We're so over turkey this Thanksgiving, we decided to go out for sushi instead. (Just kidding, turkey! We still love you and can't wait to eat you all week long!) To celebrate our very sushi Thanksgiving, we hit up four sushi hot spots in Concord and rated how they did against one another. To even out the playing field, we dined in and ordered the same item from each menu - tekka maki…

I'm subletting my column this week to my crafty friend Wendy. She actually shared her method of gift wrapping with me almost a year ago. However, it was too late for me to pass it along to Insider readers. I vowed to publicize this great green idea early in the season to allow people plenty of time to take advantage of a creative alternative to traditional wrapping paper. Here are her…

Japanese restaurants aren’t the only ones with the goods. Market Basket, Hannaford and Shaw’s all stock sushi as well! So, next time you’re picking up bread and milk, throw some sushi into the mix. Shaw’s Past the produce is Shaw’s sushi bar. Shaw’s has a small selection of maki rolls starting at $3.99 for 16 rolls. I did not see any raw fish, but they had several shrimp…

Zonta Club of Concord, a professional service organization, is having its annual holiday auction on Dec. 2 at the Red Blazer Restaurant, 72 Manchester St. Proceeds of the auction will benefit local service projects including: The Friendly Kitchen, Merrimack Valley Day Care Center, Rape and Domestic Violence Crises Center, local multicultural programs, local scholarship programs at NHTI, Young Women in Public Affairs and Jane M. Klausman Business scholarships and Amelia Earhart Fellowship Awards. Portions of the proceeds also support Zonta International service projects. If you are looking for that…

The Science Store at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive, will be collecting nonperishable food items for the New Hampshire Food Bank through December. The campaign is an extension of Patrick's Super Food Bank Project, an initiative begun several months ago by 12-year-old Patrick Regan of Merrimack, after learning about the critical food shortage the food bank is experiencing this year. In addition, the Science Store will be campaigning for Toys for Tots with a second collection box for new, unwrapped toys throughout the holiday season. Visitors are encouraged to bring a…

Come dance the night away under a winter sky at the Concord Family YMCA's largest and most celebrated fundraiser - the 21st annual Snowflake Ball, to be held on Saturday, Dec. 5. This fundraising event for the Kids Campaign hopes to raise $51,000 and entertain over 275 guests. All proceeds will directly enable the YMCA to continue offering financial assistance and scholarships to low income children, families and adults to provide opportunities for them to participate in YMCA programs and services including fitness, family and senior programs, child care, after school programs and summer day camps.…