Category: News

This Week 26/09/24

Friday, Sept. 25

Catch the second to last Final Friday this season in downtown Manchester today between 4 and 8 p.m. on Hanover Street between Elm and Chestnut streets, featuring vendors, food, music and more, according to the event’s Instagram page.

Friday, Sept. 25

The Manhattan Short Film Festival, manhattanshort.com, will screen at NHTI in Concord today at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m., according to the website, where you can get information about the 10 finalists.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Beaver Brook Association’s Fall Festival will take place today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Beaver Brook Association, 117 Ridge Road in Hollis, and feature live demonstrations, food, activities for kids and an apple cider press, according to Beaver Brook’s Facebook page. See beaverbrook.org.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Local Comic Shop Day will take place today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Double Midnight Comics, 252 Willow St. in Manchester, according to Double Midnight’s Facebook page. See localcomicshopday.com.

Saturday, Sept. 26

The Harvest Moon Festival at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner will take place today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to indianmuseum.org. Tickets will be for sale at the gate, the website said.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Henniker Handmade & Homegrown will take place today and tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Henniker including inside the Community Center and in the park at 57 Main St., according to a press release. The event will feature 90 local artists, crafters, farmers and food makers as well as live music, food trucks, farm animals and a kids zone, according to a press release. Scheduled musical performers include Danny Savage Band, The Honey Bees Trio, Colin Nevins, Doug Farrell, Beth Mangano, Joey Clark, Vickie Branch, and Walker Smith on the Angela Robinson Bandstand, the release said. Scheduled food trucks include Taco Beyondo, Batulo’s, a Chicago-style hot dog cart, Rico’s Grill and more, the release said. Parking will be available at Henniker Community School with a free shuttle to and from the event, the release said. See facebook.com/HennikerCommunityMarket.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Henniker Brewing Co. in Henniker will host Dysfunction Junction 2, a day of music, food trucks, vendors and more, on Saturday, Sept. 26, with doors opening at noon. The event, which is for all ages (no pets), will feature music on two stages (one inside, one outside), according to hennikerbrewing.com, where you can find a link to purchase tickets.

Sunday, Sept. 27

The Concord Municipal Airport will host Wings & Wheels today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., an all-ages event focused on aviation and STEM, featuring vehicles and aircraft, Academy of Model Aeronautics demos, food trucks and more, according to concordnh.gov/1713/ Wings-Wheels-Event.

Sunday, Sept. 27

Concorso Italiano, a celebration of Italian cars and food as well as live music and family entertainment, will take place today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tuscan Village in Salem, according to tuscanvillagesalem.com.

Save the Date! Thursday, Dec. 17
The annual holiday celebration The Greg and the Morning Buzz Ball will take place Thursday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts John F. Swope Theater (formerly the Chubb Theatre) 44 S. Main St. in Concord, according to a Cap Center update. The event will feature the Greg and the Morning Buzz team as well as musicians, comedians and other guests, the newsletter said. See ccanh.com for tickets and see morningbuzz.com/buzz-ball for more on the event.

Featured image: Greg and the Morning Buzz

Baseball playoffs dead ahead

The Big Story – Sox Headed for Postseason: The good news is, after a truly dreadful first three months of the season, the Red Sox somehow are headed to a wild card playoff match-up with the Yankees starting Tuesday.

The bad news is after going 9-9 in September against a line-up of mostly bad teams they backed into it while losing two of three in Tampa Bay over the weekend. Some of that understandably was from resting banged up guys to get healthy for the playoffs. But that’s a delicate balance, as you wonder if a mediocre team can regain the momentum of winning 24 of 27 in July and August.

Worse, they’ve hit .233 during 18 September games while averaging just 3.3 runs per game. That’s daunting especially with their best hitter, Roman Anthony, striking out 35 percent of the time as he struggles to find his form after missing four full months with injury. It all sets up the ancient what’s best conundrum: keep your foot on the gas, or get everyone healthy through needed rest?

Sports 101: Name the three NFL quarterbacks to win an MVP award before turning 25.

News Item – Pats Even Record at 1-1: Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the 20-3 win over Pittsburgh.

Good – The D: True, they played against a backup QB in Game 1 and a QB with a horrid O-line who should have retired five years ago in Week 2. But they’ve given up just 16 points with six sacks while holding the bad guys to 161 yards passing and 94 on the ground.

Bad – The O: The D (Elijah Ponder) scored as many TDs as the O vs. Pittsburgh, after the fourth-quarter horror show when they scored just 10 in the Seattle loss.

Ugly – Injuries: RG Mike Onwenu broke his ankle, so he’s done for a long while at best, while starters Craig Woodson and Dre’Mont Jones were lost with significant shoulder injuries.

News Item – Baseball’s Pennant Races: The only race of note entering the final week is the National League wild card chase, where only two of Philly, Chicago and San Diego will get in. And a la 1967, Philly starts one game behind the other two.

The Numbers:

18 – pitches Tristan Peters forced Cleveland’s Gavin Williams to throw before drawing the sixth-inning walk that opened floodgates to a six-run rally and a 7-3 White Sox win.

37 – of the Red Sox’ 84 wins are of the comeback variety after Trevor Story’s three-run eighth-inning homer that gave them a much needed 4-3 comeback win over Texas on Thursday.

157 – temperature on the artificial turf in Nashville Sunday that actually melted players’ cleats and forced Philly Coach Nick Sirianni to be given an IV after Philly’s 24-20 win over Tennessee.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Return Of Patrick Mahomes: For his Jayson Tatum-like quick return from last December’s torn ACL.

Let’s Run It Up Game of the Week – Oregon vs. Portland State: OU laid the wood 84-0 to schedule patsy P.U., er, I mean P. S. on Saturday.

Random Thoughts: Congrats to the USA women for winning gold in the World Basketball Classic. But I wasn’t a big fan of its wildly over-rated coach Kara Lawson before the WBC. Less so now. Too arrogant and too stubborn.

Sports 101 Answer: The three under-25 QBs to win an MVP are Dan Marino, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

Final Thought – Coach B Update: Despite a surprising opening week upset of TCU to start this year, most know his tenure at North Carolina has been barreling out of control right from the jump. But it got even worse as the calendar turned to 2026. Here’s the recap. (1) The mouthy girlfriend, young enough to be his granddaughter, caught attention in all the wrong ways from Day 1; (2) They went a shocking 4-8 in Year 1; (3) An internal university investigation this summer yielded the resignation of program GM/Belichick lackey Mike Lombardi, and last week his son/DC Steve Belichick resigned; and (4) They’re now 1-2 after losing 28-20 to Clemson Saturday. The UNC mess is dragging the coaching legacy down and it’s looking like a good time for a course correction. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/09/24

Bridge closed

On Monday, Sept. 21, a routine inspection by the NH DOT found “potential structural deficiencies” in Manchester’s Queen City Bridge and so the bridge was closed until further notice, according to a press release the City issued that day. “At this point the full inspection has yet to be completed. In order to protect the safety of the traveling public the bridge will be closed until further notice. We will continue to keep the public informed as the inspection is complete, and will provide updates and plans for traffic as information becomes available,” the press release said.

QOL score: -2, but feeling good about routine inspections

Comments: Visit nixle.us/manchester-nh-city to see recent Nixle alerts for Manchester and to sign up for mobile alerts for your area.

‘We will not tolerate that in Manchester’

In the early hours of Sept. 16, downtown Manchester cafe The Moka Pot was vandalized. Windows were broken and “offensive language and hate symbols had been spray-painted on the business,” according to a press release from Manchester Police Department. “Due to the nature of the graffiti, the New Hampshire Department of Justice Civil Rights Unit was notified,” the release said. Manchester Police Chief Peter Marr released a statement: “This was more than property damage. It was a deliberate act intended to intimidate and instill fear, and we will not tolerate that in Manchester.” On Sept. 17, the police released images from a nearby security camera to the media and on its socials showing a “person of interest.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: A post labeled as “from The Moka Pot Team” on the cafe’s Instagram page thanked the community for support after the vandalism and read, in part: “We’ll fix the windows. We’ll clean the walls. We’ll make the repairs. And we’ll do what we do best: make the coffee.”

Helping the kids

In a Sept. 17 press release, local educational support organization Manchester Proud announced the turnout for its annual free back-to-school event, CelebratED. “More than 2,500 people attended this year’s celebration,” the statement read, “an estimated 200 percent increase over 2025. Families received 1,000 backpacks, 833 items of clothing, 372 books and 600 lunch boxes, while young people received 150 hair services and 65 vision screenings. More than 90 community organizations participated, supported by 60 volunteers and more than $50,000 in contributions from donors and community partners.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Manchester Proud has done an amazing job connecting thousands of families with the resources and support they need to start the school year ready for success,” Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said in the press release. Visit manchesterproud.org.

QOL score last week: 65

Net change: -3

QOL this week: 62

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/09/24

Color Main Street

Coloring Main Street returns to downtown Nashua on Saturday, Sept. 26, on Main Street from the Main Street Bridge to the Nashua Public Library to City Hall, from noon to 3 p.m., according to a press release. “Chalk will be provided by local Main Street businesses and DNA [Downtown Nashua Association], so all you need to bring is your creativity and enthusiasm. However, it is recommended that participants wear clothing they don’t mind getting chalky and be sure to use the hashtag #ColoringMainStNashua when posting photos of their work on social media,” the release said. See downtownnashua.org/coloring-main-street for details.

Democracy & AI

Tickets are on sale for the New Hampshire Humanities Annual Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 1, at BNH Stage in Concord, according to nhhumanities.org, where you can purchase tickets for the event at 6 p.m. and for the reception at 5 p.m. at the League of NH Craftsmen Headquarters. Doors to the BNH Stage open at 5:30 p.m.; “Visit exhibits of New Hampshire Humanities programs such as Live Free or Dial with the New Hampshire Telephone Museum and Community Conversations with cartoonist and educator Marek Bennett. Peruse books for sale courtesy of Gibson’s Bookstore,” the website said. The main event is the presentation “Democracy in the Age of A.I.: An evening with Jenn White of 1A [the NPR show]” with special guests including Father Philip Larrey, a Catholic priest and professor at Boston College; Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School, and Roopika Risam, chair of film and media studies at Dartmouth College and author of the new book Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control and Dominate, the website said.

Fall league

Five players from the 2026 New Hampshire Fisher Cats roster are on the Mesa Solar Sox, “a roster made up of prospects from five different MLB clubs,” part of the 2026 Arizona Fall League, according to a Fisher Cats press release. “Pitchers Jake Bloss, Yondrei Rojas and Fernando Perez, catcher Aaron Parker and infielder Arjun Nimmala were all listed on the Solar Sox roster, along with athletic trainer Katie Reyes. Nimmala was traded to the Angels earlier this year on Aug. 3 but played in 33 games with New Hampshire after making his Double-A debut on May 5,” the release said. “The Mesa roster also includes Toronto minor league pitchers Brandon Barriera and Gilberto Batista, and outfielders Jake Casey and Jake Cook.” The Arizona Fall League runs its regular season of 30 games per team Saturday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 14, the release said. See mlb.com/arizona-fall-league.

Correction

Last week’s Kiddie Pool and film listings featured the wrong date for the next outdoor screening in Manchester. Inside Out 2 (PG, 2024) will screen in Derryfield Park in Manchester on Friday, Sept. 25, at 8:15 p.m., according to a post on the Manchester Parks & Recreation Facebook page.

Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, will hold a one-day class “Ghosts & Pumpkins: A Halloween Clay Workshop” on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 12 and older, according to a newsletter. See the website to register for this and other classes in the school’s second fall session, for which registration ends Oct. 12, the newsletter said.

The Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St. in Manchester, will hold an American Girl Tea Party featuring Felicity Merriman, a Colonial-era American Girl Doll, on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m., according to a press release. See manchesterhistoric.org for advance registration, which is required. The event is part of a day of events at the museum themed “Whose Revolution Is It Anyway?” the release said.

The Dover Public Library, 73 Locust St. in Dover, will hold a puzzle swap Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Donate complete puzzles in good condition of 250 pieces or more through Friday, Sept. 25, and then come to the library Saturday to pick up to five new-to-you puzzles, according to a press release. See library.dover.nh.gov.

The New England Animation Festival, which will run Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Park Theatre in Jaffrey, is accepting submissions of animated short films (10 minutes or less), according to a press release. The last-minute deadline is Nov. 11 (with earlier deadlines for a discounted entry fee), the release said. See filmfreeway.com/NewEnglandAnimationFestival.

This Week 26/09/17

Friday, Sept. 11

Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St. in Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com, will hold a pajama party storytime with author Tabatha Jean D’Agata tonight at 6:30 p.m. She will read her picture book The Old Scarecrow, according to the website, where you can RSVP.

Friday, Sept. 11

Sister Act, described as “the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film” with original music by Alan Menken, will kick off the season at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, when the curtain rises tonight at 7:30 p.m., according to the website. The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 4. See the website for tickets and dates and times.

Friday, Sept. 11

The Jason R Flood Memorial, the folks behind Pizzastock, and Deadlight Booking and Photography present a night of music featuring Fourth Degree with Sucker Punch and Rite of Passage tonight at 8 p.m. at Bad BRGR, 1015 Elm St. in Manchester, $10 at the door, according to the Jason R Flood Memorial Facebook page at badbrgr.com.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Springlook Farm, 122 Island Pond Road in Derry, will hold its customer appreciation days today and tomorrow, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring free hot dogs and popcorn, a free native New Hampshire plant with purchase, hayrides, local vendors and more, according to an email from the farm. See springlookfarm.com.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Waypoint will hold a Touch-a-Truck event featuring vehicles of all kinds for kids to explore and other activities today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pease Tradeport, 2 International Drive in Portsmouth, according to an email from Waypoint. Admission costs $5 per person, not to exceed $20 per family, paid via cash, Venmo or credit card at the gate on the day of the event, the email said. Waypoint is “a NH nonprofit that supports children, families, and kinship caregivers across New Hampshire, offering resources, family support, home care, and services for youth experiencing homelessness,” according to the email. See waypointnh.org/touch-a-truck for parking details.

Saturday, Sept. 12

The 39th Fall Artisan Craft Fair will take place today from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3 Peabody Row in Londonderry, featuring more than 70 booths with artisans with works of jewelry, baskets, wooden goods, quilts, hats, soaps, essential oils, pet accessories and many types of artwork, according to an email from the church. The event will also feature a tag sale, raffles and food sales at St. Peter’s Bistro, the email said. See stpeterslondonderry.org.

Sunday, Sept. 13

Symphony New Hampshire kicks off its new season with a new music director, Adam Kerry Boyles, with the concert “Love, Tragedy & Triumph” today at 3 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre, 5 Pinkerton St. in Derry, stockbridgetheatre.com, according to a press release. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:30 p.m. “Boyles’s inaugural program moves from the playful energy of Mozart’s Overture to Così fan tutte to John Rutter’s moving arrangement of the folk melody “O Waly Waly.” The concert also features David Diamond’s Music for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Manuel de Falla’s dramatic El amor brujo,” the release said. See the Stockbridge Theatre website or symphonynh.org for tickets.

Save the Date! Friday, Sept. 19
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire & Vermont will hold their 18th Annual Stiletto Sprint presented by LeMay Family Goodworks on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m. on Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, according to an email about the event. This 40-yard sprint, done while participants wear high heels, “benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire & Vermont and helps support the youth in our community,” the email said. See give.bigsnhvt.org/event/stiletto-sprint-2026/e771570 to register or donate.

Featured image: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The week that was

The Big Story — Patriots’ First Game: For the folks who don’t see the paper until Thursday, the Patriots will have already played Game 1 in Seattle in a Super Bowl rematch.

Prediction: 31-24 Seattle.

We’ll look closer at the team all month. But first, some quick thoughts on the offense.

With deep threat A.J. Brown and solid Romeo Doubs joining an already explosive back field and the best deep thrower in football they’ll be very tough to defend.

That’s if Will Campbell and company take the needed step forward in both drive blocking and pass protection.

With those new weapons, expect Drake Maye to top last year’s 31 TD passes if healthy.

Kyle Williams won’t have huge reception numbers, but despite the negative noise, I’m betting he’ll have an impact as a deep ball threat.

We’ll look at the D next week.

Sports 101: Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart is challenging to become just the third rookie to lead MLB in RBIs. Name the two rookies who’ve already done it.

News Item – Who’s Hot: Not even a one-day demotion to AAA could stop the white hot Merrimackian Mickey Gasper from looking like Roy Hobbs. As he hit a homer in the Sox’ stirring 9-8 comeback win over Seattle the day of his original Aug. 17 recall, his stats were, well, Hobbs-like — 12 for 30 with six homers and 13 RBI in his first 13 games back.

News Item – Dallas Cowboys Myth: With it being the 30 long years since the vaunted Cowboys have even been to a Super Bowl, why are they considered an “iconic” NFL franchise by many? That history actually says they’re an also-ran franchise run by a doofus owner that never meets their annual over-the-top pre-season hype.

News Item — Five Random NFL Observations:

If Aaron Donald can knock off the rust quickly, he and Myles Garrett might lead the Rams to beat the all-time record 72 sacks put up by the hellacious 1984 Bears.

The Patriots will be doing well to make it out of September at 2-2.

Buffalo’s the trendy pick over NE in the AFC East. But with up to 11 losable games their schedule is just as tough, the Patriots added more new ammo and Buffalo has a first-year coach. So I don’t see it.

After reversing Sam Darnold’s downward career start, can Minnesota Coach/QB whisperer Kevin O’Connell do the same with 2019 first overall pick Kyler Murray after he was dumped by Phoenix? Bet yes.

If I can’t pick the Seahawks vs. the Rams in the SB, I’ll take Denver vs. L.A.

The Numbers:

5 – years Tiger Woods lost his driver’s license for after pleading guilty to his latest speed-induced car crash.

62 – second most homers ever hit in one month, which the Chicago Cubs reached with a second most ever nine bombs in a 17-3 rout of Milwaukee on August’s final day.

… Of the Week Award

Thumbs Down – Will Flemming: The Red Sox radio announcer made a fool of himself in calling on the Sox to drill Yankee batter Austin Wells because teammate Jazz Chisholm had the temerity to steal two bases left UNCOVERED late in the 16-1 Yankees win at the end of the month.

Here are two tips for the fan boy announcer. If a team doesn’t want the score run up, it needs to pitch better. And if you leave bases uncovered as the Sox did in (I guess) conceding the win, you’re inviting stolen bases, because real players play hard until the final out.

Here’s a third tip: grow up.

Ludicrous Quote OTW – New Angels Owner Stan Kroenke: He said in announcing the purchase, “The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market.”

Based on what? Going to the World Series once in 67 years and being a stepchild city for L.A. area sports fans?

Sports 101 Answer: One-time Red Sox teammates Ted Williams with 145 in 1939 and Walt Dropo with 144 in 1950 are the only rookies to lead the league in RBI.

Final Thought — A Little History – 1972 Dolphins: Since nobody I saw on TV or anywhere else mentioned it amid last year’s hoo-ha about the Patriots’ weak 2025 schedule, I’ll do it now before everything gets underway in 2026.

No doubt their weak schedule helped. But how come when the undefeated Dolphins of 1972 come up their schedule is never mentioned? Is the reason no one mentions they had one of the weakest schedules in history that I’m the only one who knows that?

Yup, when they did it, the combined winning percentage of the opponents was a paltry 35%, whereas it was 39% for 2025 NE. And Miami only played two teams all year who were over. .500, where both the Chiefs and Giants were only 8-6. It wasn’t much better for the Pats, who faced just three.

But to Miami’s credit they finished it off with a SB win and the Pats did not. So how much does the schedule mean?

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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