Do something for others this holiday season
It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is right around the corner.And while a lot of you will be getting your Christmas tree, decorating the house and shopping for those on your gift list, there are others out there who don’t have the means to do those things. Some even struggle to put food on the table, let alone enjoy the luxuries that many of us take for granted.That’s why each year, and this will be year No. 9, the Insider...
Help end child abuse with New Hampshire Children’s Trust
Children are an important investment. Before we know it, the people we call kids today will be the ones running the world, making decisions that greatly impact our lives, rather than the other way around.That’s why it’s important to protect that investment, and the folks at New Hampshire Children’s Trust know all about that.The organization works to prevent child abuse and neglect by promoting healthy family activities and lifestyles...
Lose the stress and find a little holiday joy
It’s that time of year again . . . the holidays. “The most wonderful time of the year,” as those nostalgic songs promise: the halls decked, chestnuts roasting, sleighbells ringing, all eyes twinkling with cheer. A time of family togetherness, peace, harmony and joy. But for many of us, just reading these words can cause a flood of stress, a sense of exhaustion and even despair. We feel compelled to do too much, eat and drink too much,...
It’s time to get in that Fez-tive spirit again
Although it may not feel like it, thanks to that little warm spell we just had, the holiday season is upon us. When you think holidays, you think of turkey, family, pie, egg nog, presents – and the Feztival of Trees. The Bektash Shriners are at it again with their 16th annual fundraiser known as the Feztival of Trees, a reference to the group’s penchant for wearing fezes.For about a week – Nov. 19-27 this year – the center (189...
Friends of Forgotten Children needs your help
As you flip through the pages of this week’s issue, you’ll notice that at this time of year, there are a lot of organizations that could use your help. Whether it’s through volunteering or donations, the need is great. And you can count the Friends of Forgotten Children as one of the many places that could use your services. Later this week, they’ll hand out their Thanksgiving food baskets to needy families from all over the Concord...
Community Bridges aims to support, guide
Not everybody is dealt the same hand at birth. For those who have developmental differences or delays, daily life can be a real struggle. Community Bridges realizes this, and that’s why it works to provide therapy (both physical and occupational) and educational guidance to families and individuals who need it. It’s a federally mandated program across the country, but it’s not fully federally funded – meaning the government requires...
Christmas parade is Saturday on the Heights
It’s not even December and Christmas is more than a month away, but we all know that holiday festivities traditionally find their way into our world starting in November. Every year, it seems like the store displays are put out earlier and earlier to get us in the holiday spirit.Well, add the Concord Christmas Parade to the list of holiday happenings before we even sit down to eat turkey. On Saturday, Loudon Road will be the place to...
NHTI’s Stage Lynx to perform ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’
This weekend, NHTI’s Sweeney Auditorium stage will transform into the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, N.Y., circa September 1937. Its the final years of the Great Depression and Eugene Morris Jerome, a Polish-Jewish American teenager, is coming of age. He’s going through puberty, sexual awakening and a search for identity in Brighton Beach Memoirs, the latest production by NHTI’s Stage Lynx drama club. Brighton Beach Memoirs is a...
Melissa Miller has a new exhibit at McGowan Fine Art
Melissa Anne Miller is kind of a big deal in the Concord art world.Her work, which shows off some of the best scenery in Concord, and hangs in local businesses, City Hall and the City Auditorium. It’s a fan favorite when McGowan Fine Art puts on a show – which it just so happens that Miller’s “Clearing” opened this week.As you’re reading this, Miller’s paintings are already on the McGowan walls. But the official opening reception is...
Johanson’s work really pops off the wall at you
The work of Linda Cole Johanson is on display at the Kimball Jenkins mansion through the end of the year. The exhibit features Johanson’s new work, comprising landscapes and seascapes created with oil on canvas. Take a walk around the first floor of the mansion and check out all the colors popping off the wall. There’s lots more to see.
Greater Concord Photography Club sure takes some nice pics
The Greater Concord Photography Club is holding its 3rd annual exhibition and sale in the Kimball-Jenkins Estate carriage house through Dec. 2. For more info or to purchase a photo, contact Brett Walker at concordphotoclub@gmail.com or 496-5420.
Players set to perform ‘Once On This Island’
Now that the sideshow that was the election is over, we can all settle back into our regular lives. Gone (for the next three to four years, anyway) are the endless, cartoonish attack ads and mailers that flood our consciousness.Now we have room in our brains to take in a musical play, and wouldn’t you know it, but the Community Players of Concord have one coming up at the Concord City Auditorium.This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the...
There’s an artistry to building a stone wall
If you look closely, you’ll see them all over. They’re lining front yards on the outskirts of the city, found randomly in the woods and at one time they were probably used to settle property disputes.We’re talking about stone walls – and when you see one, you can’t help but wonder the story behind them. Who built it? How long had it been there? Why was it built? Sure, we could probably throw a few stones together and call it a wall,...
Get your letters to Santa ready to send out
As most kids – and parents – know, it’s never too early to get going on that Christmas list. Just because it’s not even Thanksgiving yet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be perfecting that list so nothing goes wrong on the Big Day. One of the biggest questions kids ask is: How can I get my letter to Santa? After all, sending mail to the North Pole can be a logistical nightmare, especially if you’re 4 years old. Luckily, Concord Parks and...
Want to know how astronauts train on Earth?
If you’ve ever dreamt of going to space, you’ll have to get a little training.It’s kind of this rule that NASA has in order to be on a space shuttle destined for outside Earth’s atmosphere. And until they start offering scenic tourist packages, you’re kind of stuck doing all the hard work every astronaut goes through.But have you ever wondered how astronauts train for being in outer space on Earth? There is this little thing called...
Here’s a look at all the winners at this year’s SNOB film fest
It was a crazy weekend of films, music and beer, as the Somewhat North Of Boston Film Festival/New England Indie Fest rolled through town. Four days of films, from feature length to shorts about New Hampshire, filled Red River screens, and on Sunday, the winners were chosen. And since we devoted an issue to giving you all the details of what was going on, we figured the least we could do was provide a list of winners. Drum roll please...
Who do you think should be Mr. Concord?
If you’re one of those people who likes to say, “I was there” for the first of what turns into a really cool annual event, you’ll want to clear your schedule for Friday. Because you are not going to want to miss the first-ever Mr. Concord Pageant at the Grappone Conference Center. “I was home last winter recovering from a rotator cuff surgery, and I kept thinking of ways the Concord Contemporary Club could raise some funds and it just...
Here’s why these guys want to be Mr. Concord
Now we couldn’t let a Mr. Concord Pageant take place and not try to see why all eight contestants wanted to be named the first-ever Mr. Concord. We asked everyone to give us answers to three easy questions to go along with head shots so you could get to know who will be competing this Friday. Unfortunately, we did this a little late in the week and didn’t hear back from a few of them. But here’s what we got, and if you want to know...
Three can’t-miss book events
As you probably know by now, we’re pretty big fans of books. We like to promote reading because, well, if you don’t read that means you can’t read the Insider, and that’s no way to go through life. Since we love books so much – and know that you do, too – we decided to compile a little package of bookish events going on in the near future. If you’re a real bookworm, you won’t want to miss these opportunities to meet and interact with...
Did you know Franklin Pierce would be 212?
Since our last-minute write-in campaign for president didn’t quite catch on as we had hoped, New Hampshire is still home to just one person to occupy the Oval Office – Franklin Pierce.Pierce was the 14th president, serving from 1853-57, and because of that, he’s kind of big deal around here.Now we understand that none of you were alive when Pierce was, unless you’re somewhere in the neighborhood of 147 years old and if that’s the case...
Food Snob: Taking the new WOW Fried Chicken for a spin
If there’s one thing downtown Concord has always sorely lacked, it’s a fried chicken place. Sure, there’s a KFC down the street, but that’s not the same. There’s nothing better than a bucket of crispy fried chicken to carry down Main Street, and now you can finally do that thanks to WOW Fried Chicken & Subs.This place opened on Depot Street about three weeks ago, and we had to give it a try. The menu is part traditional, part...
Around Town: We never know what we’ll find
It’s true that we never really know what we might find when we head out for an assignment. That’s why we always bring our cameras with us – wouldn’t want to miss the chance to document something bizarre, like the scene above. In case you can’t tell, that’s a men’s bathing suit lying on the ramp next to the Merrimack River at Everett Arena. We’re fascinated by the story that must be behind this. So a guy decides to do some...
Book of the Week: ‘Scarlet’
ScarletA.C. Gaughen2012, 292 pagesYoung adult fictionScarlet is a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, with a secret. It’s the account of how John Little, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet live, breathe and love in the fight to save the people from the greedy Sheriff of Nottingham – by stealing from the rich to give the money to the poor so they aren’t taxed out of their homes.The main character has a unique voice that adds to the flavor...
Bulletin Board
Community supper suspended for now Community suppers at Grace Episcopal Church in East Concord, have been canceled until further notice. There will not be a supper on the third Friday (this Friday) of November. We appreciate your loyal patronage and support during the past six years. The church’s “Take a Tote” food program will continue at Mill Brook School. Barbara Ashworth Tellabration is back for 19th year On Saturday, NHTI...
This Week in Concord History
Nov. 15, 1978: The Monitor reports that Concord is about to hire Jim Smith away from Berlin as city manager. “He’s a good solid choice,” says Councilor Rod Tenney. Smith will come to Concord after the first of the year and remain in the job for more than 13 years. Nov. 15, 2001: After a request by Ward 3 City Councilor Andy Tarbell, a recount confirms that Kipp Cooper has won the seat, 263-260. The original count was 262-260....
