With the flick of a switch, the 58-inch plasma screen will come alive Sept. 4, featuring images from the new observatory telescope at the grand opening of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center's new observatory dome at 2 Institute Drive. The dome houses two telescopes for viewing day and nighttime skies. The primary telescope, a Celestron 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, uses a Celestron PRO mount, computerized for tracking planets, nebulae, galaxies and other nighttime objects. The second telescope is a 100mm Lunt, designed for solar viewing of sunspots and other activity. Either telescope can be…

Main Street Concord's "Scarecrows on Main" contest is open to individuals, families, teams, schools, churches, clubs, organizations and businesses. Build your scarecrow on the State House lawn on Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with all the materials provided. Awards will be given in first, second and third place in three different categories; 12 and under, 13 and over (families included) and businesses. Scarecrows will be displayed throughout downtown and will be taken down after Halloween. Registration fees are due before Sept. 15. For more information, visit mainstreetconcord.com or call 226-2150.

Zoe & Co., 92 N. Main St., welcomes the newest addition to its team of professional bra fitters, Ashlee Byron. Ashlee has completed the extensive training to provide the perfect fit. Having correctly fit 100 women, she is now prepared to join the select team of professional bra fitters at Zoe & Co. that have been helping women throughout New England since 1998 get the support they need. To make an appointment…

You may have recently seen some news coverage about Friends of Forgotten Children, discussing the challenges we face in the coming weeks to keep our doors open and continue serving thousands of area children and families in need through the struggling economy. In the 72 hours since that initial report, we have marveled at the kindness and charity of citizens across the state who have responded and volunteered both their time and resources to keep Friends of Forgotten Children in operation. We were further heartened by the generosity of the Finlay Foundation, which issued a challenge grant, offering…

Annie’s Ghosts Steve Luxenberg 2009, 401 pages Nonfiction Steve Luxenberg, editor for the Washington Post, grew up hearing his mother Beth tell everyone that she was an only child. Imagine his surprise when he learns from a social worker that his 78-year-old mother mentioned she had a disabled sister who was sent away at 2 years old and that she doesn't know what happened to her. Since Beth's health is precarious,…

I was 5 years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. Like many people around my age, I grew up with a keen interest in the Kennedy family. The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy last week found me logging more time than usual in front of the television. I listened to the news programs review his life and his many accomplishments. Much time was spent discussing what made the senator such an effective legislator. One…