Category: Outdoors

Family fun for whenever

Kid to kid

The Sept. 5 First Friday Concord, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m., is themed “‘Fall’ in Love with Concord” and features food trucks (Batulo’s Kitchen, Kona Ice, Teenie Weenies), yoga on the Statehouse lawn, live music from Tyler Levs in City Plaza and The Wandering Souls in Bicentennial Square, firstfridayconcord.com. This week’s downtown happening also includes a Children’s Entrepreneur Market, the website said. Participating kid entrepreneurs are encouraged to sell lemonade, handmade crafts, balloon animals, upcycled fashion pieces and more, according to a post from the event organizer on Intown Concord’s Facebook page.

Fair fun

Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair, held at the New Boston 4-H Youth Center at 17 Hilldale Lane in New Boston, will run Friday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 7, opening at noon on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The fair features 4-H exhibits and shows as well as demos (such as K-9 demonstrations, an invasive plant identification lab, a HAM radio demonstration and more) and animal costume contests, according to the fair schedule on the fair’s website. Find a midway with rides and games, and the Battle of the Bands will take place Friday at 4:30 p.m. Saturday night (9 p.m.) will include fireworks, according to hcafair.org. Kids’ activities include: on Friday, noon to 5 p.m., a scavenger hunt, pedal tractor course and sand pile; on Saturday, children’s story hour at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and on Sunday a scavenger hunt and pedal tractor course from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the website said.

Movie time

• IF(PG, 2024) will screen on Friday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. at the Auburn Safety Complex; see auburnnh.gov.

• The Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. in Nashua, will screenMinions (PG, 2015) on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. See nashuacenterforthearts.com.

Family fun for whenever

UFO Fest

The Exeter UFO Festival returns to downtown Exeter with events Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31, according to exeterufofestival.org. The event features a speaker series that runs both days on a variety of UFO and alien topics, closing with a panel discussion of the speakers on Sunday at 4 p.m. (see the website for a full listing of talks and participating speakers). The UFO-curious can also check out Exeter Incident Site Trolley rides (running Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; rides are half-hour long and go to the site of the “Incident at Exeter in Kensington”) and historic videos shown continuously from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the website said.

For those more interested in the fest fun, Saturday will feature the Exeter Police and Fire departments selling their patches (the police patch benefits Maple, the department’s comfort dog), an alien costume contest at noon with parade on the sidewalk near Town Hall Common Park, an alien pet contest also at noon at the park, a dance party with Johnny B at the park after the parade, and a jazz piano concert with Eric Mintel on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Congregational Church (21 Front St.; free), the website said.

On Saturday and Sunday, check out the UFO Festival souvenir shop from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; food and drink sales from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and kids’ activities such as lawn games, face painting, UFO crash site creations, gifts and kid refreshments, the website said.

See SEE

The SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St. in Manchester, see-sciencecenter.org, is open through Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 1) — weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center will then close Sept. 2 through Sept. 5 for annual renovations and reopen Saturday, Sept. 6, with school year hours when the center is closed most Mondays (except for some school vacation holidays), according to an email from SEE. The center also begins a program of offering sensory-friendly and immunocompromised-friendly sessions with the first sensory session on Sept. 7 and the first immunocompromised session on Oct. 5; registration for these days will open a month in advance, the email said.

Family fun for whenever

Days of excitement

• Londonderry’s Old Home Days continue through Saturday, Aug. 16. Thursday, Aug. 14, will include the second annual Color Run at 5:30 p.m. at the Londonderry Town Common, according to londonderrynh.myrec.com. The live action 2025 Lilo & Stitch will screen in the common at dusk on Thursday as part of the Londonderry Police Association Movie Night, according to the Old Home Day Facebook page. On Friday, Aug. 15, the day will include a Home Run Derby with town employees (12:30 p.m.) followed by an afternoon softball tournament, all at Matthew Thornton Elementary school, according to a post on the page. On Friday evening, from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be a “Food Truck Alley” set up at Londonderry High School, followed by fireworks at 9:15 p.m., the page said. On Saturday, Aug. 16, the day will include a parade, booths on the common, a touch a truck, a historical society encampment, a pie eating contest and more, according to londonderrynh.gov.

Living history

• History Alive 2025 will present a weekend of reenactments on Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, at Jones Road in Hillsborough. The weekend will feature reenactments of historical battles across the centuries — including Roman and Viking battles and the French and Indian War through World War II, according to historyalivenh.org. The event will also feature other historical demonstrations as well as drawing and cartooning workshops with Marek Bennett, whose works include the Freeman Colby graphic novels about a real-life New Hampshire teacher in the Civil War. See the website for details, tickets and a schedule.

Beach trip

• The Hampton Beach Children’s Festival continues through Friday. On Thursday, Aug. 14, the fun includes Foo Family Band (1 p.m.) and ice cream with the lifeguards (3:30 p.m). The festival culminates on Friday, Aug. 15, with a parade at 10 a.m. and a performance by Mr. Aaron at the Seashell at 11 a.m. See the full schedule at hamptonbeach.org.

Family fun for whenever

Rx for Teddy

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org) will hold its annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Friday, Aug. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m. Kids can bring stuffed animals in for a checkup and learn more about what happens at the doctor’s office, according to the website. Admission costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months, $12.50 for 65+ and free for kids under 12 months, the website said.

Family fun fests

• Hudson’s Old Home Days will take place Thursday, Aug. 7, to Sunday, Aug. 10, on the grounds of the Hill House (211 Derry Road, Hudson). There will be carnival games, live music, food, vendors, a craft fair, kids’ activities and more. Event times are Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. See hudsonoldhomedays.com

• Salembration!, a celebration of the 275th birthday of Salem, New Hampshire, will take place on Geremonty Drive on Saturday, Aug. 9, from noon to 5 p.m. The event will feature food trucks, craft vendors and more, according to salemnh.gov/1096/salembration.

Kids beach week

• The Hampton Beach Children’s Festival is Monday, Aug. 11, through Friday, Aug. 15. The week features a slate of performances and activities every day. Some highlights: for Monday, wildlife encounters (2 p.m.), Blue Ocean Society Scavenger Hunt (3 p.m.) and a screening of Mufasa: The Lion King (7:45 p.m.); on Tuesday, free Buc’s Lagoon Mini Golf for ages 12 and under (12:30 p.m.), and a touch-a-truck with local first responders (3 p.m.); on Wednesday, “Ellen Goethel explores the ocean world” (11 a.m.) and fireworks (9:30 p.m., weather permitting), and on Thursday, balloon story telling (10 a.m.), Foo Family Band (1 p.m.) and ice cream with the lifeguards (3:30 p.m). The week wraps up on Friday with a parade at 10 a.m. (byo costume and participate) and a performance by Mr. Aaron at the Seashell at 11 a.m. All activities are free and open to the public. See the full schedule at hamptonbeach.org.

Family fun for whenever

National Night Out

Tuesday, Aug. 5, is the National Night Out, when many first responder departments hold outreach events, such as fairs and touch-a-truck events. Here are some of the events planned locally according to the police departments’ Facebook pages; see natw.org.

• Bedford holds its annual Police vs. Fire softball game starting at 7 p.m. at Selvoski Field, 20 County Road.

• In Concord, the National Night Out event featuring food, prizes, K-9 demonstrations, a climbing wall and more will take place in Rollins Park from 5 to 8 p.m.

• The Derry Police Department will hold its event in MacGregor Park from 6 to 9 p.m. featuring live music from 19th Nervous Breakdown (a Rolling Stones tribute band), the Department’s comfort dog, lawn games, giveaways and more.

• The Goffstown Police Department will be joined by first responders from Weare, New Boston and Dunbarton at Goffstown High School for its event from 5 to 8 p.m. that will feature live music, food, games (including an Oreo stacking contest) and more, according to a video on its Facebook page.

• In Hollis, the police, fire, DPW library and town hall are partnering for the event in Nichols Field from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring food, lawn games, touch-a-truck and more.

• Hudson Police Department will hold its event at the Rodgers Memorial Library from 4:30 to 8 p.m. for food, games and more.

• Manchester’s National Night Out event featuring food and more will take place in Victory Park and the Hartnett Parking lot, 5 to 8 p.m.

• Merrimack will hold its event at Merrimack High School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature ice cream, music, games, arts and crafts and more.

• The Nashua Police Department’s event will take place in Greeley Park starting at 5 p.m. and feature food, demonstrations, community booths, giveaways and more.

• Salem’s Night Out will take place at the Salem High School from 5 to 8 p.m. and feature food, music, an obstacle course, demonstrations, a petting zoo, vendors and more.

Family fun for whenever

Outdoor family fun

• The annual Friends-a-Palooza, a family fun event run by The Friends Program, will celebrate International Friendship Day in Keach Park in Concord on Saturday, July 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. Friends-a-Palooza will feature crafts, field games, face-painting, kids’ safety demonstrations, obstacle courses, music, dance, snacks, ice cream and pizza, according to a press release. The Friends Program is a Concord-based nonprofit founded in 1975 with a mission of building “positive connections and solutions for at-risk youth, families, and seniors,” the release said. This free event will also feature participation from more than 30 community organizations and is open to the public, the release said. See friendsprogram.org.

• Find activities such as face painting, an obstacle course, a “fishing” pond and more for kids at the Canterbury Fair on Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Canterbury Center (Baptist and Center roads). The day features all-ages fun including works from local artisans, a book and media sale, The Legendary “What Not” Sale, an antique car and tractor display, the Canterbury Historical Society at the Houser One Room School House, a 5K and live performances including by the Belmont High School Robotics Team, Mr. Aaron, Checkerberry Morris Dancers, Linsdey Schust & The Ragged Mountain Band, Suzuki Strings and more according to canterburyfair.com. The food line-up includes food trucks offering burgers, tacos, fries and more as well as a chicken barbecue, ice cream and frappes, the website said.

Save the date

• Sign up now for the Friends of Aine annual Kids Try-athlon on Sunday, Aug. 3, starting at 8 a.m. at Bedford High School and the Bedford Town Pool. The event is a swim, bike, run race for kids grouped by age — 4- to 10-year-olds and 11- to 15-year-olds, according to friendsofaine.com. The event is open to kids regardless of athletic ability and features a post-race festival, and registration costs $40 per kid, the website said.