Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Cats & dogs

• The Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester) presents Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix on Friday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. A graduate of the Ringling Clown College and a professional clown, Johnny Peers with his gang of shelter dogs combines “the joyousness of physical comedy with man and his best friend,” according to the venue’s website. Tickets cost $45; see tickets.anselm.edu.

• The Seacoast Cat Club’s annual cat show will run Saturday, May 6 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Sunday, May 7 (9 a.m. to 3 pm.) at the Douglas N. Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord). Tickets cost $10 for teens and adults ages 12 and up, $7 for seniors, kids under 12 and active military service members, and free for kids ages 4 and under. A $25 discounted price also applies for families of four. See the event page on Facebook @seacoastcatclub for more details.

Taking the stage

• The Palace Youth Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will present Guys and Dolls Jr., with showtimes on Wednesday, May 3, and Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. The mainstage musical will feature student actors in grades 2 through 12, according to the theater’s website. Tickets start at $12.

• The UNH Symphony Orchestra and the UNH Youth Symphony Orchestra will present a public concert on Sunday, May 7, at 6 p.m. in the Johnson Theatre of the Paul Creative Arts Center (on the campus of UNH, at 30 Academic Way, Durham). The performance is free and open to the public, and also available online at YouTube.com/unhmusic, according to a press release.

Fairies, gnomes & superheroes

• It’s Fairy & Gnome Day at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover; childresn-museum.org) on Saturday, May 6 — enjoy a live show from Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals (at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.), a dance performance from the Musical Arts Ballet students at 2:30 p.m., and other ongoing activities, like crafts, scavenger hunts, fairy and gnome home building and more. Reserve admission for either the morning (9 a.m. to noon) or afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) play sessions, which cost $12.50 for adults and children over 12 months old, $10.50 for 65+, according to the museum’s website.

• Join the Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) for a superhero-themed Saturday storytime on Saturday, May 6, at 1 p.m. featuring local cosplayer Jenna Deedy as Captain Marvel who will read the 2019 children’s book What Makes a Hero, by Pamela Bobowicz. Admission is free but registration is encouraged. See bookerymht.com.

Meet the Kid Conservationist

• May’s Super Stellar Friday at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord; starhop.com) on Friday, May 5, at 7 p.m., will feature Jack Dalton, known as the “Kid Conservationist.” In 2021, at the age of 10, Dalton released his first book, Kawan the Orangutan, Lost in the Rainforest, hoping to inspire the next generation of conservationists, according to the Center’s website. Attendees will meet Jack and learn about his recent work on the island of Borneo. He will answer questions about orangutans. Admission costs $12 for adults, $9 for kids ages 3 to 12, $11 for 62+ and for students, and free kids under 2.

Family fun for the weekend

Curtains up

• The Palace Youth Theatre will put on a performance of Pinocchioat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) on Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m. Follow the puppet Pinocchio as he goes on an adventure to become a real boy. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

• Head to LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111, Derry) for the Springfest Family Concert on Sunday, April 30, at 3:30 p.m. Children’s entertainer Mr. Aaron will be ready with all of his top hit songs and his most recently released track “Intergalactic Music Spectacular.” Tickets cost $13 and can be purchased at labellewinery.com.

Indoor activities

• The Nest Family Café (25 Orchard View Drive, Unit 1, Londonderry) is hosting a coloring contest for kids ages 2 and older on Thursday, April 27, during its hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids will get a coloring page and the chance to win a smoothie or baked good from the café. Kids will be judged in the age groups 2 to 3, 4 to 5, and 6 and older. Visit thenestfamilycafe.com for more information.

• The Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St.) is hosting Music and Movement – Family Fun on Tuesday, May 2, at 10 a.m. Kids between 4 months and 7 years old will be introduced to a variety of instruments, songs, dance and rhythmic games to encourage self-expression through music. Classes will end with a story and meditation time. Drop-in sessions cost $15. Visit ccmusicschool.org for more information.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover) is introducing a new class, Junior Science: The Great Outdoors, to run on Tuesdays in May, starting on May 2. The class is geared for kids ages 3 1/2 to 5 years old and will be 45 minutes long, including a story time or felt board activity followed by an experiment and an art project to take home. The class will be from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. and costs $40 per child for members, $48 per child for nonmembers. Visit childrens-museum.org to reserve a spot.

Play ball

• The Fisher Cats are celebrating all the kids who participated in their reading challenge at the games on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29. The challenge, which ended on April 1, was for kids to read an additional five books outside their school curriculum. Kids who participated in the challenge will get a chance to play catch at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester) before the games start. Friday is also Fungo the Fisher Cat’s birthday celebration, and Saturday is Copa de la Diversión night, where the Fisher Cats become Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire. First pitch on April 28 is at 6:35 p.m. and on April 29 at 4:05 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and can be bought at milb.com/new-hampshire.

Summer camp fun

• Boys and girls in grades 2 through 11 can get ready to practice their jump shots at the New Hampshire Spartans Youth Basketball Camp; registration is already open. The camp runs in two sessions, the first from July 10 to July 13 and the second from July 24 to July 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The camp will be held at the New England Sports Center (7 A St., Derry). Registration costs $175 per camp, or $55 per day. Visit nhspartans.com to register.

Family fun for the weekend

Indoor activities

• Learn all about dogs from Lita Judge when she reads from her book Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends at Toadstool Bookshop (12 Depot Square, Peterborough) on Saturday, April 22, at 11 a.m. Judge, a writer and illustrator of more than 30 children’s books, will do a reading of the book, which explains the science behind how humans and dogs became best buddies. Visit toadbooks.com.

• See the 26th annual Model Train and Modeling Show on Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at David R. Cawley Middle School (89 Whitehall Road, Hooksett). The show will have vendors, demonstrations, a white elephant table, raffles and more. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12; children 5 and younger are free. Visit trainweb.org/cmrc.

Celebrate the Earth

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6Washington St., Dover) is hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 22, from9 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be a planting activity, art crafts with recycled materials, an Earth Day-themed scavenger hunt and more. Sessions cost $12.50 for adults and children older than 1 year, $10.50 for seniors, free for children younger than 1 year. Visit childrens-museum.org.

• Celebrate Earth Day and learn about animals at the Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn) on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be guided nature walks, animal ambassador demonstrations, gardening demonstrations, children’s story time and crafts. The cost is $10 for a family of four members, $15 for a family of four non-members. Visit nhaudubon.org.

• Head to The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) for Earth Day Fun at the Farm on Saturday, April 22, from noon to 1:30. There will be a family-friendly hike, a lesson with Miss Jen on recycling and composting, and an Earth Day-themed craft. Tickets cost $20 per family. Register in advance at educational-farm-at-joppa-hill.square.site.

April vacation camps

• Kids ages 6 to 14 can keep practicing their soccer skills at the Seacoast United April Vacation Camp at the New Hampshire Technical Institute (31 College Drive, Concord) running April 24 through April 28. The camp will have lessons for kids of all skill levels, and there are half- and full-day options, from 9 a.m. to noon or from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Half-day for the week costs $165, full day costs $240. Visit seacoastunited.com.

• Get ready for Flower Power! April vacation camp at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) running April 24 through April 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The camp is grouped by age: ages 6 and 7, ages 8 through 10, and ages 11 through 14. Cost is $350 for non-members, $315 for members. Visit currier.org to register.

• Young actors in grades 1 through 8 can join the Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua) April Vacation Camp April 24 through April 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the end of the camp the kids will put on a variety showcase for family and friends. Camp costs $350 for the week. Visit peacockplayers.org.

• Merrimack Parks and Recreation Department is holding a daily April vacation program starting on Monday, April 24, for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids will play games and sports and do crafts outside at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road). Kids who attend more than one day must be registered for each day. The cost for one day is $60 for a single child, each additional child is $55. Visit merrimack.recdesk.com.

Celebrate music with Record Store Day

Special releases and pressings of records will be gone before consumers know it on Record Store Day.

Across the country and the world, millions of people will go to record stores to snatch up limited-edition vinyls.

“There’s about 500 titles this year, which is a lot less than they’ve had in the past,” said Bill Proulx of Metro City Records in Manchester. “There are lots of limited-edition records that don’t go on sale until that day. Usually, everything sells out in half an hour to an hour.”

One of the biggest titles coming to the day will be a special pressing of Taylor Swift’s album Folklore that will have never-before-featured music and audio. Swift’s album had been produced during the pandemic and in complete isolation. This special edition, called Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Recording, has 115,000 copies going on sale around the world on Record Store Day, with 75,000 going on sale in the States.

Other titles stores are excited about include a release from Billy Joel before he was popular, singing covers of Elton John and other influences in the piano man’s music. There will also be a multi-record release from Van Halen and live recordings from Pearl Jam and Grateful Dead concerts.

“The growth of physical music sales, like CDs, bottomed out and vinyl has been a straight growth since Record Store Day started,” said Chris Brown, vice president of finance for Bull Moose Music, which has a store in Salem. “Now it’s crazy. Probably more records will sell on this one day than [sold in] all of 2007; it’s that big.”

Brown had been the head of the coalition that founded Record Store Day. He said that it was something that everyone in his group felt was doable, combining special releases of records with local live bands performing, and other little perks the stores felt they could pull off.

On the first year of Record Store Day in 2008, Brown hadn’t expected much to happen. He said the group had anticipated 200 stores across the country to participate, and to amass a small following of hardcore record collectors. Instead, the day was more successful than he’d thought it would be.

“Something like 600 stores participated that year, and that was really just in the U.S.,” Brown said. “Way more people showed up than we thought. The vibe was wonderful. It changed the mood in the music industry.”

Brown noticed that there’s a change in Record Store Day’s participating artists. Instead of being focused more on classic rock bands from the 1970s, there’s a growing number of groups from the late 1980s and 1990s. Even modern bands and musicians other than Swift, like The 1975 and Post Malone, are participating in the day.

“The trends look like [Record Store Day is] trying to get new people in stores,” said John Benedict, the owner of Music Connection in Manchester. “The focus seems to be on things that kids might buy today. [The records] are not appealing to me as much anymore.”

Benedict said that he’s happy to see vinyl still being celebrated and having younger generations love it the way he had. He said that, to him, records represented more than just a physical copy of music, it’s the only way music was accessible for his generation.

“Most customers have maybe 25 to 50 records tops,” Benedict said. “Their collections don’t get into hundreds anymore.”

Record Store Day participating stores
Bull Moose
419 South Broadway, Salem, 898-6254, bullmoose.com
Defiant Records
609 Main St., Units 1 and 2, Laconia, 527-8310, defiantnh.com
Metro City Records
691 Somerville St., Manchester, 665-9889, metrocityrecords.com
Music Connection
1711 S. Willow St., Manchester, 644-0199, musicconnection.us
Newbury Comics
777 S. Willow St., Manchester, 624-2842; Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 888-0720;The Mall at Rockingham Park, 99 Rockingham Park Blvd, 890-1380; newburycomics.com
NH Vintage Vinyl
633 Main St., Laconia, 527-8124, nhvintagevinyl.com
Pitchfork Records
2 S. Main St., Concord, 224-6700, pitchforkrecordsconcord.com