The bell and the clock
The Board of Trade Building is pictured here in 1873. This beautiful building was constructed on the corner of North Main and School Street in downtown Concord. The building was dedicated in 1873 and one of the very first tenants was the Concord YMCA. The Board of Trade Building still lives down on Main Street, some on the west side and some on the east side of the street. You see, the top of the building was removed many years ago,...
Explore Concord from new vantage
Join Intown Concord on Sept. 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., for an immersive tour that invites you to uncover the intriguing stories and steeples that have shaped the downtown Concord landscape. From soaring spires to intricate stained glass windows, each institution holds a unique tale waiting to be discovered. The Upstairs Downtown “Steeples and Stories” Walking Tour, invites both locals and visitors to gain a deeper...
‘Stage Struck’ at Hatbox
Hatbox Theatre’s ninth season kicks off with the wild comedic thriller “Stage Struck.” Robert Simon was formerly a first-rate stage manager in London’s West End theatres and provincial touring companies. Now, he keeps house for his famous actress-wife Anne O’Neill. He also amuses himself with multiple dalliances when Anne is away. Unfortunately, Robert’s thoroughly delightful lifestyle is upended by the intervention of Anne’s...
Book review – Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
‘Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers’ By Jesse Q. Sutanto (338, Mystery, 2023) Vera Wong is a tiny, lonely Chinese woman of a certain age who runs a failing tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She only has one loyal customer who comes in each morning. His wife is ill, and Vera makes him a special blend of tea each day, choosing items from an immense cabinet of ingredients. She tailors it to what she thinks he needs each...
This week in Concord history
Sept. 7, 1791: A constitutional convention is called to order in Concord. In 36 days in session, it will propose the creation of the Executive Council, the sizes of the bicameral legislature and a change in the name of the state’s top elected official from “president” to “governor.” Voters will approve these changes in 1792. Sept. 7, 1929: Patrick Griffiths of 10½ Walker St. in Concord pedals to a stop in...
Bulletin board for the week of Sept. 7, 2023
Jilly Gagnon in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan Jilly Gagnon brings her new thriller, “Scenes of the Crime,” to Gibson’s Bookstore at 45 South Main Street in Concord, on Thursday, Sept. 7, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., to discuss with Hank Phillippi Ryan (“The House Guest,” newly in paperback!), and talk about tension, plot, and why people are the most unsettling thing of all. A missing queen bee. Toxic female...
Concord Business District – 1945
The Main Street business district in Concord is pictured in 1945. This photograph had a caption on the back that mentioned the need to relieve the downtown congestion with a bypass. Hence the “Baby Bypass” or Storrs Street was built.
This week in Concord history
Aug. 31, 2002: A Massachusetts man and his 15-year-old son are rescued after becoming stranded on a cliff in Crawford Notch. According to authorities, the boy tries to free-climb Frankenstein Cliff without equipment but can’t get any farther after reaching 150 feet. The father tries to climb the cliff to rescue the son but only reaches 90 feet. Aug. 31, 2001: In a decision that alters the juvenile justice system for some young...
Book: ‘Tell Me a Dragon’
‘Tell Me a Dragon’ Jackie Morris (15 pages, children’s picture book, 2009) This fantasy picture book leans heavily on Welsh author-illustrator Jackie Morris’ exquisite illustrations–with good reason. With sparse, poetic text, Morris imagines a world in which every person has a companion dragon. (Humans don’t “own” dragons, per se — as we learn in the concluding appendix. They are said, however, to form strong bonds with...
Bulletin board for the week of Aug. 31, 2023
Jilly Gagnon in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan On Thursday, Sept. 7, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. features Thursday thrillers! Jilly Gagnon brings her new thriller, “Scenes of the Crime,” to Gibson’s Bookstore at 45 South Main Street in Concord, to discuss with Hank Phillippi Ryan (“The House Guest,” newly in paperback), and talk about tension, plot, and why people are the most unsettling thing of all. A missing queen bee....
This week in Concord history
Aug. 24, 2002: A dog that roamed Tilton for two weeks since bolting from a highway crash on Interstate 93 is caught and returned to her owner, Randolph Carford, of Norwalk, Conn. Nyshka, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd, is found by Tilton police officer William Patten, Melisssa Dudley of Canterbury and Lorden Butman of Concord in an animal trap set by the police behind Wal-Mart. Dog and owner are reunited at Dartmouth-Hitchcock...
Book: ‘The Blackout Book Club’
‘The Blackout Book Club’ Amy Lynn Green (371 pages, Historical Fiction, 2022) It is 1942, in the small town of Derby, Maine. Avis Montgomery’s brother is leaving for Europe to fight in the war. He’s the town’s librarian, and asks Avis to fill in for him. Avis is not keen. She is not a reader. But when the war threatens to close the Library, Avis must find a way to keep it open for her brother’s sake. She proposes a book club,...
Bulletin board for the week of Aug. 24, 2023
Creative Ambitions Performance Studio of NH will present ‘Masked’ ‘Masked’ is a two-act drama written by New Hampshire resident Glynn Cosker – at Hatbox Theatre. The play, directed by Cosker, will be performed Friday, Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. Although there is some comic relief throughout, the play’s themes include: destigmatizing mental health issues; suicide awareness; and social...
For the People 2023 day of sports
So, check this out: Concord, New Hampshire had a total game-changer with “For the People 2023.” It was all about the local youth bringing the heat and getting some support from the clothing brand Project Concrete. Oh, and guess what? This brand was actually started by this high schooler named Shumbusho Emmable back in 2022. Pretty cool, right? Now, let me break it down. Concord isn’t exactly known for throwing...
1920: Purington’s Garage
The Arthur Purington Automotive Garage is pictured along the east side of South Main Street. This building once occupied the current site of the large “Smile” Building. Notice the standard gauge trolley tracks in the street and the gas street lanterns that once illuminated our ancestors dark evenings. A vintage gasoline pump is pictured to the right and the graceful elm trees that once lined our Main Street are...
Book: ‘The Women Could Fly’ by Megan Giddings
‘The Women Could Fly’ by Megan Giddings (277, Adult Fiction, 2022) When Jo was 14 her mother, Tiana, disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. Jo already stood out as the only bi-racial student in her school and for fourteen years has faced pity, racism and suspicion as the girl whose mother’s case inspired an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Was Tiana murdered? Or worse – in a world that is as modern as our own but still...
Concord artist on display
The Jaffrey Civic Center announces its next upcoming art exhibition “Reflections,” with works by Pam Tarbell featuring guest artist Andy Moerlien. The exhibit focuses on the works of painter Tarbell, and features a small number of pieces by sculptor Moerlein and will take place in the center’s Cunningham Gallery from Aug. 18 until Sept. 23. There will be a reception on Aug. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. Tarbell is a national exhibiting artist,...
Bulletin board for week of Aug. 17, 2023
Author talk: Land of Low Hills Join Gibson’s Bookstore as author Melissa Moore presents “Land of Low Hills, a Loudon Town History” to celebrate 250 years since incorporation. Inside this book, there are wonderful stories all around us, captured beautifully by Moore, a Loudon town resident. The event takes place Thursday, Aug. 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Gibson’s Bookstore on 45 South Main Street in Concord. Four...
Two more weekends of ‘Educating Rita’
Creative Ambitions Performance Studio of NH , a new professional theatre company in the Granite State, will premiere its second production at Hatbox Theatre in Concord, “Educating Rita,” by Willy Russell. The show opened on Aug. 4 and runs through Aug. 20. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. “Educating Rita,” directed by Tracy Mullen Cosker, is a comedy-drama set in Liverpool, England, in the early...
Sunflower farm hosting festival in Concord blends rural and urban living
The 20-acre sunflower field, framed on one side by the curving banks of Merrimack River, resembles the idyllic charm of New Hampshire’s rural countryside. But Greg Pollock’s sunflowers, which stand three feet tall and have yet to mature into their vivid yellow blossoms, are growing right off busy Exit 14 of Interstate 93 in the middle of Concord. Sunfox Farm is located on Loudon Road, directly behind the massive parking lot serving...
CYPN: Greg and Amber invite Concord to a sunflower festival
Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to the “Young Professional of the Month,” Greg Pollock and Amber Brouillette. Each month, the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better. Greg Pollock and Amber Brouillette How old are you? 32 and 30. Where do you live? Deerfield, NH. Tell us a little bit about yourself. We are two young...
This week in Concord history
Aug. 10, 2000: A Superior Court judge rules the state must return about $1 million in taxes paid on interest and dividends earned from out-of-state banks between 1991 and 1994. Aug. 11, 1766: John Wentworth is appointed governor of new Hampshire by King George II and also “surveyor of the king’s woods in North America.” He will take charge the following summer. Aug. 12, 2002: In Meredith, Marine Patrol is still...
Bulletin board for week of Aug. 10, 2023
A Visit with Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by Steve Wood, begins this program by recounting his early life and ends with a reading of the ‘Gettysburg Address.’ Along the way he comments on the debates with Stephen Douglas, his run for the presidency, and the Civil War. Steve Wood presents the program on Thursday, August 10, at 2:30 p.m. at Tad’s Place at Heritage Heights, at 149 East Side Drive in Concord. For more...
1942 News Wagon
This is a photograph of Paul Denning and his “News Bus” located on State Street near the State House Annex in 1942. Before social media people would actually seek information from newspapers and magazines – I remember the newspapers were always sold after church on Sunday mornings at St. Peters in Concord.
Ice cream trail
The 2023 New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail, developed by Granite State Dairy Promotion and your local NH dairy farmers, features 42 ice cream shops all across the state. From north, south, east, and west, there isn’t a region left unseen. Participants who complete the entire trail will receive a complimentary #eatlikeacow sweatshirt and be entered into a grand prize drawing for a chance to win a variety of NH made goodies. “The passport...
This week in Concord history
Aug. 3, 2003: In Minneapolis, the Episcopal Church’s laity and clergy move the Rev. Canon Gene Robinson, 56, of Weare, a step closer to becoming New Hampshire’s bishop, giving him more votes than expected in a church deeply torn over his homosexuality. He needs 112 votes from the clergy and laity. He gets 128. Aug. 3, 2002: Nan Hagen has had a lifelong love affair with downtowns, the Monitor reports. As the first coordinator of Main...
Book review: The Road to Ever After
The Road to Ever After By Moira Young (215 pages, Children’s fiction, 2015) Davy is an orphan in Brownvale, a truly awful town but the only place he’s ever been. Somehow he’s adopted by a stray dog eventually named George and as bad as things have been, everything gets worse from there. Davy needs to leave town and fast. Fortunately for Davy, the extremely elderly Miss Elizabeth Flint, who has been living in the defunct town...
Bulletin board for the week of Aug. 3, 2023
Ann Patchett talk On Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 7 to 8 p.m. Gibson’s Bookstore, in conjunction with New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts, will welcome international best-selling author Ann Patchett to the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at 16 S. Main St. in Concord for an evening of literary discussion of her new novel, “Tom Lake,” as part of our author series, Authors on Main! In this beautiful and moving novel about...
Book: “Death’s Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living”
“Death’s Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living” By Brandy Schillace (266 pages, Adult Nonfiction, 2016) Dr. Brandy Schillace — historian and Public Engagement Fellow at the Dittrick Museum of Medical History—has made a career out of studying slightly uncanny topics. Like authors Mary Roach and Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris—both cited frequently in “Death’s Summer Coat” — Schillace believes that...
This week in Concord history
July 27, 2001: Five people are injured when two cars collide on Canobie Lake Park’s most popular roller coaster. State safety officials will find nothing mechanically wrong with the Salem ride, blaming operator error for the crash. July 28, 1927: Nellie Taylor Ross, the nation’s first woman governor, stops at the Concord home of former New Hampshire governor John G. Winant. She is on her way to Tilton, where she will give a Chatauqua...
