Get dunked in frigid water for Womenade
It’s been so nice out recently, we’ve caught ourselves daydreaming about summer and all it entails – including going for a swim.Let’s be real though, it’s still way too cold to do any type of water activities unless it’s in your bath tub or an indoor pool. We wouldn’t suggest jumping in a body of water any time soon, considering there’s still ice covering just about all of them.But if you’re into the whole polar plunge kind of thing –...
Get out your eye patches and tiaras for the Pirate and Princess Competition
Who doesn’t love dressing up like a swashbuckling pirate or an enchanting princess from time to time? (Adults – maybe you shouldn’t answer that – this is a family publication.)If your kid is into that sort of thing, and he or she is between the ages of 5 and 9, you might want to go all-out on a costume – a $500 scholarship could be yours.While all the “grown-ups” get to have fun performing on the Tandy’s Market Days Idol stage over...
Making Good Health Simple: Don’t let party season throw you off your clean-eating game
Dance recital, piano concerto, baby shower, wedding, graduation, birthday, holidays – this time of year is packed with celebrations of all kinds. In the midst of numerous culminating events everyone is putting their best foot and largest spread forward. While this may be exciting, and fill up your social calendar, there are lots of opportunities to stray from your typical clean-eating regimen. According to a study conducted by the...
On the Road: The Lundquists brought the ‘Insider’ to Spain
The Lundquist family are big fans of the Insider, so it’s no surprise when they went on a four week whirlwind vacation of Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands that they decided to take us along for the journey. They flew into Lisbon, Portugal, and made their way to Barcelona in a campervan – with plenty of stops along the way. They flew to the Canary Islands for a week before returning to Barcelona. They visited a few famous...
Book of the Week: ‘The Cabinet of Wonders’
The Cabinet of WondersMarie Rutkoski2008, 258 pagesChildren’s Fiction Petra is a 12-year-old girl who lives in a village outside of Prague in the countryside of Bohemia. Her father is not a simple toymaker, but a magical artificer of metals. His skills allow him to create animals that are nearly alive. Petra’s silver pet and constant companion is a clever spider, who loves to cling to her hair and keeps up a running conversation with...
Bulletin Board: Free ice cream, free concerts, free everything
Capital Area Memory Cafe The Capital Area Memory Café for memory-impaired individuals and their family members will meet Wednesday, June 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Granite Ledges of Concord, 151 Langley Parkway. The Memory Café is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the same time. This month is our “Responding to Behaviors.” Enjoy an opportunity to socialize and build relationships with others who have memory impairment. Family...
Here’s the complete list of vendors for Market Days 2019
The following businesses and organizations will be represented at Market Days this weekend: 9Round AAA Northern New England AARP Community Programs ABC Energy Savings Alicat Jewels American Frozen Foods Ancient Fire Henna / Mrs. Dee’s Facepainting Annie’s Oriental Imports Arnie’s Homemade Ice Creams Awesome Stuff Bangor Savings Bank* Bank of New Hampshire Bath Fitter Betty Mitchell Psychic Shop Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) Binnie...
Missed Connections: Look who’s trying to find love on Craigslist
We took to Craigslist last week to see who had been posting on the Missed Connections pages in our neck of the woods during the month of February. And we found a ton of great entries to share, unedited and how they appear online. If you happened to make a connection from one of these missed connections – or any for that fact – we definitely want to know about it. Email news@theconcordinsider.com with all the juicy details. Do...
This Week in Concord History
March 6, 1991: With five seconds left in the state Class I semifinal basketball game, which is tied at 74, Merrimack Valley’s Scott Drapeau miraculously reaches around a Stevens High player to tip in a missed free throw. The MV win sets up a rematch with rival Pembroke Academy and a final showdown between Drapeau and Matt Alosa, two of the biggest basketball stars in area history. Alosa’s Spartans will win the title. March 6, 2000:...
Entertainment: Light week for bar shows as everyone’s out at Market Days
Music Tuesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Paul Lovely at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Mike Morris at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Mallory Weiss at Penuche’s at 9 p.m. Dan Walker at Cheers at 5 p.m. Friday Back to Back at Makris Lobster & Steak House at 7 p.m. Lamont Smooth at Penuche’s at 9 p.m. Fuzz Boxx at Pit Road Lounge at 8 p.m. Saturday Ed Balloon at Bank of New Hampshire Stage at 10 p.m. Tickets...
Album Review: ‘Colored Everything’ by The Rhythm Upstairs a trippy, ethereal ride
The requests to review albums by local artists keep coming in, and I was lucky enough to be contacted by The Rhythm Upstairs recently to take a listen to their new album, Colored Everything. The Rhythm Upstairs is a Concord-based four-piece band, self-described as “experimental indie rock music out of New England.” After listening to Colored Everything, I can vouch for the accuracy of that description. The band is made up of Jamie E....
If you love the arts, Concord is the place to be
Concord is home to lots of great locations to see some incredible art. That means at any given time, on any given day, there will be a wide range of work on display all over the city. It’s hard keeping track of all the shows, hours you can view them and how long they’ll be around, so we’ve compiled this trusty list for you, so you can concentrate on checking out the art. League of N.H. Craftsmen Black and White Encore Through: March...
Scavenger Hunt: How well do you know buildings in town?
It’s been a few months since we last sent you on a wild goose chase around the city looking for random objects, so we figured this would be a great time for another scavenger hunt. It was beautiful last week, so we embarked on a journey around Concord looking for interesting, obscure or different items that we could find in or near buildings. Now, to be clear, we didn’t go into anyone’s homes, but rather these things can be seen by...
Check out three new sculptures in downtown Concord
There are three new pieces of art downtown for your viewing pleasure. The city is keeping true to its commitment to the arts, and the three new pieces were installed over the past few weeks. Head downtown and check them out!
Bring the kids to Family Fun Day at Keach Park
On the off chance that Market Days just isn’t enough family fun for you, mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 25, when Family Fun Day takes over Keach Park on the Heights. While you may be familiar with some longstanding events at Keach Park such as the Easter Egg Hunt and Heights Old Home Day, Family Fun Day is relatively new – this will be the third year of the celebration at Keach Park. This event is simply about having some good,...
Bulletin Board: Poetry, film submissions and dog licenses
Quilters Guild to meet Friday night The Capital Quilters Guild will hold its next meeting on Friday at the United Baptist Church, 39 Fayette St. Social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7 p.m. The topic will be “Looking Great Dresden Plate” presented by Michele Banton. Free to members, $5 for nonmembers. All are welcome! Ellen Reed Poetry Out Loud finals this Friday After months of classroom preparation and high...
Ocean State Job Lot Adventure Shopping: Scavenger hunt edition
For this scavenger hunt issue, we felt it was our duty to hit up Ocean State Job Lot – after all, we could make an entire hunt out of just bizarre items found within the store, but we’ll save that for another day.Instead, we thought the Job Lot would be a great resource for all of you scavenger hunters out there. You never know what you might need when you embark on a big scavenger hunt like this, so it’s better to be safe than...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Pools are open, sunscreen available and more
On Friday, Stefanie Breton, the city’s public information officer, sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter. Here are some of the highlights: Pools open; free sunscreen Free sunscreen will be available to the Concord community at various locations this summer. The community pools opened Sunday, and sunscreen will be available at various city pools and parks. The Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care and Concord Hospital...
Escape Room: Think you can make it out of The Sanctuary?
Three seconds. Three measly seconds is all that stood between us and the ability to say that we got out alive.We had 75 minutes to complete The Sanctuary at Escape Room Concord, but just as the digital countdown clock reached triple zeroes, we figured out the final clue and made our escape. While it was technically past the allotted hour and 15 minutes, the four of us were rather impressed with our ability to work through the...
Join the library on Wednesday for Summer Reading Kick-off Party
It’s that time of year again – Summer Reading returns to Concord! This year’s theme is a “Universe of Stories,” and Concord Public Library has much in store for readers of all ages. For kids through age 12, every week there will be a new Bingo card full of reading and activity challenges – readers who complete eight of the challenges on each card will win prizes along with the chance to win a grand prize. For adults and teens,...
Concord Public Library is holding its own scavenger hunt
As you’ve already seen, we put together a scavenger hunt, mostly intended for adults.But if you really think about it, these kind of fun outings are really great for children. So it’s a good thing that the Concord Library has put one together for this week’s school vacation.We included it last week in the ‘what to do during February break’ story, but if you happened to miss it and are just learning about the fun-filled afternoon now,...
The Yogi: Yoga, Age and Market Days
Here comes Market Days! I was walking through downtown last week, thinking about the preparations for the annual celebration of all things Concord. I couldn’t help but think about last year’s event. It was a big deal for a few of us aging rock ‘n rollers. The Rhythm Crazies reunited for a “30th Anniversary Show” at Bicentennial Square on June 23, 2018. We’d been a bunch of twenty-somethings with rock ‘n roll dreams (or delusions) back...
Go Try It: Concord Reads ‘Following Atticus’
We’ve already told you about Concord Reads at the Concord Public Library, but for those of you who may have forgotten, here’s a quick refresher: Every year the library chooses a certain book to build a few months of programming around. There are usually several events over the course of those months that, though each different in their own way, have something to do with the chosen title. At the end of the program, the author of the...
Food Snob: Porky Pig from The Crepe Escape
Out with the old, in with the new. Fans of crepes – those super-thin French pancake things that can be filled or topped with pretty much anything – were no doubt dismayed when The Little Creperie, right across the street from the State House, closed for good in February. Downtown lost its only crepe shop.But a couple months later, a new place moved into its spot: The Crepe Escape. Guess what they sell?That’s right, one creperie was...
All kinds of events coming up at Concord Public Library
The Concord Public Library is always up to something. Whether it’s outdoor music concerts, STEM activities or pure fun and games, you can always find something worthwhile to do at the library. The upcoming week is no different, as there’s a variety of events on the agenda sure to appeal to people of all ages and interests. Start your Wednesday off with a little Family Storytime in the Blanchard Room at the library at 9:30 a.m. The...
League to showcase White Mountain Woolen Magic Rughooking Guild
The League of N.H. Craftsmen will present a guest exhibition at its headquarters celebrating the work of the White Mountain Woolen Magic Rughooking Guild from June 28 through Sept. 13, titled “From Our Hands.” “By working together to showcase amazing talent and creative skills, the League and the White Mountain Woolen Magic Rughooking Guild can continue to reach new audiences with our work,” said Miriam Carter, executive director of...
Entertainment: Lots of live music on the week’s agenda
It’s another hoppin’ week on the entertainment front around here, headlined by an annual mandolin festival and a 50th anniversary show honoring an all-time music legend. Enjoy! Music Tuesday John Franzosa at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Mike Morris at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Friday First Fridays with Hank & Chaz (Hank Osborne and Charles Mitchell) at Area 23 at 8:30 p.m. Murphy’s Law at Pit Road Lounge at 8...
On the Road: The ‘Insider’ takes a trip to Barcelona
Debbie Varnell (left) and her daughter Kelly went to Barcelona for a couple weeks during Kelly’s school vacation in March, and of course they couldn’t leave the continent without bringing a copy of their trusty Insider along. Here they are in front of Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, a modernist building in Barcelona designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. That Pizza Issue looks great right in front of that funky building! Thanks for...
Catch some concerts as part of the March Mandolin Festival
Fans of all kinds of stringed instruments have a real treat in store this weekend, when Concord Community Music School brings back its annual March Mandolin Festival.The 16th annual festival is set for Friday through Sunday (March 2-4), with two days of workshops at Concord Community Music School and two concerts featuring world-class musicians from California and New England. (Note: The workshops are all filled up now – sorry!) As...
Book of the Week: ‘The Victory Garden’
The Victory GardenRhys Bowen2019, 353 pagesHistorical fiction It is 1918 in England and the Bryce family has lost their beloved son and brother in the Great War. His sister Emily wants to do her part and volunteer as a nurse. But her wealthy parents (her father is a judge), won’t hear of it.Emily and her mother visit the wounded men who are convalescing on an estate nearby. Emily meets an impudent red-haired Australian pilot, Robbie...
