Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

Holiday happenings

• Merrimack’s holiday parade and tree lighting will take place on Sunday, Dec. 3, with the theme “Rock & Roll Holiday Thru Time.” The parade begins at 3 p.m. at the Commons Shopping Plaza (515 Daniel Webster Hwy.) and will end in the Town Hall parking lot (6 Baboosic Lake Road), where the tree lighting will take place. Visit merrimackparksandrec.org.
• Looking for more holiday excitement, including details on Manchester’s Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 2, and Concord’s Midnight Merriment on Friday, Dec. 1? Check out the Nov. 23 issue of the Hippo, our supersized Holiday Guide. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

Meet the big guy

• As part of Midnight Merriment, Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) will hold a Santa Storytime on Friday, Dec. 1, from 4:15 to 5 p.m. Catch new stories every 15 minutes, according to the website.
• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com) kicks off Santa’s Christmas Saturday, Dec. 2, and Sunday, Dec. 3 (the event runs Friday, Dec. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 10; Friday, Dec. 15, through Sunday, Dec. 17; Wednesday, Dec. 20, through Saturday, Dec. 23). Pick a time when you buy tickets for either a four-person or a 10-person sleigh ride. The event also includes a stop at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus’ Bakery, a visit to the barnyard, an opportunity to shop for Christmas trees, a campfire, a special mailbox for letters to Santa and the big man himself.
• Londonderry Access Center TV (281 Mammoth Road) will host Santa Live 2023 on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be present in the studio for children to visit and will be broadcast live on television. The event is free of charge and does not require Facebook access for attendance. It operates on a first come, first served basis. Refreshments and coloring activities are provided for children while they wait. Each child will receive a gift and a candy cane. Parents are allowed to take pictures during the visit. Visit facebook.com/LondonderryAccessTV.
• S’mores with Santa is returning to New Boston on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. Attendees can enjoy meeting Santa, making s’mores and sipping hot chocolate or cider while mingling with friends and neighbors. The gathering will include singing Christmas carols and the official lighting of the Christmas tree. Santa will be present in the gazebo for the tree lighting at 4 p.m., and children are invited to visit with Santa afterward and bring an ornament from home to place on the town tree. Toasty fire pits for roasting marshmallows will be available, with all the fixings for s’mores, hot chocolate and cider provided by the Recreation Department. In case of inclement weather, the backup date is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3. Visit newbostonnh.gov.

At the Millyard Museum

• The Millyard Museum’s (200 Bedford St., Manchester) holiday open house is on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include children’s holiday crafts, cookies and cider, old-fashioned board games, and a special visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free. Visit manchesterhistoric.org.
• Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester) is hosting an American Girl Doll Christmas Tea Party on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants are invited to bring their dolls and join a tea party that includes refreshments and crafts, featuring portrayals of Manchester’s notable women from history as depicted by American Girl dolls. Santa Claus will be visiting. Tickets are $20 per person. Visit manchesterhistoric.org.

Holiday performance

• Bedford Youth Performing Company presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Derryfield School Theatre (2108 River Road, Manchester) with performances on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 2, at 1 p.m. The play is an adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s holiday classic that tells the story of the Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world, who take over the annual Christmas pageant. Ticket prices are $17.50 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Call 472-3894 or visit bypc.org.

Family fun for whenever

Mega-storytime

• “Storytime! Small Business Saturday Edition” at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 11 a.m. will feature multiple authors reading from their new children’s books: Deborah Buss with Where Is Little Stripe’s Daddy?, Matt Forrest Esenwine with The Thing to Remember About Stargazing and Kari Allen with Maddie and Mabel Make a Plan.

Make a day of it

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com) is holding its Christmas Tree Spree from Friday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 26, with times starting at 10 a.m. For $22 per person or $159 for four people, plus a tree, visit the farm to pick a balsam or Fraser fir, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, meet Santa’s reindeer, warm up at the campfire and more. Reserve admissions online.

Day at the museum

Museums are closed on Thanksgiving, but here’s what’s happening the rest of the weekend.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820) is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and above, $5 for 65+, veterans/military and kids ages 6 to 12, and is free for ages 5 and under.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) has play sessions from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 21; from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22, and Friday, Nov. 24, and Saturday, Nov. 25; and 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Nov. 26. Catch Wacky Art Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Science Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Buy admissions for a time slot online in advance; admission costs $12.50 for adults and children over 12 months, $10.50 for 65+. Check out images of the museum’s past 40 years in the “40 Years of Play” exhibit in Gallery 6.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will be open Wednesday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as Friday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for ages 65+, $15 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in for free). Current exhibits include “Fabricating Modernism: Prints from the School of Paris,” “Heart of a Museum: Saya Woolfalk” and “Sanaa Gateja: Selected Works.”

• The Manchester Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org, 622-7531) is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving). Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for 65+ and college students, $5 for ages 12 to 18 and free for kids under 12. Print out the “Gallery Games” sheets (or grab some from the front desk) to do a scavenger hunt.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open Wednesday, Nov. 22, as well as Friday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $12 for adults, $9 for ages 3 to 12, $11 for 65+ and free for ages 2 and under, with planetarium shows an additional $6 per person ages 3 and up. Current planetarium shows include 3-2-1 Liftoff, Totality!, The Great Spirit Bear Chase and the Hunt by the Bird People, Tonight’s Sky and Big Astronomy. See the website for the show schedule.

• The New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St. in Concord; 228-6688, nhhistory.org) is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except for Thanksgiving). The Society, which is currently celebrating its 200th anniversary, features the exhibit “Discovering New Hampshire” with objects, photographs, documents and more from New Hampshire’s history. Admission costs $7 for adults, children age 18 and under get in free.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open Tuesdays through Fridays (closed Thanksgiving) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for ages 3 and up. Exhibits include the Lego Millyard, “Sun, Earth, Universe,” Physics Fun, Cooking & Chemistry, Dinosaurs, BiologYou and Bubbles, The Ocean and You.

Family fun for whenever

Celebrating an astronaut

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) will hold a “100 Years of Alan B. Shepard Celebration” on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with demonstrations, educational activities, special content and archival displays about Shepard, who was born in East Derry on Nov. 18, 1923, according to the website. Admission to the center costs $12 for adults, $11 for 62+ and ages 13 through college, $9 for ages 3 through 12 (kids 2 and under get in for free). Planetarium show tickets cost an additional $6 per person.

• Keep the party going with cake. The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; 669-4820, nhahs.org) will serve cake, while slices last, in honor of Alan Shepard to visitors Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 19. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and 65+ and veterans/active military, and is free for ages 5 and under, according to the website.

Storytime

• Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) will hold a “Giving Thanks Storytime” with the Kiwanis Club on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 11:30 a.m. The event will also include a craft, according to the website, where you can go to reserve a spot for this free event.

Showtime!

• The Capitol Center for the Arts presents Ndlovu Youth Choir as part of the Gile Series of events on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). The group, which has a run on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent, is described as having “unique musical arrangements, powerhouse vocals, irresistibly combined with mesmerizing choreography and infectious energy,” according to ccanh.com, where you can see videos including their cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. Tickets are free but go online to reserve seats.

• The Kids Coop Theatre presents The SpongeBob Musical Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry). More information and ticket sales are TBA. Visit kids-coop-theatre.org.

• The Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, peacockplayers.org) youth theater company presents Beauty and the Beast through Sunday, Nov. 19. Showtimes are on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.