There’s a whole lot that goes into setting up the Black Ice tourney
The 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship has become a signature event in Concord every year. When late January rolls around, a chill fills the air and excitement fills the hearts and minds of the city. Everybody knows that a weekend of classic outdoor hockey – and general good times – is about to get under way. But the tournament is a big undertaking – eight rinks have to be set up on solid ice, tents need to be put up, boards and...
We tasted 603 Brewery’s Black Ice American Ale for you
You have to admit, we get to try some pretty cool food at the Insider. In addition to the occasional baked goods that get dropped off for us (thanks again), we’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants in the area as the world famous Food Snob and been given plenty of tasty samples at events like the Taste of Concord and the annual Mac and Cheese Bake Off. And with the 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship set to begin this Friday, we wanted...
It’s a cold day at the office for the city’s pond-spraying crew
Most people have zero interest in being awake at 5 a.m. And even fewer want to be at work well before the sun pops up, especially these days when a child who can only count to 10 can read the thermostat. Now try having the jobs of Patrick Lanman, Justin Wheeler and the rest of the Concord Parks and Recreation grounds division. Cause most days, they’re in the shop by 5 a.m. and out on one of the city’s frozen skating surfaces by 6....
It was a chilly and fun weekend at White Park and Beaver Meadow
There was all kinds of winter fun to be had around Concord this past weekend. White Park hosted the Winter Carnival on Saturday, and Beaver Meadow Golf Course held the Blast Into Winter Family Fun Day on Sunday. The Winter Carnival saw dozens brave the super-cold temps and take to the ice and sled slopes. The Blast Into Winter event wasn’t quite as popular, despite undoubtedly nicer weather. Perhaps the looming Patriots game had...
Check out the print edition!
So we have a special Black Ice edition of the Insider this week, but a lot of the “special” content isn’t exactly formatted to go online, unfortunately. But don’t worry – our print edition is all over the city, and it’s very free. Grab a copy from one of those cool red boxes around town (but not Redbox) and check it out. There’s lots of useful stuff in there, like schedules, times and other...
Breakfast, basketball and programming
Wednesday If you’re an early bird who likes to eat breakfast – and you are or want to be a captain at the Rock ‘N Race – you’ll want to check out the Merrimack County Savings Bank Rock ‘N Race Captains’ Breakfast. It’s a chance for you to enjoy a delicious breakfast, learn how to organize a team and maybe even take home a special token of appreciation. And it will support Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, which is always...
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...
NHTI wheelchair game set for Feb. 3
The legacy of Zech DeVits lives on, as NHTI hosts its 13th Annual Wheelchair Basketball Benefit on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 4 p.m. in the Goldie Crocker Wellness Center. This year’s competition will feature a team composed of NHTI students coordinated by Athletic Director Paul Hogan. The opposing team is made up of NHTI faculty, administrators and staff, backed by players from event sponsors Granite State Independent Living (GSIL) and the...
Get set for some good old winter fun
By now, you’ve probably noticed that winter’s in full swing. The things that gave it away for us were the frigid temperatures, slippery walking surfaces and snow covering the ground, which there will likely be more of before spring makes its much-anticipated appearance. And you have two choices: either stay inside and only leave your house when absolutely necessary – like for food, beer and work, in that order – or embrace the frozen...
Special reception, documentary to honor life of Christa McAuliffe
As the official New Hampshire memorial to Christa McAuliffe, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the launch and subsequent loss of the space shuttle Challenger and its brave crew, including Christa McAuliffe, with a showing of the documentary on McAuliffe, Reach for the Stars, at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and with a special reception for teachers, school administrators, school board...
The Audi’s looking pretty fresh after its semiannual new paint job
Twice a year, the Friends of the Audi get together to paint the stage floor at the Concord City Auditorium. Since the stage sees thousands of dancing and tapping feet every year, it takes quite a beating and needs to be repainted every so often. The first paint job comes during the annual Pitch In at the end of August. The other comes during the Dr. Martin Luther King Service Day, held on the holiday named after that civil rights...
Time to start thinking about your taxes
We know the deadline to file your taxes is months away, but it’s hard not to think about what you’d do with that refund. Will you go on vacation? Make an extra car payment? Or put it away in your savings account for a rainy day? It’s kinda like when you dreamt about what you’d do if you won the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, only this is real money we’re talking about and not something 99.99999 percent of us will never see. And let’s...
Slip and slide and learn to skate with the Itsy Bitsy Skaters Program
Concord Parks and Recreation offers the Itsy Bitsy Skaters Program for kids ages 3 to 5 on Wednesday afternoons at Everett Arena. This is a chance for little ones to get familiar with moving around on the ice, with guidance from some of Parks and Rec’s finest instructors. This past Wednesday was another slippery good time.
Book of the Week: ‘Black-Eyed Susans’
Black-Eyed Susans Julia Heaberlin 2015, 368 pages Fiction Tessa Cartwright was found, barely alive, in a Texas field at 16 among the bones of three other young women and a field of black-eyed susans. She could never remember what happened to her, but the supposed killer was caught and Tessa’s testimony put him on death row. Almost 20 years later, Tessa is terrified to discover a patch of freshly transplanted black-eyed susans blooming...
Bulletin Board
Gibson’s to host ‘Concord Through Time’ author Join Gibson’s Bookstore on Friday at 5:30 p.m. as Bettey Finney Tobey takes us on a journey through time in Concord, comparing the Concord of the past to the Concord of now in Concord Through Time! Years of research have gone into this photograph-filled book. Concord has an interesting blend of cultures, including Native American tribes and immigrants from many other nations. Concord has...
Look who we found trying to create a love connection on Craigslist
We took to Craigslist last week to see what was happening on the Missed Connections pages. And as always, there were a lot of posts – some of which we could print and you’ll find here for your unedited viewing pleasure – and others that lets just aren’t fit for publication. Talked for over an hour (you’re definitely a gamer) – m4w (Concord Mall) – Jan. 18 Hey. We had a great conversation at the Concord mall. You came into where...
This Week in Concord History
Jan. 26, 1839: In Concord, rain falls for 24 hours straight. The Merrimack rises 15 feet in 15 hours. Several bridges are destroyed. Jan. 26, 1968: U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy brings his presidential campaign to Concord. He meets with Gov. John King, who is leading President Johnson’s campaign in the state, and says of New Hampshire: “It looks like Minnesota.” Jan. 26, 1984: Webster Bridges, chairman of the state Sweepstakes Commission,...
City Briefly
Last week, City Manager Tom Aspell was so excited about the upcoming Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship that he spent afternoons skating the White Park pond and used one of his trick routines to carve out his weekly city memo, which we’ve printed here for you in a less melty version. Don’t worry City water supply just fine Recent news about the drinking water in Flint, Mich., may give a reason to pause concerning the safety of the...
