Adventures in Movies

O’Neil Cinemas returns to Londonderry and we check in with Red River Theatres in Concord PLUS A look at the summer movie schedule

As summer movie season begins, we take a look at a few local theaters. O’Neil Cinemas expands — and returns — to Londonderry. We also check in with Red River Theatres, which is now the only movie theater in Concord. And we take a look at the summer movie schedule. Grab some popcorn and get ready to go to the movies.

O’Neil Cinemas returns to Londonderry: The newly refurbished theater will include a full service bar

By Zachary Lewis

[email protected]

The brand new O’Neil Cinemas in Londonderry is expected to hold its grand reopening July 1.

O’Neil Cinemas is family-run and also has a theater in Epping, as well as one in Littleton, Mass.

Dan O’Neil spoke to the Hippo about the grand reopening and how this family business, led by his father, Dan O’Neil Sr., has been in the movies for decades.

“I’ve been in this business since I was a kid, helping out my brother in the business. Tim O’Neil. He’s also in the business. He’s years younger than me. We did everything. I was a projectionist. We cleaned the restrooms, sold concessions, things like that. So after college, we got in the business,” Dan O’Neil said.

According to a recent press release, O’Neil Cinemas was founded in 1982 and was operated by the O’Neil family before leasing the Londonderry facility (at 16 Orchard View Dr.) to AMC Theaters in 2014.

“We have a legacy of about 40 years in New Hampshire,” Dan O’Neil said. “So we leased this theater in Londonderry for 10 years to AMC. We own the real estate in the building. They decided after 10 years — it was a 10-year term — that they would not renew. And we thought the Londonderry market was a great market. It’s a wide open market, it’s a growing market and we’re very, very positive about the industry going forward. So we decided to invest in this location.”

They had built an eight-screen theater in Littleton, Mass., which is a model for what they are bringing into Londonderry. (O’Neil Cinemas also operates a theater at Brickyard Square, 24 Calef Highway in Epping. See oneilcinemas.com.)

“We got into the food and beverage business in that theater. It has a lounge. It has a full-service bar. So that’s kind of our model going forward now, is to bring in upgraded amenities, making it more of an experience for people to come out of the house. We have a full kitchen. We sell good food,” O’Neil said.

They’ve made a lot of fun changes.

“So currently, before we started renovation, it was a 10-screen complex. The new renovation will have nine screens. And we’re renovating one of the auditoriums into what we call the Backstage Lounge. It will be a full-service bar plus a lounge atmosphere. And we’ll have a full kitchen in the complex where we’ll sell upscale food and beverage. So you can get a meal before the movie, or after the movie, or a drink, a crafted cocktail,” O’Neil said.

“We also will be delivering directly to your seat,” he said. “So if you want to order through an app, you’ll be able to get it to your seat. If you’re buying tickets and you want to order your food, you can ahead of time. When you get to the theater, you scan your ticket in, it will fire that food to the kitchen, so you won’t have to stand in any lines. You can just go directly to the seat, and it will be delivered to you.”

Image and sound are priorities for O’Neil cinemas.

“Two of the auditoriums in this complex are premium large-format auditoriums. We call them the Grand DLX. At the premium large-format auditorium, they’re all state-of-the-art laser projection, Dolby Atmos sound, which are a 64-speaker surround sound system. It’s advanced object-based audio technology, so the speakers are strategically placed throughout the theater. You have overhead speakers for three-dimensional sound. It’s basically a precise sound positioning capability so that if a helicopter’s flying over your head, it’ll feel like you can hear the helicopter above you. And it’s more of an immersive experience,” O’Neil said.

Moviegoers in the Grand DLX auditoriums will experience ‘Buttkicker’ heated recliners with swivel tables that will synchronize vibrations with the film’s soundtrack.

“We’ll have one auditorium that has D-box motion seats,” he said. Luxury D-Box Motion seats use haptic technology, according to the press release. “Those seats actually move and synchronize to the soundtrack or the action on the screen. So it physically engages the viewers by creating synchronized movements to the action on the screen.”

Moviegoers will be able to opt out or control how much of the feel they get. “You could turn it off. You can lower the sensation so it’s not as high of a movement. Or you can go full blast with that thing,” O’Neil said.

No matter the theater, the seats will be comfy.

“The rest of the auditoriums will have full reclining heated seats. We’re really trying to make this a first-class viewing experience. The brightness on the screen will be fantastic.”

Londonderry will have revival screenings of cinema classics, and more than films will be screened.

“We can actually now with the digital technology, as long as we have licensing rights, we can stream live events, like currently we’re doing UFC fights down in our Littleton and Epping locations. We showed the Metropolitan Opera live from New York. So you can actually come to our theater if you’re into the opera, Metropolitan Opera, and view it live,” O’Neil said.

Movies have always held a special place for Dan O’Neil.

“I was about seven years old in ’77, so I was a big Star Wars fan. That movie was incredible to me…. We actually opened the theater in Londonderry during 1983 after construction and the first movie we showed was Return of the Jedi. I just remember the line going down the middle of the parking lot. Of course, back then we didn’t have reserved seating. But yeah, it was a fantastic experience being in the pack. You know, those movies were always sold out. And just being in there and experiencing it with other kids and people was amazing,” he said.

He mentioned why he believes people still get excited to go out to the movies. “I think we’re communal creatures, and we like storytelling, and when you can do it with other people it just adds to the emotion of it. That’s what makes memories in my mind is the emotions you feel with other people. I think that’s why after 100 years, the business is still around.”

There will be a community open house at some point before the grand reopening in July.

“We’re shooting for July 1, and that’s right before the Fourth of July weekend and there’s supposed to be some … big movies opening, Jurassic World being one of them, so we’re trying to hit that for a big grand opening,” O’Neil said. “I think that once the community sees what we can offer for out-of-home entertainment, I think it’s going to be a real positive thing for the community.”

The city’s theater: Red River is Concord’s only movie house

By Zachary Lewis

[email protected]

Red River Theatres is a community hub in Concord.

“We work as a full-time movie theater; we also are mission-based,” said Angie Lane, Red River’s Executive Director.

“We serve by providing space to other nonprofits to show films that speak to their mission. We do some of our own programming based off things that we believe that our community wants. It could be sometimes that we show a documentary, but it could also be a sing-along or a Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The venue’s concessions include local sweets from Granite State Candy and local beer and wine, Lane said.

Lane and her crew are still coming back from Covid closures.

“For us, coming out of Covid, we were closed for over a year,” she said. “It’s funny, because people are like, ‘Oh, you’re still talking about Covid,’ but ultimately we’re still feeling the impact of that. We’re working to get back up to full speed.”

“I can be honest and say we’re not even fully staffed to where we were pre-Covid, so we have a very tiny team in the background managing everything, and this year we’ll be turning 18, so there’s so many things that are kind of like intersecting at the same point for us,” she said.

Now that Red River is the only movie theater in Concord, it has access to more films, including more mainstream movies and kids’ films like Snow White.

“With the closure of Regal and just the way that movie distribution has changed so much, especially in post-Covid world, we have been able to actually acquire those films. So for a very long time there were a lot of barriers for us to bring in films like that. It’s not that we are necessarily saying, ‘Like, OK, we’re going to expand to this,’ it’s just that we never quite had the availability that we do now. So we are excited to be able to offer a diversity of film that’s a little wider than we have before. You can’t please everyone, and so of course some people want more straight what they believe are independent films and don’t love it when we show Snow White. But what’s lovely is we’re able to bring in new people to Red River,” Lane said.

There are other obstacles to overcome with film selection.

“To be a working movie theater in this time and reality is really challenging. So we’re excited to be able to show a wider variety of films, but the reality is that distributors are just not producing as many films as they did pre-Covid…. So a lot of times we do consciously choose and curate the films based on what we believe align with who we are as a movie theater. On the other hand, sometimes there’s a limited amount of movies that we can choose from, so we try to do our best to pick the films we feel that our audiences want to see and hopefully expand our audiences at the same time.”

Lane described how an independent movie theater chooses a film for screening.

“… [W]e work with a film broker who manages the bookings for hundreds of different cinemas similar to Red River. Then we internally, as the team, also talk about what’s being offered to us. These films are what we would consider ‘first run’ and we sell the tickets and we do just a straight ticket split. For our own programming we book them as one-offs and we pay either a fee or a ticket split or both. … ,” Lane said.

For new films, typically 50 to 60 percent of ticket sales head back to the movie distributor, so theaters need people in the seats to keep bringing magic to the community.

“We book out films on pretty short notice, so maybe a month out,” Lane said.

“We’re excited to get the new upcoming Wes Anderson movie The Phoenician Scheme, and … No Other Land, which is the Oscar-winning documentary that has not really been getting as high distribution,” she said.

Red River also gets support from memberships. “You can become a member and you can get benefits,” Lane said. It costs $65 for an individual membership and there are other options as well. Membership fees helped keep Red River afloat during Covid. “A lot of people during Covid still kept their membership going…” Lane said.

Look for some outdoor screenings this summer. “We are planning on doing our free outdoor movies with Parks and Rec, and we’ll probably do some other partnered outdoor movies,” Lane said. This summer’s titles are not decided yet.

Lane reflected on Red River’s role in Concord, saying, “We’re about to turn 18, and we’ve become a vital, valued community organization. We show movies, but we also provide … a space for [people] so they can rent this theater for their own movies. We work a lot with different partner organizations to bring different programming….”

“I think now more than ever a lot of people want something, not necessarily to escape to … But I think that people really want to engage in different ideas or other realities and kind of dream about something that can be different and better,” Lane said.

Red River Theatres is at 11 S. Main St. in Concord. See redrivertheatres.org.

Summer of movies! Remakes, sequels, Marvel and more summer movies

Compiled by Amy Diaz

[email protected]

Another first Friday in May, another Marvel movie.

Except everything about movies is so much weirder than in, say, 2017 when the summer movie season kicked off with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But there are definitely promising films on the schedule — a new Wes Anderson movie, a new Celine Song movie, a new Ari Aster, and Kristen Scott Thomas is directing a movie. Here, with guidance from IMDb on dates and casts, are some of the movies slated for release in theaters this summer.

Thunderbolts Can Marvel’s quippy Suicide Squad-y gang get us all excited about Marvel again? The first trailer at least had me hopeful. (May 2)

Fight or Flight Josh Hartnett is an assassin on, as the trailer says, a plane full of killers. (May 9)

Friendship Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd make casual male friendships super weird in this movie whose trailer gives dark comedy vibes. (May 9)

Juliet & Romeo It’s a musical, Rebel Wilson plays Juliet’s mother. (May 9)

Final Destination: Bloodlines LOL to these people in the trailer enjoying a backyard barbecue unaware that they’re in a Final Destination movie. (May 16)

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning These movies are all about Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts and we in the audience thinking “wheeee!” So, in that spirit, I’m excited about The Final Reckoning, I enjoy saying “wheeee!” to a motorcycle jumping onto a moving train or whatever. Also, Angela Bassett is here. (May 23)

Karate Kid: Legends Jackie Chan reprises his role from 2010’s The Karate Kid and Ralph Macchio, fresh off the All Valley over on the Netflix series Cobra Kai (watch it!), is Sensei Daniel LaRusso. (May 30)

The Phoenician Scheme The trailer for Wes Anderson’s latest is exactly what you’d expect with its studied symmetry and its retro, tactile settings and its familiar roster of players: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeffrey Wright and Benicio Del Toro. (June 6)

Ballerina “From the world of John Wick” might be all you need to know about this movie starring Ana de Armas and bringing back many Wick Universe faves (Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, the late great Lance Reddick and Keanu Reeves himself). (June 6)

I Don’t Understand You Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells have promising chemistry and comedy chops in the trailer about a couple in rural Italy who are awaiting the birth of their baby and maybe also accidentally do a little murder. (June 6)

Materialists Writer director Celine Song (of Past Lives) offers this movie, billed as a rom-com, starring Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker, with Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. (June 13)

28 Years Later There’s no discharge in the war. The eerie trailer for this third movie in the series that started with 2002’s 28 Days Later was probably the first trailer I saw that got me excited for a 2025 movie. Director and co-writer Danny Boyle is back along with co-writer Alex Garland for more zombie terrors. (June 20)

Elio The Disney Pixar movie I feel like I’ve been watching trailers for for years is slated for summer release. Elio is a human boy who accidentally is labeled as the leader of “uh, Earth” by visiting aliens. (June 20)

F1 Brad Pitt is a retired Formula One racer mentoring a rookie played by Damson Idris — which kinda feels like a plot to one of the Cars movies. The trailer suggests that this one is hoping for your IMAX dollars with its “you are there” driving scenes. (June 27)

M3gan 2.0 There’s a lotta “slay, b—-” energy in this movie’s trailer. Maybe a little too self-aware but I guess in this movie environment we take our cheap, silly thrills where we can get them. (June 27)

Jurassic World: Rebirth This franchise reboot does at least offer a trailer with fun Indiana Jones adventure-y vibes, what with the sneaking back to an island for dino DNA. (July 2)

Superman I mean, he gets to have his dog in this one so that’s nice. Director James Gunn and Superman David Corenswet give the Man of Steel another go. (July 11)

Smurfs Apparently this is a new Smurfs, not related to the 2010s Smurfs movies. “Rihanna is Smurfette”; also promising is the cast that includes John Goodman, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Offerman, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Amy Sedaris and Billie Lourd. (July 18)

Eddington Ari Aster (of Hereditary and Midsommar) writes and directs this movie about a New Mexico town during the pandemic — are we, like, ready for that? The trailer stressed me out, in a good way I think. Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler star. (July 18)

I Know What You Did Last Summer New kids, new summer but Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. also return, which feels fun. (July 18)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps This Fantastic is, according to Wikipedia, the beginning of the MCU’s Phase Six. The Tomorrowland look is fun, at least. (July 25)

The Naked Gun I am in for this Liam Neeson-fronted remake (I guess he’s supposed to be the Leslie Nielsen character’s son). The trailer has that promising “stupid fun” vibe. (Aug. 1)

The Bad Guys 2 The animated book-to-movie series gets its second feature installment about Bad Guy animals turned Good Guys but roped, as IMDb says, back into one last Bad Guy job. Unlike some of the direct-to-streaming specials, we get the original voices: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos. (Aug. 1)

Freakier Friday Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as a mother and daughter who once body-swapped to learn valuable lessons — and now it happens again with two extra kids in the mix: Lohan’s character’s daughter (Julia Butters) and stepdaughter-to-be (Sophia Hammons). The trailer made me kinda hopeful? (Aug. 8)

My Mother’s Wedding Kristen Scott Thomas directed and co-wrote this movie where she also stars as the mother of three adult daughters (one of whom is Scarlett Johansson) gathering for the mother’s wedding. According to Wikipedia the film had a 2023 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Aug. 8)

Nobody 2 The 2021 “what if John Wick but suburban dad Bob Odenkirk” action movie gets a sequel. (Aug. 15)

The Roses Billed as a remake of 1989’s The War of the Roses, this comedy stars Olivia Coleman and Benedict Cumberbatch — both of whom appear skilled with the dark comedy in the movie’s trailer — along with Allison Janney, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg. (Aug. 29)

The Toxic Avenger Wikipedia describes this movie as a reboot of a film series that started in 1984 and had sequels and Marvel comic books and played some film festivals in 2023 before it languished for a while without a distributor due to gore. And it stars Kevin Bacon, Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood. Trailers look gross and fun. (Aug. 29)

Caught StealingBased on the book of the same name by Charlie Huston, this Darren Aronofsky-directed movie Has A Cast — D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs’ Bear), Vincent D’Onofrio, Regina King, Bad Bunny, Matt Smith, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber and Austin Butler. The plot description says it’s set in 1990s New York City — OK, I’m in. (Aug. 29)

This Week 25/05/01

Thursday, May 1

The Craftworkers’ Guild’s 2025 Spring Craft Shop opens today and will run through Sunday, May 25. The Craft Shop will be open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kendall House, 3A Meetinghouse Road off Route 101 in Bedford, behind the Bedford Library. Visit thecraftworkersguild.org.

Friday, May 2

The New Hampshire Farm, Forest & Garden Expo offers workshops, demonstrations, a Dark Horse Lumber Jack Show and more today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Deerfield Fairgrounds (34 Stage Road in Deerfield). Tickets cost $10. See nhfarmandforestexpo.org.

Friday, May 2

Community Players of Concord present Thornton Wilder’s Our Town this evening and tomorrow, Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 17 and under and 65+. See communityplayersofconcord.org.

Friday, May 2

Actorsingers presentsLegally Blonde The Musical this evening, and tomorrow, Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts, 117 Elm St. in Nashua. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $23 for students and seniors (plus fees).

Saturday, May 3

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, aviationmuseumofnh.org) is holding its annual Run the Rail Trail 4-Miler this morning, with the race starting at 9 a.m. Sign up at runsignup.com; search for “Aviation Museum” under “Find a Race.”

Sunday, May 4

The Camienne Financial Cinco De Miles 5K starts this morning at 9:15 a.m. in Bedford. The route begins and ends near Bedford High School. See millenniumrunning.com/cinco.

Tuesday, May 6

Local Street Eats (112 W Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com) will host a Tarot Tuesday Takeover Tuesday, May 6, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tarot reader Michelle Guillemette will perform a mini reading for customers. Tickets are $35. Contact the restaurant directly to secure a time spot. Sign-ups are required.

Tuesday, May 6

The Flying Gravity Circus, featuring children and teens who learn the circus arts, will perform a show called “One Man’s Trash” tonight at 7 p.m. at Pine Hill Auditorium at the HIgh Mowing School in Wilton. Tickets cost $16.30 for adults, $11.20 for kids. See flyinggravitycircus.org.

Wednesday, May 7

The 23rd Annual Rock’N Race, which raises money for HOPE Resource Center at Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, will kick off today at 6 p.m., according to a press release. The race starts at the Statehouse and racers can choose a 5K run, 5K walk or 1-mile walk. The cost to enter is $40 for adults at rocknrace.org.

Save the Date! May 10

The New Hampshire Renaissance Faire
kicks off its two-weekend engagement in Fremont on Saturday, May 10. A family-friendly event, the Faire features local artisans, performers, food and more. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for children 6-12, $15 for seniors and military, and free for children 5 and younger. Visit nhrenfaire.com.

Featured photo: New Hampshire Rennaissance Faire

Quality of Life 25/05/01

Pasta and water, but not pasta-water

A recent study by online insurance company Choice Mutual (choicemutual.com) set out to determine what people from each state would choose for their last meal. Not surprisingly, most respondents chose comfort foods. The study found that New Hampshire residents would order some sort of pasta or noodles, which “includes everything from chicken alfredo to ramen,” the study summary explained. Soda was the first choice of beverages in every state, but New Hampshire respondents chose water as their second favorite drink.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The top Last Meal choice in most states was a steak dinner, followed by potatoes. Excluding soda, the top beverage choices nationwide were wine and water. Visit choicemutual.com/blog/favorite-last-meal-by-state.

Cleaning up the Merrimack

As reported in an April 21 article by Nashua InkLink (nashua.inklink.news), the Massachusetts-based conservation organization “Clean River Project” hopes to expand its clean-up efforts to New Hampshire. InkLink quoted Rocky Morrison, the organization’s head. “We’re dying to go to Manchester and Nashua,” he told InkLink, “and do a scan on the bottom of the river. New Hampshire is like a treasure trove. We don’t know what’s there. You never know what you’re going to find.” The Clean River Project uses boats outfitted with sonar equipment to detect objects in the water, and has contracts with cities on the Merrimack in Massachusetts to maintain riverbanks by collecting floating trash.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Morrison and his group have applied for grants from the EPA to move their efforts into New Hampshire but have not received any yet. Visit cleanriverproject.org.

How fast did we run?

As reported by WMUR in an April 21 online article, “New Hampshire runners had a strong day at the Boston Marathon.” Amherst’s Samuel Bradbury was New Hampshire’s fastest runner, with a finishing time of two hours, 22 minutes, 23 seconds, placing 57th in the men’s group and 62nd overall. Emilee Risteen from Derry had the fastest time for New Hampshire women at two hours, 40 minutes, 35 seconds, placing 52nd among women and 855th overall. Thomas Cantera from Nashua finished the race in two hours, 37 minutes, 35 seconds, placing 490th in the Para Division and 611th overall.

QOL score: +1

Comments: According to an April 23 online article by Runner’s World (runnersworld.com), 28,845 runners started the race. The Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the Marathon, announced that John Korir from Kenya placed first overall, with a time of two hours, 24 minutes, 45 seconds, and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya was the fastest woman, with a finishing time of two hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug was the fastest wheelchair racer, with a time of one hour, 21 minutes, 24 seconds. Visit results.baa.org/2025.

QOL score last week: 63

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 66

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

Let us know at [email protected].

The week that was

The Big Story – NBA Playoffs: Yes, the NFL draft captured a lot of attention, but since it’s four months before those 257 kids will strut their stuff it’s not the week’s big story — especially since its top feature was about an entitled, cocky kid (Shedeur Sanders) getting his comeuppance in full view of a national TV audience.

No, the big story is the NBA playoffs getting off in fine fashion. Especially with great games Sunday. Denver (down 1-3) and Memphis (swept) showed dumping their coaches three weeks before the playoffs didn’t pay off. The refs were once again in the middle of it by screwing Detroit out of a last-second win over New York. And emerging future stars like Paolo Banchero and Anthony Edwards continued their rise.

Sports 101: Last week Payton Pritchard became the fourth Celtic to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Name their other three.

News Item – Pats Draft: In pretty much following the script to fill their needs it looks good. But time will tell, so check back in December. But here are two things I liked: Will Campbell was impressive during his interviews after getting picked; and while I didn’t see a lot of college ball last fall, I loved what I saw of second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson during Ohio State’s playoff run.

News Item – Celtics Update: They start the week up 3-1 vs. Orlando. (1) The Game 3 loss was the result of not being ready for physical play from Orlando that led to Jayson Tatum missing Game 2 and causing concern till the end of Game 4. (2) Tatum has been the man, especially in Game 4, where he scored 37 with 14 rebounds and even pushed someone back after a cheap bump for a double T. Boo-la-boo-la for that. (3) Someone please show Uncle Joe how a pick and roll to the basket will produce easy points against a team over playing the line to prevent against their 3-ball attack. (4) If the C’s took care of business in Boston on Tuesday, good night Orlando.

News Impatience is Back in Red Sox Nation:All I can think of when I hear impatient dopes like Tony Massarotti wanting to give up on the struggling Triston Casas three weeks into the season is Frank Costanza in the Seinfeld episode when George Steinbrenner thinks George Constanza got kidnapped. Upon meeting the Boss, instead of asking about his son, Frank shouts at the notoriously impatient Steinbrenner, “HOW COULD YOU TRADE JAY BUHNER,” who George dealt for journeyman DH Ken Phelps before Buehner went on to hit 310 homers for Seattle. As for Casas, he’s still not there yet but he hit two homers and a Wall Ball walk-off single to beat Seattle last week, so he’s getting there.

News Item – NFL Draft Notes: (1) Love that Travis Hunter will get a chance to play both ways.(2) But I wouldn’t have given as much as Jax did to move up to get him. (3) Which means my pre-draft plan to trade up for Jabar Carter wouldn’t have worked. (4) Mel Kiper Jr. seemed to take it personally as his top ranked QB kept falling like a rock until Sanders went in R5.

The Numbers:

4 & 14 –players from Ohio State taken in the first round and overall to give OSU the most players taken from any school in the NFL draft.

6 & 28 – homers and RBI for Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer in his first 21 games at AAA Worcester.

53 – most pitches thrown a single inning since 2022, by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman in the third inning of Sunday’s 11-3 loss to the Yanks.

Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Eugenio Suarez: While I doubt I could pick him out in a police line-up, Arizona D-Back slugger gets it for being the 19th guy in MLB history to hit four homers in a game.

Delusional Megalomania Moment of the Week: Hearing Steven A. Blowhard actually say if they don’t start getting it right, and he wasn’t kidding.

Random Thoughts: Pardon my cynicism, but, while it’s his right ’cause he earned it, I doubt Lawrence Taylor’s refusal of Sharp’s request to wear 56 was a gesture to help him make his own mark.

Sports 101 Answer: In addition to Pritchard, the other three Sixth Man of the Year winners are Kevin McHale (’84 and ’85), Bill Walton (’86) and Malcolm Brogdon (’23).

Final Thought – NBA Officiating: What good does it do after the fact to admit the refs missed an obvious Knicks foul on Pistons shooter Tim Hardaway Jr. as time expired that every fan in the building and millions watching on TV saw? The P’s still lost to give the Knicks a tainted 3-1 lead. Isn’t that what replay is supposed to prevent? So what were the people in the NBA replay center doing when it happened? And how could the only three people in the building who didn’t see such an obvious foul be the people paid to call the game? If they can’t make that call they should be fired

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

News & Notes 25/05/01

Bedford traffic

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is working on F.E. Everett Turnpike, in both directions, at the Bedford Tolls through June 15, according to a NHDOT press release. The work will take place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. and require lane closures as construction crews work on the first phase of creating an all electronic toll area (boothless and cashless), the release said. Sign up for “free, real-time traffic related messages … from newengland511.org,” the release said.

Grant proposals

New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation is accepting proposals for 2025 Land and Water Conservation Fund State and Local Assistance Grants, “a program providing federal funds to assist with public outdoor recreation projects,” according to a press release. Submit an intent-to-apply form to New Hampshire State Parks by Friday, June 27, at 4 p.m.; eligible parties will receive an invitation to apply, the release said. Call 271-3556 or email [email protected],” the release said.

Mac & vets

Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese (497 Hooksett Road in Manchester, mr-macs.com) will donate $1 for every order of “Classic All-American” variety of mac & cheese (featuring a blend of cheddar and American cheeses) sold during May to help end veteran homelessness, according to a press release. The eatery is joining the City of Manchester, which has partnered with Harbor Care on efforts to address housing for veterans, the release said. Mr. Mac’s is slated to hold a kickoff for the effort on Thursday, May 1, at 10 a.m.

NH scholars

Six New Hampshire high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, according to a New Hampshire Department of Education press release. The semifinalists are Charles J. Anderson of Portsmouth, Portsmouth High School; Rahma A. Ibrahim of Brookline; Li Po Chun of United World College; Roxane Park of Bedford, Phillips Exeter Academy; Vedant Patil of Nashua, Nashua High School South; Meera Rajendran of Salem, Salem High School, and Avishant Gupta Ullal of Hollis, The Derryfield School, the release said. “The Commission on Presidential Scholars will select the finalists, and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars at a later date,” the release said. See ed.gov/psp.

Ona Judge

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Greenland Historical Society, will unveil a historic marker honoring Ona Marie Judge Staines at the Greenland Parade Gazebo in Greenland on Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m., according to a press release. Ona Judge was enslaved by George and Martha Washington and escaped in 1796, eventually settling in Greenland, the release said.

Celebrate coffee at the Northeast Coffee Festival Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, in Concord. A community market (admission is free) featuring vendors, demonstrations and live music will run 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Coffee education and a Latte Art Throwdown require passes. See northeastcoffeefestival.com.

Petals in the Pines in Canterbury will be open Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., for World Labyrinth Day when attendees can explore the venue’s two woodland labyrinths, according to a press release. A nature journaling activity will be held from 2 to 3 p.m.; register in advance at petalsinthepines.com/world-labyrinth-day for $10 per person. Admission to World Labyrinth Day will cost $7 per person or free with a 2025 Season Pass purchase on or before that day, the release said.

The Dover Public Library will present the virtual program “From Sewer to Superstars: The Untold Story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” with Dan Yezbick, professor of English and communications at Wildwood College in Missouri. The event is free; sign up at library.dover.nh.gov.

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