Young Professional of the Month: Lauren Cahill captures Concord

Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to the “Young Professional of the Month,” Lauren Cahill. Each month, the CYPN Steering Committee recommends an individual in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better.

Journey from Ireland

By JAMES W. SPAIN

It is about this time each year when my thoughts wander back to the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations I have enjoyed in the past.

Take Me Outside: Let there be light

Last weekend, we launched Daylight Saving Time, when we turned our clocks one hour forward to take advantage of more light during our waking hours.

Franklin Opera House presents annual murder mystery dessert show on Pi Day

Franklin Opera House, in cooperation with Franklin Footlight Theatre Co., is proud to present its annual murder mystery dessert show, “Murder at the Pie Auction.” Now in its 11th year, this collaboration between Franklin Opera House and Franklin Footlight Theatre Co. is loads of laughs and tons of fun. Characters and camaraderie join forces to benefit Franklin Opera House.

Yoga with shelter pets offers fun connections with four-legged friends

By RACHEL WACHMAN

To encourage the adoption of animals in their shelter and foster connections between humans and their four-legged counterparts, Pope Memorial SPCA holds yoga classes twice a month where participants can practice poses alongside shelter pets.

Walker Lecture Series announces 2025 spring season

Since 1896, the Walker Lecture Series has brought stimulating speakers and fun performers to Concord. The tradition continues with this spring’s offerings, ranging from a walk on the Appalachian Trail to a night with Laurel and Hardy from the silent era. Musical performers include the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, the NH Ukeladies, and Mixtape.      

Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications to host Sunshine Week panel on holding government accountable

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides for the “right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” But what does that mean and how does it work? These questions will be explored during Sunshine Week, a national initiative supported by the Society of Professional Journalists to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. 

Alton Brown, culinary wiz and TV personality, coming to Concord on farewell tour

By REBECA PEREIRA

By his own admission, Alton Brown’s newest book was a happy accident. Brown had been repairing a manual typewriter, lubricating a wayward ‘J’ key, when he loaded the machine with paper and began testing out its functionality. That day, he typed the first of the 39 essays that would make up “Food for Thought,” his tenth literary venture.

The Concord Public Library announces Concord Reads 2025 selection

The Concord Public Library and Concord Public Library Foundation are thrilled to announce that “Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova” by Ty Gagne is the 2025 selection for Concord Reads, an annual city-wide literary event encouraging community members to read and discuss the same book. This year's title was selected to celebrate a New Hampshire author and to provide both education and an opportunity for reflection on a topic relevant to Granite Staters.

‘Cozy and Chaos’: Inside the art scene at Brothers’ Cortado and its newest installation, ‘We Are Always Saying Goodbye’

By RACHEL WACHMAN

Five paintings hang on the back wall of the Concord coffee shop Brothers’ Cortado, right above a sitting area complete with two lamps, a couch, an end table, and a chair. The whole corner belongs to Dunbarton artist Joe Square’s newest installation: “We Are Always Saying Goodbye.”

Perennials, trees, shrubs and more available with Merrimack County Conservation District’s spring fundraiser

Ready for spring, flowers, fruits, and nature? Lucky for you, Merrimack County Conservation District knows just what you’ll want to plant this spring!

DAR chapter honors local high school seniors

The Buntin-Rumford-Webster Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has announced the selection of six high school seniors from Concord area high schools who have been honored for good citizenship. These six students are: Elise E. Berry (Pittsfield Middle High School), Trevor P. Abel (Bow High School), Avery G. Sahr (Bishop Brady High School), Abigail J. Ciarametaro, (Merrimack Valley High School), Jennifer Noni (Coe Brown Northwood Academy) and Ashlie L. Klawes (Pembroke Academy).

Concord Community Music School Hosts 22nd Annual David Surette Mandolin Festival

The 22nd David Surette Mandolin Festival, to be held March 8-9 at the Concord Concord Community Music School, celebrates the many voices of the mandolin, a stringed instrument heard in bluegrass, old-time, classical, swing, blues, Brazilian, Italian, and Celtic music. The festival is named for its founder, New England musician David Surette. With a reputation that reached across the US and beyond to Canada, England, France and Italy, Surette was admired and respected as a player, composer and teacher.

Alton Brown is ready to dish it out at the Capitol Center for the Arts

By REBECA PEREIRA

Alton Brown is not retiring.

Youth Art Month: Concord School District holds student show at City Wide Community Center

By RACHEL WACHMAN

To celebrate student work in honor of Youth Art Month, the Concord School District hosts an annual art show compiling pieces made by students from kindergarten to twelfth-grade across the district. This year’s show opened on Thursday, Feb. 20 and will run through Wednesday, April 2 at the City Wide Community Center.

‘A communal place to go’: Black Forest Nursery offers free educational classes and paid hands-on workshops

By RACHEL WACHMAN

From learning about houseplants or planning a vegetable garden to growing kitchen herbs or even exploring the world of beekeeping, Black Forest Nursery in Boscawen offers a broad array of free weekend classes.

Bestselling New Hampshire author Lisa Rogak to present “Propaganda Girls” at Gibson’s Bookstore

Gibson's Bookstore will welcome New Hampshire author Lisa Rogak at a launch event for her newest book  “Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS” on Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. Rogak, who lives in Canaan, will present the incredible untold story of four women who helped win World War Two by generating a wave of black propaganda: Betty MacDonald, a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii, Zuzka Lauwers who grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village, Jane Smith-Hutton the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo, and Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer. 

Applications open for largest student journalism award in NH

Applications are now open for New Hampshire’s largest student journalism award, the Brodsky Prize, which was established seven years ago by the late Jeffrey Brodsky and his father, Howard, to encourage innovation by student journalists. The $5,000 prize is open to all high school students attending public, charter, or parochial schools in New Hampshire.

New England Racing Museum seeking volunteers to help preserve New England auto racing history

The New England Racing Museum is looking for passionate volunteers to help preserve and share the rich history of auto racing in the region. As we celebrate The Year of The Modified, we are expanding our efforts to showcase legendary Modified race cars and the drivers who made them famous. We need dedicated individuals to assist in various roles, including: