Dear Bill and Casper, I want to propose to my longtime girlfriend, but I'm not the most romantic soul out there - a fact she reminds me of quite often. I'd like our engagement to be something special and, assuming she says yes, memorable. How did you two decide to get married? Dear Not So Romantic, First off, until the federal government recognizes marriage for all, we do not consider ourselves married. But on…

It's not until we hit print that the real action begins. But then we realized . . . we didn't exactly know what that action was. So we went to Dave Field, the Monitor's trusty camera mechanic. He's been here about 16 years and knows the ins and outs of this place like the back of his hand. Dave scans photos and improves them so they publish well. He also works in the plate room, meaning…

Route 3 improvements In this week’s issue, you’ll experience what it’s like to be an Insider (it’s both more and less glamorous than you’d imagine). But, we know what mystery you’d really like to unravel: what goes on inside the mind of City Manager Tom Aspell? To help answer this burning question, we took a look at Aspell’s weekly memo. The first thing we learned is that Tom is the type of man who cares deeply about Route 3 improvements. Or he pretends to, at least. “After a brief hiatus for the bidding process, the Route 3 corridor (North) improvement project will resume,”…

- Aug. 31, 1892 – The statue of antislavery Sen. John P. Hale is completed outside the State House. - Aug. 31, 1866 – The Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, author of a Concord history a decade earlier, is named state historian. He will holds this position for 11 years, during which he will compile 10 volumes of provincial and state papers for publication. - September 1, 1782 – The Rev. Timothy Walker, who has served as Concord’s Puritan minister from around the time of its settlement in 1730, collapses while preparing for a service and dies. He is 77 years old. - September 1, 1939 – Germany attacks…

The Suncook Valley Chorale will begin its 29th fall season with two non-audition open sing nights for new and current members at Pleasant View Retirement Center, 227 Pleasant St., on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. This is a noncommittal opportunity for you to try us out. Our fall program includes Italian, German and English madrigals, spirituals and upbeat pop songs with happy, joyous themes as we prepare for our concert in January. For more information, visit svcnh.org, e-mail Lori at ellen57@yahoo.com or call Sue at 774-3751.

With an extremely active hurricane season looming and local disasters such as recent home fires, the American Red Cross in New Hampshire is gearing up for the next major storm, which includes an active disaster preparedness fundraising campaign. Red Cross chapters across the state and country are taking part in the new disaster response fundraising drive, kicked off just before the height of the hurricane season in August and September. As part of this effort, the Red Cross is airing national television ads, sending targeted fund-raising appeals, using social media and making public appeals for…