Tag: 260716

This Week 26/07/16

Friday, July 17

Need baseball? The Nashua Silver Knights play the Worcester Bravehearts tonight at 6:03 p.m. at Holman Stadium in Nashua, according to nashuasilverknights.com. After the game, stay for the fireworks. Tomorrow, Saturday, July 18, they’ll face the Westfield Starfires, also at 6:03 p.m.

Friday, July 17

Disney’s Frozen will be presented Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19, by the Windham Actors Guild at Windham High School, according to windhamactorsguild.com where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, July 18

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, will hold its annual Classic Car Show today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release. “Admission to the grounds for spectators is $10 per adult; children 12 and under free. Admission is cash only,” the release said. The day will also feature food trucks, and admission to the museum is included with admission to the car show, during the show, the release said. See aviationmuseumofnh.org.

Saturday, July 18

Stratham Summerfest 2026 will take place today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Stratham Hill Park and feature 4-H animal barns, exhibits and more; magic shows, live music, kids’ activities, helicopter exhibits weather permitting, a pie-eating contest and more, according to strathamnh.gov.

Saturday, July 18

Manchester Parks and Recreation will hold the first of four upcoming concerts on Saturdays at 10 a.m. at Livingston Park today with musician Miss Alli between Brigit’s Garden and the playground, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. The concerts are free, the post said.

Saturday, July 18

The BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, will hold a “World Soccer Championship: Third Place Play-Off Viewing Party” today at 4 p.m. Tickets are free but must be obtained at ccanh.com. A “Finals Viewing Party” will take place tomorrow, Sunday, July 19, at 2 p.m.; see the website for tickets.

Saturday, July 18

Mel’s Funway Park, 454 Charles Bancroft Highway in Litchfield, will hold a Pig Roast and Lobster Bake today from 4 to 8 p.m., according to melsfunwaypark.com, where you can purchase tickets (tickets offer different food and activity packages). The event will feature music by DJ Rick, a pig roast, a lobster bake and hamburger and hot dog options, the website said.

Tuesday, July 21

The NH Fisher Cats return to Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester for six games against the Somerset Patriots starting tonight at 6:03 p.m. for a Tender Tuesdays game with a Manchester Chicken Tenders bobblehead available to the first 500 fans, according to milb.com/new-hampshire, where you can purchase tickets.

Save the Date! Thursday, Aug. 20
Chunky’s in Manchester has several specialty screening of 1985’sThe Goonies on its schedule, starting with a Family Treasure Hunt Movie Night on Thursday, Aug. 20, with a treasure hunt starting at 5:45 p.m. and the movie starting at 6:30 p.m., according to a theater email. The family event will also be held Saturday, Aug. 22, with the treasure hunt starting at 5:15 p.m. and the film at 6 p.m. A 21+ screening will take place Thursday, Aug. 20, with the treasure hunt starting at 7:30 p.m. and the screening starting at 8:15 p.m. as well as a menu of specialty Goonies-themed cocktails, the email said. See chunkys.com for tickets.

Featured image: Classic Car Show at the Aviation Museum of New Hamsphire. Courtesy photo.

Sox crushing it

The Big Story – Red Sox Rolling: Don’t look now, but having suddenly won 16 of their last 21 the Red Sox have old-timers thinking Morgan Magic of 1988!That’s because, after a mostly awful first half, the not too long ago moribund local nine will open the second half on a nine-game winning streak and just a half game out of the final playoff spot. Starting Friday, though, we’ll get to see if it’s for real or not.

Sports 101: In terms of doing it in the fewest games Shohei Ohtani became the seventh fastest to reach 300 homers. How many of the six who did it faster can you name?

News Item – World Cup Notes: How much extra inspiration did Belgium get from President Trump getting pathetic FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino to roll over and rescind Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension without doing it for any other red carders? Given the embarrassing way they showed USA the door in the Round of 8, it seemed like a lot.

News Item – Red Sox at the Break: Given recent trends, here are some things to like.

• Ceddanne Rafaela is hitting in the .280s after learning the strike zone better and is Jackie Bradley Jr. good in CF.

• Pitching With no Garrett Crochet and a bunch of young guys they closed at 16-5 when they astonishingly have given up just 2.47 runs and more than three runs just four times.

• The ‘Who Are They?’ BrigadeWith unfamiliar names like Cheng, Eaton, Seigler and Monasterio in the line-up, it reminds me of Butch Cassidy yelling “WHO ARE THOSE GUYS” at the posse he and Sundance couldn’t shake.

• The Acquisitions Hard to find fault with Sonny Gray (11-1, 2.54) and free agent Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15), who (somehow) made the All-Star team. Then there is that Willson Contreras (.285-20-61) has out-hit all the possible past and current first base targets — Raffy Devers (2.49 -19-52), Pete Alonso (.252-21-65) and Japanese import Munetaka Murakami (.232-20-42).

• Caleb Durbin vs. Alex Bregman: He started awful and still is only hitting .230. But that’s up from .150 in mid-June and is beating Bregman in all run-producing stats for less than $1 million to Bregman’s $40 million per salary.

The Numbers:

10 – consecutive years women at Wimbledon will have a new champion after defending champion Aryna Sabalenka went down to former Naomi Osaka.

12 – record-tying consecutive hits made by KC’s Tyler Tolbert in games vs. the Mets and Phillies.

20 – points scored by Ebuka Okorie in Summer League Game 1 for Detroit to give the Nashua native a solid start to his NBA career

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Red Sox Turn Around: We’ll see, but it could mean the summer may not be ruined after all.

Thumbs Down – Gianni Infantino: For the slimy WBC chief rescinding that red card simply to appease political interests without doing it for anyone else. BOOOO!

Let Me Get This Straight – Adam Vinatieri: The legendary Patriot got into the Colts Hall of Fame last week before he got into the Patriot Hall of Fame.

Really? All he did here was (1) make the greatest NFL kick ever through a blizzard and later the game winner to kickstart the dynasty, (2) win two SBs with FGs as time expired, and (3) run down Herschel Walker from behind for the greatest special teams tackle by a kicker ever.

This year’s guy, Gronk, was lovable, great and deserving. But he came after V and has no franchise-altering plays to V’s four, so there’s no way he should’ve gone in before him.

Random Thoughts:

Yes the Pats got A.J. Brown, but they should not move on from deep threat Kayshon Boutte, who caught nine TD passes. What’s wrong with giving the most accurate deep thrower I’ve seen since Roman Gabriel in the ’60s two very good deep threats?

Sports 101 Answer: Ohtani reached 300 homers in his 1,121st game. The ones to do it quicker were Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard, Juan Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Final Thoughts – Celtics Press Conference: If you read this space regularly you know I said last summer the Celtics needed to do what they did last week: rid themselves of one of their max contracts to avoid the punitive player acquisition troubles they caused.

Only problem with Celtics GM Brad Stevens saying they needed a shake-up after early exits from the playoffs the last two years is it’s not true.

Sorry, Brad, while the players are the ones who missed the shots, roster composition is not why they lost either time. It was because of the incompetent game coaching of the Grady Little of basketball, where Slo Joe Mazzulla sat on the bench like Nero as Rome burned and made no adjustments as they blew five 20-plus-point leads after the 3-balls stopped falling vs. New York and Philly.

And I’m not alone in knowing that.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/07/16

Buttons

As reported in a July 6 press release from the National Button Society (nationalbuttonsociety.org), “a new [television] series, Hot Buttons, is under production for PBS and will be filming at the National Button Society convention in Manchester, N.H., July 27 through Aug. 1.” The series “celebrates the artistry and history of old buttons with fashion enthusiasts and hosts, [who will] embark on a worldwide adventure to discover rare and unique buttons and meet the collectors and curators who are custodians of these tiny pieces of art.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the National Button Society the group has members in 16 countries and every state.

It’s true; we are pretty damp

According to a recent analysis of Google Keyword data, of every 100,000 internet searches in New Hampshire more than 300 are related to mold and mold abatement, according to a study by Besroi Roofing and Siding. According to the study, New Hampshire ranks “2nd in the nation and leads every other state in the Northeast, despite being the 41st largest state by population.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: A key takeaway from the study, wrote its authors, is that “New Hampshire’s mold search rate of 312.90 per 100,000 is 1.37 times the national median of 228.66, confirming that mold is a materially elevated concern for residents relative to most of the country.” Virginia was the only state in the study more searchy about mold than New Hampshire. Googlers from Alaska asked the fewest mold-related questions.

More Granite Staters

According to a June 26 online report by WMUR, “A new report shows that New Hampshire has grown in population over the past five years, but that growth has not been spread evenly across the state.” An analysis by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute reported that ”while New Hampshire’s population grew by about 36,590 people (2.7%) between 2020 and 2025, growth was not evenly distributed across municipalities.” Smaller communities in the southern part of the state saw noticeable growth, the analysis reported, and an influx of retirees to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains was another area of population growth. “At the same time, population growth among the state’s three largest cities, including Manchester, Nashua, and Concord, has remained relatively static over the past five years.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Between 2020 and 2025, Epping saw the fastest population increase among all of New Hampshire’s municipalities, adding about 820 residents (11.5%) over the five-year period,” the report read. Visit /nhfpi.org/blog.

QOL score last week: 49

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 50

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/07/16

Funds for Volunteer NH

Volunteer NH, “New Hampshire’s designated State Service Commission … a nonprofit dedicated to engaging communities to solve local challenges through volunteerism,” has received grants of nearly $3.2 million from AmeriCorps that “will expand where Volunteer NH has been providing statewide services for Granite Staters for over 25 Years,” according to a July 7 press release. “These grants allow organizations to recruit, train, and supervise AmeriCorps members who are providing services in NH to support education, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity,” the release said. “These AmeriCorps members will serve with a variety of organizations — City Year New Hampshire, Lakes Region Conservation Corps, Manchester Excels and SCA-New Hampshire Conservation Corps. Additionally, funding will be given to Archways in the form of a planning grant focused on housing resource supports. Learn more about New Hampshire service opportunities: servelearnearn-nh.org,” the release said.

Open gardens

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program will take place Saturday, July 18, at seven private gardens that vary in size and plantings in Hillsborough and Merrimack counties, according to a press release. Go to gardenconservancy.org for details about each garden and to register to visit that garden (find registration fees and times on the website). Participating gardens include Our Country Garden in Hudson, Fiona’s Secret Garden in Manchester, New Shire Gardens in Manchester, Gardens of Yvonne Casimir in Milford, The Big Little Garden in Nashua, Longview Gardens in Pelham and Pages and Petals in Hooksett, the press release said. There are gardens in other New Hampshire towns also holding an open garden on Saturday, see the website for details.

The Gardens, open

The Gardens at Queen City Center, described as the indoor sister location to The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain in Goffstown, officially opened at 215 Canal St. in Manchesterwith a ribbon-cutting on July 7. “The event marked the launch of a new year-round weddings and private events venture,” the release said. See gardensatuncanoonuc.com.

ER open

Catholic Medical Center’s Nashua ER opened July 13, according to a press release. The freestanding emergency room at 338 Amherst St. in Nashua is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, “offering the same level of emergency care patients expect from a hospital-based emergency department,” the release said. “Community members are encouraged to seek care at Nashua ER for serious illnesses and injuries, including chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulties, severe abdominal pain, fractures, head injuries, and other medical emergencies,” the release said. See catholicmc.org.

Jerry!

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will perform at the Capitol Center for the Arts on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m., according to a Capitol Center announcement last week. Tickets will go on sale Friday, July 17, at 10 a.m. See ccanh.com.

The city of Concord will hold its next group hike with Trail Ranger Carl on Saturday, July 18, at 10 a.m. at Jim Hill Riverwalk (see map 2 at concordnh.gov/trails). “A variety of birds, deer & an occasional otter are often seen along the route, which will begin at the kiosk at the end of Runnels Road & follow the river to Daisy Beach & beyond. There are a couple of different length routes depending upon the group. Plan for a couple of hours. … Questions? Please contact Kearsten O’Brien at kobrien@concordnh.gov,” according to a city newsletter.

Catch the 1926 silent film The Johnstown Flood, presented with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, Sunday, July 19, at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St. in Wilton, according to a press release. The movie tells the story of the 1889 Pennsylvania flood, the release said. A $10 donation per person is suggested. Find the theater on Facebook for details.

“Quelle Horreur: Authors of Fear,” a program that “explores the world of horror through the voices of authors and artists connected to French-Canadian and Franco-American heritage,” will take place Thursday, July 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dana Center Room 1D at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, according to facnh.com/beliveau-arts-series. The program is part of the Beliveau Arts Series from the Franco American Centre and will feature moderator J. Edwin Buja (author) in conversion with J-F. Deubeau (author), Tony Tremblay (author) and François Vaillancourt (illustrator), according to a press release.

The Craftworkers Guild will hold an indoor yard sale of craft supplies and equipment on Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oliver Kendall House, 5 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford (house at the bottom of the parking lot at the Bedford Public Library), according to an email from the guild. The sale will feature yarn, fabric, beads, jewelry supplies, papercraft, needlecraft, books, patterns and more, the email said.

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