Category: News

This Week 26/02/12

Thursday, Feb. 12

The Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester will hold an opening reception for its new exhibition “Still Waters, Deep Reflections: The Art of Evelin Bodfish Bourne” on Thursday, Feb. 12, 6 to 8 p.m. The show will be on display Feb. 13 through May 8. See anselm.edu and click on “The Arts.”

Friday, Feb. 13

The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) presents Always a Bridesmaid, a comedy about the perils of keeping teenage promises — in this case for a group of friends to attend each other’s weddings, even 30 years later. Performances will be tonight at 7 p.m.; tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 through the Majestic’s website.

Saturday, Feb. 14

It’s Backyard Winter Bird Survey Weekend! Today and tomorrow observe and report species of birds you see in your backyard to the New Hampshire Audubon to help track winter bird popoulartions, according to nhaudubon.org, where you can find instructions on how to register and log your results.

Saturday, Feb. 14

Enjoy a Valentine’s Day Evening with Elvis (performer Robert Black) at Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com). Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. A special menu will be available. Tickets are $29 through the Vineyard’s website.

Saturday, Feb. 14

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) presents Emo Night Brooklyn tonight at 8 p.m. This is an 18+ late-night DJ-based dance party featuring emo and pop-punk jams. Tickets start at $26 through the Center’s website.

Sunday, Feb. 15

The Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance presents Lily’s Pad today at 4 p.m. at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, anselm.edu) featuring Lily Booker and her three-piece jazz band on her journey through rhythm and tap dance. Tickets are $34 through the Dana Center’s website.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

The Poetry Society of New Hampshire will host an Afternoon of Poetry at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) today from 4:30 to 6 p.m., featuring poet Liane St. Laurent. An open mic will follow her reading. Visit psnh.org/events.

Save the Date! Saturday, Feb. 21
Musical Fusion act Black Violin will perform Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com). For nearly two decades Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals. Their 2019 album release, Take the Stairs, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and the band recently received a Grammy nomination for the track “The Message” as Best Americana Performance, in collaboration with The Blind Boys of Alabama. Tickets start at $57 through the Center’s website.

Featured photo: Majestic Theatre presents the comedy Always a Bridesmaid. Courtesy photo.

Super Sunday Disaster

The Big Story – Pats Lose Super Bowl: Sadly, the unexpected magic carpet ride of the 2025 Patriots season crash-landed on Sunday. It wasn’t quite the beating of SB 20. But the Seahawks’ defense similarly dominated the Pats’ O-line on their way to runaway 29-13 Super Bowl destruction.

Sports 101: Name the college program to have the most former players play for winning Super Bowl teams.

News Item – Seattle 29 Patriots 13 Recap: A total thumping where Seattle outplayed and outcoached the Pats’ offensive side of the ball from the first play.

• Key Stat – Six sacks and a strip sack/pick six allowed by an overwhelmed O-Line.

• Improvement – None during their worst game of the year.

• Backslide – O-Line: An extension of poor play throughout the playoffs when it allowed a record 20 playoff sacks.

• Game Ball: Seattle D and MVP Kenneth Walker for his 137 rushing yards.

• Bottom Line: The better team won.

News Item – Latest Hall of Fame Hoo-Ha: Last week it was Coach B’s snub by voters. This week it’s his former boss, owner Bob Kraft. I was against putting him in until he ended his pettiness of keeping Bill Parcells out of the Patriots Hall. But with that done and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones somehow in, despite his team winning just four playoff games in 30 years, how can Kraft not get in? The answer is the brass is being punished for behaviors during the dynasty years with some petty jealousy of others thrown in.

News Item – Non-Hall of Fame Hoo-Ha: However, the players aren’t being held accountable as the deserving Adam Vinatieri did get in thanks to a resume that includes scoring the most points in league history, winning two SB’s with FG’s as time expired and the greatest kick in NFL history.

News Item – NBA Trade Deadline Update:

Celtics Reshuffle: Brad Stevens again showed how good he is by completing the payroll sell-off to get under the luxury tax payroll thresholds, which eliminated all the onerous roster-building penalties they faced this summer. Out went four players, including the expensive expiring contract of instant offense Anfernee Simons. All while strengthening their front court size/depth by acquiring big Nikola Vucevic to fortify their playoff push.

The Kyrie Irving Curse Lives: Add Dallas to the list of teams dazzled by his great individual skills before seeing his real and mystical ways of killing franchises re-surface. This time it’s that he and the just traded (again) Anthony Davis played in just one game together after the Mavs dumped Luka Doncic for AD a year ago to build the team around them.

The Numbers:

30 – new players added by NE from the previous year, which is the most in Super Bowl history.

60 – percentage of the money bet pre-game on Seattle to win the Super Bowl according to ESPN.com.

75 – percentage of Buffalo fans polled who don’t agree with the decision to fire HC Sean McDermott.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Bob Kraft: For quickly admitting his mistake in hiring Jerod Mayo and then bringing back the guy everyone wanted to replace Coach B in Mike Vrabel.

Thumbs Down – Jeff Bezos: A week after his Prime Video company dropped roughly $85 million on the suck-up to Trump film Melania, the world’s richest man wiped out the entire sports department as part of a mass layoff at his newspaper the Washington Post.

NFL Awards – MVP and Coach of the Year: Vrabel was named Coach of the Year, while Drake Maye finished second to Matt Stafford for MVP.

In Case You Missed It Award – NBA All-Star Game: Their who cares All-Star game comes your way Sunday with a host of new tweaks to make the game interesting. The only one with a chance is the USA vs. The World format — which is a great idea (finally).

Quote of the Week – PJ Carlesimo: “right now the Celtics are 33-18. They were only 36-16 at this point last year en route to 61 wins. So it’s amazing how much they lost and still be a factor leading into All-Star break,” said the former SNHU head basketball coach on the ABC Knicks-C’s broadcast Sunday.

Random Thoughts: Thought the President said he was boycotting the SB half-time show. But there he was slinging nasty (un) Truth Social posts during the show. No word if that hurt Trump suck-up Kid Rock’s feelings.

Sports 101 Answer: With 58, including four Seahawks on Sunday, Alabama has the most SB winning alumni, followed by USC and Penn State with 51 and 48.

Final Thought – 2025 Patriots: Yes, the ending was disappointing. But after going 4-13 two years in a row with a projected seven-win 2025 season ahead, if you can’t say this comeback year was a gift to Patriot Nation there’s something wrong with you.Good job, fellas. Thanks for the unexpectedly fun season. Never saw it coming.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/02/12

Recycling less

As reported in a Feb. 3 online article by the New Hampshire Bulletin, data from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services suggests that New Hampshire residents recycle less than had been previously thought. The calculations that Environmental Services had previously used to estimate how much material from transfer stations is recycled had to be adjusted to avoid double-counting. The most recently published data indicates that “about 16.7% of the material that municipal transfer stations reported handling in 2024 was ultimately diverted for recycling, according to the recalculated percentages,” the New Hampshire Bulletin story read. The story also said, “Since 2020, the proportion of municipal waste sent for recycling has dropped by about four percentage points, according to the department.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: To read the most recent statewide recycling data, search online for “2023-2024 NH Biennial Solid Waste Report.”

Measles vaccination rate is spotty

As reported by NHPR in a Feb. 2 online article, a recent study suggested that because of New Hampshire’s relatively low vaccination rate, it is at a higher risk of a future measles outbreak. “New England is faring better than the rest of the country when it comes to measles vaccinations,” the article read, “but a new study from Boston Children’s Hospital’s finds that New Hampshire’s vaccination rate is a little lower than the rest of the region.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The NHPR story reported that: “According to the study, Merrimack County shows a vaccination rate of 65% for children 5 and under, where Hillsborough County is 74%.” Search online for, “Parental Factors Associated With Measles” to read the study.

Plows getting plowed into

On Feb. 7, according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation in an early afternoon post on its Facebook page, “Today alone, four NHDOT plows have been hit while crews were working to keep roads safe. Our crews are out there for you, help us keep them safe.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: NHDOT warned, “If you’re out driving, please slow down for weather conditions, move over for stopped vehicles on the side of the road, give plow crews plenty of space, and leave extra distance between vehicles.” To view real-time traffic conditions, see NewEngland511.org.

QOL score last week: 53

Net change: -3

QOL this week: 50

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/02/12

Safety summits

NH Recycles is offering three in-person Solid Waste Safety Summits and one webinar about lithium-ion battery safety open to solid waste and recycling facility operators and staff, local firefighters, municipal and town employees and interested residents, according to an email from nhrecycles.org. Choose an in-person event in Laconia on Thursday, Feb. 12; New London on Thursday, March 19, or Keene in July, the email said. The in-person summits run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. with light refreshments and travel stipends are available for some municipal employees, the email said. The webinar is slated for Monday, April 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the email said. See the website to register.

Services fair

The Moore Center will host a free transition fair on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at its offices at 195 McGregor St. in Manchester, for individuals of all ages and abilities with services and resources for those with disabilities (including developmental or intellectual disabilities and acquired brain disorders), according to a press release. The agencies, representing resources available in Greater Manchester and across New Hampshire, include those offering support related to education, employment, health care, housing and community life, the press release said. “The event is free and open to residents of Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Goffstown, Hooksett, Londonderry, Manchester and New Boston. Students interested in careers in human services are also encouraged to attend,” the release said. Call 603-206-2814 or see moorecenter.org.

Douglass Day

The Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, will participate in the Douglass Day Transcribe-a-Thon on Friday, Feb. 13, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. celebrating the Feb. 14 chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass by creating transcriptions related to Black history, according to nashualibrary.org. According to DouglassDay.org, “This year we are going to be transcribing a vast new collection of records on the Colored Conventions movement. Our transcriptions will range across dozens of states and stretch from the start of the movement in 1830 through the turn of the 20th century.” The library is closed on Fridays but staff will let participants into the library from noon to 12:45 p.m., the library’s website said. BYO laptop or tablet if you have one; the event will feature birthday cake, the website said.

Film fest

Tickets for the 18th annual New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival go on sale on Sunday, Feb. 15, at nhjewishfilmfestival.com. The festival will kick off Sunday, March 15, and the first in-person screening will be of Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire at the Rex Theatre in Manchester. In-person and virtual screenings continue through Sunday, March 29, and the festival will feature 13 feature films and four short films, according to a press release. Screenings will take place in Manchester, Concord, Portsmouth, Hanover and Keene, according to the website, where individual tickets and ticket packages will be available for purchase.

First Congregational Church in Concord will hold a Mardi Gras Jazz Sanctuary Service on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. featuring music “rooted in early jazz, gospel and blues traditions,” according to a press release. See jazzsanctuary.com.

Etz Hayim Synagogue, 1½ Hood Road in Derry, will hold a mah jongg tournament on Sunday, April 26, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to an event email. The entry fee is $30; sign up by April 12. “There will be four rounds of game play, four games per one-hour round,” the email said. The day will feature prizes, raffles, refreshments and more; register at etzhayim.org/mah-jongg-tournament.

The Concord Coachmen Chorus will send a barbershop quartet and a red rose to your Valentine’s Day sweetheart in and around Manchester and Concord on Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14. Go to concordcoachmen.org and click on “Singing Valentines” to see available time slots.

Nashua Community Arts and Spectacle Live will present the Navy Band Northeast Pops Ensemble on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts. Tickets are free, first come first served. Reserve tickets at nashuacenterforthearts.com.

This Week 26/02/05

Thursday, Feb. 5

NH Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello will present her new book Identifying the Pathogen: An Inquiry tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St. in Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com.

Thursday, Feb. 5

Comedian Katherine Blanford takes the stage at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Blanford is known for her “human golden retriever presence” on stage. Tickets are $32 in advance through the Capitol Center’s website or $37 at the door.

Friday, Feb. 6

Lotus Land: the definitive Rush tribute act performs at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight and tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $50 through the Music Hall’s website.

Friday, Feb. 6

The Jewel Music Venue (61 Canal St., Manchester, 819-9336, jewelmusicvenue.com) hosts Loud Entertainment’s 2-Year Birthday Bash tonight starting at 7 p.m., featuring Hit-N-Run: Tickets are $20.98 through eventbrite.com.

Friday, Feb. 6

Mentalist Jon Stetson performs a live 18+ show of mysterious mental abilities tonight at 8 p.m. at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com). Tickets are $35 through the Chunky’s website

Saturday, Feb. 7

Local author Robert B. Perreault will be signing copies of his books from 1 to 4 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble in Manchester (1741 S. Willow St., bn.com). His latest, Courtship in Purgatory, is his first historical romance novel. Perreault is also the author of nonfiction titles about Manchester history.

Sunday, Feb. 8

Join the High School Musical sing-along at the BNH Stage (16 S Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) today at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance through the Capitol Center’s website, or $20 at the door.

Sunday, Feb. 8

Watch your New England Patriots face off agains the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Feb. 8, starting at 6:30 p.m. The game airs on NBC and via Peacock.

Monday, Feb. 9

The Glimpse Gallery, 4 Park St. in Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, opens its newest show with the works of six featured artists — Barbara Morse, Linda Graham, Larry Smukler, Peter Sandback, Tessa Magnuson and Bonnie Beauchamp-Cooke — today. The show runs through March 9. See the website to RSVP to a Feb. 21 opening reception and to make an appointment to see the exhibit.

Save the Date! Friday, Feb. 13
The Community Players of Concord NH will present Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson Apt 2D at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org) at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. Oddball female roommates Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson join forces solving mysteries and kicking butts until they come face to face with the villain who seems to have all the answers. Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for guests under 13 or over 64 years old. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org or buy tickets at the box office 90 minutes prior to curtain.

Featured photo: Courtship in Purgatory by Robert B. Perreault

The Big Game

The Big Story – Pats and Seattle in SB: New England faces Seattle on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. It’s from the 49ers’ home in Santa Clara, California, so a win rubs it in a bit to the previous dynasty franchise. Still unsure exactly how the Pats climbed out of that two-year 8-and-26 hole, but they did, so enjoy.

Sports 101: Which college has sent the most Super Bowl-winning QBs to the NFL?

News Item – Keys to the Game:

• O-Line: It’s struggled in the playoffs. But to win, most feel they must run the ball, a tough task against a team that gave up just 91 rushing yards per game.

• Pass Protection: The 84.1 QB rating for Drake Maye is not a coincidence. He’s been constantly under pressure and sacked 15 times in three playoff games. Seattle’s 47 sacks are the same as Houston’s and two more than the Chargers’, so the O-line will be challenged again.

• Turnovers: They almost always are big.

• Sam Darnold: We all know about the failures and spitting the bit in two big end-of-season 2024 games. Until he’s past that, he’s suspect. Blitz early — a turnover could give his confidence level a shot.

Random Super Bowl Thoughts:

You win the pool if you had Darnold as the first in his QB class of 2018, which included Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, to take his team to a SB.

Wonder what clueless Jets owner Woody Johnson thinks of what Darnold has turned into since the QB-less Jets (since Joe Namath left the building) let him walk.

The opposition’s collective record vs. undefeated Miami of 1972 was 70-111-2 and they only faced two teams with winning records all year, where KC and the NYG’s and both were just 8-6. And I’ve never heard anyone say they had a weak schedule.

… of the Super Bowl

Since I’ve seen all 59 SBs to date, here are my award winners for various SB achievements.

Most Important Game: SB1. Hard to fathom the superior attitude the NFL and its fans had toward the AFL then. They expected to win and to win BIG. That ’tude got a little jolt when Green Bay led only 14-10 at halftime. But they dominated the second half to win 35-10 over KC. Then came SB3….

Biggest Upset: Jets Win SB3. It was a boring game and Joe Namath somehow got the MVP, but the D got four picks and FB Matt Snell’s 121 rushing yards controlled the clock by pounding it on the ground.

Best Comeback SB: Patriots-Falcons. Unless you were like my friend the real estate mogul Bill Weidacher, who went to bed in frustration, you saw the down-24 Pats stage the biggest comeback in history to win in OT 34-28.

Best Individual Performance: Steve Young in SB 29. He threw for 325 and a SB record six TD passes and ran for a Drake Maye-like 47 yards in SF’s 49-26 rout of San Diego.

Best Special Teamer:Desmond Howard. Adam V won two SBs as time ran out so he’s tough to beat. But Howard destroyed the Patriots in SB 31 with 244 punt and kickoff return yards, including the 99-yard TD return that iced the game.

Best Individual Play: Malcolm Butler. All due respect to Santonio Holmes, David Tyree, two spectacular Eli Manning throws and Marcus Allen’s incredible 73-yard game-winning TD run in SB 18. But it’s Butler’s last-second goal-line pick because it snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Best SB Team:1975 Steelers. They had the greatest defense I’ve ever seen. If L.C. Greenwood gets in this weekend they had six Hall of Famers (five more on O). Plus linebacker Andy Russell should be in for 12. They were 12-2, only gave up 11 points per and outscored three playoff opponents 65-37.

The Numbers – Patriots SB record holders:

3 – sacks byDont’aHightower.

5 – touchdowns forGronk.

24 – receptions for Julian Edelman.

175 – rushing yards for AntowainSmith.

Sports 101 Answer: InBart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler and Jalen HurtsAlabama has the most SB winning QB’s with four, including winning the first three.

Final Thought – No First Ballot Hall for Belichick: Last week’s big hoo-ha was Bill Belichick being snubbed in his first try for the Hall of Fame. Since he clearly deserves to be in, it outraged many. Some of it is jealousy and of course the Indianapolis writers have been petty dating back to the Manning-Brady rivalry years. But most is payback for shenanigans like Spygate and making everyone’s job harder than he had to. I’ve got no problem with a one-year punishment for his behavior.

Prediction: Pats 27-23

The second and third highest scoring offenses move the ball. But Seattle is 31st in giveaways. So I expect a +2 edge in TO’s for the Pats and it keys their win.

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!