Mocktails on Main Street
By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Insider Whether you’re celebrating Dry January, don’t drink alcohol, or simply love fun drinks, mocktails could be the answer you’ve been waiting for. A good mocktail provides not only an alternative to alcohol but something to sip on, to savor, to feel like you’re part of the party. The Concord Insider, in collaboration with InTown Concord, set out to explore Concord’s mocktail scene through a journey down...
Pickleball indoors
long. Club Piklbal’s goal is to provide players with a comfortable and positive play experience, making it easy to show up, play, enjoy some friendly competition, have fun, and make connecClub Piklbal! is a community-centered, state-of-the art indoor pickleball facility that welcomes players of all ages and abilities all year Club Piklbal!, NH’s Lakes Region first indoor pickleball club is now open at Belknap Marketplace at 96 Daniel...
Book of the week
The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves (2024, 372 pages, Genre: Mystery, Vera Stanhope series #11) A social worker is found murdered on the grounds of Rosebank, a “home for troubled teens.” And 14-year-old Chloe, who lives at Rosebank, is missing. Vera doesn’t want to believe that Chloe is the murderer. But they need to find her quickly. Then another body connected to Rosebank is found in the countryside, near the coastal village...
Paul Tuller for speaker series
Just starting to learn to identify the birds in your backyard, the survey is fun for all ages. Each year, dedicated people just like you participate in the Backyard Winter Bird Survey. Last year, there were over 1,500 participants. This is the 38th year of the survey. Over this time, we have seen dramatic changes both in our winters (which are getting warmer) and the birds that call NH home for the winter. Twenty-five years ago,...
Grab binoculars and start counting
Annual bird survey is Feb. 8 and 9 NH Audubon is calling on all nature enthusiasts and bird lovers to participate in the annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey, a unique opportunity to contribute valuable data from your own backyard to help track New Hampshire’s winter bird populations. Scheduled for Feb. 8 and 9, the survey is open to participants all across the state. Whether you are a seasoned birder or just starting to learn to...
$2.5M grant to reinvigorate Village
Canterbury Shaker Village has received a $2,500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support the Village’s reimagination of its on-site and online interpretive experiences to emphasize the history and culture of the Shaker faith at the core of its visitor engagement strategy. “This opportunity to share much more of the Village’s unparalleled collections is both...
History
Jan. 23, 2002: Snowmobilers, fishermen, hunters, hikers, and wildlife watchers who revel in North Country solitude can relax, the Monitor reports. It appears that the vast, privately owned forest covering the top of New Hampshire will be protected for public recreation and logging forever. In an unusual show of bipartisan support, lawmakers lined up yesterday in favor of a $10 million state bond to secure public access to the land for...
Fab Four to perform
For those who wish they could’ve seen The Beatles live back in the day, or for those who did and want to reminisce about a bygone era, a tribute may be the next best thing. The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute is set to play The Capitol Center for the Arts on Saturday with an all-new show USA Meets The Beatles, which celebrates The Beatles’ first visit to the States, with performances from The Ed Sullivan Show and the Meet The Beatles...
Illuminated Ensembles –Heartstrings on Feb. 14
Bought your special someone a Valentine’s Day gift yet? Need some help?! If your sweetheart appreciates music, Symphony NH is holding a special Valentine’s Day concert called Illuminated Ensembles – HeartStrings: A Night at the Regency Ball, which will include music played in the Bridgerton series that day from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at 16 S. Main St., Concord. “We will set the mood with a room filled with...
PILLAR Gallery + Projects opens ocean-themed exhibit
PILLAR Gallery + Projects is set to launch its eighth exhibition, “Currents,” which opens Feb. 9 and runs through April 2. Artists include Jackie Brown, Mary Mead, Hannah Perrine Mode, and Liz Nelson. “Currents” explores contemporary interpretations of the ocean, waterways, and the collective changes. This exhibition features works inspired by nature, particularly the ocean and water. The show is delving into themes of drowning,...
Art & Bloom brings vibrant art, flowers together
By ARIANNA MacNEILL Insider staff Flowers and winter in New England don’t typically mix. Like oil and water, the two are pretty much as opposite when it comes when living in a four-season state. But, that’s where the Concord Garden Club is here to help. While many are headed to downtown Concord this weekend for Winter Fest — which promises ice sculptures, hot cocoa, and other fun to be had while outdoors in January in New...
Artist takes home award
Insider Staff A Concord-based artist has won her first art award. Elizabeth O’Connor, 23, was a finalist in primary colors for a Blue Koi Gallery award in Cecember for her work “Vivid Square Harmony. O’Connor, who just moved to Concord a few months ago from Gilford, said her love of making art stretches back to doing art with her mom at 5. “Ever since then I have loved making my own art,” she told the Insider via email. O’Connor says...
History
Jan. 16, 2000: The number of cardiac surgeries at the New England Heart Institute in Manchester has dropped by 17% since the opening of rival centers in Concord and Portsmouth. The Manchester hospital has fought to prevent Concord and Portsmouth from performing heart surgeries since 1995, when they first asked the state for permission. Jan. 16, 1944: All flying and ground school aviation training is suddenly called to a halt at...
Magnify Voices Art Contest open for submissions
The New Hampshire Children’s System of Care (CSoC) is accepting submissions for the seventh annual Magnify Voices Expressive Art Contest. Open to students in grades five through 12, the contest invites youth to share creative works reflecting their experiences with and connections to mental health. Submissions will be accepted through April 20. The contest, part of CSoC’s effort to raise awareness and reduce stigma around youth...
Janelle Drake spreads inclusivity across region
Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to the “Young Professional of the Month,” Janelle Drake. Each month, the CYPN Steering Committee recommends an individual in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better. How old are you? 35 Where do you live? Fitchburg, Massachusetts Tell us a little bit about yourself. I work as a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Setra Systems, designing systems...
Book of the week
“Orange World and Other Stories,” by Karen Russell (2019, 271 pages, Genre: Short Stories) Karen Russell’s imaginative stories in this collection grabbed me from the first page and kept me entranced to the end. In eight fantastical stories, you will find ghosts, possession by a plant spirit, a drowned Florida, Madame Bovary’s greyhound, a boy in love with a perfectly preserved bog body, a woman who believes she must nurse the devil to...
Winter Fest returns with food trucks
Concord’s Winter Fest returns next weekend, Friday, Jan. 24-Saturday, Jan. 25, and it’s bigger than ever. In its seventh year, the event, put on by InTown Concord, will include its staple events, the ice-carving competition, but will now include a food truck festival and a hot cocoa tour. The carving begins with demonstrations on Friday from 3-9 p.m. — sponsored ice carvings at the State House Lawn. Saturday, Jan. 25 11 a.m. — Ice...
Film screening
The acclaimed film “B l ack Dog” will be shown on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Sweeney Hall Auditorium (S122) on the campus of NHTI, 31 College Drive. Winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival “Un Certain Reg a rd ”Award, “Black Dog” is a noir-inspired mystery about redemption and change. The film follows Lang, played by internationally renowned actor Eddie Peng, as he returns to his hometown in Northwest China after being released...
Celebrating the state’s natural beauty
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is hosting For the Love of My Ancestral Home, a solo art exhibit by Wakefield, Mass., artist Leslie Scott-Lysan. The exhibit features paintings inspired by New Hampshire’s natural beauty and is open to the public for free through January and February at the Forest Society’s Conservation Center, 54 Portsmouth St., Concord. Viewing hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5...
History
Jan. 9, 2001 Skateboarders have less than a month to carve up the streets of Suncook, the Monitor reports. After that, they risk a fine for violating a ban just imposed by the Pembroke selectmen. Jan. 9, 1766 A crowd goes to the Portsmouth home of George Meserve, who signed as the royal Stamp Act agent for New Hampshire the previous September. There is a rumor afoot that Meserve will begin collecting taxes under the act. He meets the...
Calendar
Jan. 9 Bach’s Lunch: “A Baroque Beatles Renaissance” (Concert): 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Free. Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord. Email: reception@ccmusicschool.org. Crafting Joy: The Art of Optimism Exhibition: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 49 South Main St., Suite 100, Concord. Meet the Legislators Networking Reception: 4 to 6 p.m. The Courtyard by Marriott Concord and Grappone Conference Center, EVgo, 70 Constitution Ave.,...
Join Mickey on his search
Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party will bring its interactive and dynamic production to the SNHU Arena in Manchester from Jan. 9–12. The show promises a mix of captivating storytelling and aerial acrobatics, creating a multi-sensory experience for audiences. Tickets for Disney On Ice Preferred Customers are available now, offering early access to secure prime seats before tickets go on sale to the general public on Oct. 1....
2025 ski and snowboard tour schedule
The Vertical Challenge has announced its 2025 family ski and snowboard tour schedule, featuring 25 races at 24 resorts across seven states. The schedule includes a special Valentine’s Day event at Cannon Mountain. This marks the largest number of events for the Vertical Challenge (VC) since 2015. All races are free with the purchase of a lift ticket at the host resort. Standard Daytime Events Events will follow the traditional format:...
Prescott Farm Events
Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center has announced its New Year lineup of programs designed to help the community restore, rebalance, and learn — in nature, whether you’re looking to learn a new skill, explore the outdoors, or reconnect with the natural world. See registration details at http://www.prescottfarm.org. Introduction to Home Cheesemaking Date: Jan. 11 Time: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Discover the basics of cheesemaking...
Stitched Together
Concord artists Laura Morrison and Maureen Redmond-Scura will present their bead and fiber art in a two-person exhibition, Stitched Together: Friendship, Feminism, and Craft, at the Two Villages Art Society in Contoocook. The show opens Jan. 11 at the gallery, located at 846 Main Street. The exhibit explores themes of friendship, feminism, and craft through complementary works by the two artists, who draw inspiration from nature and...
A majestic ‘Beauty and the Beast JR’ stage show Manchester ’s Majestic
Manchester ’s Majestic Academy to perform one of Disney’s classics Manchester’s Majestic Academy to perform one of Disney’s classics The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. from Jan. 24 to 26 at the Derry Opera House, 29 West Broadway, Derry. Adapted from the Broadway production and the Academy Award-winning film, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by...
Theme shows for 2025 Artist Association
The Seacoast Artist Association in downtown Exeter has announced their 2025 Theme Show calendar, and all Seacoast artists are invited to enter. All themes are announced ahead of time, so artists have plenty of time to create. Members receive half-price entry, so now is the perfect time to join or renew. This can be done in person at the gallery or online at seacoastartist.org. The first show of the year is “Winter Wonderment.” You can...
Historical Society to host talk on democracy
The Pembroke Historical Society will present “Why Democracy,” a talk by Dr. Joshua Duclos of St. Paul’s School, on Monday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Pembroke Town Library, 313 Pembroke St. The presentation will explore the concept of democracy, historical and contemporary criticisms of it, and arguments supporting its value. Dr. Duclos, a humanities professor at St. Paul’s School, is a former Fulbright scholar and the author of...
FIT4MOM celebrates expansion to Concord
Concord moms are about to get a new community. FIT4MOM – the nation’s largest wellness company with programs exclusively designed for moms – expands its presence with its newest location in the Concord-Kearsarge area, currently the only FIT4MOM location in New Hampshire. A grand opening class will be held at the Boys & Girls Club (55 Bradley St., Concord) on Jan. 22 at 9 a.m.; this will include a free Stroller Strides...
The history of the Grappone’s
“The Founding” is a vivid and detailed story of European immigrant life at the turn of the 19th century in New England, by local author Amanda Grappone Osmer. The tale follows the origin journey of a well-known New Hampshire family through difficult times on their way to settling in Concord. The storytelling sources a wide variety of newspaper accounts, weather conditions, ships’ logs, and family diaries into a...
