Kiddie Pool 23/09/07

Family fun for the whenever

Music on the farm

Mr. Aaron will perform on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. at the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford; theeducationalfarm.org). Tickets cost $20 per family. The afternoon will also feature food trucks, vendors and face painting, according to the event’s Facebook post, where you can find a link to tickets.

Save the date for comics

The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane in Exeter; independencemuseum.org) will host a series of free Constitution Comics workshops on Saturday, Sept. 16. New Hampshire-based cartoonist Marek Bennett (marekbennett.com) will hold a workshop at 10 a.m. for educators about how to use comic-making in the classroom to explore primary sources, according to a press release. At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., participants will practice what they learned by instructing families and kids on basic techniques of cartooning, the press release said. Preregister on the museum’s website; the events for kids and families have a suggested donation of $10, according to the website.

Treasure Hunt 23/08/31

Hello, Donna —

I’m trying to get any information that you may know about this rocker. I’m not positive what century it’s from but I was told 19th by my mum. — Melanie

Dear Melanie,

Your rocker is called a stick-style rocker. The age your mom gave you is correct. It’s from the late 1800s to early 1900s, the late Victorian Era. It appears to be in original condition and in good shape for the age.

The values are tough. Antique rockers are not in high demand in this generation. The value should be in the range of $50. — Donna

Kiddie Pool 23/08/31

Family fun for the weekend

High-flying story time

• The picture book Paper Planes by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones is the focus of the storytime Saturday, Sept. 2, at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com, 836-6600). The storytime and craft start at 11:30 a.m. and are free; register online.

Museum weekend

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open daily through Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (After Labor Day, the center returns to its Wednesday through Sunday schedule). The outdoor Science Playground can be accessed from inside the Discovery Center and is open through October from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is included in admission to the center, which costs $12 for adults, $9 for ages 3 to 12 and $11 for ages 13 through college and for seniors, according the the website. Planetarium shows cost an additional $6 per person.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open daily through Labor Day — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. (The center will be closed Mondays starting Sept. 11.) Admission costs $12 for ages 3 and up. Register now for an event on Thursday, Oct. 5, when admission to the museum is free from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (registration is required), according to the website. At this family fun event, guests can explore the exhibits, view demonstrations and participate in science drop-in activities, the website said.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) is open daily through Saturday, Sept. 2, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. and then Sunday, Sept. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon, and then the museum will be closed for its annual 13-day maintenance period. The museum (which is closed Mondays as well as for afternoon sessions on Sundays and Tuesdays) will reopen Saturday, Sept. 16, and will hold Toddlerfest, its annual celebration of the littlest museum-goers featuring special activities and events, Tuesday, Sept. 19, through Saturday, Sept. 30, including a reading of Eric Carle’s A Very Hungry Caterpillar with a visit from the Caterpillar (Sept. 29 and Sept. 30), a celebration of the museum’s 40th birthday on Sept. 23 and a Frozen dance party on Sept. 22.

Kiddie Pool 23/08/24

Family fun for the weekend

Birds!

• If this week’s cover story has you inspired to do a little birding, check out the Birding Walk at the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org, 668-2045) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 a.m. All ages and skill levels are welcome, according to the website. Register in advance; admission costs $10.

Author storytime

• Genie Ware, author of the book That Blankie, will be at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 11:30 a.m. for a storytime and craft. Admission is free but register for a spot, online.

Game time

• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats continue a six-game run at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. The games Thursday, Aug. 24, through Saturday, Aug. 26, are at 7:05 p.m. and the Sunday, Aug. 27, game starts at 1:35 p.m. Thursday and Saturday night’s games will feature post-game fireworks. On Friday, the first 1,000 fans get a free hat. Sunday’s game features a free pencil pouch giveaway. Before Sunday’s game, the park will also host a Princess Brunch at 10 a.m. (the cost is $26 per person). See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Movie time

• Chunky’s Cinema Pubs in Manchester (707 Huse Road, chunkys.com) and Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) will screen the early summer Pixar release Elemental (PG, 2023) on Thursday, Aug. 24. The movie screens at 11:45 a.m. in Manchester and 4 p.m. in Nashua.

• See Minions: The Rise of Gru (PG, 2022) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road in Merrimack). The event, which is part of the town’s Movies in the Park series, is free. See merrimackparksandrec.org, which also has a link to the movie’s trailer.

• Movie Night Mondays on the Beach wraps up at Hampton Beach with 2021’sSing 2(PG) on Monday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free; bring blanks and chairs.

• It’s the penultimate week of Concord Regal’s (282 Loudon Road in Concord; regmovies.com) Summer Movie Express Series, which runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the afternoon. On Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, the movies start at 1:30 p.m. and are Trolls World Tour (PG, 2020) andDespicable Me(PG, 2010). The series wraps up Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 with Despicable Me 3 (PG, 2017) and Spirit: Untamed (PG, 2021)

Palace shows

• The 2023 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series wraps up at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) with a production of Finding Nemo Jr., which has show times at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, and 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. Tickets cost $10.

• The final production by the kid performers at the Palace Youth Theatre summer camp will also take place this weekend. Winnie the Pooh Jr. will be performed at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at noon. Tickets for the show start at $12.

Treasure Hunt 23/08/24

Hello, Donna,

Can you help me identify this piece of iron? It looks to be all there but I can’t figure it out. Thinking maybe to hold a lamp?

Thanks ahead for any help.

Skip

Dear Skip,

You are right, it is all there, but it wasn’t meant for a lamp. It’s a Victorian gutter holder.

How beautiful it must have been to see several of these in a row holding up a rain gutter. Built to last and have beauty to them too.

The value for one might be minimal. The value for a dozen or so would be in the $200+ range. If you own a Victorian home today a priceless find.

Thanks, Skip, for sharing.

Treasure Hunt 23/08/17

Dear Donna,

My wife and I spotted this set of items at an estate sale in Manchester. They were in the old kitchen, where there were many types of baking molds. But we’re not sure about these.

They are very heavy metal and seem to be more decorative than utilitarian. We “negotiated” and paid a couple bucks for them. They make nice candle holders on our porch table.

Thanking you in advance.

Scott

Nashua

Dear Scott,

Even though I think the form of the flower cups is sweet, I think they could be modern and you are right to say decorative. Sometimes even modern items have charm and a place in our home. That’s coming from an antique enthusiast! (ha ha)

With no markings on them, appraisal can be tough. But all the pictures you sent were helpful. I do think you got a treasure for the price. As far as a modern value on them, I think that’s in the eye of the buyer. Having a purpose for them makes them priceless to you and your wife.

Thanks for sharing and keep going to those estate sales. You never know what you can find.

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