free. As an added bonus, anyone can work...
Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of Charles, to speak at Gibson’s Bookstore
Gibson’s Bookstore will host Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of aviator-authors Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss her new book.Lindbergh writes about the intersection of fame and privacy from her unique perspective — as the spokesperson for arguably the most famous family of the 20th century. In her new book, Two Lives, Lindbergh reflects on her own two lives, navigating her role as the public face...
Concord is a hiker’s (and cross-country skier’s) dream, even in the dead of winter
With the arrival of the first “real” snow of the season, winter is unofficially in full swing. It’s dark by 4 p.m., daily high temps hover around the 20s and 30s, ice is on the pavement and snow is everywhere. Not exactly appealing. However, we’re lucky enough to live in a city that knows full well that this will come every year. In Concord, you don’t have to go into hibernation mode as soon as the first big snow comes. In fact, you...
Last chance to see Kimball Jenkins exhibit
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 Fairy Tales and Fantasies Through: June 15 The Grodin Collection Through: Ongoing Location: 49 S. Main St., Suite 100 Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kimball Jenkins Robert Dorr Through: Thursday Location: 266 N. Main St. Hours:...
The Yogi: Yoga gives you a toolbox for living in your body
I like a good snow shovel. I’m partial to the “ergonomic” ones, with the bent handle. There is some debate over whether they are actually better or not. That’s why I also have a couple of straight snow shovels, an ice scraper and a good old-fashioned square steel shovel that the previous owner of the house left behind. Each year the shovels make their way from our beat-up old shed to live next to the house for the winter. The...
