Category: Family Fun

Kiddie Pool 24/09/12

Family fun for whenever

Indoor and outdoor fun

• Auburn will hold its 31st annual Duck Race on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. as part of 2024 Auburn Day, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Auburn Village on Hooksett Road. Winning ducks get their ticket-holders prizes — from $1,000 for first prize through $25 for 6th through 10th place. The day will also feature an apple pie contest, a cookie baking contest for kids, a small petting zoo, music by Ray Zerkle, the Pinkerton Marching Band, a New Hampshire National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, food trucks, children’s games and more. See auburnhistorical.org.

• Friends of Benson Park’s third annual Family Fun Day will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Benson Park (19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, friendsofbensonpark.org). Cub Scouts Pack 21 and Girl Scouts Troop 12070 will be in attendance, as will Balloons by Michelle, UFO Party Rental and the Carriage Shack Farm Traveling Petting Zoo with their fuzzy animals. Participants will enjoy music from SNHUG, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Let’s Play Music soloist Aryanna Cabrera throughout the day.

• The Granite State Fair at 72 Lafayette Road in Rochester will run Thursday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 15, and Thursday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 22. Find a ride list with height requirements at granitestatefair.com. One-day tickets cost $10 per person through Sept. 11, or $12 per person Sept. 12 and beyond (children 8 and under get in free).

• Pelham Old Home Day is Saturday, Sept. 14, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3 Main St. in Pelham. The day will include music, fitness demonstrations, dance and martial arts demonstrations, food trucks (meat pies, poutine, hot dogs, fries, chicken fingers, ice cream, beverages and desserts), a pancake and sausage breakfast at the Church Fellowship Hall, crafts and goods vendors, a white elephant yard sale, a 5K road race, kids’ games, touch a truck, a cornhole tournament, a grand parade, a performance by the Windham Community Band, a penny sale raffle and more, according to pelhamoldhomeday.org.

Especially for the littles

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) will hold Toddlerfest, its annual celebration of the littlest museum-goers featuring special activities and events, Tuesday, Sept. 17, through Sunday, Sept. 29. A visit to the museum requires online reservations.

• Different Drummer Farm (55 South Road, Candia, differentdrummerfarm.com ) wants Granite Staters to pack up their picnic baskets and favorite teddy bear or other stuffed friend on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for their Teddy Bear Picnic. Children can enjoy petting and feeding the farm animals, creating teddy bear crafts, going on a bear hunt or wagon ride, a storytime put on by Ballet Misha, a family photo at the photo op spot, and an optional pony ride. A limited amount of picnic basket lunches are available in advance. There will be sweet treats, teddy bear gifts, souvenirs and additional food at the snack bar. Tickets are $50 for a family of three or more, or $20 per individual ticket. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 22.

Especially for the pups

• The Humane Society for Greater Nashua will hold its Wags to Whiskers Festival Saturday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, anheuser-busch.com/ breweries/merrimack-nh). It will be a day of fun, featuring vendors, food trucks, demos, games and raffles. There will be an adoption tent on site with puppies. Visit hsfn.org/wags-whiskersfestival. Tickets are $15 for adults 21 and up, $12 for ages 17 to 20. Ages 16 and younger attend free.

Treasure Hunt 24/09/12

Hi, Donna,

I have a rattan chair made by the Wakefield Rattan Co. out of Wakefield, Mass. The chairprecedes the merge with Hayward Furniture Co. As you can see by the label the pattern date is April 1877. After much research all I know is that it is called a double back chair. But that is about all, except for the information on the label on the bottom of the chair. Can you tell me more about the chair and its value?

Jane

Dear Jane,

You made my job easy on your chair. The research you have done on your Wakefield chair is correct. It was before the merge in the late 1800s into Hayward Wakefield. The value on most Hayward or Wakefield items, and even Hayward Wakefield items, is high as long as there is no damage and the item is close to original condition. They were a leading company in rattan furniture and then went on. I found values all over the place. The more elaborate the design the higher the value. So I think it’s safe to say yours would be in the $700+ range to a collector. Nice treasure!

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 [email protected], or call her at 391-6550.

Treasure Hunt 24/09/05

Hello, Donna.

We acquired this little gem contained in a box lot at a local auction. It’s quite small and the glass is very thin. It’s a miracle that it has survived since the 1770s-1780s as the auction tag indicates. It also states that it is quite rare. Do you have any clue as to its value?Paul

Dear Paul,

Your bottle does look like a legitimate 18c medicine bottle.

This type of bottle is usually from Europe and then used here in the U.S. The bottle does look oxidized. That is the white fogging color you can see in the photo. It could have been dug up from the ground at one point. Bottle collectors consider this a sick bottle.

The value on it would be in the $100 range to a collector. I’m just not sure being an oxidized bottle it would bring that. There are things out on the market that you can get to help clean some of that. It’s rare to get it all out but depends on what you want for a look from the bottle.

Kiddie Pool 24/09/05

Family fun for whenever

Indoor and outdoor fun

• NH KidsFest 2024 is hosted by the Daniel Webster Council at Bass Pro Shops ( 2 Commerce Drive, Hooksett) on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s a day of free family fun that includes touch-a-truck, live magic shows, puppet performances, wild animals, hands-on activities and giveaways, according to the event website. Visit their Facebook page or call 541-5200.

• Check out Beaver Brook Association’s (117 Ridge Road, Hollis) School’s Out: Forest Fun Days, the first of which is on Tuesday, Sept. 10. These one-day “camps” are child-led, inquiry-driven, and full of outdoor fun. Kids will explore streams, search off-trail for animal tracks, and play in the nature play area. This is a drop-off program for students in grades K-4, so kids will need to bring a backpack with an extra change of clothes, a snack, and a full water bottle, according to the website. No School Days will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a lunch provided of either pizza or hot dogs and Early Release Days will run from 1 to 4 p.m. and a snack will be provided on these days, according to the website. The program is $30 and participants will need to register in advance. Visit beaverbrook.org.

Storytimes

• Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., bookerymht.com) welcomes special guests Chantelle Moynihan-Rector and Max the Retired Police Dog for storytime on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• Wonderland Books and Toys (245 Maple St., No. 12, Manchester) will host Saturday storytime on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 2 to 2:30 p.m for kids from toddlers up to grades 1 or 2. Up to three different stories will be read unless one of them is considerably longer. Visit wonderlandbooksandtoys.com or call 628-2866.

• It’s time for Little Learners at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord, 271-7827, starhop.com). This program for kids 5 years old and younger with an accompanying adult (older siblings are also welcome) is held on the second Wednesday of each month from 12:30 to 1 p.m., September through December, with a reading and discussion of a science-themed book. Participation is included with general admission.

Theater

• Camp Rock The Musical is presented by the Palace Youth Theatre, with performers in grades 2 to 12, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $12 to $15.

Treasure Hunt 24/08/29

Hello, Donna.

Can you help with a value on this piece of pottery marked Roseville? It’s in good condition with no damage. Any information would be great.

Thanks.

Skip

Dear Skip,

Roseville Pottery has been around since the late 1800s. The pottery came in lots of different colors and patterns.

Your Water Lily pattern vase in brown has the mark 7 on the bottom. This gives you the height of the piece. It was produced in the 1940s in multiple styles and colors.

For a given piece you need to consider color, size, rarity of the pattern and when it was made. As always condition is everything. The brown color in Water Lily pattern is in the $80 range for a value if it’s in good clean condition with no damage.

Skip, I hope this was helpful and answered your questions. Thank you for sharing with us.

Kiddie Pool 24/08/29

Family fun for whenever

A fair weekend

Take the kids to the Hopkinton State Fair, a Labor Day weekend tradition happening from Thursday, Aug. 29, to Monday, Sept. 2, at the fairgrounds (392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook).

There will be livestock shows, a demolition derby (Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.), carnival rides, monster trucks Thursday through Saturday, live entertainment, food and more. The fair will feature multiple dog acts: “World Famous Frisbee Dogs” perform daily — Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday through Sunday at 1, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., and Monday, 10:30 a.m., 1p.m. and 3:30 p.m. — and Dockdogs, an aquatic dog event, is also slated to perform daily. There will also be daily karaoke, wood sculpture with Ben Risney Friday through Monday at 11 a.m., 1p.m. and 4 p.m. and Axe Women Loggers of Maine Friday through Sunday at noon, 3 and 5 p.m. and Monday at noon and 3 p.m.

In addition to the livestock shows, the agricultural events include a farmers market and horse shows. Educational exhibits include the Morrell Family Farm Museum, Charmingfare Farm’s Petting Zoo (Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), a maple sugar house and a Fish and Game building, according to the website.

Fair hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. For details and ticket prices visit hsfair.org — five-day passes for ages 3 to 60 cost $39; one-day passes cost $14 for ages 13 and up, $12 for ages 60+ and 8 for ages 3 to 12. Ride credits for midway rides have an additional fee.

Animals and minerals

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center will allow participants to watch river otters eat their lunch on Friday, Aug. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to noon, according to their website. The river otter exhibit has a public feeding every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:30 a.m. where participants can view two playful river otters as they have an early lunch. Expert volunteers will tell participants about otter biology and ecology while serving up a tasty treat or two. River otter feeding is included in regular trail admission and pre-registration is not required, according to the website. Trail admission prices range from free to $26. Visit nature.org.

• Meet the zookeeper on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., bookerymht.com). Zookeeper Dayle Taylor will visit the shop to talk about her new children’s book Zookeeper Day and the Baby Animal Tales.

• America’s Stonehenge (105 Haverhill Road, Salem) is a maze of human-made chambers, walls and ceremonial meeting places and is over 4,000 years old. No one knows if it was built by a Native American culture or a migrant European population, but it may be the oldest human-made construction in the United States, according to the website. Their kids’ gemstone dig is open to kids age 12 and under and included with admission. Kids will use real tools that archaeologists use in the field to dig and sift for polished gemstones and will be allowed to keep three that they find. Ages 3 and under are free and other tickets range from $10 to $18. They are open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. Visit stonehengeusa.com.

Party on

Cowabunga’s indoor playground (725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659) is holding its End of Summer party on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets start at $20 per child for two hours of fun; adults and infants free with paying child. Buy tickets at cowabungas.com.

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