Bring your appetites to the 13th annual Taste of New Hampshire
Don’t look now, but one of the greatest days on the Concord calendar is right around the corner: Taste of New Hampshire day. The festival of food, put on by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire as a fundraiser, returns for a 13th year Thursday, and with a slight tweak to its name from years past – formerly the Taste of Concord, the event’s new name reflects the fact that the Boys & Girls Clubs’ network is expanding,...
Singers to compete for the crown of N.H. Opera Idol at Concord City Auditorium
If there’s one knock against this city, it’s the relative lack of opera competitions we have around here. Thankfully, opera fans, your dreams will all come true this Saturday when the Piccola Opera and Opera New Hampshire present New Hampshire Opera Idol at the Concord City Auditorium.This will be an all-day affair featuring 40 opera singers belting it out, giving it their all to try to become the next N.H. Opera Idol. And by all day,...
David Ruedig named Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce announces David Ruedig as its 2018 Citizen of the Year. The Chamber will honor the Concord businessman and philanthropist with an award ceremony at its 99th Annual Meeting and Citizen of the Year award celebration presented by Merrimack County Savings Bank on Nov. 7 at the Grappone Conference Center. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.“This award represents the highest honor bestowed...
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests honors Ben Gayman with Conservationist of the Year award
On Sept. 29, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests presented the organization’s Conservationist of the Year award at its 117th Annual Meeting. Among the organization’s most prestigious recognitions, this annual award honors those exemplary people who have worked to promote land conservation through many different avenues, often with significant sacrifice. The Conservationist of the Year honors people whose work to...
Learn about forest bathing with Hanna Fries at Gibson’s Bookstore
No loofah required! People have been retreating to the woods for quiet, meditation and inspiration for centuries, and recent research finds that time spent in the forest doesn’t just feel good but is, in fact, good for you. Inspired by the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, poet Hannah Fries invites readers to bask in the company of trees, whether in a city park or a rural nature preserve, as she presents Forest...
Bulletin Board: Stamp collectors, free concert and a movie
Stamp collectors to meet today The Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on Tuesday (Oct. 16) beginning at 1 p.m. We invite all who are interested in stamp collecting to attend, share their interest, buy, sell and trade. Meet other collectors and learn more about their hobby and enjoy the fellowship of others with varied interests in Philatelic...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Liberty the comfort dog, paving updates, indoor golf and more
The city of Concord’s public information officer, Stefanie Breton, sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The newsletter contained too much information for us to fit into this spot, so we’re just printing some highlights here. For the full newsletter, go to concordnh.gov and click the “Newsletter” button on the home page. Comfort dog aims to join Concord PD If all goes according to plan, Liberty, a yellow Labrador...
Concord has made a change to its leaf-collection program, and you’ll probably like it
It’s mid-October, which means it’s prime leaf-raking season. In Concord, that has usually meant raking up all your leaves and somehow lugging them out to the curb for the city to come suck up with its giant vacuum trucks.But now, there’s a new option, and it just might change your life – bagged collection in the fall.Yes, you can finally put those leaf bags, previously acceptable only in spring, to use as the city will begin accepting...
Coalition to hold info session at Common Man on ending homelessness in Concord
Ending homelessness in a community like Concord requires commitment, time and a wide range of talents and skills.For those who would like to be part of that effort, the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness will hold a volunteer information session next Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Common Man restaurant in Concord.CCEH staff and volunteers will describe the many ways that individuals, service organizations, houses of...
Entertainment: ‘Friends’ parody highlights a very busy week
We have about as busy a week on the entertainment front as you’ll ever see around here this week. On the music side, Area 23 is hosting a big “Decades Night,” in which several artists will each do a set of songs from a particular decade. As far as theater, the Capitol Center for the Arts has a musical parody of the classic sit-com Friends. And Red River Theatres will have one showing of The Divide, a gritty Western. Enjoy! Music...
On the Road: A couple of newlyweds took the ‘Insider’ on their Hawaii honeymoon
Robert and Nancy Bussiere took the Insider along with them on their honeymoon to Hawaii in August. Along with five nights in Honolulu and a seven-day cruise was a visit to Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu.Thanks for bringing us along on your romantic getaway!Are you going somewhere exotic, or just cool? Bring a copy of the Insider with you and take a picture of yourself holding it in front of something memorable or picturesque....
Grange looking for donations for Concord Christmas parade, tree lighting
For the InsiderPlanning is underway for the 67th annual Concord Christmas Parade, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 a.m. on the Concord Heights. The parade route is being finalized, but Loudon Road will be the main route. The units will begin forming at 8 a.m. for floats and decorated vehicles. The remainder of the parade units will be there at 8:30 a.m. The formation location is also being finalized.The Concord Grange...
This Week in Concord History
Oct. 16, 1975: The Reagan for President campaign opens a headquarters at the New Hampshire Highway Hotel in Concord. Hotel owner Matthew Morton agrees to a temporary replacement of the wording on the huge sign atop the building from “Highway Hotel” to “Reagan for President,” creating an ostentatious precedent for future political candidates. Oct. 16, 2001: Citing safety concerns relating to the Sept. 11 attacks, the Steeplegate Mall...
Book of the Week: ‘Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey’
Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s JourneyStephen Kuusisto2018, 239 pagesNonfiction Stephen Kuusisto grew up in Exeter, N.H. He was legally blind and could only see some colors and shapes. His parents didn’t want him to be pitied, so they told him that he had to “pass” as sighted. They thought his disability would make him a victim. Stephen went to school, read books (pressed up to his nose) and even marched in a Memorial Day parade. As...
