Category: News

This Week 25/03/06

Thursday, March 6

LOCASH will perform at the The Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Named “country music’s iconic feel-good duo” by People magazine, LOCASH — Preston Brust and Chris Lucas — serve upbeat, crowd-pleasing music. Tickets start at $65.

Thursday, March 6

The Grand Kyiv Ballet will perform Swan Lake tonight at 7 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Tickets start at $37.

Thursday, March 6

Comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalo will take the stage at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39.

Friday, March 7

The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) will host the 3rd Annual Tiny Film Festival tonight at 6 p.m. All films are 60 seconds or less and made by members of the community. The screenings will be followed by an awards ceremony. Doors will be open at 5:30 p.m. for a red carpet walk, photos and popcorn and drinks. This event is free and open to the public.

Friday, March 7

Catch the final weekend of Steel Magnolias presented by the Milford Area Players tonight through Sunday, March 9, at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford. Shows are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. on Sunday. See milfordarea.booktix.com for tickets, which cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students (plus fees).

Saturday, March 8

The Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) will host the 2025 David Surette Mandolin Festival today and tomorrow, Sunday, March 9. There will be performances, workshops and classes for all levels on topics like specific styles and skills, waltzes, playing back-up and more. Visit ccmusicschool.org.

Saturday, March 8

Go to the Henniker Brewing Co. (129 Centervale Road, Henniker, 428-3579, hennikerbrewing.com) this afternoon to watch or race in a Pinecar Derby Race. Pinecar derby kits are available for purchase in the taproom. Purchase a kit and register for the race for $20. Build your own pinecar (standard pinecar rules apply) and register for the event with your own car for $10. Visit hennikerbrewing.com/taproom-events.

Wednesday, March 12

March’s Walker Lecture at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org) tonight at 7:30 p.m. will be “A Walk for Sunshine: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail” with Jeff Alt. This event is free and open to the public. Visit walkerlecture.org.

Save the Date! Saturday, April 5

Register for the Derry Author Fest taking place at the Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) on Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be sessions for new and aspiring authors, book signings, and a keynote address from broadcaster and writer Laura Knoy. Visit derryauthorfest.wordpress.com.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/03/06

Not returning

In a Feb. 26 online article, WMUR reported that Spirit Airlines will not be returning to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport a year after announcing they would suspend service from the airport. For three years, beginning in 2021, Spirit offered flights from Manchester to four cities in Florida.

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the airport’s website (flymanchester.com), Manchester is currently served by Avelo Airlines, Breeze Airways, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, American Airlines and United.

Visitors we’re happy not to see

According to a Feb. 22 report by New Hampshire Public Radio, while invasive browntail moths were technically seen in New Hampshire last summer for the first time in 75 years, they had been blown to an isolated New Hampshire island from Maine, but it is unlikely that they will spread to the mainland. Once described as “poison ivy with wings,” the browntail’s caterpillars are armed with tiny barbed hairs that can sting and irritate people, even after detaching from the caterpillars. NHPR quoted Angela Mech, a forest entomologist with the University of Maine:“It is one of the absolute worst insects to have to work with…” The good news is that Maine experienced a massive die-off of the species in 2024.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the NHPR story, insect scientists 100 years ago identified a fungus that infects this species and spread sick caterpillars across Maine. The population has not recovered significantly since.

We’re wicked smaht

According to a recent study by online finance company WalletHub.com, New Hampshire is the 8th most highly educated state in the country. The state has the fourth highest percentage of high school graduates, the eighth highest percentage of residents holding bachelor’s degrees, the ninth greatest percentage of graduate degrees, and arguably the smallest gender gap in educational attainment, the press release said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the study, Massachusetts is the most highly educated state and West Virginia is the lowest. Visit wallethub.com/latest-studies.

QOL score last week: 56

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 57

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Who’s on first now?

The Big Story – Spring Training: Baseball games are back as the spring training exhibition season is under way.

Sports 101: Name the two players who won the most World Series and how many they won.

News Item – Red Sox Update: Notables from spring training.

In his first appearance, major off-season acquisition Garrett Crochet got tagged for four hits in 3.1 innings. But he gave up no earned runs and struck out an impressive seven batters.

Overhyped prospect Marcelo Mayer lived up to it for one day anyway, by going 3-3 with a homer and a triple in a win over Minnesota.

Wilyer Abreu might be warming up to win the Wally Pipp Award because with him likely out for opening day that could open up right field for baseball’s top prospect Roman Anthony, who knocked in four runs with four hits in his first 13 at-bats.

InjuryUpdate: In addition to Abreu, it’s looking like starters Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford will be on the DL when the season starts, bringing on a pitching crisis from Day 1.

That might be good for one-time Pirates top pitching prospect Quinn Priester, who they got in a swap of former first-round picks that sent Nick Yorke south last summer. Priester was a disappointment in Pittsburgh, but he’s got a live arm that gave up just one run in his first two starts.

News Item – Unsigned Free Agents: JD Martinez leads the list of the five biggest unsigned free agents as camps opened. The only one who might help Boston is former Yankees reliever Dave Robertson. He’s 40, but the ERA was 3.00 last year over 69 appearances. The others are starters Kyle Gibson and Jose Quintana along with Sox alum Jose Iglesias.

And according to Pete Abraham’s Baseball Notes column in Sunday’s Boston Globe JD and Iglesias are joined by fellow unemployed Sox alums Daniel Bard, Matt Barnes, Adam Duvall, Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel and unlikable Alex Verdugo.

The Numbers:

4 – under .500 teams — Orlando, Atlanta, Miami and Chicago — headed for the NBA’s Eastern Conference 7-10 play-in tournament.

5 – hits in Alex Bregman’s first 10 Red Sox at-bats.

268,000 – dollar amount solid citizen Jimmy Butler’s Miami landlord is suing him for in unpaid back rent and damages to his apartment.

Of the Week:

Thumbs Up – Team Owner Quote of the Week: From lifelong Long Island Mets fan and now owner Steve Cohen on why heblew through their planned payroll budget to sign Juan Soto and re-sign Pete Alonzo: “Because I want a winning team.” When’s the last time John Henry said something like that?

Thumbs Down – Mindy Kaling: The Dartmouth alum gets it for admitting/announcing on Jimmy Kimmel Live she’s switched from being a lifelong Celtics fan to a Lakers fan since moving to L.A.

Embarrassingly Clueless Comment of the Week – Brian Scalabrine: For the Cheerleader saying the current NBA has gone to a “new level of physicality” during Friday’s Celtics-Cavs game. Would somebody please show him videos from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s when guys routinely took people’s heads off on drives to the basket? Or what the Laimbeer-led Pistons did night in and night out to teams in the ’80s and ’90s. Scal’s the latest from a younger generation thinking life started with them.

Random Thought:

A headline (from ESPN.com) I thought I’d never see: Watson drops 30 on UCLA as USC Wins the BIG TEN.

Sports 101 Answer: Not hard to guess the team they came from, as Yankees Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra each won a record 10 World Series.

A Little Baseball History – Yogi Berra: Much is made (often by me) of the fact that Bill Russell played 13 years with the Celtics and won 11 NBA titles. But you don’t often hear that baseball’s greatest winner, Yogi, played for 17 years and missed the World Series only three times. Which would have bettered even Russell’s mark if the NBA didn’t have a multi-team playoff system, because title 11 came when the C’s finished fourth in the East in 1968-69. Otherwise it would have been 10 in 13.

Final Thought – Joe Mazzulla: Does anyone out there think it will ever occur to Joe he needs to find a way to get his team to stop blowing the gigantic leads they regularly blow? Which they once again did in Friday’s loss to Cleveland.That’s a coach’s job isn’t it?

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

News & Notes 25/03/06

Town meeting

The N.H. Secretary of State’s office has a “New Hampshire Town Meeting Voter’s Guide” on its website, sos.nh.gov, which explains the basics of town meeting and town elections including what to bring to the polls to register to vote on site on Election Day, which is Tuesday, March 11, for many area towns. The site also explains updates to voter registration requirements which no longer allow applicants to complete affidavits to prove qualifications to vote; to register, applicants must bring proof of identity, citizenship and residence, the website said.

Exploring the trades

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance is accepting applications through March 14 for the second week of its Career Exploration program, which runs during April school vacation, Monday, April 28, through Friday, May 2, for ages 16 to 21, according to an Alliance newsletter about the program. The program has locations in central New Hampshire (including Canterbury, Andover and Warner) and the Seacoast, the newsletter said. The program offers applicants exposure to historic preservation activities including traditional construction techniques, wood window restoration and more with mentors who are focused on these specific trades, the newsletter said. See nhpreservation.org/internship-program.

Poetry finals

High schoolers competing in the statewide 2025 Poetry Out Loud program will attend the finals at Representatives Hall at the Statehouse in Concord on Friday, March 14. The 11 participants, who have each memorized a poem for recitation, will compete for a spot at the national championships in Washington, D.C., in May, according to a press release. The competition begins at 5 p.m. and is open to the public and livestreamed on the N.H. State Council on the Arts’ Facebook page, the release said. See nharts.dncr.nh.gov/programs/poetry-out-loud. The finalists include Deepsun Adhikari of The Derryfield School in Manchester; Summer Brackett of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, Susanna Hill of Nashua High School South and D’Aleczandria Johnson of Hopkinton High School, the release said.

Nature on Zoom

The NH Audubon will present “Butterflying New Hampshire’s Woodlands” via Zoom on Wednesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. with Levi Burford, Errol Count Circle Coordinator, to discuss the species of butterflies that live in the state’s woodlands. The NH Audubon will also host a nature book club the second Thursday of each month starting in March with The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer for the session on Thursday, March 13, at 6 p.m. Both events are free but require registration at nhaudubon.org.

Friday, March 7, is the final day to buy tickets for the Red River Theatres Oscar After Party Trivia Night Fundraiser, which will take place Friday, March 14, 5:30 p.m., at Pembroke Pines Country Club in Pembroke. Tickets cost $125 per person for the evening of food, music, movie trivia and more. See redrivertheatres.org.

Goffstown Public Library will present The Human Library on Sunday, March 9, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The event features people who serve as “Books” to discuss their experiences with adversity due to race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, culture, profession and/or lifestyle, according to a library press release. See humanlibrary.org for more about the concept, which was “conceived in 2000 by a Danish youth organization,” the release said. The event concludes the library’s 2025 Community Conversation Series, the release said; see goffstownlibrary.com/communityconversations.

Save the date: According to nhmapleproducers.com, New Hampshire Maple Weekend, when sugar houses open their doors to the public for tours, samples and more, is slated for Saturday, March 15, and Sunday, March 16. Peterson Sugar House in Londonderry, for example, will be open those days from noon to 4 p.m. with samples of ice cream with maple drizzle and more, according to a press release. See the NH Maple Producers website for other participating sugarhouses.

The Milford Garden Club will have a program on “Automatic Plant Watering Systems” with Richard B. Kahn of Kahn Landscaping on Monday, March 10, at 10:30 a.m. at First Congregational Church Parish House, 10 Union St. in Milford.

This Week 25/02/27

Thursday, Feb. 27

Open extra days during school vacation, the Aviation Museum of N.H. (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will be open today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Elite Flight Simulator will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. for kids age 12 and up. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up; $5 for kid ages 6 to 12 and veterans, and is free for kids under 6 years old.

Friday, Feb. 28

The Community Players Children’s Theatre Project’s Winter Vacation Theatre Camp presents “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org). This production is a comical musical retelling of the Brothers Grimm classic tale of two lost children, a gingerbread house and a witch, but with some twists. This is a one-hour show. Tickets are by donation.

Friday, Feb. 28

The 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 by artists of the ’70s and ’80s. Disco attire is encouraged. Tickets start at $21 through the Center’s webpage. This is a general admission, open floor show. Ticketholders must be 18+.

Saturday, March 1

Catch Classic Stones Live at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com) today at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.

Sunday, March 2

As part of its Sunday Cinema Classics series, the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) will screen 1939’s The Women this afternoon at 1 p.m. Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer star in this classic comedy about a happily married woman who lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays. This showing is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, March 4

Laissez les bons temps rouler: Today is Mardi Gras and Lisa Marie & All Shook Up will play Fat Tuesday at Strange Brew (88 Market St. in Manchester; strangebrewtavern.net) at 8 p.m. Seeallshookup.us for more about performers; the website describes Lisa Marie this way: “From jump-swing to swamp boogie, country blues to funky New Orleans grooves, her deep husky vocals express an unmistakable joy.”

Wednesday, March 5

Tonight is Comedy Night at the Shaskeen Pub (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com). Seating for this free 21+ show is first come, first served. The comedy starts at 9 p.m. Find Ruby Room Comedy on Facebook for updates on who will be at the mic.

Save the Date! Friday, March 28

The New Hampshire Orchid Society presents Flight of Fancy, its 32nd Annual Orchid Show and Sale, Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30, at the Courtyard Nashua (2200 Southwood Drive, Nashua, 880-9100, marriott.com). There will be exhibits, plants, supplies, jewelry, artwork and more. A speaker program and free guided tours will be provided daily. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under.The public is invited for dinner among the orchids and an award ceremony beginning with a cash bar on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. Advance ticket purchase is required for the dinner. Visit nhorchids.org/NHOS_2025_show.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/02/27

A really big wedding

Intown Concord will pay for the wedding of one couple who agree to get married in public at Concord’s Market Days Celebration on Friday, June 27. “Intown Concord will handle everything,” the organization announced on an online registration from, “from the ceremony to the reception — so all you have to do is show up wedding ready!” The couple selected for the public wedding will receive a ceremony with licensed officiant, a live band for dancing, a free meal and drink provided by Market Days vendors (for the couple only), ceremony seating for 20 close friends/family in front of the New Hampshire Statehouse, an ice cream cake provided by Social Club Creamery, and an overnight stay in Concord. the website said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Adventurous couples should register at marketdaysfestival.com by Friday, March 21.

Action Jack

Manchester chicken tenders booster and musician (and more) Nick Lavallee has, via his business Wicked Joyful (wickedjoyful.com),made multiple action figure works of art over the years, such as a Vermin Supreme complete with head boot and a Chicken Tender Capital of the World “Tendie” action figure. Recently he made a custom action figure of musician Jack White, which was presented to White by a show promoter after two sold-out shows in Boston, according to several social media posts by Jack White and Lavallee. “I love the orange toys r us price tag with the date of the shows encoded in it!” White said in a Feb. 20 Instagram post.

QOL score: +1 for some fame for a local artist

Comments: Lavallee crafted an action figure honoring the retiring Fritz Wetherbee, complete with “$6.03” fake price tag and “I’ll tell you the story” tagline; see the figure in a Feb. 8 post on the Wicked Joyful Facebook page.

Also a great band name

In a Feb.19 press release, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats announced the creation of a team alternate identity: theNew Hampshire Space Potatoes. “With rooted history beyond baseball in New Hampshire,” the press release read, “the Space Potatoes [will] take the field for three nights in 2025, beginning Saturday, April 19, at Delta Dental Stadium.” According to the Fisher Cats general manager Taylor Fisher, this alternate identity baseball team honors “two notable New Hampshire firsts into one brand,” New Hampshire’s official state vegetable, “first [planted in] American soil in Derry, New Hampshire, by early 18th century Scots Irish settlers” and “the infamous Barney & Betty Hill incident that occurred on Route 3 in New Hampshire’s White Mountains late in the summer of 1961, remarked as the first widely reported alien abduction in the United States.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The New Hampshire Space Potatoes will take the field against the Harrisburg Senators on April 19 at 4:05 p.m. Space Potatoes tickets and merchandise are available at milb.com/new-hampshire/team/space-potatoes.

QOL score last week: 53

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 56

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

Let us know at [email protected].

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