Family fun for whenever
Sweet fun
• NH Maple Weekend is next weekend (March 15-16) but Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com) begins its maple fun this weekend with its Maple Express. Admission costs $29 per person and the event runs Saturdays and Sundays March 8, through March 23 (see the website for available admission times). Visitors can visit a sugar shack, see the maple process from tree to syrup, visit farm animals and more, according to the website.
• Ben’s Sugar Shack (8 Webster Highway in Temple; bensmaplesyrup.com) has also started the sweet fun early giving free maple tours every Saturday and Sunday in March, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. New tours of the maple process start every 20 minutes, rain or shine, according to a post on Ben’s Facebook page, which recommends dressing warm and wearing boots. The happenings also include maple and maple product samples.
Free day
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will offer free admission to New Hampshire residents on Saturday, March 8, when the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as part of its Second Saturday offer. For more on the museum’s new exhibit “Ann Agee: Madonna of the Girl Child,” see the story on page 16.
A little science
• Head to the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) on Saturday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to see the inventions in the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. The machines, built by local students, solve the problem “Feed a Pet,” according to the website. Seeing the show is part of regular admission to the Center, which costs $14 per person (ages 3 and up). The center is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com) will hold its next Little Learners session on Wednesday, March 12, from 12:30 to 1 p.m. The events are geared at ages 5 and under and include a story and a hands-on activity, according to the website. The event is included with regular admission, which costs $13 for adults, $12 for 62+ and 13 through college and $10 for ages 3 to 12 years old. During the school year, the Discovery Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On screen
• While you wait for Zendaya’s voice in Shrek 5, catch Shrek (PG, 2001) at Chunky’s in Manchester, chunkys.com, as part of the Little Lunch Date series on Wednesday, March 12, at 11:30 a.m.
• See the original Space Jam (PG, 1996) starring Michael Jordan and a whole lot of Looney Tunes on Wednesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at Flying Monkey in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the venue offers a special family-friendly menu on family movie nights.
On stage
• Palace Youth Theatre will present an hour-longDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musicalon Wednesday, March 12, and Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org).
Welcome, campers
• If the Feb. 27 issue of the Hippo has you thinking about your summer day camp needs, put the NH Audubon Nature Camp Open House and Reunion on your calendar. The event on Thursday, March 13, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn) offers those new to camp a chance to ask questions about the programs. The evening will feature games, crafts, song, a pizza party, an animal presentation and more, according to nhaudubon.org, where you can RSVP. For more summer day camps, check out our listings, which start on page 10 of the Feb. 27 issue, which you can find at hippopress.com.