Welcome to the 2019 Cappies!
Like in years past, the entries for the 2019 Cappies flocked into Insider headquarters from all directions. Either by mail or by website form, readers across Greater Concord weighed in on their favorite things in and around the capital city, and we listened. In this issue, you’ll see the results of thousands of votes cast to determine the best of the best in the Capital Area. Winners are grouped into five different categories – For...
A good way to end the day
When our work day comes to an end, we can’t wait to leave the office and all the deadlines behind. Think of us as the Fred Flinstones of the newspaper world. But sometimes we don’t feel like going home right away. Sure, we could go to the gym or for a run, do the family grocery shopping for the week or run any other errands on the agenda, but where’s the fun in that? We want to unwind, not exercise or battle traffic. And we can’t...
The Food Snob hits up Area 23 to check out the dining options
We’re always on the hunt for good and interesting eats to try. And not just because we love food, but because it’s part of our job. As the Food Snob, we pretty much get to go anywhere we want that sells food and try something. Traditionally, we’ve waited for a new business to open to go and try something. It makes sense, right? If the place just opened, presumably nobody has eaten there before and they need us to tell them all about...
It’s all about the comfort factor
Insider staffBetween driving around for stories, typing away at our desks and watching TV at home, our behinds are firmly planted somewhere for many hours each day.You could even consider us as sitting professionals. And there’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable seat. It makes the whole experience a real pain in the butt – literally.So when we heard the Friends of the Audi voted to redo all 850 seats in the Concord City Auditorium,...
Barley House 10-Year Ale
We want to start getting into the habit around here of trying all kinds of beers and wines. We’re not alcoholics, just good public servants who want to tell you about what there is to drink around Concord. We went to The Barley House last week to try the signature Barley House 10-Year pale ale, made to celebrate the bar’s 10th anniversary. It’s not an IPA, but an unfiltered pale ale. You could call it a UPA if you want.It’s crisp and...
These Bow students sure can make you think
Through April 17, the art work of Bow High School students will be hanging on the walls of the NHTI Library. There are quite a few posters to look at, like the ones you see to the left, and all of them offer a visual image that responds to a question. The questions range from “What is the most common injury in sports?” to “Should high school begin later for students?” We know, those are some hard-hitting and thought-provoking nuggets...
Freese Brothers Big Band to play at the Audi
Well it’s a marvelous night for a moondance – or a free concert put on by Concord’s house band, the Freese Brothers Big Band. That’s right, the swing kings of Concord are still going strong, and they’re bringing their classic brand of big-band sound to the Concord City Auditorium this Wednesday (hopefully you didn’t already miss it) to play a show as part of the Walker Lecture Series Concerts. This free show will feature hot-shot...
Head outside and check out some cool trails
When it’s not snowing and freezing outside, April can actually be a pretty nice month to go outside. You can go out and get started on the garden, or get to work cleaning up the yard. Or, if you’re more into relaxing than working, you could just go for a walk. Back in October, we looked into all of the city’s then-26 walking trails. We gave you the scoop on some of the more popular trails, some of the more hidden gems and just some...
Cooking showdown
Do you love food? How about epic battles between elite chefs?If you answered yes to either or both of those questions, you’ll be happy to know that GoodLife Programs & Activities will host its second annual Iron Chef Competition on Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tad’s Place at the Heritage Heights campus, 149 East Side Drive.The executive chefs from The Birches at Concord (Joe Gerber), Havenwood-Heritage Heights (Jason Seavey)...
Want to gain some gardening knowledge?
While you might be just starting to think about getting your garden ready for the season, the Bow Garden Club is well ahead of you.The garden club season begins this month and runs through November, with the club hosting a variety of presenters and events for its current members, potential new members and guests.It all gets going on Monday with a program titled, Plant Propagation 101, with Amy Papineau of UNH Cooperative...
Poet showcase at Gibson’s Bookstore
Gibson’s to host poetry showcaseApril is National Poetry Month, and Gibson’s Bookstore is marking the occasion by offering “Poet Showcase: An Anthology of New Hampshire Poets” on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.Hobblebush Books brings to print poems originally chosen for the online Poet Showcase curated by former New Hampshire Poets Laureate Patricia Fargnoli and W. E. Butts.Presenting poets include: Hope Jordon, Dudley Laufman, Lr Berger, Mary...
Look who’s trying to find love on Craigslist
We sure do love poking around Craigslist to see what’s happening on the Missed Connections pages. So in the first Insider of each month, you’ll find the best (and printable) posts we found. Here is what we came across for March, so sit back and enjoy what we can only hope will turn into true love. Nice Pick up Truck – m4m (Concord Heights)–March 29 We talked Tuesday outside your work about our pick up trucks. U are 20’s I...
We sure do take fun vacations
As you probably know, we’re not big fans of the cold. But we’re also fascinated by the thought of going to Antarctica. So it was a win-win when Jon and Pam Pearse of Concord took along a copy of the Sewalls Falls Bridge Issue when they climbed aboard the National Geographic/Lindblad Expedition in early January. The Pearses snapped a quick pic with the Insider at British Base ‘A’, Port Lockroy in Antarctica, an iconic stop for most...
Where readers can post to other readers
Ham and bean supper SaturdayJump into spring with a classic New England ham and bean supper at the East Congregational Church, 51 Mountain Road, on Saturday, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The menu includes two kinds of made-from-scratch beans, baked ham, homemade brown bread and rolls, coleslaw, assorted casseroles and a scrumptious dessert buffet.Adults are $8, children 6 to 12 are $5, and ages 5 and under are free. Takeout is available, and...
This Week in Concord History
April 5, 1881: Fire badly damages the works of the Page Belting Co. in Concord. The loss is estimated at $24,000.April 5, 2002: Charles Gravenhorst, a self-described pastor who hosts a late-night Christian show on Concord Community TV, is arrested on charges related to an alleged sexual assault in Maine.April 6, 1853: City government is established in Concord. April 6, 1993: For the first time, Concord’s Bob Tewksbury gets an Opening...
Book of the Week: In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the SeaNathaniel Philbrick 2001, 296 pages Nonfiction In 1821, a ship based out of Nantucket was sailing off the coast of Chile when it spotted a drifting lifeboat. The lifeboat contained two survivors of the Essex, a whaler that had been hit by a sperm whale and sunk in the middle of the Pacific Ocean three months before. Herman Melville based his novel Moby Dick on the Essex tragedy, but where Melville ends (with the...
Womeade of Concord to host Polar Plunge
Womenade of Concord is hosting its 2nd annual polar plunge fundraiser on Sunday, March 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave. As of Tuesday, there were more than 70 brave souls committed to jumping into a Sofpool filled with cold water in the conference center parking lot on Sunday. Luckily, the weather for this weekend looks to be seasonally warm (in the upper 50s at last check), so it...
We checked out Art & Bloom, and here’s some of what you missed
The Concord Garden Club held its 14th annual Art & Bloom exhibit at McGowan Fine Art last week, and since it’s on display for just three days – because flowers only last so long – you unfortunately missed out on all the fragrant smells that reminded us of spring. Luckily, we stopped in to see what kind of floral arrangements garden club members came up with to represent the art chosen by McGowan owner Sarah Chaffee. In all, there...
This Week in Concord History
Nov. 24, 1812: The first inmate, John Drew of Meredith, is brought to Concord’s first state prison. The prison was built near Washington Street after legislative approval in 1810. During a visit to the city, the Rev. Timothy Dwight, president of Yale, called it “a noble edifice in beautiful granite.” How Drew found it is not recorded. He was sentenced to four years for stealing a horse. Nov. 24, 1989: The temperature in Concord falls...
