Category: Family Fun

Kiddie Pool 25/10/02

Family fun for whenever

Pumpkin time

• Charmingfare Farm in Candia will hold its annual Pumpkin Festival Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 11, through Monday, Oct. 13. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, take a tractor- or horse-drawn wagon ride, meet costumed characters, enjoy a children’s corn maze, watch a juggling and comedy show and listen to live music, according to visitthefarm.com, where you can purchase tickets to a specific time during the two weekends. Oct. 11 will feature a children’s entrepreneur market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $29 per person.

Author talk

• As of Sept. 29, tickets were still available to the Friday, Oct. 3, 10:30 a.m. event with Tui Sutherland at the Capitol Center of the Arts’ Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St. in Concord. Sutherland, author of the Wings of Fire series, is the children’s keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Book Festival. Tickets cost $8 and include a special edition of Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy, according to ccanh.com. Tickets were still available to Sutherland’s Saturday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m. Wings of Fire FanNite, which will feature a conversation with NHPR’s Taylor Quimby, a book signing, a themed gift bag and themed concessions, according to the website. Tickets to the Saturday event cost $25.

The book festival itself will also feature a KidLit Stage on South Main Street in Concord on Saturday, Oct. 4, starting at 9:30 a.m. with author panels and book signings. See nhbookfestival.org for the lineup and see page 18 for more details on the festival.

• Teen author Hemie Yao — she became a published author at age 12, according to her website, hemieyao.com — will be at Bookery Manchester, 844 Elm St., on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. with her adventure books, according to bookerymht.com.

Science!

• Doktor Kaboom will present “an action-packed morning of laughter, learning and a whole lot of kaboom!” on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 10 a.m. at the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry, according to a press release. Tickets cost $15. See doktorkaboom.com for a video of Doktor Kaboom performances.

Treasure Hunt 25/10/02

Hello, Donna,

I have some silver- and gold-plated items from 1920. They were given to my grandparents as a wedding gift, so I’m fairly certain of their age. Unfortunately, they aren’t in very good condition; I have attached some pictures. I’m curious if you can provide me with any information about them and what their value may be.

If there’s something I can do to improve the appearance of these items, please advise. Also, if it’s possible to refinish them, please let me know since someone who buys them may want to do so. Thanks so much. I appreciate your expertise and advice.

Peter

Dear Peter,

Silver-plated ware is a tough sell unless by certain manufacturers. Also they have to be a very ornate pattern and hard-to-find pieces. Being all made with base metals with a silver wash (plating), most common pieces are more work to keep clean and polished than their value. Peter, first, I wouldn’t clean them to market them. Nor would I polish them. I think instead of a value, think of looking for someone who wants the nostalgic look.

I looked through all your photos and feel safe saying the value for the lot would be under $50. You can’t compare the value to the memories they brought your grandparents. That’s priceless!

Peter thank you for sharing and I hope this was helpful. For selling them I might try a home sale, flea market etc.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 25/09/25

Family fun for whenever

Fall fun

• A Fall Fair at Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and feature hayrides, meet and greets with farm animals, crafts, vendors, live music, food truck, apple cider doughnuts and more, according to jhef.org, where you can purchase tickets. Tickets cost $15 per person or $45 per family for up to six people, the website said.

• Thecorn maze at Coppal House Farm in Lee is open for the season Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is Butterfly & Chrysalis Corn Maze. This weekend, the maze is also open for a night maze from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets for the night maze cost $15 for ages 13 and up, $12 for ages 5 to 12 and are free for kids 4 and under, according to the farm’s website, nhcornmaze.com. The Night Maze ticket also includes a cider doughnut and bonfire, the website said. Tickets for the maze during the day cost $10 for ages 13+; $8 for ages 5 to 12, 65+, military and college students, and are free for ages 4 and under, the website said. This weekend teachers, first responders, police, nurses and medical profesionals can get $2 off general admission, the website said.

Plane fun

• Saturday, Sept. 27, is Girls in Aviation Day at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, hosted by Women in Aviation Boston Chapter, according to wai-bos.com/girlsinaviationday, where you can register to participate. Events, designed for ages 8 to 18, run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will take place at the Signature Aviation hanger, 1 Garside Way in Manchester, and the nearby Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, where registered participants in the day get free admission, according to a museum press release. At the museum, activities will include use of the museum’s flight simulator, a drone obstacle course, a scavenger hunt on aviation maps, exhibits from flight schools and other organizations and more, the release said. There will also be STEM displays and activities at Signature Aviation and a food truck at 11 a.m. the museum, the event website said.

• The Concord Municipal Airport will host Wings & Wheels on Sunday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring vendors associated with aviation, STEM and related fields; aircraft and other vehicles; food trucks and more, according to concordnh.gov/1713/ Wings-Wheels-Event and the city’s Facebook page.

Dogs on stage

• Puppy Pals Live, described on its website as a family fun action-packed comedic stunt dog show, will be at Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com) on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $36 each, with a discount available for four or more tickets purchased together, according to ccanh.com.

Making music

• The Manchester Community Music School, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester, will hold an Instrument Petting Zoo on Monday, Sept. 29, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Kids can “try out strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion” with school teachers, according to the website. See mcmusicschool.org.

Treasure Hunt 25/09/25

Hello, Donna.

This was my mother’s button tin. She always had a button to replace a lost one. I don’t seem to have a need for it anymore. Do you think you can advise me on how to find it a new home?

Thanks, Donna.

Celeste

Dear Celeste,

Let me start by saying, my mom too had a sewing tin with buttons, needles, etc., so you make me think. Ah, memories!

Buttons can be very collectible or useful for crafts. If all of them were just common buttons, then for crafts it is.

But some, depending on age, rarity, and what they are made of, can be very valuable. You should take a minute to have them looked at by a local antique shop. They could tell you if there are any valuable ones. Even some modern buttons can be valuable. So it is worth the effort. If there is nothing in there of value, then as I said someone would love them for crafts. Or maybe even for replacement buttons again.

I hope you find a treasure in the tin of buttons, Celeste. I thank you for the smile you gave me.

Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 391-6550.

Kiddie Pool 25/09/18

Family fun for whenever

Space and beyond

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord will hold its annual AerospaceFest Saturday, Sept. 20, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry to the event is free, with a $5 per person suggested donation, according to the center’s website, starhop.com. The fest celebrates all things related to space, aviation, Earth science and more, with STEM organizations from around New England presenting demonstrations and activities inside and outside of the Discovery Center, the website said. The event will feature keynote speaker Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, a retired astronaut; new planetarium show Asteroid: Mission Extreme; on-site food trucks and more, the website said.

Wings and wheels

Nashua Airport’s Wheels & Wings “A Touch a Truck Event” will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with cars, trucks and planes to see and explore, according to the city’s SummerFun brochure at nashuanh.gov. The event will feature a horns-free hour from 1 to 2 p.m. and collect nonperishable food for End 68 Hours of Hunger, the brochure said. The airport is at 79 Perimeter Road in Nashua; see nashuaairport.com.

Family fun

The 5th Annual Family Fun Day hosted by the Friends of Benson Park will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Benson Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road in Hudson. The day will feature music, magic, a petting zoo, a visit with the Old Woman in the Shoe, games, raffles and ice cream for sale, according to friendsofbensonpark.org/ family-fun-day-2025.

For the younger kids

Toddlerfest, the annual celebration of younger kids at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover, will run Friday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Oct. 3. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to noon. The event is part of regular admission; see childrens-museum.org.

Treasure Hunt 25/09/18

Dear Donna,

I found this man’s ring in a box that belonged to my sister. I don’t believe it was hers. Possibly something she picked up along the way. It’s marked 14 KT inside. It also has a tiny diamond. Donna, can you give me any information on the value and where to go?

Shawn

Dear Shawn,

First, if the ring has no sentimental value, then I think it should be easy to sell.

Shawn, I think I would first bring it to a jeweler in your area to see what the value of the weight in gold is. I would then bring it to another to compare information.You need to feel comfortable with who you sell it to. I think the value will be in the gold, unless the maker is marked inside, which could make the ring more valuable. A jeweler will know that. The diamond chip is really of no significance to the value at this point.

It should be somewhere in the range of $200+ for scrap. Gold is high right now. This all depends on the weight of the ring.

Shawn, I hope this is helpful and you have good luck selling it. If you need a referral just reach out.

Thanks for sharing.

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