Category: Family Fun

Treasure Hunt 22/11/03

Dear Donna,

Time to pass this carved Scottie dog bracelet to my daughter. Can you give me any information to pass with it?

Thanks, Donna

Rita

Dear Rita,

My first reaction is I’ve had one before and when it broke I was so sad! I had never seen another one before, but now I know there were more puppies out there.

Your wood carved Scottie dog bracelet is considered a clamper (it opens up to clamp on your wrist). It looks like it’s in amazing condition with original collar and glass eyes.

This style of bracelet along with Bakelite, lucite and others was very much in style from the 1930s to the present. This generation collects the unusual jewelry from the past and it can be very sought after in good condition. I would say your Scottie pup bracelet is in the $200 range to a collector.

Passing it on to your daughter is priceless, though. I hope she enjoys it as well.

Thanks for sharing with us, Rita. A nice memory for me.

Kiddie Pool 22/11/03

Family fun for the weekend

Art and science

• Learn about exoplanets at the event “Exoplanets: They’re Out of This World!” with experts Dr. Andrew Jordan, a University of New Hampshire research scientist; Dave McDonald, an astronomy educator; David Petriel, exoplanet enthusiast, and the Belmont High School Astronomy Club on Friday, Nov. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com). The event, this month’s Super Stellar Friday program, will talk about what exoplanets are, how they’re discovered and what conditions might be like on the planets, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets, which cost $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 12, $11 for seniors older than 65 and students, and are free for children under 3.

• Join the Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) for a free family art walk through downtown Manchester on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. On the walk, there will be more than 40 pieces of public artwork to see and learn about. The walk will start at Bookery at 10 a.m. While the event is free, the Bookery requests that people register in advance on the Eventbrite page, which can be accessed from bookerymht.com/our-events.

Last bit of October-ness

• The corn maze at Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road in Londonderry; 434-6017) is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with the last entrance at 5 p.m.) through Sunday, Nov. 6, when it closes for the season. Tickets can be purchased at the farm and cost $10 per person, free for children under the age of 5. According to the website, the farm still has pick-your-own apples, but call ahead to check on conditions.

• And for the teens: This is the final weekend for some of this season’s haunted attractions. Spookyworld Presents: Nightmare New England (454 Charles Bancroft Hwy. in Litchfield; nightmarenewengland.com) and Fright Kingdom (12 Simon St. in Nashua; frightkingdom.com) will close on Saturday, Nov. 5, with the last time for a fright being at 10 p.m. at both locations. Read our story about this season’s spooky settings in the Oct. 20 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com; the story is on page 10.

Outdoor adventures

• Kids 18 months to 5 years old can be part of the Natural Wonders Fridays at the Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Hill Road in Hollis; beaverbrook.org) starting on Friday, Nov. 4, and running through Dec. 16. The weekly event will have kids exploring in nature and learning about the world around them. The six-week session costs $72 for an adult with one child, and there is a 25-percent discount for additional siblings.

• Join the New Hampshire Audubon for a birding walk at Massabesic Center on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 a.m. The walk will start at the Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org) and will explore some of the trails with local birder Joe Mahoney. All ages and skill levels are welcome at the walk, which will be about 1 to 2 miles, according to the website. Registration in advance is required and costs $10 per person. Binocular rentals are included with the price of tickets.

Showtime!

You don’t have to go under the sea to see Spongebob the Musical at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. The show, performed by the Palace Teen Company, featuring actors ages 12 to 18, follows the lovable sea sponge Spongebob and his friends as they go on an adventure together. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for children.

Treasure Hunt 22/10/27

Dear Donna,

This treadmill was in my grandparents’ garage when I was a child, and since my grandparents have both passed it has been passed around to a few family members. I have had it for about eight years. I can find very little information about this company or this particular item. It seems that at one point there was a sort of pulley system to work your arms as you walked, but not sure how I would even go about trying to replace such things. A friend of mine looked it up by the patent number, but even that didn’t yield much information about this particular style of treadmill. The base is somewhat heavy, but the handle is removable and it is still usable. I would just like to see if I can get more information to pass on to family members, so we can decide what should be done with this item. Any way you can help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Catherine

Dear Catherine,

I have to start off by saying what a history there is in treadmills. From prisons to health care!

What I didn’t find out was any further information on the company.

I think your piece is a neat piece but desirability would be low. Possibly a museum would like to have it, for example. This piece falls under the category of old industrial heavy items that take up a lot of room. Replacing parts for usage would have to be home done. I think you can always find make-do parts now to fix it.

Either way I don’t feel the value would be more than what you could get from someone else who likes it too. Possibly $100.

I thank you for sharing, Catherine, and now have more insight into treadmills myself. Really enjoy learning something new every day. I hope I gave you some additional help.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 22/10/27

Family fun for the weekend

• Milford’s Trick or Treat on the Oval returns to the Oval gazebo area on Friday, Oct. 28, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Downtown businesses and nonprofits will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters as supplies last. Visit milfordrec.com for more information.

• The Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) is hosting a kids Halloween party on Friday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m. There will be story time, sing-alongs, a costume parade, book signings and more. The event is free, but a space must be reserved. Visit bookerymht.com to access the Eventbrite page to reserve a spot.

• Celebrate the reopening of the Allard Center pool with a spooky open house on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (116 Goffstown Back Road). In addition to free pool activities like lap swim and open swim, there will be lifeguard swim tests, free family gymnastics, free open climbing, Halloween treats, a selfie station and more. Guests are encouraged to come in costume. Visit graniteymca.org for more information.

• Join the Fisher Cats for Trick-or-Treat at the Ballpark on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester) beginning at 1:30 p.m. The annual event will have a monster mash dance party, a spooky movie marathon, a costume contest and, of course, plenty of delicious treats. This event is free to attend and more information can be found on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Facebook page.

• Beaver Brook Association (Maple Hill Farm, 117 Ridge Road, Hollis) will hold its Enchanted Forest family Halloween event on Saturday, Oct. 29, with arrival times starting at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $12. The event will feature “stars, stories, songs and s’mores,” according to the website, which bills the event as “non-spooky fun” with a wildflower trail featuring pumpkins, learning about New England wildlife and more. Visit beaverbrook.org for more information about this event.

• Nashua will hold its Halloween Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the bandshell in Greeley Park. The evening will feature a haunted house, a hayride, a bonfire and, at 6 p.m., a silly scary movie, according to the Nashua Parks and Recreation Department. See nashuanh.gov.

• Manchester’s Trick or Trot is on Sunday, Oct. 30, at Arms Park (10 Arms St., Manchester), with a kids’ run at 10 a.m. and a 3K at 11 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults ages 21 and over, $20 for teens and adults ages 12 to 20, $25 for kids ages 9 to 11 and $10 for kids ages 8 and under. Visit millenniumrunning.com to register in advance.

• Even more trick/trunk-or-treating and Halloween parties, movies and events can be found in the Halloween edition of the Hippo, which was published last week on Oct. 20. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

Treasure Hunt 22/10/20

Dear Donna,
Do you know anything about values on Beanie Babies? I have several older ones. My daughter informed me they could be valuable. Thanks for your help.
Susan

Dear Susan,
I get lots of inquiries on this subject. I don’t know much about Beanie Babies, other than that my girls had them as well. They really don’t go into the antiques market. They do, however, have quite a collectible market.
What I can say to you, Susan, is research them. I think online would be fastest, but be very careful. Even though ones like your bear can all look the same, they are not! Also it seems like the higher values are for the ones that are unplayed with, with original tags, or made with errors.
I was amazed at some of the values I found out there! Crazy money for something mass-produced. So as I said, Susan, take time and look at each one. You might have yourself a treasure!
Donna

Kiddie Pool 22/10/20

Family fun for the weekend

Bookstore craft
• Head to Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) for a fun and exciting story and craft time called Renaissance Kids on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. The story will teach kids about fun and interesting chemical reactions, and the craft will have kids seeing some of those reactions with their own eyes. While the event is free to attend, it does require registration. Visit bookerymht.com for more information and to register.

Cooking outside
• Parents and kids can learn all about the delicious herbal remedy called fire cider at the Kid’s Fire Cider Course on Saturday, Oct. 22, at noon at the Plaistow Town Forest (Main Street). In addition to learning about the nutritious tonic, kids will have the ability to control how spicy the fire cider gets and get to gather wild herbs for their concoctions. This event is recommended for kids ages 5 to 14. Parents will need to bring a knife and a cutting board, and everything else is provided. Tickets cost $35 and can be bought on the allevents website.

Museum fun
• Join the Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) to experience how people lived in the village in the Let There Be Light: Natural Illumination event on Friday, Oct. 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is removing the special protective UV filters that cover the windows of the buildings so guests can experience the historic sights the same way that members of the Shakers did. Tickets for this event are $100 per person and can be bought at shakers.org.

Showtime!
• Travel down the rabbit hole with the students at the Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts in their performance of Wonderland running Friday, Oct. 21, to Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester). Shows begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The show is a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, where Alice meets old familiar characters and a host of new ones. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and above, and $10 for youth 17 and under. Tickets can be bought at the door or at majestictheatre.net.
• Epping Community Theatre is doing Shrek the Musical from Friday, Oct. 21, through Sunday, Oct. 23, and Friday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Oct. 30, with 7 p.m. shows and 2 p.m. matinees. The musical follows an ogre named Shrek and how he is hired to save a cursed princess with the help of his loyal steed, a donkey named Donkey. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for children. More information is available at eppingtheater.org.

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