Category: Family Fun

Treasure Hunt 26/02/05

Hi, Donna,

I enjoy reading your column in the Hippo and was wondering if you could identify this tool I “inherited” from my father. He thought it might have been used to help fuse to sheets when putting up tin ceilings.

Thanks.

Larry

Dear Larry,

Your dad was right! It is a copper-tipped soldering tool from the early 1900s. They were used for soldering but I’m not sure it was on tin ceilings. More like radiators, heavy metal repairs, etc. and possibly tin ceilings as your dad said.

I found them all over the place in prices. It seems they are desirable for decorative reasons now. Most, and I mean 90 percent of them, were in the range of $25. Ones signed by the maker bring a little more.

I hope this was helpful, Larry, and thanks for sharing with us.

Kiddie Pool 26/02/05

Family fun for whenever

Valentine’s fun

  • The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, childrens-museum.org, will hold a Valentine’s Dance party featuring special musical guest Mr. Aaron on Sunday, Feb. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. Mr. Aaron will perform between 2 and 2:30 p.m.; the day will also feature Valentine’s crafts, the website said. See the website for tickets, which cost $18 per person.
  • The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill, 174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford, will hold a Valentine’s Day Birdseed Hanger craftmaking event on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 11 a.m. to noon, according to jhef.org/events-at-the-farm, where you can reserve a spot for $15 per child. The event will feature a story about animals in winter, a walk on the story patch, a visit to farm birds and making the birdseed hanger, the website said.

Stellar!

  • The Friday, Feb. 6, Super Stellar Friday program at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discover Center in Concord is all about “Stellar Spectroscopy & Exoplanet Observation,” according to starhop.com. “Join us in the planetarium theater as we take a guided tour through how we use telescopes like the James Webb to learn more about stars too far to visit or take detailed pictures. Learn about the traces left in starlight and what they mean for a star’s formation and potential for habitable worlds, as well as the importance of events in our universe leading up to our own lives on Earth,” the website said. Doors open for the Friday night programming at 6:30 p.m., the presentation starts at 7 p.m. and a sky viewing with New Hampshire Astronomical Society begins at 9 p.m., weather permitting, the website said. A planetarium show, for an additional $7 per person, takes place at 8 p.m. See the website for tickets to the event.

Pink Day

Southern New Hampshire University’s women’s basketball team will celebrate Penmen Pink Day — “Fill the gym with love for breast cancer fighters and survivors” according to a post on the NH Hoop Skills Facebook page — on Saturday, Feb. 7, with a vendor fair starting at 12:30 p.m. before the game against Southern Connecticut State University at 1:30 p.m., according to snhupenmen.com. The men’s game, also against Southern Connecticut, will start at 3:30 p.m., the website said. The games take place at the Stan Spiro Field House on the SNHU campus in north Manchester.

Kiddie Pool 26/01/29

Family fun for whenever

The hills are alive

• The Gilbert H. Hood Drama Club will present The Sound of Music youth edition on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 31, at 4 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre, 44 N. Main St. in Derry, according to stockbridgetheatre.com. Tickets cost $13.

Walk in winter

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, 23 Science Center Road in Holderness, nhnature.org, holds Wild Winter Walks on some Saturdays and Sundays through March, according to the website. “Join one of our naturalists for a guided walk along the live animal exhibit trail to see our animal ambassadors sporting their winter coats,” the website said. The walks are geared toward ages 6 and up and attendees are reminded to “dress in warm layers,” the website said. Upcoming dates are Sunday, Feb. 1; Saturday, Feb. 7; Sunday, Feb. 15; Saturday, Feb. 21; Saturday, Feb. 28; Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 15, with walks slated for 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. on those days. Register online.

Celebrating Christa

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord is continuing its program “Reach for the Stars: Celebrating Christa McAuliffe” through Sunday, Feb. 1, according to the Center’s website, starhop.com. “Join us as we honor the legacy of Christa McAuliffe and the STS-51L Challenger crew. Together, we remember their lives, their courage, and their enduring impact on education and space exploration,” the website said.On Saturday, Jan. 31, the center will host “Challenger: Soaring with Christa McAuliffe,” described on the website: “Journey through Christa’s life in this multi-media immersive living history performance, suitable for all ages.” Doors open at 5 p.m. Go online to purchase tickets for Jan. 31 or to purchase admission tickets for the week-long programming and reserve planetarium tickets.

Treasure Hunt 26/01/29

Dear Donna,

Just saw the Hippo paper with the Victorian chair. That makes me think one of mine may be Victorian. Am attaching photos. The red one I think may be Victorian. Got it at a yard sale a million years ago! The green one has been in my family forever. Can’t seem to Google info on green one. The poor chair’s springs are starting to poke through. Any information greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Martha

Dear Martha,

You are right, the red one is Victorian, late 1800s. It’s actually called an Eastlake chair. Most likely could have started with another chair and settee. Your green chair is in the 1920s range and in poor condition really has not much value.

Chairs are a tough market sometimes. Also on most common ones the values are low. Your Eastlake chair would be in the $50 range if you find the right buyer. The nice part for you is it looks to be in good original condition.

I hope this was helpful, Martha.

Ice carving, axe throwing

Concord holds its annual winter festival

By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com

According to Jessica Martin, the executive director of Intown Concord, one of the most exciting parts of this weekend’s Concord NH Winter Fest will be the ice carving.

“They use two large locks of ice and they’re so beautiful,” she said. “They carve things like eagles and dragons and The Old Man of the Mountain on the Statehouse lawn. There will be a little preview Friday night if anybody wants to come down between 3 and 9 p.m. the evening before the event, if anybody wanted to come down and watch them.” On Friday night, Martin said, the ice carvers will recreate the logos of the Festival’s sponsors in ice, but the actual ice carving competition will take place on Saturday.

Saturday will also see food trucks on Main Street. “We have so many different food trucks that are attending this year,” Martin said. “We have Batulo’s Somalian food, we have Deadproof Pizza, we have Wicked Tasty and we have Bumblebee Dumpling and Bumblebee Tea.”

Winter Fest will include activities like curling, axe-throwing, s’mores-making, a morning matinee of the animated movie Balto with complementary hot chocolate at Red River Theatres, and an ice bar in Arts Alley.

Also on Concord’s weekend schedule are the Concord Garden Club’s 23rd Annual Art and Bloom exhibition at Kimball Jenkins (Thursday, Jan. 22 through Saturday, Jan. 24); the Winter Fest Hot Cocoa Tour at participating downtown restaurants (11 a.m.to 2 p.m.; register on Intown’s website); a family fun day at the New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St.) from 2 to 4 p.m., and the Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship (blackicepondhockey.com) Friday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Jan. 25.

Concord NH Winter Fest
Where: Downtown Concord, in front of the Statehouse, plus some off-site events
When: Saturday, Jan. 24, from 11 a.m to 4 p.m.
More: Visit intownconcord.org/events

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 26/01/22

Dear Donna,

Do you know anything about this toy clown set? I recently bought this for my daughter at a flea market. Examining it closer I’m not sure if it’s not just for decoration. I’m hoping she can play with it. The vendor told me it was old but in new condition. Any information you could give me would be appreciated.

Thank you, Donna.

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

What you bought is a collectible Schoenhut clown. The German company started in Philadelphia. Good catch in wondering if it’s a toy. It actually came out in the 1990s as a souvenir. So depending on how old your daughter is, be careful. Schoenhut has been around since the late 1800s, first bringing quality-made toys like pianos, animals, circus toys, etc. Some of the early toys can bring a high value in today’s market. But even today there are collectors for any of the pieces, even souvenir ones like yours.

I would say items made as souvenirs are really more for show than for full-on playing. So careful play, as I stated.

Now on the up side, Tammy, depending on what you paid for it: The value of your clown set is in the range of $50. So maybe this could be the start of her collection.

Thanks for sharing, Tammy.

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