This week in Gibson’s virtual line-up
Virtual poetry gatheringThe Poetry Society of New Hampshire, in conjunction with Gibson’s Bookstore, on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. presents Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain’t Worth Much (finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, nominated for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award), the 2017 essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us (named...
Book of the Week: Observations on womanhood
Life of the Party: PoemsBy Olivia Gatwood(153 pages, poetry, 2019)This collection of poems will make you want to step back every now and then to catch your breath. Gatwood’s impossible-to-ignore observations about women’s bodies – and men’s experiences of women’s bodies – are relayed in achingly unambiguous language. At times winsome, but often chilling, the poems in this collection get under your skin. The subject matter blends...
This week in Concord History
Oct. 22, 1987: After passing through a small crowd bearing signs reading “Run, Don, Run,” and “New Hampshire Needs Trump,” real estate magnate Donald Trump tells the Portsmouth Rotary: “This country is in trouble. It needs strength, competence and intelligence.” But he adds: “I am not a candidate for president.” Oct. 22, 1920: George W. Stivers and Marcus F. Bassett, dangerous escapees from Sing Sing Prison in New York, are...
City newsletter: Elections, leaves, Halloween and more
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Election info The City Clerk’s Office wants residents to know that Oct. 21 was the last day residents may pre-register to vote prior to the State General Election to be held on Nov. 3, 2020. The City Clerk’s Office will be open until 6...
Flight, pint, growler or keg? These breweries have it
Back in 2018, the Insider took you on a tour of the regional brewpubs in the Greater Concord area. We’ve been sticking a bit closer to home these days, so we decided to take a trip down memory lane and give you some updates on those places.We had stopped into several breweries within about a half-hour of Concord and found that although a lot of stuff is similar, every brewer has his or her own identity, and it shows in the...
Book: How to Speak Brit
How to Speak Brit: The Quintessential Guide to the King’s English, Cockney Slang, and other Flummoxing British Phrases By C. J. Moore (119 pages, nonfiction, 2014) When I tell people I’m learning to speak British they laugh. It’s just English, they say. Balderdash! With respect, mate, this book shows they do have their own expressions that can have American speakers at sixes and sevens. If you want to go to Old Blighty or if...
Relative’s diagnosis leads to discovery
My name is Michelle Frost and I am a breast cancer Previvor. Previvor: A survivor of a predisposition (or increased risk) for a disease such as cancer. I found out a close relative had breast cancer in September 2019, and they were positive for the ATM breast cancer gene mutation. After hearing this news, I reached out to my primary care physician and was referred to the Breast Care Center in Concord for genetic testing with Dana...
Unique experience for a unique challenge
The American Cancer Society is excited to continue the 28-year tradition of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in a way that will keep all survivors, participants, sponsors, donors and volunteers safe and healthy. While the setting will be new, our collective spirit and passion for the mission of Making Strides continue. We will passionately raise funds for critical cancer research and patient services. We will compassionately...
Making Strides event at a glance
The 2020 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event will take place on Friday, Oct. 16, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Fieldhouse Sports in Bow. Tickets are required to attend this event; register at makingstrides walk.org/concordnh. INFORMATION Arrival: Cars are asked to arrive between 6:30 to 7 p.m. Video ceremony begins approximately at 7:15 p.m. and will be transmitted to your car radio. Music: Following the ceremony, there will...
Real Men Wear Pink program adds to effort
Prominent male community and business leaders from across New Hampshire have joined the American Cancer Society in the fight to end breast cancer through participation in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. Real Men Wear Pink participants from across the state have committed to raising funds to support the mission of the American Cancer Society and wearing pink every day this October to increase breast cancer awareness. Funds raised by...
Cancer isn’t canceled
Laura Peterson and her father are no strangers to hearing the words “you have cancer,” but to hear them at the start of a pandemic was something entirely different. In January of 2019, Peterson’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent radiation treatment and experienced side effects. Over the next year, he would continue getting treatment, going to appointments, and receiving routine testing. Unfortunately, his cancer...
City newsletter: Information on election, leaf pick-up
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Election info Absentee ballots Absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 State General Election are available from the City’s Clerk’s Office. Residents who are unable to vote at the polls on Election Day may request an absentee ballot from the...
Book of the Week: Grand fantasy on Emerald Isle
An Irish Country Girl By Patrick Taylor (319 pages, fiction, 2010) Mrs. Maureen Kincaid (affectionately nicknamed “Kinky”) is a friendly and efficient housekeeper and cook for doctor Fingal Flahertie in the small town of Balleybucklebo in Ireland. She cooks wonderful meals and runs the doctor’s house with a sure hand and lots of common sense. But we don’t hear about her background much. This story is about Kinky when she was a...
This week in Concord history
Oct. 15, 1851: Philip C. Hunt is caught in a belt and carried around the shafting of a Penacook mill, mangling one leg and one arm badly, from which he never fully recovers. He lives until 1858. Oct. 15, 1926: William Batchelder is born. Batchelder will serve on the state Supreme Court, then come out of retirement to help rule on the historic Claremont education lawsuit. Oct. 15, 1814: Daniel Webster returns to...
Write holiday card
The Holiday Cards 4 Our Military Challenge is up and running and ready for all that 2020 brings, even the complexities of COVID-19. Our troops will need our support and appreciation even more this year and each one of your Holiday Cards will bring joy and a taste of home. Last year, 175,000 cards were delivered to all five branches, all over the world. The card-signers were from over 45 States and Canada. While we are changing some of...
City newsletter: Get smart about fire prevention in kitchens
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Election info Absentee ballots: The City Clerk’s Office expects to receive absentee ballots for the upcoming Nov. 3, 2020 Election in early October. Upon receipt of those ballots, from the Secretary of State’s Office, staff will begin...
Book of the Week: An important collection on racism
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race Edited by Jesmyn Ward (288 pages, essay/poetry, 2016) If you choose only one text to read in The Fire This Time…, let it be “The Tradition” by Jericho Brown. The poem rightfully opens this collection of essays and poems, the anthology itself a nod to James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. Ownership, slavery, police brutality, death — the speaker of this poem connects these as...
Bulletin Board: State park pass and more
Reserve your space Most hikers and outdoor enthusiasts will agree, the fall season is the best time of the year to hike. However, making a reservation before you head out is the most important step in the process. Many of N.H. State Parks most popular hiking destinations require an advance day-use reservation. The temperatures are perfect right now. The leaves are changing and as they fall they are revealing stunning views of...
Lots to see and do downtown
While the Insider is always looking at local people, places and things to do, this week we wanted to send out an extra reminder of how important it is to think locally, eat locally and shop locally. Concord is lucky to a variety in its downtown and the wider city. Art, clothing, furniture, restaurants, homegoods, and so much more, all run by local people are available just about everywhere you look. Gibson’s Bookstore recently...
This week in Concord history
Oct. 8, 1938: Penny Pitou of Gilford is born. She will win two silver medals in skiing in the 1960 Olympics. She will also participate in the 1956 Olympics and be elected to the National Ski Hall of Fame. Oct. 8, 1856: A show called Price’s Ethiopian Minstrels opens at Concord’s Phenix Hall. The show, according to an ad in Concord’s Patriot, is “affectionately portraying the lights & shadows of a darky’s life.” Oct....
Poem: A faded billboard
A faded billboard lost to time, selling goods for the old store, a business claimed by the years, many decades ago, perhaps more. Once a colorful sign so bright, hand lettered many years ago, on a brick wall, where people used to go. Many people pass beneath the old sign, unknowing children run and explore, a faded billboard lost to time, selling goods for the old store. James W....
Poem: A younger man so
I wish I realized, when I was a younger man so, the sentiments the many years can bring, from my life so many years ago. There are people that have passed, I wish I could speak to them still, but life has a way of concluding, new chapters written at will. If I had known then, what I do know now, perhaps my life would be richer, or at least different somehow. When I think back over the years, of those I was fortunate to know, I wish I...
Entertainment
Thursday, Oct. 8 Mark Bartram at Hermanos, 6:30 to 7:30 and 8 to 9 p.m. Open mic at Penuches at 8 p.m., sign up at 7:30 p.m. Queen City Improv at the Hatbox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 Comedian Bob Marley at the Capitol Center for the Arts at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (Recommended 14+) Tickets $37.50 plus $8.75 fee Masceo Williams at Penuche’s at 8 p.m. Dank Sinatra at Area 23 at 6:32 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 Comedian Bob Marley at...
Artistic endeavors join forces
Insider staffTwo Concord-based crafters have teamed up to organize the Capital City Craft Bazaar to be held Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, at Rollins Park. Christa Zuber, organizer of the Concord Arts Market, and Alison Murphy, owner of Concord Handmade, have brought together many of the artists who sell through their organizations for a new opportunity to connect with customers during a year that has hit artists...
Exercise while fundraising
A family favorite in Concord, the Wicked FIT 5k is a Halloween costume-themed virtual 5k run/walk that will benefit programs for families and individuals experiencing homelessness in New Hampshire.Families in Transition-New Horizons will host their 9th annual Wicked FIT Run on Oct. 31. The Halloween-themed event is being held as a virtual 5k. People from all around the country can participate by sporting costumes and walking or...
Making Good Health Simple: Keeping active through the years
For the InsiderImportant: Make sure you consult your health care provider before taking on a new exercise or health and wellness plan. Talk to your doctor if you plan to start something new or more vigorous, especially if you haven’t been active recently. Once a medical professional gives you clearance, try some of the ideas below:Being active is important at any age, however as we get older some of the day-to-day tasks that helped us...
This week in Concord history
Oct. 1, 1814: Birth of Isaac D. Merrill in Hopkinton. He will grow up to be a clothier, town treasurer, postmaster and state representative. But his biggest claim to fame, according to his obituary, is this: “being the heaviest taxpayer in the town of Hopkinton.” Oct. 2, 2002: Franklin School District’s dropout rate has dropped from 16 to 10.1 percent, according to numbers released. School officials credit the improvement to...
City news: Recreational programs, classes open now
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights:Absentee ballots for electionThe City Clerk’s Office expects to receive absentee ballots for the upcoming Nov. 3, 2020, Election in early October. Upon receipt of those ballots, from the Secretary of State’s Office, staff will begin...
Book of the Week: Inspector Gamache back on the case
All the Devils are Here By Louise Penny (439 pages, mystery, 2020) Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté and his wife Reine-Marie travel from their small village of Three Pines in Canada to Paris to visit family. Their daughter Annie is just about to give birth and they want to be there to greet their new granddaughter. Annie’s husband is Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who was Armand’s second in command for years. Armand and Reine-Marie...
Poem: Postage Due
There was once a young mailman,walked our streets a century ago, took his time roaming house to house,perhaps just a little too slow. He was gifted with charisma,the young lad was full of charm, had a sweet disposition with the ladies,a gentle soul who would not harm. As the mail arrived each day,he sorted and sorted his mail marked post, the pretty young ladies would gather,for they were certainly entertained the most. As the years...
