This week in Concord history

Nov. 27, 1817: Between 20 and 30 pet dogs throughout Concord are bitten by a dog with rabies. The rabid dog will be killed the next day.

Nov. 27, 1999: In a game of word association, voters interviewed around Concord choose answers such as “likable” and “lightweight” for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. For Arizona Sen. John McCain, the answers include “stern” and “steadfast.” Al Gore prompts “Clinton” and “sincere.” Bill Bradley evokes “basketball” and “unknown.”

Nov. 28, 2001: Former Concord High basketball star Matt Bonner returns to New Hampshire to play with his University of Florida team against UNH. Bonner scores 15 points in a Florida victory.

Nov. 29, 1867: Ingalls & Brown’s Quadrille Band plays at a grand ball at Concord’s Eagle Hall. “If you don’t dance,” exhorts the ad in the Patriot, “go to hear the music.”

Nov. 30, 1870: Fire burns out the stone warehouse behind the Eagle Hotel, leaving only the granite walls standing. Today, the warehouse is home to the Museum of New Hampshire History.

Nov. 30, 1988: Washington columnist David Broder expresses skepticism about former New Hampshire governor John Sununu’s likelihood to succeed as President-elect George Bush’s chief of staff. He writes: “Washington is a long way from Concord. At home, Sununu shared the compact capitol with a large but poorly staffed legislature and a state administration in which few were willing, or able, to challenge his views. “The Democratic political opposition was weak in both numbers and leadership. In that setting, he could command – or coerce – approval of most of his plans. Critics and even some colleagues in Concord describe Sununu as brusque, demanding, opinionated, unyielding and, on occasion, secretive and devious.”

Nov. 30, 2000: A Monitor editorial calls on George W. Bush to concede the presidential election. The opinion is read on C-SPAN by morning anchor Brian Lamb, and responses quickly pour in from around the country. One Michigan man writes, “What are you people up there smoking anyway?”

Dec. 1, 1994: The early morning barks of a dog save the lives of six residents in a Merrimack Street apartment house destroyed by fire. The cause: overheated wiring within a bathroom wall.

Dec. 1, 2001: With a weekend of spontaneous and rehearsed music, the Concord Community Music School celebrates a milestone: the grand opening of a $1.5 million addition that more than doubles the space for the school.

Dec. 2 1996: The Monitor reports on some good State House advice from former governor Judd Gregg to GgGov.-elect Jeanne Shaheen: “When you go to the bathroom, try to avoid the fourth-grade class from Epping being in the bathroom at the same time. We’re a very down-to-earth state here. The governor goes to the bathroom with everybody else. So that’s a big issue.”

Dec. 2, 2001: In his challenge of incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, fellow Republican U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu now faces unusually intense scrutiny because of what critics call a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel voting record, the Monitor reports. Smith believes their views on combating terrorism will be discussed throughout the campaign, and powerful Smith supporters are already pushing the boundaries of clean campaigning.

Dec. 3, 1847: For $1,000, Edward H. Rollins buys R.C. Osgood’s drugstore on Main Street opposite the State House. Rollins will become a leading Republican, and the back room of the store will be his political headquarters, where policies are crafted and candidates made.

Dec. 3, 1934: Orchestra leader Guy Lombardo plays to a sell-out audience at the Concord City Auditorium. The group arrived the night before and checked into the old Eagle Hotel. After an early afternoon press conference, Guy put together a touch football game on nearby Higgins Field.

Dec. 3, 1978: On a trip to Guam, Gov. Mel Thomson urges nations to withdraw from the U.N. “Recently it has become a hotbed of communism,” he says. “Why should any free nation contribute to and support an organization run by communists and dedicated to promoting and perpetrating communism?”

Dec. 3, 2002: The Chico Enterprise-Record, a California newspaper, reports that Andrew Mickel’s parents turned him in to the police after he called them and bragged about shooting a Red Bluff, Calif., police officer Nov. 19. Mickel was arrested a week later when he surrendered to the Concord police and FBI agents after a 2½-hour standoff at the Holiday Inn on North Main Street.

Author: Insider staff

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