Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Family outings

• Get kids in the entrepreneurial spirit by seeing other kids sell items they designed and made at the Acton Children’s Business Fair, held at 45 Beacon St. E in Laconia. Up to 36 kid-run businesses will be featured at the fair, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, according to childrensbusinessfair.org/laconia.

• New England Vendor Events will hold a Summertime Family Fun Day on Sunday, Aug. 8, from noon to 5 p.m. at the White Birch Catering & Banquet Hall (222 Central St. in Hudson). A $5 ticket allows access to games and activities; free tickets that just allow access into the event are also available, according to the Eventbrite page. A portion of the ticket will benefit the Hudson Food Pantry, the page said. The day will feature food, music, vendors, children’s sack races, a bounce house, a cornhole tournament and more, according to the group’s Facebook page. Email newenglandvendorevents@gmail.com.

Live performances

• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run, catch Beauty and the Beast on Thursday, Aug. 5. Next week, the production is Rapunzel, Tuesday, Aug. 10, through Thursday, Aug. 12. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.

• Student performers from the Palace’s summer camp program will have a production of their own this weekend: Frozen Jr. will be performed Friday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 7, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $12 to $15.

• Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate will perform a free show of pirate-themed kids music at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. See merrimackparksandrec.org/summer-concert-series.

Summer movie fun

• The summer kids movie series concludes with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (PG, 2001) at O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping (24 Calef Highway; 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com) on Monday, Aug. 9, and Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. Tickets to the screening cost $2 for kids ages 11 and under and $3 for ages 13 and up. A $5 popcorn-and-drink combo is also for sale.

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will be screening some films to raise money for the SEE Science Center. On Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. catch Matilda (PG, 1996). On Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m., the theater will screen Back to the Future (PG, 1985). Tickets to either show cost $12.

• The Goonies (PG, 1985) will screen Wednesday, Aug. 11, at area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road in Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave. in Nashua; 150 Bridge St. in Pelham, chunkys.com) at 7 p.m. including a treasure hunt. Doors open one hour before showtime for a hunt for boxes of goodies in the theater. Tickets cost $4.99.

Family fun for the weekend

National Night Out

Several towns are celebrating the National Night Out, a community event featuring law enforcement, civic groups and others, on Tuesday, Aug. 3 (see natw.org). Here are some of the highlights:

• In Bedford, the celebration features a police department versus fire department softball game, according to the town’s parks and recreation website (bedfordreconline.com). The game starts at 6 p.m. at Selvoski Field on County Road.

• In Concord, the event will be held at Rollins Park (33 Bow St.) from 5 to 8 p.m., according to concordnh.gov. The evening will feature music, police and fire equipment, K-9 demonstrations, touch-a-truck and food for sale, the website said. Call 225-8600, ext. 3738, with questions.

• In Goffstown, the event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. at Goffstown High School (27 Wallace Road) and feature food, a car show (antique and muscle cars according to a video on the police department’s Facebook page), a dunk tank, a bounce house, a climbing wall, a petting zoo, tractor rides and live music, according to a July 13 post.

• In Hollis, the police, library and recreation commission will hold the event starting at 6 p.m. on Nichols Field behind Lawrence Barn (28 Depot St.) and will offer bounce houses, music, a cookout and a screening of Finding Nemo (G, 2003), according to hollisnh.org.

• Hooksett celebrates its fourth annual National Night Out from 5 to 7 p.m. in Donati Park (51 Main St.), according to hooksett.org. The evening will feature food, music, a bounce house, touch-a-truck, a K-9 demonstration and more, the website said.

• In Hudson, the police department and the Rodgers Memorial Library are partnering for the event, which will take place in the parking lot of the library (194 Derry Road) from 4:30 to 8 p.m., according to the library website. The evening will feature Frisbee dogs, a climbing wall, giant games, live music, touch-a-truck, food trucks and more, according to rodgerslibrary.org.

• Manchester’s event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. in Arms Park (10 Arms St.) with demonstrations, activities, food, a DJ, representatives from local nonprofits and more, according to a July 13 post on the police department’s Facebook page. There will be a display of emergency service vehicles, the Drone Unit, a K-9 unit demonstration and the Mounted Unit, the post said.

• In Merrimack at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack; merrimackparksandrec.org, 882-1046) the event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. with games, crafts, music (DJ Mike Kelly), food (including hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream and more) and booths from local groups, including the Merrimack Police Department. At 8 p.m. the movie The Croods: A New Age (PG, 2020) will screen.

• In Nashua, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place) will host the event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The evening will feature raffles, free food, a meet and greet with local agencies, demonstrations from the Nashua Police Department and more, according to a July 17 post on the Boys & Girls Club Facebook page.

More movie fun

• This Friday’s “Pics in the Park” at Greeley Park in Nashua is Tom and Jerry (PG, 2021), which will start screening at dusk on Friday, July 30, at the park’s bandshell, 100 Concord St. The screening is part of the city’s SummerFun lineup; see nashuanh.gov. (See page 9 in this issue for information about Saturday’s FairyTale Concert.)

• Follow the Yellow Brick Road to a screening of The Wizard of Oz(G, 1939) at O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping (24 Calef Highway; 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com) as part of the summer kids movies series on Monday, Aug. 2, and Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. Tickets to the screening cost $2 for kids ages 11 and under and $3 for ages 13 and up. A $5 popcorn and drink combo is also for sale.

• A movie for the retro-loving teen in your life: 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting (PG-13) starring Elisabeth Shue. It will screen Monday, Aug. 2, at 8:30 p.m. as part of the Prescott Arts Festival’s Monday Night Movie Series. Reserve a spot for this movie in Portsmouth’s Prescott Park at prescottpark.org (reservations start at a $5 general admission with other options for tables or blanket seating).

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will be screening some films to raise money for the Manchester Police Athletic League. On Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. catch Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon(PG, 2021). On Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m. the theater will screen Rock of Ages (PG-13, 2007). Tickets to either show cost $12.

• Another movie for the teens with a taste for retro blockbusters: Jaws (1975, PG-13) will begin a run of screenings at Chunky’s Cinema Pubs in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.) on Wednesday, Aug 4, with shows through Saturday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. plus screenings at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $4.99 and can be purchased in advance on chunkys.com.

Showtime!

• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run isThe Little Mermaid on Thursday, July 29. Next week the production is Beauty and the Beast, Tuesday, Aug. 3, through Thursday, Aug. 5. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.

• RB Productions presents The Wizard of Oz (Young Performers Edition) at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, 225-1111) on Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students. RB Productions is a nonprofit community theater organization founded to provide theater opportunities for youth and young theater professionals, according to the website.

• The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, this year’s musical in its annual outdoor musical series, continues with shows this weekend on Thursday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 31, at 3 and 8 p.m. (the final matinee of the show this season, according to the group’s website). Also, on Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m., the kids in the festival’s camp program will present Frozen Jr. For all Prescott Park shows, go online to prescottpark.org to see the reservation options, which start at $5 per person. Prescott Park is at 105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth.

• Kids get in for free at a Shakespeare on the Green production of A Midsummer Nights Dream which will be presented on the green outside the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester). The production will run Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets for adults cost $25. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket, according to anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities.

Monsters and comics

If you’re looking for an indoor activity for one of these rainy days, there’s still time to enter the Summer Monster Comic Contest being held by Studio 550 (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 550arts.com, 232-5597). Create a one-sheet comic of at least four frames with an original monster and submit it to Studio 550 by 8 p.m. on Aug. 21 (which is the day of the studio’s Monster Hunt event), according to the website, where you can find all the details and guidelines.

Game time

• The next run of New Hampshire Fisher Cats home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive in downtown Manchester; nhfishercats.com) starts on Tuesday, Aug. 3, with games against the Hartford Yard Goats through Sunday, Aug. 8 (when the stadium will hold a Princesses at the Park brunch, tickets to which are $24). Tuesday and Thursday’s games start at 7:05 p.m.; Wednesday’s game starts at 12:05 p.m. (For some baseball this weekend, see page 9 for information on upcoming Nashua Silver Knights games).

Family fun for the weekend

Holey competition!

If the upcoming Olympics (opening ceremonies are this Friday, July 23) or the new season of ABC’s Holey Moley have your kids looking to try out their mini golf abilities, check out our July 8 cover about mini golf and all the places you can putt putt the day away. Find the issue on hippopress.com and flip through the e-book (past e-books are displayed at the bottom of the homepage). Or become a Hippo member to get full access to previous weeks’ stories. (Click on “Become a Member” for more information.) The mini golf story starts on page 10.

Celebrating history

The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane in Exeter; independencemuseum.org) wraps up its American Independence Festival this weekend. During the day on Saturday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can see demonstrations from artisans (including a tinsmith, cooper and milliner) and watch reenactor groups. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 to 18, and are free for seniors and active military and veterans. Saturday night, the museum is holding a family campout from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday, July 25, with the reenactors the Acton Minutemen. Bring a tent and sleeping bag and take part in games, singing and a craft, according to the website. The campout includes snacks and a light breakfast. The cost is $20 per person or $75 for a group of four. The campout will be limited to 30 people; purchase tickets online.

Movie time

• Plaistow residents can get in the Olympic spirit with a screening of Cool Runnings(PG, 1993) on Friday, July 23, at 8:30 p.m. The screening will take place at the Plaistow Public Library parking lot and will be presented as a drive-in. Admission is being restricted to 50 cars; register in advance at tinyurl.com/umsrmjz7.

• Movie lovers of all ages can root for the forgetful fish Dory in Pixar’s Finding Dory (PG, 2016), which will screen Friday, July 23, in Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road in Merrimack) as part of the town’s summer movies in the park. The screening starts at dusk and the films are free and open to residents and nonresidents, according to the town’s Parks and Recreation website.

• Introduce your retro-loving kids to 1980s nostalgia as the O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping (24 Calef Highway; 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com) summer kids movie series continues with The Goonies(PG, 1984) screening Monday, July 26, and Wednesday, July 28, at 10 a.m. Tickets to the screening cost $2 for kids ages 11 and under and $3 for ages 13 and up. A $5 popcorn and drink combo is also for sale.

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will be screening some films to raise money for the Palace Youth Theatre. On Tuesday, July 27, at 7 p.m. catch Disney’s Moana(PG, 2016). On Wednesday, July 28, at 7 p.m., the theater will screen High School Musical 2 (TV-G, 2007). Tickets to either show cost $12.

See a show

• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run, catch Wizard of Oz on Thursday, July 22. Next week the production is The Little Mermaid, Tuesday, July 27, through Thursday, July 29. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.

• Student performers from the Palace’s summer camp program will have a production of their own this weekend: Seussical Kidswill be performed Friday, July 23, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 24, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $12 to $15.

• The Windham Actors Guild will present a youth production of Seussicalat Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road in Windham) on Friday, July 23, and Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 25, at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $12 for seniors and students and are available at windhamactorsguild.com.

• Find Frozen Jr.at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, 225-1111) on Friday, July 23, at noon and 1 p.m. Tickets to this all-ages-friendly show cost $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students.

Over at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, 225-1111), Godspell Jr.will be performed Friday, July 23, and Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students.

Both productions are from RB Productions, a nonprofit community theater organization founded to provide theater opportunities for youth and young theater professionals, according to the website.

• The Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hancock St. in Portsmouth; 433-1100, strawberybanke.org) will host a kids night of outdoor entertainment featuring music by Mr. Aaron and a bubble magic show by Kali and Wayne of Sages Entertainment on Tuesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $5 per person.

Family fun for the weekend

Summer of movies

Head to Greeley Park (100 Concord St. in Nashua) on Friday, July 16, at dusk for a screening of Abominable (PG, 2019), an animated movie about a girl and her friends in Shanghai who help a Yeti return to his family in the Himalayas. The screening is part of Nashua’s SummerFun lineup of activities; see nashuanh.gov.

Check out Space Jam: A New Legacy(PG, 2021), the update on the 1990s mix of Looney Tunes characters and live human basketball players that opens on Friday, July 16 (in theaters and on HBO Max). See a sensory-friendly screening on Saturday, July 17, at 10 a.m. at O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping (24 Calef Highway; 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com). The screening takes place in a theater where the sound is down and the lights are up.

O’neil’s summer kids movies series continues by celebrating Christmas in July with Elf (PG, 2003) screening Monday, July 19, and Wednesday, July 21, at 10 a.m. Tickets to the screening cost $2 for kids ages 11 and under and $3 for ages 13 and up. A $5 popcorn and drink combo is also for sale.

Before the fourth movie (Hotel Transylvania: Transformania) comes out this October, check out the original Hotel Transylvania (PG, 2012), featuring the voice work of Adam Sandler, at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave. in Nashua; 150 Bridge St. in Pelham, chunkys.com) on Wednesday, July 21, at 11:30 a.m. The screening is a “Little Lunch Date,” with kid-friendly lighting. Reserve tickets in advance with $5 food vouchers.

This weekend at all three Chunky’s, try to win some sweet prizes at Theater Candy Bingo on Sunday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. Admission costs $4.99 plus one theater candy.

Summer of performances

The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run, catch Peter Pan on Thursday, July 15. Next week, the production is Wizard of Oz, Tuesday, July 20, through Thursday, July 22. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.

The Everlasting Characters, a group of fairytale character performers, will present “Royal Ball,” a free show at the Pelham Village Green (in front of the library at 24 Village Green) on Wednesday, July 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Meet the characters, take a photo with them and play games, according to the website pelhamcommunityspirit.org/sponsored-events/concerts-on-the-village-green. The event is free and kids are encouraged to come in their favorite fairy tale outfits, the site said.

Or check out children’s musician Steve Blunt, who will perform a free kids concert at Ordway Park (Main Street in Hampstead) on Wednesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. See hampsteadconcerts.com/concert-series for more about the events; find out more about the Nashua-based Blunt at steveblunt.com, where you can find videos of some of his songs.

Family fun for the weekend

Pick-your-own update

Last week’s Kiddie Pool mentioned some places to check out for picking your own strawberries. Now it’s time for blueberries: Check out Brookdale Fruit Farm (with picking entrance across from farmstand at 41 Broad St. in Hollis; brookdalefruitfarm.com), which has blueberries and raspberries available to pick daily (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends). Sunnycrest Farm’s (59 High Range Road in Londonderry; sunnycrestfarmnh.com) blueberries and raspberries will be open for pick your own on Friday, July 9, daily from 7 a.m. until noon, according to its website. Berry Good Farm (234 Parker Road in Goffstown; 497-8138) will open for pick-your-own blueberries on Thursday, July 8, and will be open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to their Facebook page.

See a show

The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series continues at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Thursday, July 8, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Next week’s show is Peter Pan, which runs Tuesday, July 13, through Thursday, July 15, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per person.

Mr. Aaron, a children’s musician you may remember from his pandemic-era online videos will perform a free concert in the park at the Belknap Mill (25 Beacon St. E. in Laconia; belknapmill.org) on Wednesday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m.

And get your tickets now for next weekend’s production of Moana Jr. at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, July 16, and Saturday July 17, both at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students.

See a show — with popcorn!

The Summer Kids Series of films continues at the O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) with the screening of 2004’sShark Tale(PG), an animated movie featuring the voices of Will Smith, Renee Zellweger and Jack Black, on Monday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 14, both at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $2 for kids age 11 and under and $3 for older moviegoers; the theater also offers a $5 popcorn and drink combo during these screenings.

Families with teens and people who were teens in the ’80s and ’90s can bring their own popcorn for a screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (PG-13, 1986) on Friday, July 9, at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road in Merrimack) as part of the town’s summer movies in the park. The screening starts at dusk and the films are free and open to residents and nonresidents, according to the town’s Parks and Recreation website.

Science storytime

Add some science to your storytime at SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 669-0400; see-sciencecenter.org). This summer they will hold Storytime Science Tuesdays geared toward kids ages 2 to 5 at 9:30 a.m. The program is about an hour long, according to the website, where you can pre-register (as is required). Admission costs $5 per person ages 3 and up and $2 per child under 3 and the cost includes an hour of exhibit time, the website said. SEE Science Center is open daily this summer with sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 pm. Admission costs $9 for everyone ages 3 and up.

American Independence Festival

The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane in Exeter; 772-2622, independencemuseum.org) is holding its annual American Independence Festival throughout July, both virtually and in person. On Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the day will include artisans (including people doing needlework, shoemaking, turning flax into linen and ropemaking) and reenactor groups, First Regiment of New Hampshire and Ladies Association of Revolutionary America, according to the website. Tickets are available online or at the door and cost $5 for adults, $3 for children 4 and over and are free to active military and veterans. A pass for all three days of the festival is also available for $10 per adult and $6 per child.

There is also a free concert on Saturday night with Theo Martey and the Akwaaba Ensemble at 5 p.m. (tickets available online).

Virtual programming includes a Revolutionary Storytime, which will be available on Thursday, July 8, and perhaps more for history-minded adults, a program on plagues and pandemics on Friday, July 9, and famous speeches on Tuesday, July 13.