The sun blazed bright in White Park that Thursday afternoon. The strains of "Ave Maria" wafted across the park from a pair of portable speakers as a couple dog walkers strolled by, pooches in tow. This idyllic scene centered around a group of Concordians suited up in their finest Lycra, sweating, stretching and smiling. The group was taking part in the Concord Recreation Department's…

Two weeks ago, we challenged you, readers, to a farmers' market scavenger hunt. The idea was to get you out there to meet some of the many local farmers who provide the community with fresh produce and other artisan goods.We got a pretty solid response from the hunt, and ultimately had to decide on a winner at random. And that winner (drumroll, please) is Faith Clark of Concord,…

One spring day while clearing out some leaf litter, my family had a rare encounter with a prowler of the night - a 6-inch-long spotted salamander. These secretive creatures hide underground in burrows and in rotting logs during the day, and they do their hunting of worms and insects at night. They are glistening jet black with bright yellow spots and are the moles of the salamander family.They…

The Insider recently caught up with Mama Wion, a 27-year-old native of Liberia who now calls Concord home. Wion lived happily in Liberia during her formative years."We were living a simple, happy life," Wion said. "Then the war came and it all went away in a minute."In 1989, civil war broke out in Liberia as Charles Taylor began his thrust for control of the country. The fighting soon swept up the Wions, and 8-year-old Mama found herself split up from her parents and on the run."Children went this way, parents went that way, we were just trying to survive," Wion said. "You don't have a minute to…

Dear Casper and Bill,I've been wanting to get pregnant for a while but my boyfriend doesn't think he's ready. Last month, I stopped taking my birth control - without telling him - and now I think I'm pregnant. What's the best way to tell him?Dear Dumbo,Now you've done it. Big mistake. You've worked backwards. You should have told him you were off the pill.…

• July 5, 1979 - In Concord scouting toward a presidential bid, U.S. Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas comments on the vulnerability of President Jimmy Carter and how it has raised hopes within his party. "I walked into the Senate cloakroom the other day and said, 'Mr. President,' and 20 Republicans turned around," Dole says.July 5, 1874 - Prominent Concord lawyer Anson Southard Marshall dies of a gunshot wound. The previous day, Marshall took his wife and young son for a Fourth of July picnic near Lake Penacook. The family heard target shooting by a militia company nearby. Marshall stood to call…