Category: News

This Week 26/04/23

Thursday, April 23

Catch Soul Asylum in an acoustic concert tonight at the Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St. in Derry, with Living Colour’s Corey Glover opening. The show starts at 8 p.m. See tupelomusichall.com.

Thursday, April 23

Catch “A Conversation with Sy Montgomery,” author of Concord Reads book Of Time and Turtles — Mending the World Shell by Shattered Shell, and wildlife artist and illustrator Matt Patterson at the BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, today at 6:30 p.m. See ccanh.com for links to register. See concordnh.gov/1983/Library for more on Concord Reads.

Thursday, April 23

The curtain rises on Working, Localized Edition, from the book by Studs Terkel, at the Amato Center, 56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford, running tonight through Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. plus 2:30 p.m. on April 25. See amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company.

Saturday, April 25

The 2026 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors New England Regional will be held at the Everett Arena, 15 Loudon Road in Concord, with its public day today from 8 a.m. to noon and its members day on Friday, April 24. See newenglandregional.org

Saturday, April 25

The Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program will hold a cleanup at Black Brook and Blodget Park today from 9 to 11 a.m., according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. Meet in the parking lot on Front Street near Dunbarton Road by 8:50 a.m. to register and hear instructions, the post said. See manchesternh.gov/Departments/Sewer-and-Stormwater/Pond-Restoration for more on the program and find them on Facebook for future cleanup events.

Saturday, April 25

The Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, will host the 4th Annual Sustainability Fair today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the plaza outside the library, according to nashualibrary.org. Described as a family-friendly event, the fair will feature an eco-market with artisan and food items for sale, a box turtle from the Zoo New England Conservation, the Rideable Nashua kickoff, a trash art community project, an electric vehicle showcase and more, according to the library’s website.

Saturday, April 25

Flow Free or Die will present Flow Sessions Live — a competition to find “The Hottest Emcee in the City. Winner claims the championship belt.” — at The Spot, 217 Main St. in Nashua, starting at 3 p.m. today, according to a post on Flow Free or Die’s Facebook page. Ten artists will perform for three judges in three rounds, with the final round a head-to-head between the top two, the post said. 18+.

Sunday, April 26

The Hooksett Lions Club will hold their annual train show today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at David R. Cawley Middle School, 89 Whitehall Road in Hooksett, featuring model train layouts of various scales, train displays, vendors, Legos, kids’ activities, a dining car, a white elephant sale and more, according to a club press release. Admission costs $7 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12, with a family maximum of $15, the release said.

Tuesday, April 28

The N.H. Fisher Cats kick off the first of six games against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this week, running through Sunday, May 3, tonight at 6:03 p.m. See milb.com/new-hampshire for tickets.

Save the Date! Saturday, May 2
Register now for the Woolly Wonder Fest at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm, 174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford, on Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature hands-on wool skirting, washing, carding and spinning; live fiber demonstrations, an opportunity to meet the sheep, music and more, according to the farm’s Facebook page. See jhef.org/events-at-the-farm.

Featured photo: Soul Asylum.

C’s take aim at 19

The Big Story – Celtics Begin Playoffs: The playoffs were not expected to begin with this amount of enthusiasm around here, or hopes for title 19. But with Jayson Tatum back and quickly more productive than most thought possible, they’re at worst co-favorites to win the East with top seed Detroit. It started swimmingly with a 123-91 thumping of the Joel Embiid-less 76ers in Game 1, as Tatum (25-11-7) and Jaylon Brown combined for 51 points.

Sports 101: Name the school and the record six players it’s had taken first overall in the NFL draft.

News Item – The NFL Draft: Story No. 2 for the week is the draft. It will be the biggest upset since 1980’s Miracle on Ice if the QB-needy Raiders don’t take Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with the top pick. Meanwhile the Patriots will be looking to fill their three biggest needs — edge rusher, O-line and No. 1 receiver — with picks or picks used in a trade.

News Item – Red Sox Week:

Good –Ranger Suarez allowed no runs in two starts and 14 innings.

Bad – They’re collectively hitting .228 as a team and have the fewest homers in baseball with 13.

Ugly – Garrett Crochet had his two worst Red Sox starts when he gave up 15 earned runs and 16 hits in 6.2 innings to raise the ERA from 2.64 to 7.88.

News Item – NBA Playoff Notes: With retirement rumors all around, will this be the last we see of LeBron James? Ditto for GS’s trio of Steph Curry, Al Horford and Steve Kerr. And speaking of GS, he certainly has been a productive player on a historic team. But given his toxic act on and off the court, getting tossed and taunting the crowd on the way out as Golden State’s playoff hopes (and its mini-dynasty) were ended by Phoenix, it seems like a perfect way for the career of the always obnoxious Draymond Green to end.

Markelle Fultz Factoid: The failed 2017 first overall draft pick has an interesting connection to the Boston-Philly series by delivering each team’s best player to them. Danny Ainge traded that pick to Philly for their third overall slot where he took Tatum. Then after Fultz’s disastrous two years in Philly they dumped him to Orlando for the 20th pick in 2019 Round 1, which they used to take Tyrese Maxey out of Kentucky.

The Numbers

.542 – best batting average in the entire minor league as the week started, belonging to No. 2 Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias. He also has three homers, nine RBI, a .613 OBP and .875 OPS in AA with the Portland Sea Dogs.

11 – losing streak for the NY Mets, which left the team with the second highest payroll in baseball ($350 million) with its worst record at 7-15.

12 – straight years the Celtics have been in the NBA playoffs.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Jaylen Brown: He delivered one of the greatest step up performances to meet the challenge for a team that lost its best player before their year with his best year as a player and a leader.

Stat Day: Must have been something in the water Wednesday for the F-Cats and the SNHU baseball team. The F-Cats scored 30 times in a 20-1 and 10-0 doubleheader sweep of the Chesapeake Baysox, while for the Penmen it was a 24-0 demolition of crosstown rival Saint Anselm.

Sports 101 Answer: USC has had the most first overall picks in the NFL draft starting with tackle Ron Yary followed by O.J. Simpson, Ricky Bell, Keyshawn Johnson, Carson Palmer and Caleb Johnson.

Final Thought – Pats Name Hall Nominees: Even though it made sense to do it at the time, fan voting is what started the descent of baseball’s All-Star system into the death spiral it finds itself in today. It gave us simpleton fan-boy homerism ballot stuffing for favorite players over the guys who earned it and it hasn’t been the same since.And it’s about to happen with the Patriot Hall of Fame after Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins and Adam Vinatieri became this year’s Hall of Fame nominees, where the wildly popular Gronk will win the vote ahead of a most deserving guy, who, by the way, is already in Football’s Hall in Canton.

I know how great Gronk was in arguably being the greatest (and definitely the most fun) tight end ever. But, but, but how can Adam V, who started the dynasty with three of the greatest clutch plays/kicks in history, not get in ahead of Gronk? Especially after already having been elected to the tougher Pro Football HoF?

That there isn’t a sense of order to honor the players who started the Pats’ amazing run, like Julian Edelman getting in before Wes Welker, who is only the most productive receiver in Patriots history, doesn’t make sense. There should be an order to it. To be disrupted only by supreme Patriots like Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe and Coach B.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/04/23

Turtles on the move

In an April 6 press release the Turtle Brigade (nhanimalrights.org/turtle-brigade) reminded the public that with warmer temperatures more turtles will make their way onto area roadways and depend on thoughtful humans to make it to their destinations. “From May 3 through Oct. 3, NH residents are encouraged to stay alert for turtles, especially near roads that intersect wetlands and known nesting areas,” the press release read. “In the wild, very few turtles survive to reproductive age. Those that do face significant challenges, especially when crossing roadways during nesting season. While some species can live for over a century in the right conditions, most never reach their maturity due to habitat loss and human-related threats.”

QOL score: +1 for nesting turtles

Comment: The Turtle Brigade’s first recommendation to drivers is to“Slow down and stay alert,” i.e. don’t run them over.

The ski industry is worried

A new study from the University of New Hampshire has found a “high level of alarm that is greater than the national average” among New Hampshire’s ski industry about climate change. In an April 8 press release UNH announced that “that the majority of New Hampshire ski industry professionals are concerned about the effects of global warming on the ski industry, which generates close to $278.8 million each season in the Granite State, and believe more should be done. The study released by UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy shows that this shared unease suggests a readiness to adopt sustainable practices and advocate for industry-wide adaptations.”

QOL score: -1 for the precarious state of skiing in NH

Comment: For some Granite Staters, the best part of winter is skiing.

Where did all the eelgrass go?

In an April 15 press release, the Conservation Law Foundation (clf.org) announced that the population of eelgrass in New Hampshire’s Great Bay has fallen precipitously. “Eelgrass — underwater seagrasses that are the foundation of the Great Bay estuary’s ecosystem — has collapsed,” the press release read, “marking the most severe ecological decline seen in Great Bay in decades. According to a new study, eelgrass coverage across the estuary fell by 80 percent in a single year, dropping from more than 1,000 acres in 2024 to just 211 acres last year. Within Great Bay itself, the loss was even more dramatic, reaching 98 percent in that same period.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The CLF report said, “The stressors on eelgrass — sediment from rain runoff and increasingly intense storms, excess nutrient pollution from wastewater and stormwater, invasive green crabs and warming water temperatures caused by climate change — have all posed challenges to eelgrass health for years.” Visit scholars.unh.edu/prep/502.

A new home for your CDs and movie posters

Red River Theatres in Concord has put out a call for donations for its Annual Movie, Music, and Poster Sale, which will take place during Market Days in June. According to an item in Intown Concord’s newsletter, The Intown Insider, “Red River Theatres is now accepting donations…. They accept your gently used: vinyl records, DVDs and Blu-rays, VHS tapes, Cassette tapes, CDs, and Music and movie memorabilia. Drop off your items at Red River Theatres during regular business hours, or email info@redrivertheatres.org to schedule a time.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: You can feel good knowing that your VHS collection of early run The X-Files episodes will find a good home.

QOL score last week: 44

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 44

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/04/23

Drought and wildfires

Drought conditions in New Hampshire persist despite this winter’s snow and the most recent rain, according to an April 20 press release from the New Hampshire Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

“Dating back to when measurements were first recorded in 1895, January-March 2026 was the sixth driest first quarter for precipitation on record in the state,” the release said. “The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 78 percent of the state is currently experiencing moderate to severe drought, and drought.gov, the National Integrated Drought Information System, notes that 725,800 Granite Staters — approximately half of the state’s residents — live in areas of elevated drought conditions,” the release said. The drought conditions also mean that there is an elevated wildfire risk, the release said. According to the map at drought.gov, 96 percent of Hillsborough County is “abnormally dry” with a little over 3 percent considered to be in “moderate drought.” Merrimack County has areas that are “abnormally dry” as well as 30 percent of its area listed as in “moderate drought” and nearly 59 percent of the county listed as in “severe drought,” the website said. In Rockingham County, 32 percent of the county is “abnormally dry” with 57 percent experiencing “moderate drought” and 10 percent in “severe drought,” the website said.

“Last year, New Hampshire experienced a 27.6 percent increase in the number of wildfires and a 16.8 percent increase in the number of acres burned due to wildfires,” said Chief Steven Sherman of the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau, in the press release.

The state Forest Protection Bureau declared April 19 through April 25 Wildfire Awareness Week; information on wildlife prevention is available at nhdfl.dncr.nh.gov/forest-protection/wildfire-prevention, the release said.

“Spring is outdoor clean-up season for lots of us in New Hampshire and doing things like removing leaves and pine needles from roofs and gutters, making sure shrubs, woodpiles and other fuels are kept away from buildings, and — of course — always getting a fire permit before any outdoor burning, all go a long way to making sure wildfires don’t start and, if they do, that they’re more easily contained,” said N.H. Forest Ranger Katharine Baughman in the statement. According to the release, “[u]nder state law, anyone wishing to have an outdoor fire in New Hampshire, unless there is snow on the ground, must obtain a state fire permit in advance from the local fire department; they may also be obtained online at nhfirepermit.com. Permits are issued only on days when Daily Fire Danger conditions indicate that it is safe to burn.” More than 80 percent of the state is forested, the release said.

Air update

Head to lung.org/sota for the American Lung Association in New Hampshire’s “State of the Air” report, which was slated to be released just after midnight on Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day), according to a press release. The report “tracks exposure to unhealthy ozone and particle pollution. The report serves as a ‘report card,’ ranking air quality in metro areas and grading counties across the state. Additionally, the report ranks the most polluted and cleanest cities across the country,” the press release said. This year’s report will also include a special focus on children and the risks they face from air pollution, the release said.

State guide

Queerlective, a group that describes itself as working to “bolster diversity in the creative community of New Hampshire,” will release its State of Queer NH Resource Book at a release party on Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m., according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. The book is “a community-built guide highlighting queer- and BIPOC-affirming resources, artists, stories, and organizations from across New Hampshire. This release party is a chance to celebrate the work, the people behind it, and the communities that made this project possible,” the post said. See the Facebook page for the link to RSVP. The release will take place during the “Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle” spring market, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., also at the YWCA, 72 Concord St. in Manchester. See queerlective.com.

More eggs

Two new eggs have joined the peregrine falcon nest at Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester for a total of five eggs this year, according to the cams and daily log viewable via nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam. According to the daily log on the YouTube page for Feed 1 (there are three feeds, each offering a different angle on the nest), the fourth egg arrived on April 14 and the fifth was laid on April 16. The cam offers livestreaming video of the nest via NH Audubon and the support of Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, according to the website. Last year the nest produced five eggs, of which three hatched.

Kimball Jenkins and Pope Memorial SPCA are holding a “Paint Your Pet” Workshop at Banks Humane Education Center in Concord on Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with proceeds to benefit Pope Memorial SPCA, according to a Kimball Jenkins Facebook post. No painting experience needed and all the supplies will be included; see tinyurl.com/kjxpmspca for details and to register in advance.

Auburn Parks and Recreation will hold its town-wide yard sale on Saturday, May 9, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Those wishing to sell stuff can register by April 30 at auburnparksandrec.com.

Manchester Central High School’s literary and arts magazine The Oracle is hosting a coffeehouse poetry slam together with Tri-M, the school’s music honors society, on Thursday, April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. in CHS’s Classical Hall (535 Beech St.), according to a post by Talia Harmon on Manchester InkLink. Tickets are $5.

The Hollis Arts Society will present the class “Painting on Silk with Anne Wifholm” on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 100 W. Pearl St. in Nashua. The cost for the class is $60. See hollisartssocietynh.com.

This Week 26/04/16

Thursday, April 16

The Manchester Garden Club will discuss “Dahlias” with presenter Valerie O’Reily at its monthly meeting today at 12:30 p.m. at St. Hedwig Church, 147 Walnut St. in Manchester, according to a press release. See manchesternhgardenclub.weebly.com.

Friday, April 17

Catch comedian Jenny Zigrino tonight at 6:30 p.m. at this show presented by Wicked Joyful at the new Queen City Center, 215 Canal St. in Manchester. See wickedjoyful.com for tickets and find a story about the new venue and a discussion with Zigrino in last week’s issue of the Hippo. Find the April 9 issue in the digital library at hippopress.com. The cover story on local comedy starts on page 8.

Friday, April 17

The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival will take place at the University of New Hampshire, Hamilton Smith Hall in Durham, today and Saturday, April 18, when there will be a small press fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tonight, the Nossrat Yassini Book Prize Reading will feature Diannely Antigua, Cornelius Eady, JeFF Stumpo and Adedayo Agarau followed by a “4X4 Team Slam,” all starting at 7 p.m., according unhpoetry.com. On Saturday, programming will run from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and include panels, workshops, readings, a pop-up art and Cafe Mania, an evening of live poetry at Freedom Cafe from 9 to 11 p.m., according to the schedule on the website.

Saturday, April 18

It’s a good weekend for classical music. “Antonio Vivaldi, Four Seasons and Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5” with special guest soloist David Kim from The Philadelphia Orchestra” will be presented by the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra today and Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m. at the Seifert Performing Arts Center in Salem, according to nhphil.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, April 18

Today is Record Store Day, a celebration of your local vinyl purveyors with special releases and limited-edition albums. See recordstoreday.com to find a participating store. At Pitchfork Records in Concord, they plan to open at 8 a.m., according to pitchforkrecordsconcord.com. Metro City Records, 691 Somerville St. in Manchester, will be open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. See recordstoreday.com for more local participating record stores, including area Newbury Comics and Bull Moose shops.

Saturday, April 18

And “New Hampshire Passions” ispresented bySymphony NH music director finalist Tianhui Ng tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Auditorium, 117 Elm St. in Nashua, in a show that will feature a collaboration with Black Hole Symphony as well as a pre-show talk at 6:30 p.m., according to symphonynh.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Sunday, April 19

Check out “Chromatic Flow,” a new exhibition featuring the art of Adam Krauss and Dave Robb, at See Saw Art, a gallery space inside Mosaic Art Collective at 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester, according to seesaw.gallery. The exhibit is on display through Sunday, April 26, and today’s open hours are from 1 to 4 p.m., according to the website, where you can find upcoming open hours for the gallery.

Tuesday, April 22

Author Kathleen Bailey will discuss her book, A History Lover’s Guide to New Hampshire, tonight at 6 p.m. in the George H. Bixby Memorial Library in Francestown. The event is free; see francestownnh.org/1201/Library.

Save the Date! Friday, May 1
The Community Players of Concord will present To Kill a Mockingbird Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $20 for 65+ and 17 and under. See communityplayersofconcord.org.

Featured photo: Record store day.

The week that was

The Big Story (a three-way tie): The most immediate was Rory McIlroy winning his second straight Masters despite blowing a huge lead after setting a two-day record of -12. He hung on to grab the lead down the stretch and win at -12, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler.

Then there’s the start of the NBA play-in tourney. Not sure who the C’s eventually will play, but after seamlessly bringing Jayson Tatum back into the lineup by going 13-3 in games he played since returning on March 6 they look like the favorite to come out of the East.

Finally, the NFL Draft comes your way this weekend starting with Round 1 on Thursday night. The Pats pick 31st at the moment. But stay tuned, as I feel a trade up or down or a big deal coming.

Sports 101: Name the only team since the NFL and AFL began drafting in the same year in 1960 to draft a QB in both the first and second rounds in the same draft.

News Item – Red Sox Update

Going into the series with St. Louis four Red Sox starters were hitting under .200.

Ceddanne Rafaela has the second highest chase (out of the strike zone) rate in the majors according to Boston Globe analytics wonk Alex Speier. Which is supposed to be bad. Yet he’s hitting .326 with a second best of the starters .396 OBP.

Garrett Crochet is 2-1 while striking out 11.4 batters every nine innings.

Nice return to St. Louis for Willson Contreras by going six for 13 with a double, a homer and six RBI.

In case you missed it, my No. 1 free agent target, Pete Alonso, hit .188 with one homer and three RBI with 15 k’s in his first 50 Orioles at-bats. For Alex Bregman it’s .213 with 6 RBI in 69 at-bats.

News Item – Pre-Draft Notes

Notre Dame has never had two RB’s taken in Round I in the same year. But Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have a chance to become the fourth RB teammates to do that.

Another reason to like Fernando Mendoza: The expected first overall will watch the draft with family/friends at home in Miami instead of preening for the cameras at the draft when he gets picked.

The Patriots have 11 picks in this draft including their own at 1, 2, 3 and 5 along with several others below the fifth round.

The Numbers:

2 –despite the Red Sox Nation pearl-clutching during their awful 6-9 start, games out of first place in the AL East for Boston.

5.43 – MLB’s all-time high average salary in millions.

69.4 – million bucks earned by NCAA Basketball champion Michigan.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Joe Mazzulla: Hate his game coaching and resting policies. But no one expected 56 wins without Tatum. He got them to play hard and brought along/trusted young players better than any Celtics coach I remember.

Thumbs Down – NBA on Prime Video: Yet another reason to dislike Jeff Bezos and the ever greedy NBA was being unable to watch the Knicks-Celtics last week unless you’re a subscriber. Boooo!

‘Those are the Breaks’ Award – Ichiro Statue: Nice to see the great hitter see the humor of the bat his statue was holding break in half when unveiled last week by saying, “I didn’t think Mariano [Rivera] would come out here and break the bat.”

Trade of the Week – Angel Reese: The thoroughly unlikable petulant WNBA big will take her toxic personality and petty jealousy of Caitlin Clark to Atlanta after Chicago got two first draft picks.

Random Thoughts:

The Masters – it’s just a nice golf course. Not St. Patrick’s Cathedral like so many suck-ups act like it is.

I got SGA, The Joker and Jaylen Brown 1, 2, 3 in the MVP race.

Sports 101 Answer: The 1965 NY Jets drafted Joe Namath first and then took 1964 Heisman winner John Huarte in Round 2.

A Little History – John Huarte: Came out of nowhere to win the 1964 Heisman while leading Notre Dame to a shocking 9-0-1 season and a national title. Shocking because ND had been struggling for a decade. But the pro career was a different story, as Huarte lasted just two seasons in NYC and six overall in the NFL, where he completed just 39.1 percent of his 58 passes for one TD.

Final Thought – The Caitlin Clark Effect: Hope those jealous crybabies in the WNBA noticed that the rating for the Women’s NCAA title game between South Carolina and UCLA was a 9.8 share as compared to the record 18.87 recorded in Clark’s final year of 2024. That was the only year the women have beaten the men, let alone been within solar systems of the men’s ratings. This year the UM-UConn Men’s Final had a 20.4 share.Conclusion: Wake up, WNBA, Clark is your meal ticket to higher ratings and ticket sales, which leads to more money for you.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!