Category: Family Fun

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.

Treasure Hunt 22/10/13

Dear Donna,

Can you tell me if this small pot is old? As you can see, it says Nashua on it and a small home. It measures 1½ inches by 1 inch. Very sweet little piece of pottery.

Thank you.

Tammi

Dear Tammi,

It is a nice miniature crock. Although it’s not too old, it does have an interesting history. It was done by Sid and Eileen Vernon from Virginia.

Your little crock was created by Sid and then decorated by his wife. Eileen. They created much more as well, lots of miniature pieces made with love. After the loss of her husband, Eileen continued making and decorating pieces herself.

Even though your crock was made in the past 30 years, it’s made and slip decorated (the cobalt painting) to represent an older one. It’s a wonderful piece of miniature pottery and if you have time, Tammi, do research on the artist who made yours and many more.

Values run between $20 and $40 as long as there’s no damage. Thanks for sharing and I enjoyed the personal story of the artist.

Kiddie Pool 22/10/13

Family fun for the weekend

Festivals and expos

• Gather up the troop and head over to Bedford for the Girl Scout expo on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. at the New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Drive). Registration for the event closes on Oct. 13. The expo will have events including giveaways for the girls, live performances, hands-on exhibits and more. The program is appropriate for girls in kindergarten through grade 12 and adults, and they do not need to be members of the Girl Scouts to participate. Tickets for everyone cost $5 and can be purchased at mygs.girlscouts.org.

• The fourth annual Hudson Harvest Festival is happening on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dr. H.O. Smith Elementary School (33 School St., Hudson). In addition to a costume parade for all ages with prizes to be awarded, the festival will feature games, music, vendors, craft tables and a pumpkin carving contest. See “New England Vendor Events” on Facebook for details.

• The Town of Windham is planning a harvest fest at Griffin Park (111 Range Road, Windham) on Saturday, Oct. 15, from noon to 4 p.m., featuring food trucks, family-friendly activities and more. At 3 p.m., kids can go trick-or-treating around the park. Visit windhamnh.gov for more information.

• One Church Manchester (1308 Wellington Road) will hold a fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 3 to 6 p.m., with food, games and pumpkin decorating. Volunteers can come and decorate the outpost on Friday, Oct. 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event is free to attend. Visit church.one/events/fallfestivalmanch for more information.

• The Londonderry Fall Fest is going to be on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Londonderry Town Common (Mammoth Road). There will be more than 50 local vendors on hand to showcase their products, as well as various options from food trucks offering different tasty treats. Admission is free. See the Eventbrite page for more details.

Museum fun

• “My Year of Toys: An Art Journal,” theart exhibit at the Children’sMuseum of New Hampshire’s Gallery 6 (6 Washington St. in Dover), will run through Sunday, Oct. 16. The exhibit displays works by author and illustrator Sandy Steen Bartholomew, who created a drawing of one toy from her large toy collection every day for a year. Gallery 6 is free; paid museum admission (which is $12.50 per person age 1 and up; $10.50 for seniors) is not required for entrance to the gallery only. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon. See childrens-museum.org.

Outdoor activities

• A brand new all persons trail is opening at the NH Audubon McClane Center in Concord (84 Silk Farm Road, 224-9909) on Saturday, Oct. 15. The grand opening ceremony will start at 9 a.m. and will be followed by a “birding for all” session. The trail, designed to help people with mobility challenges, was completed in September; it follows the nature trail and goes through the pollinator meadow. For more information on the trail, or to reserve a spot for the grand opening and birding outing, visit nhaudubon.org/event/all-persons-trail-grand-opening-october-15.

• The Nashua Duck Derby is going to take over Renaissance Park (23 Water St.) on Saturday, Oct. 15. In addition to the 10,000 duck drop goal, there will be a beer tent, food trucks, a scavenger hunt, games and kids’ activities. Live music by the Joe Mack Band will start at 11:30 a.m. and the duck drop will be at 2 p.m. Admission is free; to participate in the duck drop event, one duck costs $5, six cost $25, a dozen is $50, and 25 is $100. The first, second and third place ducks will win cash prizes of up to $2,500. Visit duckrace.com/Nashua for more information and to purchase ducks.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!