The Hippo Press – Page 54

This Week 25/06/26

Thursday, June 26

Comedian Demitri Martin will perform at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. as part of his “Quick Draw Tour.” Tickets start at $56.

Friday, June 27

Shop the Block! This evening from 4 to 8 p.m. Manchester’s Hanover Street will be closed for a special event co-hosted by the Palace Theatres and the Downtown Collaborative. There will be more than 20 retailers and live music, as well as food and drinks for purchase.

Friday, June 27

Watch high school football players from across the state at the NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game, benefiting Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, tonight at 6 p.m. at Grappone Stadium at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). General admission tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day. Kids 5 and under get in for free. See chadkids.org

Saturday, June 28

The Black Heritage Trail of NH (222 Court St., Portsmouth, 570-8469, blackheritagetrailnh.org) has collaborated with community leaders to bring people together to read Frederick Douglass’s historic protest speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” in 15 locations throughout the state at noon today. It will also be broadcast live online. Visit blackheritagetrailnh.org/frederick-douglass-statewide-readings.

Saturday, June 28

Take the intensity of your rock climbing to a new level. Vertical Dreams Nashua (25 E Otterson St., Nashua, 943-7571, verticaldreams.com) will host its first headlamp climbing night tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. There will be a DJ, a party atmosphere and climbing. This event is $15 for non-members. Participants should bring their own headlamps. Visit facebook.com/verticaldreams.

Saturday, June 28

Manchester Pride 2025 takes place today, with the theme “Picture Our Future.” The day will start with a parade on Elm Street at 11 a.m. headed to Veterans Park for a festival that runs from noon to 6 p.m. with entertainment, food, vendors and more, according to a Facebook post from Manchester True Collaborative about the event. See manchestertrue.org/pride-2025.

Saturday, June 28

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) presents an evening of Dancing with the Celts tonight, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $44.25.

Sunday, June 29

There will be a Wicked Sing-Along at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) today beginning at 2 p.m. Watch the film Wickedand sing along to all your favorite songs. Tickets are $15 in advance through the Capitol Center’s website, or $20 at the door.

Save the Date! Saturday, July 5
The Big Bounce America 2025 tour is coming to Merrimack from Saturday, July 5, through Sunday, July 6. This is the biggest touring inflatable event in the world and includes seven massive inflatable attractions, including a newly expanded 24,000-square-foot World’s Largest Bounce House. It will be held at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, anheuser-busch.com/breweries/merrimack-nh). Book tickets at thebigbounceamerica.com/event/manchester.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/06/26

Hot hot heat

Following up on this year’s unusual rainfall, earthquakes, reduced air quality from Canadian wildfires, and even zombie moose, WMUR reported on the possibility of record-high temperatures in New Hampshire between Monday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 25. “Expect hazy, hot and humid conditions for many spots,” WMUR reported in a June 23 online weather advisory, “as temperatures climb well into the 90s. It will feel like it is near or just over 100 degrees in parts of the Merrimack Valley into southwestern New Hampshire…. In Manchester, we have not hit 100 degrees since July 22, 2011. A nearly 14-year-old streak could be broken on Tuesday. A high temperature of 100 degrees would also tie the all-time record high temperature for June in the Queen City.”

QOL score: -3 (one for each day predicated to have been blech)

Comment: In a June 23 online weather advisory, WMUR defined an extreme heat warning, which it described as “fairly uncommon in New Hampshire,” as a warning issued “when the combination of heat and humidity will make it feel like it is 105 degrees or higher for at least two hours.”

Overdue recognition

A new monument was dedicated in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, Thursday, June 12, memorializing the contributions of New Hampshire women in military service. As described in a June 28 press release from the Women in Service Memorial Committee, “The monument itself, an outline of the state of New Hampshire, is filled with the medallions of each of the six Armed Services on the branches of the state’s official tree, the White Birch, [and] is surrounded by a memorial planter and a reflection bench.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: As described on the monument’s webpage, an effort to memorialize the service of New Hampshire’s servicewomen has been underway since 2018. Visit nhvca.org/donate/womens-service-memorial.

That’s going to leave a mark

As reported in a June 20 online story on Manchester InkLink, a New Hampshire athlete will make his professional debut in Las Vegas this weekend as a power-slapper. Zak Lansing, a Manchester Central graduate, will compete as “a super-heavyweight at Power Slap 13 when he will take on Ro Montana, a professional wrestler who will concede more than 100 pounds to Lansing,” InkLink reported. “For those unfamiliar with power slapping as a professional sport, it is almost exactly as it would seem: Two competitors stand across from each other and take turns striking each other with an open palm to the cheek, with the intent of knocking out their opponent. Most fights are three rounds, or three slaps each, and if no one is knocked out — similar to boxing or mixed martial arts — the decision goes to a panel of judges.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to PowerSlap’s website, Lansing’s debut fight will be recorded for future broadcast. His opponent, Ro Montana, won the coin-toss to slap first. Visit powerslap.com.

QOL score last week: 63

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 62

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/06/26

Fund for bikes

AARP gave a grant of $15,000 to the Queen City Bicycle Collective to help with the group’s program to provide bike lights, locks and rechargeable sashes to “enhance bike security and safety. It aims to benefit new riders, children, older adults, and low-income individuals, making cycling a safer and more viable option for all,” according to an AARP press release. See qcbike.org for more on the events and programs at Queen City BIcycle Collective. See aarp.org/communitychallenge for more on AARP’s grants.

10 years of Primary

Primary Bank celebrated its 10th anniversary at its Bedford headquarters last week, according to a press release. “Primary Bank was an important vision at a critical time as New Hampshire saw a proliferation of large national banks gobbling up smaller local banks, which had a negative impact on businesses, particularly during the banking crisis,” said Bill Greiner, Chair of the Primary Bank Board of Directors, in the release. “We started with 129 investors before we were even approved by FDIC. Today, we have over 700 shareholders who really believe in and support our mission.” Gov. Kelly Ayotte, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, Bedford Town Manager Rick Sawyer and other officials attended the event, according to the bank press release.

Gift of cookies

More than 70,000 packages of Girl Scout cookies were donated via the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains to food banks, veterans and military organizations and “numerous police and fire departments, health care facilities, schools, and other hometown heroes,” according to a Girl Scout press release. The cookies were donated as part of the Gift of Caring program, which takes donations from cookie customers as well as the council, the release said. See girlscoutsgwm.org for more about Girl Scouts.

6 Triple 8

Retired U.S. Army Col. Edna W. Cummings, author of A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion after her own 25-year military career, will discuss the World War II-era Women’s Army Corps’ 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion at the Wright Museum, 77 Center St. in Wolfboro, on Tuesday, July 1, at 7 p.m. “The primary mission of the ‘Six Triple Eight,’ … was to sort the two- to three-year backlog of undelivered mail for U.S. service members in the European theater of war. The unit, organized on March 4, 1945, in Birmingham, England, contained about 850 officers and enlisted personnel who formed four companies. Whereas most Black units in the military contained white officers, every position in the 6888th was staffed by Black women,” according to a museum release. Doors open at 6 p.m.; admission to the event costs $12, with pre-paid reservations encouraged, the release said. See wrightmuseum.org/lectureseries or call 569-1212.

A new St. Mary’s Bank branch at 16 Manchester St. in Concord held a ribbon cutting on June 13 and will hold a public open house on Saturday, July 19, from noon to 2 p.m. when people can stop by for refreshments, games, prizes and more, according to a press release. See stmarysbank.com.

The Franco American Centre will hold Canada Night to celebrate “La Saint-Jean / Fête Nationale du Québec” on Thursday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Diz’ Cafe, 860 Elm St. in Manchester. The event is free to attend — “just pay for your meal” — according to a newsletter. See facnh.com.

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have put together a 2025 Manchester Chicken Tender Passport featuring eight Queen City purveyors of chicken tenders, available at Delta Dental Stadium and at milb.com/new-hampshire/community/tenders-passport. Visit at least four locations and turn in your passport by July 26 to the Greater Manchester Chamber to enter a raffle for grand prizes. See the website for rules.

The Nashua Farmers Market is looking for musicians to play at its Sunday markets, which run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 26 at the Nashua Public Library parking lot (6 Hartshorn Ave.). Email support@downtownnashua.org.

Music Season — 06/19/2025

On the cover

10 Summer is music-lovers’ season! In addition to the regular venues for local, regional and national performances, outdoor venues like BankNH Pavilion have a slate of shows and many towns and cities have weekly (free!) shows in parks and town commons. Michael Witthaus presents a rundown of the shows you might want to save the date for and talks about the summer music season with a local venue operator. Cover photo: Martin & Kelly, photo by DB Kelly Photography. (Martin & Kelly have several area shows on the schedule for this summer including at the Londonderry Town Common on Aug. 6; see martinkellymusic.com.)

Also on the cover Michael Witthaus takes a look at two big shows with a discussion with Dionne Warwick (who plays the Cap Center on Saturday) and a look at the PhanArt show accompanying Phish and their June 20 to June 22 shows at the SNHU Arena in Manchester. Also this weekend, John Fladd looks at the weekend eats at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Manchester — Saturday is their annual Lamb BBQ and Sunday is a new addition, Gyro Day (page 16).

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Family fun for whenever

Dino days

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) will hold its Kick Off to Summer, Dinosaur Edition running Saturday, June 21, through Friday, June 27. Throughout the week the Center will offer special dinosaur activities and displays, which are included with the admission price. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends. Admission costs $14 per person ages 3 and up.

Summer fun

• Wilton Main Street Association will hold its annual Summerfest on Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring live music on two stages, food, street vendors, a pancake breakfast, a duck drop and a fireworks display in the evening on Carnival Hill. See visitwilton.com/summerfest.

• The Somersworth International Children’s Festival will take place on Main Street and in Noble Pines Park on Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Wildlife Encounters, roaming entertainers, a petting zoo, World Cultures Passport Center, a play area and other activities for kids as well as food and craft vendors, according to the Somersworth Festival Association at nhfestivals.org.

• Miss Alli’s Kids Concert will take place Saturday, June 21, at 1 p.m. in Stark Park (550 River Road in Manchester; starkpark.com). Find Miss Alli Music on Instagram.

• The Nest Cafe (25 Orchard View in Londonderry; thenestfamilycafe.com) is holding the free community festival NestFest on Sunday, June 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day will include live music (including Miss Alli), a bounce house, face painting, lawn games, touch a truck and more.

Movie night

• Movies in the Park at Riverfront Park in Tilton, hosted by the Hall Memorial Library (hallmemoriallibrary.org), will present The Little Mermaidon Friday, June 20. The park opens at 6 p.m., movies screen at dusk and the evenings will feature free pizza, books and more, the website said.

This Week 25/06/19

Thursday, June 19

Today is Downtown Nashua’s Third Thursday for June. From 3 to 8 p.m., 16 downtown businesses will offer special bargains and enticements. Find Third Thursday: June 19 on Facebook.

Thursday, June 19

Experience a world of huge and beautiful horses at the North East Friesian Horse Show at the Deerfield Fair Grounds (34 Stage Road, Deerfield, 463-7421) today through this Sunday, June 22. Visit nefhc.com/nefhc-classic-horse-show.

Saturday, June 21

The Nashua Pride Festival and Parade is this afternoon from 3 to 6 p.m. The parade will start at Nashua City Hall on Main Street and conclude at the festival grounds at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., according to a Facebook post about the event. The festival will feature art, health information, activism, food trucks, music and more, the post said. Find “NashuaPideFestival” on Facebook for more.

Saturday, June 21

There will be a Queer Book Fair today from noon to 5 p.m. at CosMom ConShop(100 Main St., Nashua, 438-0497, cosmomconshop.com). Find novels, poetry and other writing by queer authors and literature about and pertaining to queer characters and identities.

Saturday, June 21

Today the Pembroke Historical Society and the Friends of the Pembroke Town Library are hosting one of New Hampshire’s Reenactments of the Final U.S. Tour by the Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who fought on the side of the colonists in the American Revolutionary War. Today is 200 years to the day of his 1825 visit to Pembroke. The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Town Library, 313 Pembroke St.

Saturday, June 21

There will be a concert of Brass and Bells this evening at 7 p.m. at South Congregational Church, 27 Pleasant St. in Concord. This concert features the Granite State Ringers handbell choir of Concord under the direction of Joan Fossum and The Carter Mountain Brass Band, the Gilford-based brass band, under the direction of Debbi Gibson.

Saturday, June 21

Plaistow’s Old Home Day returns today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a parade and activities on the Town Hall green (145 Main St., Plaistow). See plaistow.com.

Saturday, June 21

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) is hosting Hot To Go: The Chappell Roan Party, for ages 18+, tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $23.30.

Wednesday, June 25

Tonight’s Londonderry Concert on the Common will feature East Coast Soul, a 10-piece musical collective. They will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. In case of bad weather, the alternate venue will be the Londonderry High School cafeteria. Visit londonderryartscouncil.org/cotc-schedule.

Save the Date! Thursday, June 26

Concord’s annual Market Days Festival runs Thursday, June 26, through Saturday, June 28, in downtown Concord from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with local vendors, live entertainment, family-friendly activities, maybe an in-festival wedding on Friday, June 27, and more. Visit marketdaysfestival.com.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Author: The Hippo Press

This Week 25/06/26

Quality of Life 25/06/26

News & Notes 25/06/26

Music Season — 06/19/2025

Kiddie Pool 25/06/19

This Week 25/06/19

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