Category: News

This Week 24/09/19

Friday, Sept. 20

Tonight the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) has a treat for Spider-Man fans. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert will feature the movie of the same name showcased on a colossal HD screen and complemented by a diverse ensemble of musicians and instrumentalists performing the film’s iconic score and soundtrack, live including a full orchestra and a skilled scratch DJ on turntables, as well as percussion and electronic instrumentalists, according to the website. The show begins at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $37.75.

Friday, Sept. 20

Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St, Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) will host Gimme Gimme Disco, a DJ-based dance party playing ABBA hits plus other disco hits from the ’70s and ’80s., tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $17.60.

Saturday, Sept. 21

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (blackheritagetrailnh.org) and the Manchester Historic Association (129 Amherst St., Manchester, 622-7531, manchesterhistoric.org) will dedicate a new marker today, recognizing and honoring enslaved people’s contributions to Manchester’s textile industry. The unveiling ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. The marker will be located on the south end of the Mill #3 building at 200 Bedford St., also the home of the Millyard Museum. The location of the marker is the site of a three-story picker house where bales of raw cotton were delivered.

Saturday, Sept. 21

The New Hampshire Reptile Expo will be held at the New England Sports Center (7 A St., Derry, 537-9663, nesportscenter.com) today from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The show provides everything attendees need to properly care for their reptiles, from high-quality reptile equipment to friendly vendors who assist in reptile husbandry and adoptions. General admission tickets are $10 and VIP tickets are $15 at showmereptileshow.com.

Wednesday, Sept 25

The Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org) will present A Feast of Words with Richard Lederer tonight at 7 p.m. Lederer is a former Concord Monitor columnist and the author of 60 books including his best-selling Anguished English series and his current title, A Feast of Words. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) presents “The Language of Leaves: The Not-So-Secret Science Behind Fall Foliage” this evening at 6:30 p.m. There will be a lecture as well as hands-on activities.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

The Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St., Concord, 224-4600, redrivertheatres.org) will hold a behind-the-screens community event tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Learn how community support keeps the Theatres going. There is no cost to attend this event but attendees should register on the Red River website by Monday, Sept. 23, to reserve a seat.

Save the Date! Sunday, Sept. 29
The Busch Lumberjack Championship comes to the Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, anheuser-busch.com/breweries/merrimack-nh) Sept. 29, 11 a.m to 5 p.m. Enjoy a day of music, food, kids activities and more. Watch competitors vie to become the Top Lumberjack. Tickets are $15 online, $20 at the door; kids 12 and under are free.

Featured photo: Oliver at the Palace Theater.

Quality of Life 24/09/19

Good year for falcons

In a Sept. 1 blog post New Hampshire Audubon released the figures for New Hampshire’s peregrine falcon population’s 2024 breeding season: Statewide there were 28 territorial pairs, a new state-record high; there were 23 incubating pairs, down one from 2022’s record high, and 21 of those pairs successfully raised chicks, up 16 percent over 2023’s record high “This season also saw a record-high 50 young falcons fledge,” the post reported, “a conservation milestone that comes nearly 50 years after wildlife managers first started releasing captive-raised peregrine chicks at Owls Head and several other northern New England cliffs beginning in the mid-1970s.”

QOL Score: +1

Comment: NH Audubon reports that the weatherproof nest box near the top of the Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester was successful for the 24th consecutive year: “It has produced 76 fledglings since 2001.”

Unbeleafably good year for foliage

In a Sept. 6 radio story and online article, New Hampshire Public Radio quoted Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education at the Forest Society and co-host of Something Wild on NHPR: “I’m willing to go out on a limb here and say that this year’s fall foliage display could be the best that we’ve seen in the past decade,” Anderson said. In contrast to 2023, the weather in New Hampshire has been excellent for healthy trees and bright foliage. The NHPR story explained that leaves on different species of trees change color at different times throughout the fall, so we can expect waves of color over the next month or so.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: According to Anderson, “Orange and yellow have been there all along, you just didn’t see it. It was masked beneath the green chlorophyll in the leaves all summer.”

Leaf sleeping bears alone

WMUR aired footage on Thursday, Sept. 12, sent in by a viewer of a family of bears asleep in the limbs of a tree in Merrimack. The mother bear and two cubs spent the morning in the tree, from “at least 7 a.m. to just after noon,” according to the accompanying online article.

QOL Score: +1, for the peaceful nap

Comment: In a telephone interview with the Hippo, Daniel Bailey of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said that regardless of how appealing animals like these bears are, people should leave them alone. “With bears, or any wildlife, it’s best to appreciate them from a distance,” he said. “They aren’t inherently dangerous, but they are always unpredictable.”

Three NH veterans take an “Honor Flight” to Washington

WMUR reported in a Sept. 16 online story that three World War II veterans from New Hampshire were flown to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Sept. 15. “The three veterans are all between the ages of 100 and 101,” the story read. According to its website, Honor Flight New England (193 Londonderry Turnpike, Unit 4, Hooksett, 518-5368, honorflightnewengland.org), the organization responsible for this trip, “is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring America’s most senior veterans.” This week’s Honor Flight honorees will stay in Washington for eight days.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: According to WMUR, this was Honor Flight New England’s 67th flight.

QOL score last week: 81

Net change: +4

QOL this week: 85

Tell us what’s affecting your Quality of Life at adiaz@hippopress.com.

Near miss for Pats

The Big Story: So much for hopes of an undefeated season as the Patriots went down in a 23-20 OT loss to surprising Seattle on Sunday. The Pats’ limitations (the wide receivers had three catches for 19 yards) and strengths (defense) were on display for most of the day. Though when they needed stops at the end of regulation and OT Geno Smith drove the Seahawks downfield for the tying and winning FGs.

In a quick turnaround the Jets are up next for the 1-1 Pats tonight on Thursday Night Football.

Sports 101: Aaron Judge has reached the 50 home run mark for a third season. Name the four others in MLB history to do that.

News Item – Looking Bleak for the Red Sox: After losing three of four to the Yanks over the weekend the end is in sight. At 75-75, they trailed three teams for the final wild card spot as the week started, 4.5 games back with 12 to play.

The weekend’s lowlight was Alex Cora doing something even Grady Little wouldn’t do. That is loading the bases by intentionally walking Juan Soto on Friday to bring major league home run leader Aaron Judge to the plate to face a lefty in a one-run game. I know — WHAT??

Predictably Judge deposited one in the left field bleachers for a grand slam to give the Yanks a 5-4 lead and the game.

News Item – Historic Stat Watch Update: That slam by Judge was No. 52, and 53 came on Sunday. That gave him a 10+ lead in the home run race, and with an even wider lead in RBI he’s going to win 2/3 of the triple crown for sure. And the whole TC is possible too, but he needs to make up 10 points in the batting average, at .322, to reach leader Bobby Witt at .332, which is a big gap at this time of year.

Shohei Ohtani started the week needing just two steals and three homers to reach the 50-50 club.

And finally, gulp, at 17-3 with 219 K’s and a 2.35 ERA Chris Sale leads in all three categories for the NL pitching triple crown.

The Numbers:

4.78 – ERAfor Tanner Houck in his nine starts since the All-Star game as he’s lost all four of his decisions.

5 – first downs made by Pats tight end Hunter Henry on all five balls thrown to him in the first quarter Sunday.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Joe Castiglione: The Red Sox radio voice announced on Sunday he’ll hang it up at year’s end after 42 years on the job and 6,500 broadcasts. Congrats on a job well done, young fella.

Clutch Moment of the Week – Francisco Lindor: The Mets shortstop enhanced his MVP candidacy by breaking up Bowdon Francis’ no-hit bid in the ninth inning to spark a comeback rally that gave the rampaging Mets a shocking 6-2 win over Toronto to keep their wild card playoff hopes alive.

A Little History – No-Hitter Break-ups: Incidentally, Francis is the first guy to lose two no-hitters in the ninth inning in the same season since — who else? — Nolan Ryan in 1989. Everyone knows about Ryan’s amazing seven no-no’s, but he narrowly missed 12 more by throwing that many one-hitters.

Random Thoughts:

It was way too early for analyst Jonathan Vilma to say just four plays into Seattle’s second possession, “so far Christian Gonzalez is getting the better of DK Metcalf,” and two plays later Metcalf caught a 56-yard TD pass with CG 15 yards behind him as the ball arrived. And by game’s end it was 10 catches for 129 yards overall.

Nice of the Lakers to honor the late Jerry West this coming year with a uniform patch with his number 44 on it. Though given the irreparable broken relationship between the team and West in recent years when his season tickets were rescinded, it must seem a little hollow to those in the know.

Sports 101 Answer: Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hit 50-plus homers in four seasons while Alex Rodriguez did it three times.

Final Thought – Whiny America Strikes Again:

Now that the Chiefs are football’s best team they’re getting the same whining over their wins that the Brady-Belichick Pats did in theirs during the good old days. I understand the frustration that comes from losing to a team that always pulls it out at the end. But the receiver’s foot was on the end line for the negated Ravens TD that saved KC in Week 1 and it was definitely interference on the fourth-and-forever play that set up the winning FG vs. the Bengals on Sunday.

I don’t know if all the whining in today’s lunatic political climate over imagined biases migrated to sports, or if sports whining sent politics that way. I just know I’m sick of both. As sometimes your guy/team loses because they just didn’t do enough to win.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 24/09/19

New library

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sept. 12 for a $6 million library project that will replace Mont Vernon’s Daland Memorial Library with a larger, modern, accessible structure, according to a press release from the Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation.

The new library is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025 and is a “public/private partnership with financial support provided by a bond and capital reserve fund approved by taxpayers, a significant gift from the Sophia G. Daland Trust and a successful capital campaign conducted by MVLCF,” the release said. The current building was built in 1909; the new building will allow for a “significant expansion of the library’s collection” as well as offer “space, technology and accessibility to allow library staff and visiting presenters to offer high-quality programming for area residents,” the release said. For more on the project, see mvlcf.org.

Daland Memorial Library produces the Tiny Town Library Podcast, which offers monthly episodes with town news, community updates, book recommendations and guest interviews, according to the description on Apple Podcasts. The most recent episode includes an interview with “special guest Howard Brown, beloved school bus driver,” according to the library’s website, dalandlibrary.com.

Driving for all

The New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation has acquired an adaptive driving van to help individuals with disabilities gain access to adaptive driving training, according to a press release. The department acquired its 2021 Chrysler Pacifica wheelchair-accessible van and handicap vehicle from MobilityWorks in Londonderry, the release said.

“The addition of this high-tech adaptive driving van represents a major milestone in our commitment to supporting Granite Staters with disabilities,” said Frank Edelblut, education commissioner, in the press release. “We understand how important it is for teens and young adults living with disabilities to learn how to drive and achieve another step toward independence.”

The department is seeking a qualified Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist to oversee the vehicle and provide the specialized training, the release said.

Manchester bike tour

The nonprofit Queen City Bicycle Collective hosts the 2024 Tour of Manchester on Sunday, Sept. 22. Join the 30-mile family-friendly ride around the city, from 8 a.m. to noon, or just the 8-mile West Side loop with its views of the city from Rock Rimmon and the Hands Across the Merrimack footbridge, which starts at 10 a.m. There’s also a 22-mile option. Bicyclists receive lunch and a commemorative T-shirt, and proceeds from the ride help QCBC continue its affordable bike repair offerings and its Earn-a-Bike program. Registration is $55 for ages 14 and older, $20 for ages 6-13, free for those under 6 years old. Ages 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult rider. The tour offers rest stops, bike support, and lunch at the end of the ride, according to the website. Visit qcbike.org to sign up and see some nifty video from previous rides.

Always next year

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats concluded their 2024 season with a loss to the Somerset Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 15, who took the Eastern League Northeast Division second half title, with the Fisher Cats finishing the season in sixth place in the Northeast Division, according to a Fisher Cats release. But season tickets are already on sale for the 2025 season, which kicks off on Friday, April 4, at Delta Dental Stadium with a matchup against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the release said. See nhfishercats.com.

Staying warm

The United Way of Greater Nashua is holding a “Button Up Workshop” as part of their monthly “Coffee and Causes” series on Friday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Amherst Town Library, 14 Main St. in Amherst, according to press release. Presentations by Andy Duncan, energy trainer, and Tim McDonald, weatherization director from Southern NH Services, will focus on explaining how to improve a house’s energy efficiency, weatherization programs, available rebates on gas and electric appliances and more, the release said. The presentation is followed by a Q&A; register at tinyurl.com/Oct2024-Coffee and email info@unitedwaynashua.org for more information.

Healthy lakes

NH Lakes, a statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to “restore and preserve the health of New Hampshire’s lakes,” is urging homeowners to get their septic systems inspected for Septic Smart Week, which runs through Sept. 20, according to a press release. Problems in septic systems can “lead to nutrients and bacteria seeping into groundwater and finding their way into our lakes, causing potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms,” the release said. The release said a licensed professional should inspect an entire system once every three years, in addition to regular pumping of septic tanks based on type of system and usage. See nhlakes.org.

Woodworking

The second annual New England Woodworking Competition will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, at University of New Hampshire in Durham, with both amateur and professional woodworkers encouraged to enter, according to a press release from the Guild of NH Woodworkers, which is organizing the event in association with the university and the New Hampshire Furniture Masters. The deadline to enter is Friday, Oct. 18, up to two pieces per woodworker allowed for judging, according to the press release and the rules for entry at gnhw.org. The cost is $60 for the first piece, $30 for the second piece for non-members, with no charge for students (of middle or high school, college or technical school) who enter (students are limited to one entry), the website and release said. Judges will evaluate the entries in 11 categories relative to ability and experience, the release said.

Many of the submissions will be for sale, the press release said. Admission is $22 in advance, $25 at the door, and includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres and an awards program, the release said.

Eclipse art exhibit

The Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University will open a new exhibition, “In the Path of Totality,” about the April 2024 solar eclipse, on Friday, Oct. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m., according to a press release. The exhibition will feature more than 20 art pieces in a variety of media as well as weather data gathered by students and faculty who participated in NASA-funded eclipse research, the release said. The museum is located at 34 Highland St. in Plymouth and is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Mondays, Sundays and university holidays), according to plymouth.edu/mwm. The exhibition is free and open to the public Saturday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Dec. 13, the release said.

BioBlitz!

BioBlitz, the annual dawn-to-dusk biological survey of Odiorne State Park in Rye, will take place Saturday, Sept. 21, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website and a press release for the Seacoast Science Center. Come for all or part of the day; admission costs $17 for ages 12+, $15 for ages 3 to 11 and senior and military, according to seacoastsciencecenter.org, where you can sign up. Explore the park with the center’s experts as well as guest experts, the release said. “In 2023, we found a total of 426 species, 34 of which were new to our list! That brings the total number of species identified since our first BioBlitz in 2003 to 2,388,” according to the website, where you can find an exploration schedule.

UNH Wildcats women’s basketball team, under first-year head coach Megan Shoniker, has released its 2024-2025 game schedule, with the first home game at Lundholm Gymnasium at UNH Durham versus Worcester State University on Monday, Nov. 4, according to a press release. See unhwildcats.com for the full schedule and to purchase tickets; single game tickets to women’s basketball games at UNH are $12 in advance ($14 on the day) for general admission and $10 in advance ($12 on the day) for youth and seniors. Single game courtside tickets are $17 in advance, $19 on the day. Wildcats men’s basketball will play their first home game on Wednesday, Nov. 6, against UMass Boston.

Franco-American Centre will hold a black-tie-optional Beaujolais Nouveau Gala dinner and dance on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 10 p.m. to celebrate the release of the 2024 Beaujolais in France. The three-course meal, with optional wine pairing with each course, will be at Oscar Barn Wedding Venue, 191 W. River Road in Hooksett. Tickets cost $115 ($90 without wine) for non-members. See facnh.com.

Tickets are on sale now for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra appearance on Friday, Nov. 29, at the SNHU Arena in downtown Manchester. The shows are at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $59.99 to $119.99, according to snhuarena.com.

NH Roller Derby will hold a Charity & Community Yard Sale on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 57 Joppa Road in Merrimack. According to the group’s Facebook page, there will be a large variety of items for sale including a “cappuccino maker, kids’ toys, stained glass, shoes, beach gear” and more.

This Week 24/09/12

Friday, Sept. 13

Telluride by the Sea film festival at The Music Hall in Portsmouth (themusichall.org) begins tonight with a screening of Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, at 7 p.m. Other screenings at the festival include Memoir of a Snail on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m.; Nickel Boys on Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m.; Saturday Night on Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; The Seed of the Sacred Fig on Sunday, Sept. 15, at noon, Will & Harper on Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. and Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for the entire festival or for individual screenings.

Thursday, Sept. 12

Catch Choir! Choir! Choir! tonight at 7 p.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). This fully interactive, participatory show turns the audience into performers. All voices welcome, no experience necessary. This time, Choir! Choir! Choir! presents: “Hallelujah: An Epic Anthems Sing-Along!” Tickets start at $43.74.

Saturday, Sept. 14

The Thank You Project (thankyouproject.org) will hold its annual Water Walk today at 9 a.m. The mission of the Thank You Project is to bring a clean and reliable source of water to communities in rural Nigeria. Participants in this fundraiser will walk a 2-mile loop from Greeley Park in Nashua to the Concord Street Bridge. Visit thankyouproject.org/waterwalk.

Saturday, Sept. 14

Kelley Stelling Contemporary and the New Hampshire Potters’ Guild will hold a ceramics exhibition today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to celebrate the inaugural firing of the Guild’s new anagama kiln. The show will feature works by 18 ceramics artists and a silent auction The event will be at Al Jaeger’s property and location of the kiln, 20 Perry Road, Deerfield. This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, Sept. 14

The Londonderry Historical Society (140 Pillsbury Road, Londonderry, 432-2005, londonderryhistory.org) is sponsoring a Cemetery Walk at the Pleasant View Cemetery (Mammoth Road, Londonderry) today at 2 p.m. The tour will begin and end at the south side of the cemetery, and will take approximately an hour and 15 minutes. Register via email at info@londonderryhistory.org.

Sunday, Sept. 15

Less Leg More Heart (lesslegmoreheart.com), which supports amputees, will host a Firetruck Team Pull at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 DW Highway, Merrimack) today, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teams of up to 12 have two attempts to pull a 40,000- to 60,000-pound fire engine 50 feet. The top three teams will win trophies. Individuals can also pull a 1938 antique fire truck weighing nearly 11,000 pounds. The top three individuals will win trophies. Registration is free for teams with a pledge to raise $250 in fundraising; individual registration is $25. Register at lesslegmoreheart.com/events.

Save the Date! Friday, Sept. 20
Granite State Comicon will take place Saturday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 22 (with a sneak preview night on Friday, Sept. 20; tickets for Friday night only cost $20), at SNHU Arena and the Doubletree by Hilton in downtown Manchester. Saturday night there will be a screening of the live-action 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a cast Q&A at the Rex Theatre in Manchester (tickets cost $30). Tickets are available for a single day ($30 for Saturday, $25 for Sunday) or for a weekend pass ($45); a VIP ticket ($125) gets entry for all three days plus perks. See granitecon.com.

Featured photo: Oliver at the Palace Theater.

Quality of Life 24/09/12

Public service

As reported by WMUR on Monday, Sept. 9, Gov. Chris Sununu saved a choking victim Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Hampton Beach Lobster Roll Eating Competition. “Contestant Christian Moreno began to signal for help, tapping on his chest and looking to get the stuck piece of lobster out of his windpipe as he began to struggle to breathe,” according to the story. “I started saying, ‘He’s choking, he’s choking,’ … So I just moved forward and immediately started to kind of give him the Heimlich,” Sununu told WMUR. Gov. Sununu reported that the most surreal part of the experience was what happened immediately after he had cleared Moreno’s airway. “He went right back to the contest, which I couldn’t believe. He ate another seven lobster rolls after that,” Sununu said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to Hampton Chamber of Commerce representative Colleen Westcott, the contest was won by perennial contestant Chris Thurston of Somersworth.

That’s Dewey Decimal code 690

The Manchester City Library reported in a Sept. 4 blog post, that on Tuesday, Sept. 3, a slow leak in the ceiling of the Carpenter Memorial Library building began trickling water into the building’s mezzanine and into the nonfiction stacks. The volume of water leaking from a broken pipe increased, and as the blog post read, “This leak sent water raining over and into the mezzanine and then down into the nonfiction stacks below it. Quick action from the city’s Facilities division stopped the leak, but not before the water threatened those special collections on the library’s mezzanine as well as the nonfiction collections behind the Circulation Desk.” Library staff gathered and worked to move vulnerable materials to safety. The blog post reported, “It was a very large, heavy and intense job.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: The library will remain open during repairs, but parts of its collection might be temporarily unavailable.

Robotic cat on lend

In other library news, the Nashua Public Library has announced the opening of a new collection called “The Library of Things.” As reported in a Sept. 3 online article by WMUR, Nashua library patrons will now be able to borrow tools or other useful items from the library. The library’s website describes the items available, which include ukuleles, a telescope, a metal detector and a robotic cat companion.

QOL score: +1

Comment: At press time, the robotic cat was checked out and due back by Sept. 24, according to the library’s website.

Fades, braids and school supplies

On Sunday, Sept. 1, Manchester barber shop Get Faded gave free haircuts and school supplies to students. Shop owner Kim Lazoda said in a telephone interview that the event brought together talents from across Manchester’s hair community. “There was about 400 kids that came through the event,” she said. “[Two barbers from] West Side barber shop combined with our barber shop to help us out.” Electric Avenue Tattoos donated school supplies and painted faces, and Liana Locs and Nana Torres of Nana’s Hair Braiding braided hair for students who wanted it. Students ranged in age from very young to 12th grade.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Lazoda is also a certified Sensory Safe stylist for customers on the autism spectrum or with sensory issues.

QOL score last week: 80

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 81

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

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!