Business showcase joins virtual realm
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites its members and the public to the 29th annual Business Showcase on Thursday, July 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. via Zoom. Presented by Merrimack County Savings Bank and Unitil, this popular networking event features the products and services of Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce members from a variety of industries in a virtual trade show atmosphere. With your safety in mind, this year the...
Strawberry picking season
The first fruits of summer have arrived in New Hampshire: strawberries. Delicious all on there own or boiled into jam or baked into pie. Get some fresh air and go pick your own at a local farm. Be prepared to take COVID-19 precautions, such as mask-wearing and washing your hands before picking. Check with individual farms on the practices they are implementing. The N.H. Department of Agriculture list of pick-your-own farms has these...
City newsletter: Councilor statement, drought conditions
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: Drought conditions Drought conditions are developing across the nation due to lack of recent rainfall and snowpack from this winter. As of June 25, Concord is experiencing moderate drought conditions. Precipitation for Concord is about...
Perform small acts with great love
What do you think a Philadelphia nun, the famous musician Jon Bon Jovi and a 12 year old boy from New Hampshire all have in common? I will tell you. It’s easy to be concerned about a problem in the world and post on social media about it, which a lot of people do. But how many of us can honestly say that when we are concerned about an issue we actually take action in our lives to try and make a difference? This week’s Kindness Column...
In book, flu wipes out most humans
The Dog Stars By Peter Heller (319 pages, fiction, 2012) “The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller was on my “Want to Read” list for ages. After reading a series of “just ok” books I was looking for a sure thing. I’m drawn to survival stories and this is a survival story. I’m also a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and this is post-apocalyptic fiction. Could I do this right now? Could I read a post-apocalyptic novel in the midst of a global...
Looking back: Journeying with the time traveler
There are memories we hold close to our heart; we experience such joy at an innocent age before our minds are tainted by society and we file away the thoughts. We hold these sacred memories and revisit them as we age with increasing frequency. My story is born of an age of innocence many years ago. Some of my earliest memories date back to the 1960s when I was young and impressionable. I spent many days with my grandfather during this...
Poem: There was a young man
There was a young man, we don’t talk about him anymore, left to serve his country, marched off to war. He lived in our town, went to school too, had a paper route and played ball, the things boys do. I remember him still, his name now on the Vietnam Wall, we spent our childhood together, I recall how much he liked fall. He was a good soldier, dedicated to every tour, there was a young man, we don’t talk about him anymore. James...
This week in Concord history
July 2, 1941: Joe DiMaggio hits a line drive home run over the head of Ted Williams in left field to break Wee Willie Keeler’s record 44-game hitting streak. On base when he hits it is Yankee third baseman Red Rolfe of Penacook. July 2, 1976: Gov. Mel Thomson orders a full investigation into what happened to 1,500 pounds of chicken that never made it to a state worker picnic at New Hampshire Hospital. The birds, worth $780,...
Shoulder press
While gyms are beginning to open at lower occupancy numbers and at least some social distancing precautions expected to continue through the summer, it might be hard to keep up the routines you are used to doing. However, it is still important to stay active for a healthy body and mind. Instructors from 43 Degrees North will be sharing quick exercises with the Insider that you can do at home. Standing Shoulder Press Start with your...
Book of the week: Plan for retirement
Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security By Laurence J. Kotlikoff (Nonfiction, 384 pages, 2016) A must read for anyone who is planning on taking their Social Security benefits soon. This book is full of all the things no one tells you. It walks you through all the wonky government math, so you can get the biggest check possible. Everyone’s fear is that their Social Security will run out before their time...
Read about reading
Clarence’s Big Secret By Roy MacGregor & Christine MacGregor Cation, Illustrated by Mathilde Ting-Mars (Tumblebooks) Clarence has a big secret he doesn’t want anyone to know. He can’t read. The very first day of school children laugh at him so he leaves and never returns. Soon after leaving school Clarence’s Dad becomes blind in an accident and he takes over the family farm. Clarence goes on to become a logger, miner and...
Instagram: Check out social-distance-friendly fun
It’s been a while since we’ve shared an Instagram post from the community, so we’ve decided to do two this week. The first is a shot of a mom and mom-to-be squad at White Park that was shared by the Funky Bump (@funkybump), which will be holding their first workout of the summer on Saturday, June 27, at 9:30 a.m. A full body pre- and postnatal combo fitness class will be led by Coach Antonia and Coach Kieran They ask that you register...
Symphony N.H. announces schedule
Music, particularly live music, brings a community together and connects people in a way like no other. Symphony N.H., like other cultural organizations, realizes this and understands the important role music plays in daily life. In keeping with New Hampshire state guidelines issued by Gov. Chris Sununu and the specific public health recommendations issued by the CDC, Symphony N.H. has announced its plans for moving forward with a...
City newsletter: Purple trash bags return, request a ballot
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 Residents wishing to vote in New Hampshire who are concerned about participating in-person due to COVID-19 may register to vote, and vote, by absentee for the 2020 elections. Find more information on the State of New...
Summer exhibits
The New Hampshire Art Association will have two installations on display for the summer around Concord now through Sept. 17. Reconsidering Trash The works Marylou Ashooh Lazos of Derry will be at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce in an exhibit titled, “Reconsidering Trash.” She creates assemblages using pieces of her past and found objects – or “other people’s trash.” “As the daughter of a ‘Depression-baby,’ I find it difficult...
Learn power move
While gyms are beginning to open at lower occupancy numbers and at least some social distancing precautions expected to continue through the summer, it might be hard to keep up the routines you are used to doing. However, it is still important to stay active for a healthy body and mind. Instructors from 43 Degrees North will be sharing quick exercises with the Insider that you can do at home. Jump squat Stand with feet hip-distance...
This week in history
June 25, 2003: The Penacook Historical Society holds an open house for the Rolfe barn, a 200-year-old building that the group had fought to save for months. The event gives many supporters their first peek at the property. June 25, 2002: Against the brilliant blue background of Lake Winnipesaukee, Gov. Jeanne Shaheen says that as a U.S. senator she would build on the state’s new clean air laws to set stricter federal standards. June...
Book of the Week: Discover your purpose
The Quarter-Life Breakthrough: Invent Your Own Path, Find Meaningful Work, and Build a Life That Matters By Adam Smiley Poswolsky (Nonfiction, 224 pages, 2016) Confused? Unhappy? Only a quarter of the way through your life? It’s okay, it happens to everyone. You’re having a quarter-life crisis. But this book is the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone tells you, you need to live life a certain way. Follow society’s...
Poem: Home
Time has brought memories, cherished moments made from each year, the days provided heartfelt thoughts, though some years delivered a tear. As the road continues along the way, may the future moments be clear, remembered, cherished, and most sincere. Take the time to live your life, embrace those with whom you roam, travel around the world, but never forget about home. For home is a place, to always keep very near, time has brought...
Playground fun
With the expiration of the governor’s order, the city of Concord reopened its playgrounds Tuesday. So you and the kiddos can held on out from some fun in the sun. Some things to consider, however, are these recommendations from the CDC: Visit parks that are close to your home Don’t visit parks if you or someone in your home is sick, has tested positive for COVID-19, or was recently exposed to COVID-19 Try to stay more than 6 feet away...
City Newsletter: Get books curbside, tax relief
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: City playgrounds open With the governor lifting the stay at home order, the city’s playgrounds reopened on Tuesday, June 16. On Monday, June 15, Parks and Recreation Department staff inspected and thoroughly cleaned all the...
This week in history
June 18, 2003: House and Senate leaders strike a deal on a compromise state budget that restores most of the cuts to Health and Human Services that Gov. Craig Benson and the House proposed earlier this year. “We have presented a people’s budget,” Senate President Tom Eaton says. “And we did it without raising taxes.” June 18, 2000: Organizers say the 77th edition of Bike Week brought some 340,000 people to the Laconia area. The...
1907: Granite Railway Co.
A photograph from 1907 of granite loaded on a train of the Granite Railway Company, owned by John Swenson, as it leaves Concord. This particular load was part of a 4,000-cubic-foot order of Concord granite that was to be used to construct a pyramid tomb. If you look closely you will noticed the flatcar is lettered “Boston & Maine Railroad” and there is a B&M Railroad employee standing on the car as it departs. My family, like...
Book of the Week: Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl By Eoin Colfer (Young adult fantasy, 280 pages, 2001) Artemis Fowl is a delight of a read. Pragmatic, cut-throat boy wonder Artemis posits himself against the entirety of The People, the collective species of fae and fairy folk world over. From dwarves to gnomes, these beings have hidden themselves underground to hide from the threats and encroachments of humans. Artemis discovers their existence and plots to steal...
Making Good Health Simple: Lower into a lunge
While gyms are beginning to open at lower occupancy numbers and at least some social distancing precautions expected to continue through the summer, it might be hard to keep up the routines you are used to doing. However, it is still important to stay active for a healthy body and mind. Instructors from 43 Degrees North will be sharing quick exercises with the Insider that you can do at home. Lunge A lunge is a great exercise because...
For young readers: Treasure Island
Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson Illustrated by N.C. Wyeth (fiction, 273 pages, 1911) Young Jim Hawkins is helping his parents run the Admiral Benbow Inn in a coastal town in England in the mid 1700s. An “old sea dog” comes in to stay at the inn. He is a tall, strong man, tanned, with a sabre scar on his cheek. He is Captain Billy Bones. He sings an old sea-song, “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest – Yo-ho-ho...
Add edible flowers to your cooking
What is not only pretty in your flower gardens or containers but tasty as well? How about nasturtiums, pansies and daylilies for “starters”? Edible flowers have a long culinary history, having been used for centuries in countries all over the world to add color, aroma and flavor to food dishes. And many have health benefits as well. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian...
City newsletter: Buildings reopen, pools to stay closed
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: Reopening of city buildings The City of Concord is taking a phased approach to reopen facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic with guidelines in place for the health and safety of staff and the public. As of Monday, June 8, several City...
This week in history
June 11, 1776: Dr. Josiah Bartlett and William Whipple, representing New Hampshire in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, write to the colony’s president, Meshech Weare, that a committee has been appointed to draft a declaration of independence. “As this is a Subject of the greatest importance,” they write, “we beg we may be furnish’d with the Sentiments of our Constituents as we wish to Act agreeable to them let our own be what...
Kindness Challenge: Make someone happy today
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late” Ralph Waldo Emerson Everyone can agree that there are many things that have been really awful about quarantine. Among the positives has been the extra time I have had to spend with my sister. Usually we are both so busy that we don’t always have the time to appreciate each other or even realize how much fun it is to be together. All the extra...
