Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

Playing inside

• The Addams Family is presented by Pinkerton Players at Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.showare.com) on Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15. This School Edition version of The Addams Family offers a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family and features an original story where Wednesday Addams, a princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family, according to their website. Now, the whole family must host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Oh, the horror!

• The Rainbow Fish is presented by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia at Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.showare.com) on Tuesday, March 26, at 10 a.m. The play introduces the most beautiful fish in the sea, whose scales shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow, according to their website, and finds the courage to explore the deep unknown sea full of wonderful sights and friendly creatures, in a visually striking production that makes the pages of the storybooks come to life. Tickets cost $12.

Playing outside

• Granite State Kids Community Tennis Association is starting its 24th season of tennis at the Legacy Park Tennis Courts (230 New Boston Road in Bedford). The GSK is part of the United States Tennis Association and has provided junior tennis instruction and competitive junior team tennis for 23 years, according to their website. All levels of ability can participate, and they use modified equipment for beginner and younger players to allow kids to play quickly. Their Spring 2024 Tennis Programs has slots for children age 10 and younger and for kids age 11 and older on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Monday cohort runs from Monday, May 13, to Monday, June 17, and that includes Memorial Day. The Wednesday cohort runs from Wednesday, May 15, to Wednesday, June 17. Register soon if you are interested; the Monday section for children age 10 and under is already full. Cost is $125 per child. Visit granitestatekids.com.

Playing in outer space

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 institute Drive in Concord), open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., has a planetarium show that is perfect for astronauts in training. 3-2-1 Liftoff! is an animated film about a gifted hamster scientist named Elon, who after finding a robot that’s crash-landed in his dump yard garden must use his courage and wits to get the robot back to a rocket leaving for Mars in three days, according to their website. Will he succeed? Head to the Discovery Center to find out. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of this or any planetarium show. Seating occurs 10 minutes before each show, at which time tickets will no longer be available. 3-2-1 Liftoff! is recommended for ages 4 and older. Tickets are $7 in addition to admission but free for members and children under 2. Visit starhop.com or call 271-7827.

Family fun for whenever

The sky is not the limit

• Science educator Jenny Powers will present “Women of the Night Sky” at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry) on Thursday, March 14, at 7 p.m. Jenny Powers, Director of Science at Springfield Museums, invites participants to ponder women’s place among the stars this Women’s History Month as you get a sneak preview of some of the stories Powers is developing for the Seymour Planetarium in Springfield, Mass., which she hopes will spark curiosity in girls and women about what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere, according to a press release. The program is part of the Aviation Museum’s “Exploring Aviation” lecture series. Admission is $10 per person, free for museum members. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4877 or email ldearborn@nhahs.org.

One show, two show, kid show, fun show

• Seussical The Musical will be presented by the Kids Coop Theatre at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) Friday, March 15, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m. The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks,” according to a press release. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, according to the same release, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him as the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant in this production. All actors are between the ages of 8 and 18. Tickets are $15 plus fees online. Tickets at the door are $20 plus fees for credit cards or $20 with no fees for cash. See kctnh.org.

At the library

• Goffstown Public Library (2 High St. in Goffstown; goffstownlibrary.com) will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party on Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m. for kids ages 2 1/2 through kindergarten, celebrating the luck of the Irish with stories, games and activities, according to their website. Registration is required for participants.

• Families are invited to drop by the Winchell Room at Manchester City Library (405 Pine St. in Manchester) on Monday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Peep Diorama Day! On this day off from school, according to the city’s website, participants will be given three Peeps and other materials such as construction paper, jewels, pom-poms, glitter and more to create a diorama. The website advises participants to bring in a small box or shoe box from home but there will be a small amount of shoe boxes available for those who do not have one. Call 624-6550, ext. 7628, or visit manchester.lib.nh.us.

• Nashua Public Library (2 Court St. in Nashua) on Tuesday, March 19, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. will be hosting children in grades K through 5 to celebrate the release of the newest Dog Man book, Scarlet Shredder!, according to their website. The website also mentioned that kids will be able to participate in fun activities and games based on the very popular graphic novel series. Call 589-4600 or visit www.nashualibrary.org.

Family fun for whenever

Play pickleball

•. Mini Pickles – Pickleball for Kids is being held at the City-Wide Community Center (14 Canterbury Road in Concord), where kids ages 10 to 14 can learn the fundamentals with coach Mel Crane every Friday from March 8 to March 29, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Fee is $50 per resident, $60 per non-resident. Visit concordparksandrec.com.

Reading & storytime

• Get your reading engines running with Horse Powered Reading at UpReach (153 Paige Hill Road in Goffstown), a program to help kids ages 8 and up build and strengthen reading skills by connecting with horses, according to a press release. Classes start Monday, March 11, and will run through April 15, from 5 to 6 p.m. Space is limited and the cost is $200 per student; financial aid is available. Visit upreachtec.org or reach out to allison@upreachtec.org.

• Get reading and dancing at Water Street Bookstore (125 Water St., Exeter, waterstreetbooks.com) with a book-signing launch party for Mary McCrary The Irish Dance Fairy on Saturday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be Irish step dancers and giveaways at the event.

Science time

• Join the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover) for Science Fridays. The first session, Friday, March 8, runs from 10:30 to 11 a.m. and the second session runs from 2:30 to 3 p.m. Each week is a new experiment, and your ticket is included with regular Museum admission. Science Friday drop-in programs engage children in experiments and activities that focus on fun and act as a jumping-off point for learning about science concepts, according to a press release. Museum admission is $12.50 for adults & children over 12 months of age, $10.50 for seniors age 65+, and free for Children’s Museum of New Hampshire members as well as children under 12 months of age. Visit childrens-museum.org to sign up for a spot.

All aboard the Maple Express

• Hop on the Maple Express at Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia) to celebrate Maple Month on Saturday, March 9; Sunday March 10; Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17 (March 8 and March 15 for school groups) with multiple admission times throughout the day starting at 10 a.m. with the last train departing at 2 p.m. The horse-drawn or tractor train ride transports you into the heart of maple sugaring within a thriving farm and is designed for all ages, according to a press release. Participants will stop at an authentic maple syrup shack and learn about the maple trees, and tastings are encouraged. Admission is $29, free for children 23 months and under. Go to www.visitthefarm.com.

Save the date

• Kitty-Corn! Author Shannon Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham visit Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on Friday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m. for a storytime with their newest book, Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn. The two also worked together on Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever, as well as the Princess in Black series. Hale is the author of several YA books as well as the adult novel Austenland. See more about Hale at shannonhale.com and find Pham on Instagram @uyenloseordraw.

Family fun for whenever

Lacrosse season

• Catch some Saint Anselm Hawks lacrosse at Grappone Stadium (Saint Anselm College in Manchester). On Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m. the women’s lacrosse team plays Saint Michael’s College. On Tuesday, March 5, the men’s team plays the Franklin Pierce University Ravens at 4 p.m. Admission to lacrosse games is free.

Theater candy bingo

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub (chunkys.com) has sessions of Theater Candy Bingo on the schedule this week: Thursday, Feb. 29, at 6:30 p.m. in Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Friday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. in Manchester (Huse Road). The cost is $10 per person, which gets you a $5 food voucher for use that night, one bingo card and a box of candy to go in the pot, according to the website.

Young scientists

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) will have a four-week “Junior Science: Shapes & Patterns” class running Tuesdays in March, March 5 through March 26, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. The class is geared to ages 3 1/2 to 5 and will feature a story, a fun experiment and a take-home art project, according to the website. The museum is closed to the public on Tuesday afternoons; grownups and siblings can stay in the building during the class. The cost is $60 ($48 for museum members).

Save the date

• Have tea with the Matriarchs of Manchester on Sunday, March 10, at noon at the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org). The event, an American Girl Doll program, will feature refreshments and women from Manchester’s history as portrayed by American Girl Dolls. The cost is $60 per person; purchase tickets in advance online.