Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Interactive fun

Kids are invited to sing, dance and play games during a special livestream event with Laurie Berkner on Sunday, March 28, with shows at noon and 5 p.m. The virtual show, presented by the Capitol Center for the Arts, is an 80+-minute live interactive performance for the whole family. The cost is $20, and tickets give you access to both shows. Get tickets at ccanh.com.

Bunny photos

Get a free family picture with the Easter Bunny at Bass Pro Shops (2 Commerce Drive, Hooksett, 541-5200) on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, April 2, from 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register in advance for your free 4×6 color photo at basspro.com/easter.

More maple!

If you didn’t get a chance to explore a local sugar shack last weekend, there’s still one weekend left of New Hampshire’s Maple Month. At Ben’s Sugar Shack (83 Webster Hwy., Temple, and 693 Route 103, Newbury, 924-3111, bensmaplesyrup.com), there are free 30-minute tours every 15 minutes on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Although there won’t be any breakfast or hayrides this year, Ben’s will have maple doughnuts, ice cream, roasted nuts and cotton candy, as well as a gift shop inside and outside (the Newbury location is open for the tours and gift shop only). The free tours continue every weekend through April 11.

Make your own maple syrup at Prescott Farm (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia), which is offering Tap Into Maple on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The start times that were available as of March 22 were noon and 2 p.m. The program lasts an hour and a half and includes a hands-on look at the maple syrup-making process, from tree tapping to tasting. If you can’t make that event, Prescott Farm is also hosting Sugar & Snow on Saturday, April 3, from 1 to 3 p.m., where you can watch syrup makers finish boiling sap for the season and enjoy a sweet treat. The cost for each program is $12. Visit prescottfarm.org to sign up.

Several other local sugar shacks are also hosting tours this weekend. To find one near you, visit nhmapleproducers.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Maple madness

Celebrate Maple Month in New Hampshire at the Maple Express event at Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com). On Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, the farm is hosting the final weekend of its Maple Express experience, which includes a horse-drawn sleigh ride or a tractor train ride to an authentic sugar shack, where you’ll meet a sugar maker and learn about tree tapping and watch how sap is boiled to make maple sugar and maple syrup. You’ll get a chance for some taste testing too, with syrup served on silver dollar pancakes. After the ride back to the farm, head to the Discover Barn to visit with some animals. Various times are available between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online. General admission is $22; kids 23 months and under are free. Book an entire sleigh for up to four passengers for $199. There’s also a Sugar Shack Live event on Saturday, March 20, at various times in the evening, for $25 per person. The event includes a visit to the sugar shack, where you can sit next to campfires and listen to live music from Dan Morgan. Visit the website to register for either event.

In Warner, the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road) is hosting Maple Day on Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be outdoor demonstrations of sap boiling and tomahawk throwing from 10 a..m. to 3 p.m., an informal walking tour of Medicine Woods at 11 a.m., a cooking demo at noon, and an outside walking tour of the 12-acre campus at 1 p.m. with the museum director. The museum will be open for self-guided tours (regular admission applies, $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $7 for kids 6 to 12, no charge for kids under 6 or for Native Americans), and there will be maple syrup for sale from a local sugar house. The event is weather-dependent. Call 456-2600 or visit indianmuseum.org.

Candy crush

Chunky’s Cinema Pub is hosting a family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo event on Saturday, March 20, at noon and 6 p.m. at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road), and at 6 p.m. that day at its Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.) and its Pelham location (150 Bridge St.). Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Players will turn in their candy to the host to get a bingo card, then play a few rounds to try to win some of that candy as well as other Chunky’s prizes. Visit chunkys.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Enjoy the (likely fleeting) warm weather

New Hampshire’s Audubon centers are still closed, but their sanctuary trails are open for families who want to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. There are miles of trails at the centers in Concord (84 Silk Farm Road, 224-9909) and in Auburn (26 Audubon Way, 668-2045). The trails are open from dawn until dusk. Don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes, as trails may be snowy or muddy. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Love your library

Many local libraries are closed or have limited hours and services, but they’re still offering plenty of fun for kids and families. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) has virtual story times posted on its website, along with monthly interactive virtual activities — March’s is “The Great Flood.” The library also offers age-appropriate craft projects on the second Saturday of each month; materials can be picked up curbside.

At the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., 624-6550, manchester.lib.nh.us) kids can find a new Messy Art project online each Wednesday afternoon. The projects can be done at home with items around the house. There’s also a weekly virtual storytime for kids ages 1 to 5, with a new video posted every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on the library’s Facebook page, with a craft kit based on the weekly theme available for curbside pickup. And each Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., the library posts a new Lego challenge on Facebook for kids and families.

And at the Concord Public Library (45 Green St., 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net) parents can pick up craft kits for their kids; this week’s kit is a St. Paddy’s Bear, available at the library through Friday, March 12, or until supplies are gone (call ahead to see if there are any left before coming to the library). The library is also hosting a St. Patrick’s Day themed virtual storytime on Wednesday, March 17, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Register online to attend.

To discover the virtual events and activities that are happening at your local library, visit its website — most town and city libraries have revamped their programming to offer safe, at-home fun for families.

Art club

Middle school and high school youth are invited to Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) each Tuesday after school from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for a free art club. KJ Art Lab meets each week and teaches art skills, project planning and community development. There is no cost for attendance or materials. New participants are always welcome, though a commitment to regular attendance is requested due to the collaboration on many of the art projects.