Author: The Hippo Press

Pappas runs

Chris Pappas, four-term Democratic congressman for New Hampshire’s 1st District, will run for Senate in 2026. The seat won’t have an incumbent as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided not to run again. Pappas released a video on April 3 on his social media accounts and at his Senate campaign website, chrispappas.org, announcing his campaign.

Five eggs

Three more eggs joined the nest of the peregrine falcons at the Brady Sullivan tower in downtown Manchester — one each on April 1, April 5 and April 7, according to a log recording action at the nest. These new eggs joins the two laid March 22 and March 27. You can watch the couple and their progress at the Peregrine cam at nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam, where the New Hampshire Audubon offers three live views of the nest with support of Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, the website said. The log also has a link to a document with basic information about the nest and a look back at previous seasons of peregrine falcons that have occupied it and the chicks that hatched there.

Deadline extended

The deadline has been extended for Intown Concord’s “Get Married At Market Days.” Apply by April 30 to get married on Friday, June 27, at the city’s downtown Market Days event and receive a package that includes a wedding night stay at Hotel Concord, a reception space at the Cantin Room at the BNH Stage, a live band for the first dance, an ice cream wedding cake from Social Club Creamery and crudité and fruit platters from Duprey Hospitality. See marketdaysfestival.com.

Mural fest

Arts Build Community in Manchester will hold its 10-day 2025 Community Canvas Mural Festival in the Queen City’s downtown Thursday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 17, according to an email about the event. The Festival will feature “10+ large-scale murals, interactive art installations, youth workshops, community storytelling, and a vibrant block party finale,” the release said. “We’re not just painting walls — we’re building connection, identity, and joy,” said Arts Build Community founder James Chase in the statement. See artsbuildcommunity.com.

Clean up

The Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program will hold spring pond and park cleanups, according to an email from the organization. The cleanups are scheduled for Saturday, April 19, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Nutts Pond and Precourt Park; Saturday, April 26, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Black Brook and Blodget Park, and Saturday, May 3, from 9 to 11 a.m. at McQuesten Brook and Wolfe Park, the email said. Find information about joining the cleanups at manchesternh.gov/Departments/Sewer-and-Stormwater/Pond-Restoration/Cleanup-Events.

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant at 1 Bicentennial Square in Concord will celebrate its 40th anniversary in the city on Friday, April 11, from 3 p.m. to midnight, with margarita and Modelo specials and a free T-shirt for the first 100 guests, according to margs.com.

Tickets are on sale now for the New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus spring concert series, called “Celebrations!” The first concert will take place at Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Newington on Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. with subsequent shows at the Rex Theatre in Manchester on Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m.; Saturday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Nashua, and Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m. at BNH Stage in Concord. See nhgmc.com.

Manchester Historic Association’s annual meeting on Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org) will feature a look at the new exhibit “All Bottled Up! The History of Bottling in Manchester” with more than 100 glass bottles from Manchester that reflect the city’s liquor, soda, dairy and other bottling businesses, according to the website. Call 622-7531 or email [email protected] to RSVP.

USAF Major Carl Stidsen, retired, will speak about his time commanding a Titan II missile crew in Arizona in a program called “Life in a Cold War ICBM Site: On the Nuclear Bullseye,” on Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, according to a press release. Admission costs $10 per person. See aviationmusemofnh.org.

Eggs!

The peregrine falcons at the Brady Sullivan tower in downtown Manchester welcomed a second egg on March 27, according to a log recording action at the nest. This new speckled egg joins an egg laid a little more than five days earlier on March 22. You can watch the couple and their progress at the Peregrine cam at nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam, where the New Hampshire Audubon offers three live views of the nest with support of Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, the website said.

NH literacy

The New Hampshire Department of Education has launched a survey to get community input about literacy education in the state, according to a press release. The “New Hampshire’s Literacy Landscape Survey” asks to rate satisfaction in literacy education at local schools and about instruction in literacy elements as well as what tools might be needed, according to the survey, which is available at education.nh.gov. (Find the March 31 press release about the survey for the link.) The survey will close on June 3, the release said. “As part of the state’s commitment to improving literacy outcomes for all students, NHED is conducting this needs assessment survey to identify the most pressing needs and opportunities to achieve the goals outlined in the creation of the State Literacy Plan,” the release said.

Sustainability

The Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford) will hold the 2025 Souhegan Sustainability Fair on Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the local food pantry SHARE, according to a press release. The fair will feature live music, food, a guided hike, a story walk, kids crafts, 34 exhibits, presentations and more, according to the release. Admission is free.

Juneteenth event

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will hold a discussion on Ona Marie Judge, the woman who eventually settled in New Hampshire after escaping enslavement at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester on Thursday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m., according to a press release from the Black Heritage Trail. Judge, the focus of the book Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, escaped to Portsmouth, and the event will include a dramatic reading of her 1845 interview published in The Granite Freeman, the release said. New Hampshire actress Sandi Clarke Kaddy will perform as Ona Judge, after which Armstrong Dunbar will discuss Judge’s story, the release said. Admission is free; reserve a spot at blackheritagetrailnh.org or by calling 570-8469.

The artist reception for “Revive, Renew, Reconnect,” an art exhibit from Concord-based Art Alley Cats (artalleycats.com) and DIY Craft & Thrift (diycraftandthrift.com) at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St., Concord, kimballjenkins.com), will be on Saturday, April 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event was originally scheduled last weekend but was postponed due to weather.

The Evolution Expo, with the tagline “mind, body & spirit,” will be held Sunday, April 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave. in Concord, and will feature exhibitors, demonstrations, workshops and more, according to holisticnh.org/evolution-expo, where tickets are free (admission costs $10 at the door).

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach, casinoballroom.com) will kick off its new season with Experience Hendrix (a multi-artist show featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, Devon Allman and Samantha Fish) on Thursday, April 3, at 8 p.m. and Melissa Etheridge on Sunday, April 6, at 8 p.m.

The Milford Garden Club will hold a program on purple martins, birds native to North America, featuring Pamela D. Hunt, a biologist for avian conservation at the New Hampshire Audubon, on Monday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Congregational Church Parish House, 10 Union St. in Milford. The meeting is free and open to the public.