Category: News

This Week 26/09/03

Thursday, Sept. 3

Visit the SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St. in Manchester, this weekend before it closes for its annual “spruce up,” Sept. 8 to Sept. 18, according to a press release. The Center is open today and other weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day. See see-sciencecenter.org. The center will reopen Saturday, Sept. 19.

Thursday, Sept. 3

And get in one more play session at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, childrens-museum.org, before its annual renovations. The museum is open today through Saturday, Sept. 5, with two play sessions — 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. — and from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Sept. 6. The museum will reopen Sept. 19.

Friday, Sept. 4

Kids Nite Out is the theme for this month’s First Friday in downtown Concord from 4 to 8 p.m. A Kids Market (featuring kid-run businesses) will take place on Capitol Street, with activities for kids on the Statehouse lawn and at City Hall Plaza, according to firstfridayconcord.com, where you can find a full schedule.

Friday, Sept. 4

Center for the Arts in New London holds its First Friday tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. Check out the opening reception for “Pure Form: Abstract Expression” at the Center for the Arts Member Gallery, 428 Main St., and tour three microgalleries, according to the website.

Saturday, Sept. 5

Celebrate the many-faceted career of Dolly Parton at a screening of 1989’s Steel Magnolias , in which she plays Truvy Jones, beauty salon owner, tonight at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres, 11 S. Main St. in Concord. See redrivertheatres.org to purchase tickets.

Saturday, Sept. 5

The First Gluten Never Ever Festival will take place today and tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road, Milford). Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the gate. Visit glutennevereverexpo.com and see the cover story in the Aug. 27 issue of the Hippo, which talks with the expo’s organizer. Find that in issue in the digital library at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 8.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

The final 2026 regular-season stretch of games for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will kick off today against the Harrisburg Senators at 6:03 p.m.. Tonight is Tender Tuesday, when the team plays as the Manchester Chicken Tenders. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus is holding open auditions for its Winter performance on Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Manchester, 669 Union St. in Manchester, according to nhgmc.com, where you can find details about the audition.

Save the Date! Friday, Sept. 18
The 51st Annual NH Highland Games & Festival kicks off its weekend at Loon Mountain in Lincoln on Friday, Sept. 18, running through Sunday, Sept. 20, according to a press release. The event features live music, Highland Dance, heavy athletics, sheep dog trials, competitions and demonstrations, pageantry and more, including “try it” classes in street curling, stone lifting and more, the website said. “The Tartan Army left its loving heart on the people of Boston during the World Cup, with countless moments of kindness and generosity,” said Josh Auger, President of NHSCOT, host of the NH Highland Games & Festival in the statement. “This year’s festival leans into celebrating the history, culture and people who embody that indomitable spirit. We invite everyone to come and celebrate the Scots and learn more about their heritage.” The festival also features Clan Village, Vendor Village, food vendors and more, the press release said. See nhscot.org for single day or weekend pass as well as tickets to specific food and music events.

Featured image: Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias.

Fun, exciting month ahead

The Big Story – September Baseball Arrives: The best month in sports got off badly for the Sox. In their last shot at the Yanks this year they lost three of four over the weekend, with the last two being 9-2 and 16-1 demolitions. It dropped them four games behind New York for the top wild card spot and 8.5 behind division-leading Tampa.

The good news is their next 17 games are/were all against teams under .500, including all three of the last-place teams in the AL. First up are the Mariners at Fenway followed by Baltimore this weekend. If they take care of business, then the playoffs will be dead ahead. Enjoy.

Sports 101: Who holds the career records for most TDs scored and TD passes thrown on opening day in NFL history?

News Item – Patriots Update: They opened Wednesday in Seattle vs. the Seahawks — ready or not. Given that no player of consequence played a down in preseason, when the D has been awful, they haven’t looked like they are ready so far. Exhibit A was being brutalized 37- 13 by Cleveland Thursday night.

Kyle Williams – I’m Just Saying: I know he’s played against bench players so far. But after another deep strike TD, this time for 45 yards, the yards per catch average on his four pre-season catches was 32.7. And when added to last year’s three TDs on 10 catches, it’s five TDs on just 14 catches for a yards per catch average of 24.1. That’s nearly two yards better than all-time record holder Homer Jones’ 22.3.

News Item – Red Sox Update:

The bad guys are hitting just .218 vs. Payton Tolle while he’s struck out 141 in a career high 125.1 innings with a 3.09 ERA.

How much credit does Pitching Coach Andrew Bailey deserve for all the career years guys on the pitching staff are having?

Even Aroldis Chapman had consecutive ERAs in the high 3s just before getting here. Here it’s been 1.17 and 1.81 with 143 Ks in 106 innings over two Boston seasons.

As we enter the final month, has anybody got any idea who the Sox MVP is so far?

The Numbers:

227 – homers hit by Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber since the Sox let him walk after 2021, to close in on the Babe’s record 235 for most homers in the first five seasons with a new team.

16 – after exceeding the second luxury tax threshold, MLB teams whose entire payrolls are less than what the L.A. Dodgers luxury tax payments will be.

25 – starts Milwaukee hurler Jacob Misiorowski has allowed three earned runs or less to begin the season, to be the first to do that since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

… Of the Week

Thumbs Up – Sox (Interim) Manager Chad Tracy: For turning around the Sox after taking over from Alex Cora to make it a more enjoyable sports summer.

Alumni News – Bill Belichick: A good start for Coach B in Year 2 at UNC, as the Tar Heels upset TCU 15-10.

Alumni News – Ryan Day: The local lad’s Ohio State Buckeyes start the season as college football’s top ranked team.

What A Stupid I Yam Award – Me. Reader Harvey Silverman emailed to say it was Anthony Seigler (sent back to AAA on Sunday) who came in the spring trade with Milwaukee, not Nick Sogard as I said last week.

Sports 101 Answer: Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Tom Brady hold the records for most TDs scored and TD passes thrown on opening day with 14 and 44 respectively.

Final Thought – A Little History For Bob Kraft: As the Christian Gonzalez contract saga meanders along the Patriots owner apparently needs a little history reminder. So OK.

Yes, Brady won those six Super Bowls, but never without having an A-list cornerback on the team.

The first three came with Hall of Famer Ty Law aboard. But after Coach B made one of his biggest mistakes letting Law walk after 2004 they didn’t win again for 10 long years.

That streak stopped when Darrelle Revis came in 2014 when they beat Seattle. DR left after one year and the Pats lost in 2015. They won in 2016 as Malcolm Butler, he of the greatest play in NFL history, had developed into a solid player. Then won in 2018 as Stephon Gilmore was the Defensive Player of the Year.

Since then, bupkis.

So it seems the Pats’ math for winning a SB goes like this: great QB + A-list CB = SB win. Not a guarantee of course, but it is the common denominator for their six SB wins. Which they now also have. So while you have two huge cash layouts coming up for the Gonzalez and Drake Maye contracts, that’s part of winning, Bob. If you want to win, suck it up and get the deals done.

And if not willing to do that, fine. It’s your money. But then it’s time to sell the team.

Prediction: Seattle 27 – NE 20.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/09/03

Offline kids

An Aug. 24 report by thecannyvulture.com said, “In Hillsborough County, 2,253 children live in a home with no internet, 2.7% of all the kids in the county.” According to an Aug. 24 blog post on compareinternet.com, nationwide, 3.2 million school children are starting this school year without internet access.

QOL score: -1 New Hampshire ranks well in internet access nationally, but this is still 2,253 children too many.

Comment: According to the compareinternet.com blog post, “Washington County, Mississippi, in the Delta, has 47 percent of its children living in homes with no internet. That’s more than 5,100 kids. Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, is also at 47 percent. Socorro County, New Mexico, rural and largely Hispanic and Native American, is at 39 percent.”

Lanternflies

As reported in an August 25 online article by WMUR, an invasive species of insect, the spotted lanternfly, has been seen in New Hampshire for the first time. “Officials confirmed … that the spotted lanternfly was seen in Salem,” the article reported. “The spotted lanternfly poses risks to vineyards, nurseries and agricultural and ornamental plants. Officials said it doesn’t harm people, pets or structures, but it can become a nuisance if it becomes more established over time.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: On its website, the US Department of Agriculture describes the spotted lanternfly as “an invasive planthopper that feeds on a wide range of plants, including grapevines, hops, stone fruit trees, and hardwood trees. When the spotted lanternfly feeds, it excretes a sticky, sugary fluid that promotes sooty mold growth, which can further damage plants.” Visit aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/slf.

Murals and more murals

In an Aug. 31 press release, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua announced that as part of the club’s ongoing MuralFest, “10 nationally and internationally known artists continue transforming the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua through five large-scale murals, located throughout the Club both inside and outside. The festival, which runs through Sept. 2, brings artists from across the country and around the world together with the Club community. The event’s name, Be Creative BGCN MuralFest, was chosen by a Club member.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: In an Aug. 30 online article, WMUR reported that on Saturday, Aug. 29, artists from the organization ArtCity Nashua invited members of the public to help create 15 permanent murals along Nashua’s Heritage Rail Trail. The goal of “the mural and music festival,” WMUR reported, was “to transform the area known as the ‘Tree Streets’ into a public art display. Artists joined people from the community to make masterpieces, even leading a spray painting class.”

QOL score last week: 58

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 57

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

News & Notes 26/09/03

Moose money

The 2027 Conservation License Plate grant round is open with “letters of intent to apply” due Sept. 30, according to an announcement from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, a division of the N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “The grants are one of several programs funded through the purchase of New Hampshire’s ‘Moose’ license plates. Each year, legislatively designated state agencies receive funds raised through these sales for specific programs; 100 percent of the funds allotted to the Arts Council are returned to the state’s communities through projects supported by the Council’s Conservation License Plate grant program,” the release said. “Requests may be made for $2,000-$30,000 and matching funds are not required. Projects must occur between December 1, 2026 and November 30, 2027.” See nharts.dncr.nh.gov/grants for grant details, and see mooseplate.com if you’re thinking about upgrading your license plates.

Advocacy conference

New Futures, which describes itself as a group focused on “nonpartisan, evidence-based solutions to New Hampshire’s health challenges,” will hold its “New Futures’ Policy + Advocacy Conference: Speaking Up for What Matters” on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, according to a press release. The event aims to “help Granite Staters of all experience levels turn their voice into action at the Statehouse,” the release said. “The conference brings together advocates, coalition partners, service providers, and civic-minded community members for a full day dedicated to demystifying New Hampshire’s legislative process and building the skills to take action on the issues they care about,” the release said. See conference.new-futures.org to register and for a breakdown of the schedule including sessions and speakers. See new-futures.org for more on the organization.

Fall workshops

The Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St. in Manchester, has announced upcoming workshops and classes, according to a press release. Two artists whose works are in the Currier’s exhibition “Radical Quiet: Contemporary Drawings of Nature by Victoria Elbroch, Nancy Friese, and Margot Glass” will lead courses. “Chasing Color: A Plein Air Watercolor Workshop with Nancy Friese at the grounds of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Zimmerman House” is a one-day workshop that will take place Tuesday, Oct. 6, the release said. “Explorations in Natural Ink Making and Painting with Margot Glass” is a one-day workshop that will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, the release said. A five-week workshop “The Mindful Sketchbook: Drawing Nature with Melissa Richard” will run Wednesdays, Oct. 7 through Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to noon, the release said. The Currier is also offering a four-week workshop on Thursdays, Oct.29 through Nov. 19, called “Let’s Draw! The Art of the Portrait with Peter Clive” and a one-day workshop on Saturday, Nov. 21, called “Dream Spaces: Construction, Assemblage, and Collage with Kristi Nyhan,” the release said. See currier.org for prices and to register.

Catch Cookie Queens, a documentary about four Girl Scouts and their cookie selling endeavors, screening Saturday, Sept. 5, at Red River Theatres, 11 S. Main St. in Concord, according to redrivertheatres.org, where you can purchase tickets. See cookiequeensfilm.com to watch the film’s trailer.

Tuesday, Sept. 8, is the state primary election in New Hampshire (also possibly a day your kids are off from school, if your district takes a day off on election days). See sos.nh.gov/elections for information on voting including what to bring to register on election day and a sample ballot.

United Way of Greater Nashua has two upcoming fundraisers: the “Betting on the Community” Poker Hand Pub Crawl, taking place at five downtown Nashua venues on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 4 to 8 p.m., and the Pickleball Tournament and Social at the YMCA Westwood Park in Nashua, on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a press release. Register in beginner or intermediate doubles divisions for the pickleball tournament, the release said. For both events, see unitedwaynashua.org to register.

This Week 26/08/27

Thursday, Aug. 27

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats continue their stretch of games against the Hartford Yard Goats with a game tonight at 6:03 p.m., according to nhfishercats.com, where you can purchase tickets. Games continue through Sunday, Aug. 30, when game time is 1:05 p.m., the website said. On Saturday, Aug. 29, the team will play as the Manchester Coconut Tenders, when the first 500 fans will receive the third of three special Manchester Chicken Tender bobbleheads, according to the website, where you can find ticket information. Other special events include postgame fireworks on Friday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Aug. 29, the website said.

Saturday, Aug. 29

The Capital Mineral Club’s Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show will take place today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Everett Arena in Concord, according to capitalmineralclub.org.

Saturday, Aug. 29

Granite State PoutineFest will take place Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 603 Brewery in Londonderry, according to poutinefest.com, where you can purchase tickets. Try a sample of poutine (which, fundamentally, is french fries + cheese curds + gravity) from a variety of area restaurants and vote for your favorite, the website said.

Saturday, Aug. 29

Poets Mckendy Fils-Aimé and JeFF Stumpo will be at Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, today from 5 to 7 p.m. to read from their debut poetry collections, according to bookerymht.com, where you can RSVP. Fils-Aimé’s new book is sipèstisyon (see mckendyfilsaime.com) and Stumpo’s new book is these are the waterfalls in my head (see jeffstumpo.com). FInd more author readings and other book events in the Book listings on page 21.

Saturday, Aug. 29

Catch comedian Dulcé Sloan tonight at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) at BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, according to ccanh.com, where you can watch clips of her appearance on Conan and other comedy shows and purchase tickets. Sloan was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and released the book Hello, Friends! Stories of Dating, Destiny and Day Jobs in 2024. Find more comedy from Sloan at dulcesloan.com. Find more comedy shows in the Comedy This Week listings on page 23.

Sunday, Aug. 30

Tuba Skinny will play the Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. in Nashua, today at 7 p.m., according to nashuacenterforthearts.com, where you can purchase tickets. “While they’ve become known as world-class interpreters of traditional jazz, over the years they’ve branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime, and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full genealogy of popular American music from an early 20th century perspective,” the Center for the Arts website said. See tubaskinny.com for more on the band. Find more upcoming shows in the Concert listings on page 26.

Save the Date! Saturday, Sept. 5
The Run Your Buns Off 4.2 Miler comes with a treat: a post-race sticky bun after the race on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 8:30 a.m. at Newfound Lake in Bristol, according to runyourbunsoffnh.com, where you can register for the race (there is no same-day registration). This year’s community beneficiary of the race is the NH Food Bank, the website said.

Featured image: Tuba Skinny.

Daffy Raffy back at Fenway

The Big Story – Devers Back in Town: Well, it couldn’t have gone much better when the recalcitrant one returned to Fenway for the first time since he was shipped west last June.

It came amid a deserved hail of boos as Raffy Devers went 1-10 with a homer while the Sox were sweeping his SF Giants. With that now over, it seems a good time to review the results of that trade.

You may recall a pouting Devers was sent packing after petulantly refusing to play first base here. SF was 41-31 that day. They then went 69-93 in his first 162 games with them and 91-126 overall, while the one-game-under-.500 Red Sox rallied to go 52-37 the rest of the way in 2025 and 122-85 overall since they dumped him.

Not to mention that in flipping the key guy they got in the deal, Kyle Harrison, to Milwaukee, the Sox not only got their third baseman Caleb Durbin, but also spark plugs to the turnaround Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio. Plus the payroll flexibility gained from the $250 million saved, they were able to take on the big contracts of now 16-game-winner Sonny Gray and homer/RBI leader Willson Contreras.

Which makes it a gigantic win for John Henry and company.

Sports 101: With seven more starts left after reaching his 16 career high in wins Friday, Gray actually can do a rarity for these days: win 20 games. Name the last five Red Sox pitchers to do that in a season.

News Item – Red Sox Update – Who’s Hot:

They started the week 71-59, six behind TB in the AL East and 6.5 up in the wild card race. They need to go 19-13 in their final 32 games to reach 90 wins.

• Mickey Gasper – The Merrimack native came back up from AAA ablazing. He’s gone six for 17 with two doubles, three homers and nine RBI since.

• Erik Miller – In his first eight appearances since coming from SF, he allowed no earned runs while striking out a whopping 14 in 8.1 innings

• Brayan Bello: That demotion to AAA worked wonders. In seven appearances since his July 12 return, he’s 3-0 with a save while giving up just three runs in 27.1 innings for a 0.99 ERA.

News Item – Pats Update – Pats Down Eagles 24-21:

• Kyle Williams – Say what you will about the 2025 third-round pick, who some say is about to be cut. But after scoring on a 69-yard bomb Saturday, it’s interesting that in the few catches he had in 2025 (10) and two on Saturday, four have resulted in TD’s with three coming from 72, 69 and 33 yards out, while the yards per catch average on those 12 is 23.6. For context: The NFL’s YPC record is held by 1960s NY Giants receiver Homer Jones at 22.3.

• The Second O and D Lines – They were awful.

• Christian Gonzalez – Is the contract extension mess a real issue or being blown out of proportion by breathless media yacking?

The Numbers:

4 – times Wilyer Abreu struck out in Saturday’s first four at-bats before knocking in the winning run in their 3-2 walkoff win over SF.

8 – not quite 1968’s Year of the Pitcher, but the paltry number of .300 hitters in both leagues. For context, 30 did it in 1962.

22 – most runs ever scored while shutting out an opponent, as Milwaukee did in their 22-0 win over Seattle.

… Of the Week Award

Dumbest WNBA Related Comment – Shaq: Whose solution to making the league more exciting is to lower the baskets so everyone can dunk.

Sports 101 Answer: The last Boston 20-game winner was Rick Porcello when he won the 2016 Cy Young Award for his stellar 22-4 season. Before that, Josh Beckett (2007), Curt Schilling (2004), Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe (2002).

Final Thought – Thumbs Down – John Rich: While killing Little League Baseball’s 85-pitch-count rule, the Bar Stool Sports writer had comments after Alabama’s Kinley Rasmus got yanked after six scoreless innings for reaching the PC limit. Washington State then scored twice in the seventh to win 2-0. Rich wrote, “Feel bad for this girl. Pitches a 6 inning shutout. Breaks Mo’ne Davis’ strikeout record. Then loses in the 7th when they’re forced to bring in another pitcher. Team couldn’t get her a single run. Brutal.” Well John, we all do. Sorta. But it’s not like that’s never happened before.

First, he’s diminishing Washington’s pitching, which also pitched a shutout, didn’t they?

Second, since the beginning of time pitchers who’ve pitched great have gotten beaten by pitchers who pitched not quite as well but good enough to win.

Third, have you heard of Harvey Haddix in 1959? Bill Bevens, Game 4, 1947 World Series? Jack Sanford, Game 7, 1962 World Series? and the doozy of “he got no hit support” losses, Warren Spahn on July 2, 1963. Look them up. All pitched great in historic games and lost.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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