National Night Out to take over Rollins Park
Do you like Black Hawk helicopters, police motorcycles and petting zoos? How about cheap pizza and ice cream, eating contests and enjoying a nice summer night at a city park? Well, then clear your schedule for Aug. 7 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and make plans to head down to Rollins Park, because National Night Out is returning for another year. Held annually the first Tuesday in August all around the country (this is the 35th year) Concord...
Blast over to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center to check out the new Discovery Lab
If your kids love to tinker with stuff – and what kid doesn’t? – the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center has just the thing: The Discovery Lab.Opening Friday, the Discovery Lab will be a permanent, dedicated area at the space and aeronautics museum for kids to tinker, discover, create and persevere, among many other activities. The Discovery Lab will be located in the room that previously held the Riding the Waves of History exhibit,...
Gear up for the 38th Concord Criterium cycling race this week
Ladies and gentlemen, start your bicycles – Concord is about to once again host the Concord Criterium and New England Criterium Championships, the 38th annual installment of the bicycle race. This Saturday, the roads surrounding White Park will be full of Spandex-clad cycling enthusiasts giving it their all to try to earn a spot on the podium – and, in many cases, cold, hard cash. The full day of races features a variety of entry...
Rock On Fest beer dinner is set for next Tuesday at Revival
Rock On Fest, the two-day music and basketball event put on by the Bonner brothers in downtown Concord, is just around the corner (Aug. 10-11). You can read all about it in next week’s Insider because it’s going to be the best one yet – we promise. But as a precursor to the main festivities, Revival Kitchen and Concord Craft Brewing Co. are partnering with the Rock On Foundation, also a Bonner brothers creation, to put together an...
It’s that time: Go out and pick your own blueberries around Concord
We’re starting to hit the sweet spot of summer – literally. While strawberry-picking season wrapped up a few weeks ago and apples won’t be ready till Labor Day, blueberries are ripe for the pickin’ right now at farms across Concord. Not every berry on every branch is dark blue and ready for eating yet, but it’s pretty close, and it’s certainly late enough to get out there and start amassing a stockpile.Rossview Farm, Carter Hill...
Concord author tells story of Nazi Germany
There are times that Ellen Oppenheimer feels really lucky to be here.It’s not because of her age – which is a spry 88 years young – but more because of what could have happened when she was just a toddler.You see, Oppenheimer (whose maiden name is Simon) is Jewish and was born in Germany. When the Nazi Party rose to power in 1933 and began to round up Jews in the streets, Oppenheimer’s father was one of them.“My parents had heard...
Bulletin Board: Concert, yard sale and planning for retirement
Yard and bake sale at East Church An indoor/outdoor yard and bake sale will be held at East Congregational Church, 51 Mountain Road, on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Clothing, books, holiday decor, kitchenware, glassware, decorative items, toys, games, puzzles, and much more will be available. The $3 bag sale starts at 11 a.m. Sale will be held rain or shine. For more info and directions, call 224-9242 or visit eastchurchucc.org. Kay...
On Stage: RB Productions to perform ‘Mary Poppins’
“Winds from the east, mist coming in, like something’s a brewin’, about to begin.” And for weeks, something has been brewin’ at the Capitol Center for the Arts. RB Productions will be presenting a mainstage production of Mary Poppins this week. Amid the rain and mist of last week, two of the leads discussed the musical and the work behind it. Candace Gatzoulis of Manchester will play the title role of Mary. Andrew Gibson of Manchester...
Entertainment: Slim schedule as the calendar flips to August
When you get to the end of the month, it’s often difficult to find lots of live entertainment listings, as many venues have minor details to be worked out before setting their schedules for the month. Nonetheless, there’s still plenty going on this week, including three different theater performances. Enjoy! Music Tuesday Kid Pinky at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana at 6:30 p.m. The Nevers’ Second Regiment Band at the State House at 7...
On Display: New England seascapes are an inspiration
Susan Clement is drawn to the picturesque seascapes along the New England coastlines. And let’s be honest here, who isn’t?She enjoys capturing the vibrant colors of the sunrises and sunsets in her paintings, and it’s all on display at the 2 Pillsbury St. gallery space through Sept. 28. Using oils, acrylics and watercolors, Clement’s style is mostly impressionistic – with a hint of realism – and at times venturing into the world of...
Bow Garden Club putting on Books in Bloom
In previous Insiders, you’ve seen the pairing of the art and floral worlds come together for one magical exhibit.Now it’s time to spread our wings and tell you about another unique pairing when it comes to wonderfully fragrant flowers – and this time with books. The Bow Garden Club and the Baker Free Library (also in Bow) have collaborated on a two-day only event called Books In Bloom.Members of the club are putting together...
On Stage: ‘The Wedding Singer’ to take over Bow stage
If you’re at all familiar with the work of New Hampshire-born actor Adam Sandler, then you’ve likely seen The Wedding Singer – or at the very least, heard of it.Well, did you know that in addition to being a box office hit, it was then turned into a stage musical? Yep, it even had quite the run on Broadway. And while Bow High School isn’t exactly midtown Manhattan, the production put on by Bow Performing Arts this weekend will no...
Book of the Week: ‘The Orkney Scroll’
The Orkney Scroll: An Archaeological MysteryLyn Hamilton2006, 261 pagesFiction/Mystery Toronto antiques dealer Lara McClintock is asked by a wealthy client to authenticate a rare Mackintosh writing cabinet (as in Glasgow’s famous architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh). Lara thinks it is genuine, but wants to do some research to make sure. But before she can do so, the client buys the piece. When later it appears to be a...
This Week in Concord History
July 31, 1860: Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic nominee for president, comes to Concord. The crowd at the railroad station is “dense and ungovernable,” and 5,000 people jam onto the State House yard to see the most famous politician of his day. Douglas denounces his fellow Democrat, President James Buchanan, for placating the South. July 31, 1947: The Monitor is inundated with letters to the editor urging the city to build a...