Category: Family Fun

Kiddie Pool 25/04/03

Family fun for whenever

Play ball!

• Friday, April 4, is the season opener for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. The Cats will play the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at 6:35 p.m. and guests can pick up a free magnet schedule to help them plan their season of baseball. The Fisher Cats also will play the Rumble Ponies on Saturday, April 5, at 4:05 p.m. (when they will play as the Manchester Chicken Tenders) and Sunday, April 6, at 1:35 p.m. (when the first 1,000 fans will receive a free fleece blanket). The next stretch of games begins Tuesday, April 15, at 6:35 p.m. versus the Harrisburg Senators. See milb.com/new-hampshire for the game schedule, tickets and promotions.

Book fun

• Curious George will visit for a story time at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both days. The visits are part of the museum’s Books Alive! programming and are included with admission, which costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months and $12.50 for 65+. The museum offers sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. on those days.

Down in Fraggle Rock

Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live comes to the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. The show features walk-around versions of the Fraggles and puppet-sized Dozers, according to the website. Tickets start at $46.75 and a VIP option includes an opportunity to get a photo with the Fraggles for an additional $30.

Spring fun

• It’s egg hunt season and Charmingfare Farm in Candia kicks off the fun early with its Egg-citing Egg Hunt Saturdays and Sundays, April 5 through April 20 (Easter Sunday). Kids between the ages of 2 and 12 can hunt for a dozen eggs in Grandpa’s Barn, the website said. The event will also include an opportunity to meet the Easter bunny, visit farm animals (including new spring babies) and more, according to the website. Time slots between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. are available on those days. Admission costs $29 per person.

• Springfest! will take place at the Saint Anselm College Sullivan Arena Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature vendors, a kid zone, food concessions and more. Admission costs $5 for adults and is free for kids 12 and under. See goffstowncitizens.org.

Pancakes with a princess

• Have a Royal Princess Breakfast on Sunday, April 6, at 9:30 a.m. at the Derryfield Restaurant (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, thederryfield.com). Tickets cost $55 for adults, $45 for children. The day will feature breakfast, games, costumed princesses, stories and more.

Treasure Hunt 25/04/03

Hi, Donna,

I don’t care about the value of this box. It’s my curiosity that desires to be satisfied. I think this piece may be best described as in the category of old medical quackery! The internet, I believe, attests to the fact that there’s a lot of such still continuing today. It’s a very dusty wooden case with a brass handle and hardware, but it looks as though it was never actually used! I’m fascinated, but not ready to be the first one to try it out! If I promise you will not be opening Pandora’s box, could you perhaps shed some light on this contraption?

With many thanks and kind regards,

Helen

Dear Helen,

You made me laugh!

There were several different supposed uses for these at the time. Not sure any really worked! I have had a couple different versions of the J.H. Bunnell Co. medical machines during my career, from electric shocks to nothing I would ever use! Not sure if even back in the early 1900s these weren’t considered medical quackery. They are today and definitely not made to use. The cherry wood cases make for a beautiful storage box cleaned up. I would just recommend removing all the contents. The top pieces, the plate to separate the medical pieces from the battery. Then the battery as well. As you said, Helen, it is more of a curiosity item. The values are under $100. I just would hate to see anyone try it!

Donna

Kiddie Pool 25/03/27

Family fun for whenever

Lacrosse season

• Catch the Saint Anselm College Hawks men’s lacrosse team at Grappone Stadium on the Saint Anselm College campus in Manchester on Friday, March 28, at 4 p.m. when they play Assumption. See saintanselmhawks.com.

• Cheer Nashua’s Rivier University Raiders men’s and women’s lacrosse teams at games this weekend on Joanne Merrill Field at Linda Robinson Pavilion in Nashua. The men’s team will play Johnson & Wales University Providence on Saturday, March 29, at 11 a.m. The women’s team will play Colby Sawyer at 2 p.m. See rivierathletics.com.

At the ballet

• Cinderella will be performed by Ballet Misha’s professional adult dancers, apprentice company and students from Dimensions in Dance on Saturday, March 29, at 2 and 6 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $31.60 for adults, $21.40 for children. See balletmisha.com

• Snow White will be presented by Southern NY Youth Ballet at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Sunday, March 30, at 1 and 4 p.m. The show is “appropriate for children and young ballerinas of all ages” with an approximately 90-minute runtime and a brief intermission, according to a Palace email. Tickets cost $24 to $29. Tickets to a pre-show tea with Snow White cost an additional $20. The tea starts 45 minutes before showtime.

• Hispanic Flamenco Ballet will come to the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord) on Tuesday, April 1, at 10 and 11 a.m. Tickets cost $19 to $33 and are available by calling 305-420-6622. See flamencoballet.com for more on the company.

Lil’ runners

• Kids in three different age divisions — ages 4 and younger, ages 5 and 6 and ages 7 and 8 — can participate in the Lil’ Leprechaun Run on Sunday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. Participants receive a medal at the finish, according to millenniumrunning.com/shamrock, where kids can register for the 100-yard fun run. The cost to register for the Lil’ Leprechaun is $5. Kids over 8 can register for the Shamrock Shuffle, which starts at 11 a.m. and is a 2-mile run/walk on Elm Street. The cost is $10 for kids 11 and under and $20 for ages 12 to 20. Adults can register for the Shuffle for $25 each. After all that running, grab a spot on Elm Street to watch the Manchester St. Patrick Parade, which steps off at noon. See saintpatsnh.com for more on the parade.

Treasure Hunt 25/03/27

Hi, Donna.

I really enjoy your column in the Hippo. I’m reaching out for some advice about an antique bottle my husband found at a construction site. He doesn’t recall the exact location, but it was likely in Massachusetts.

Based on our research, it appears to be a hand-blown, triple-chamber liquor or apothecary bottle. It has no seams or markings, a couple of bubbles in the glass, and slightly asymmetrical tops — suggesting it was handmade. There are no cracks or chips, but the metal has oxidation. Also, one of the wires has detached from the base (although it is still there).

Do you have any insight into its value or where we might sell it? We’re downsizing and looking to find the right buyer.

Thank you in advance for your time and expertise!

Best,

Jackie from Nashua

Dear Jackie,

I have to say you have done my job. You are right: This is a liquor decanter. It’s a three-way blown glass one but there are even four-way ones out there as well. The tops would have been glass pourers and many times got lost along the way.

The ones I found out there were French and unfortunately the values were low, in the $30 range. But what a fun find for your husband. I am always amazed to find an antique still in good condition.

I hope this was helpful or a confirmation for you. To market it I would try a local antique shop in your area. Thanks again, Jackie, and good luck.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 25/03/20

Family fun for whenever

More maple

The sap season fun continues at some area maple sugar farms.

• Ben’s Sugar Shack, 8 Webster Highway in Temple, will continue its tours of the maple sugaring process throughout March, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dress for the outdoors; see bensmaplesyrup.com.

• Parker’s Maple Barn, 1316 Brookline Road in Mason, will offer sugar house tours weekends in March, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. See parkersmaplebarn.com.

• Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, wraps up its Maple Express event this weekend, with times Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23. Admission costs $29 per person and the event includes horse-drawn and tractor train rides, a look at a working sugar shack, visits with the farm animals, taste testing and more. See visitthefarm.com.

Nature Quest

The Nashua Public Library and Nashua River Watershed Association will hold March’s Nature Quest event on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. with a focus on the river otters, beavers and muskrats of Nashua River in Mine Falls Park. Register at nashualibrary.org.

On screen

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, has some special screenings on the horizon. On Tuesday, March 25, at 11:30 p.m. The Smurfs (PG, 2011) will screen as part of the Little Lunch Date Series. Admission costs $5 and includes a $5 food voucher. Snow White (PG, 2025) will screen as a Sensory Friendly Screening on Wednesday, March 26, 11:30 a.m. During these screenings, house lights will be up and the volume will be lower.

• O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square, 24 Calef Highway in Epping, will feature the recent PG release The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie on Saturday, March 22, at 10 a.m. in a sensory-friendly screening.

• The family film on Wednesday, March 26, at Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St. in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com, will be 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog(PG). The film starts at 6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $3 online, $5 at the door, and the theater offers a special kids’ menu on family movie nights, according to the website.

Treasure Hunt 25/03/20

Dear Donna,

I have a question on whether they still make the houses for incense like this. I can remember the tiny log cabin they went into. I found these at a consignment store. Any insight helpful.

Carrie

Dear Carrie,

I’m smiling because years ago someone wrote in about the cabin. You can still find the older log cabin for the incense and even now they are made. Try looking at a White Mountains gift shop or even a New Hampshire rest area. Buying a newer one would probably be in the $10 range. To find older ones could run a bit more. But they are out there — you just need a treasure hunt! Thanks for the smile, Carrie, and good luck with your search.

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