The Merrimack Valley Retired Educators Association will meet Thursday at Makris Lobster and Steak House, Route 106, in Concord. The business meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a musical program by Bill Parker, keyboard player and singer, at 11 a.m. All retired teachers, support staff and professional associates from Concord area schools are welcome to attend. Reservations for the noon luncheon may be made by email at lizjane1945@gmail.com.
Concord Public Library Director Todd Fabian will be the keynote speaker, speaking about “The Future of the Penacook Branch Library” at the Penacook Village Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Rolfe House, 11 Penacook St. With major repairs needed at the Penacook Branch Library facility – including the roof, heating system, and a non-ADA compliant second floor – Fabian will discuss options for our branch library and present input from this meeting at city budget meetings. All Concord/Penacook residents, business owners and PVA members are invited to share pizza, beverages and lively conversation. For more information, visit penacook.org.
The annual Children’s Tea Party will be held Saturday at the Penacook Branch Library from 10 to 11 a.m., sponsored by the Friends of Penacook Branch Library. Children are invited to celebrate spring and participate in an activity and enjoy tea and refreshments. Dressing up is optional but encouraged.
CHERYL STINSON
news03303@aol.com
There is still time today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to purchase plants at the Pierce Brigade’s Spring Plant Sale. The Manse is located at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane. The brigade will be hosting a program entitled “Exemplary Country Estates of N.H.,” presented by Christina Ashjian, art historian, on May 24. This program is sponsored by the N.H. Humanities Council. For more information, call 225-4558 or visit piercemanse.org.
The Hatbox Theatre in the Steeplegate Mall is featuring N.H. Writers Project Hatbox Readings tonight at 6 p.m. This event is free for Hatbox and NHWP members. Discovering Magic will be featured at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. 8 by Eight will start up again on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and the last performance will be next Sunday at 2 p.m. Boggis Comedy Presents will be featured May 19 at 7:30 p.m. Music Out of the Box will take place May 20 at 2 p.m. For more information or tickets, visit hatboxnh.com.
The Central N.H. Storytellers will be meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at Horseshoe Pond Place. All tellers and listeners are welcome.
The next Grange meeting will be May 21, when a memorial program will be presented by lecturer Gary Ford and chaplain Judy Chase. Members are reminded to send sunshine cards to Cheryl Correlius, who is recovering from surgery. Call Dick Patten at 496-2917 for more information.
The Concord Chapter of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families will meet Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church, 30 Eastman St. Email ConcordACA@gmail.com for more information.
The Horseshoe Pond Toastmasters will meet Wednesday at noon at Northeast Delta Dental. For more information, call 223-4962.
The Karner Blue Toastmasters will meet Thursday at 5 p.m. at the environmental services building on Hazen Drive. For more information, call 568-3128.
CHRIS WEEDEN
224-1715
clweeden@comcast.net
St. Paul’s choir, musicians and special guests present “Sinfully Sweet: Sing us a song” on Saturday at 7 p.m. A program of favorite tunes, wicked desserts, and a fabulous silent auction and gift basket raffle. Held at Tad’s Place, 149 East Side Drive. Tickets are $20 and available online at stpaulsconcord.org and at St. Paul’s Church (21 Centre St.). Proceeds support the full range of ministries within the parishes and beyond.
You are invited to join in solving the murder mystery Sour Grapes of Wrath on Saturday, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Congregational Church, 499 N. State St., and dinner will be provided. The mystery: One year ago, the Killingsworths bought a vineyard in California. One early autumn day, six people passed through the gates of Killingsworth Farm to see Elizabeth. One of them, a cold-blooded killer! Which one has a secret worth killing for? Come join us to solve this murder mystery and to enjoy dinner with your friends. Cost is $15 adults, seniors $12, and children $5. For more information or to ticket, contact Joy at 224-6733 or forjoy@comcast.net.
The next meeting of the Greater Concord Chronic Pain Support Group is Tuesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. (second Tuesday of every month) at Unitarian Universalist Church, 274 Pleasant St. If you live with pain, you may find help and hope by attending this group sponsored by the nonprofit U.S. Pain Foundation. Learn from each other, from speakers and from resources. Non-denominational. No registration necessary. For more information, visit painconnection.org or call 540-3119.
COPOCO, a cooperative pool and tennis club in Concord, is accepting members for the 2018 summer season. For more information, contact Van Nichols at membership@copoco.net or check the website at copoco.net.
Concord’s Spring Leaf Collection is underway and will run through June 2. For more information, visit concordnh.gov/leafcollection.
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for their Leadership Greater Concord Class of 2019. This program fosters civic awareness in the community and participants are equipped with information they need in order to become more involved in activities that will enhance the region. For more information, go to concordnhchamber.com or call 224-2508.
Capital Toastmasters will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Granite Ledges of Concord (behind the Concord Hospital) at 151 Langley Parkway. Call 715-1881 or visit capital.toastmastersclubs.org.
Clear some clutter while helping a cause. On May 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., visit the South Church Parking Lot, 27 Pleasant St., and bring boxes of old tax returns and documents that are sitting in your basement and have them shredded by a professional shredding company! For $10 per brown grocery bag or copier paper size box full of paper, all of those piles can be gone in minutes and your donation will benefit the ministries of South Church! For more information, contact Laurie Rardin or call 224-2521.
Happy birthday Evan Anderson!
Happy birthday Karen Blanchette!
LYNDA PLANTE
228-6800
soxpatscats@gmail.com
On Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., the Suncook Valley Chorale will be performing “Love is in the Air” at Wesley Methodist Church on Clinton Street. The concert will include music celebrating romantic love through the ages, from Robert Burns ballads through the years, to The Beatles and beyond. Tickets are $18 general admission and $15 for seniors/students. Tickets may be purchased from any member of the chorale or at the door.
The Capital Quilters Guild will hold their monthly meeting on Friday at the United Baptist Church, 39 Fayette St., at 6:30 p.m. Speaker David Sirota presents “What Makes a Quilter Tick: A humorous look in the mirror.” The meeting is free for members and $5 for nonmembers. All are welcome. For more information, visit capitalquiltersguild.com.
The Red River Theatre is “reeling” with events: On Wednesday and Saturday: Bring Your Own Baby (BYOB) Series; Wednesday: Resilience; Thursday: The Winning Of Barbara Worth; Saturday: Kiki’s Delivery Service; and May 16: Served Like A Girl.
On Saturday at 11 a.m. at Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., storytime special guests Deborah Bruss and Matt Forrest Esenwine will teach your children (okay, the children will teach us) how to pronounce dinosaur names while also teaching everyone how to successfully plan a birthday party with minimal dinosaur interference, as they present Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!
Following on May 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Gibson’s, a girl grieves the loss of her dog in an achingly beautiful wordless epic from the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Journey, Aaron Becker presents A Stone for Sascha. A wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his bestselling Journey trilogy, Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia – and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be poured over again.
Keep the family active with these classes from Concord Recreation. For more information, please visit concordparksandrec.com or call 225-8690. Here are the current offerings: Archery, Tae Kwon, Nature Babes, Craft With Me, Ballet and Tap and Intro to Field Hockey.
Join Concord Young Professionals Network for their monthly networking event with Intown Concord as host in conjunction with Arnie Arneson on May 16 at 15 Rumford St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Our mission is to promote and enhance the business environment, cultural activities, living environment, and appearance of historic downtown Concord, so it’s only fitting that our networking event will take place at the historic Majority Leader’s. For more information and to register, visit facebook.com/events/2059993384271120.
Have you heard about the crime spike in the South End? Were you one of the home invasion victims? Did your child or pet witness an intruder that endangered them? Will your house be next? The answer to these questions is no, for now, until they actually happen. Be pro-active and help us keep the South End the great place it is! Take action now before tragedy. It’s easy. Watch here and on Nextdoor for more information on our new Neighborhood Watch Program. We’re finishing up the website, have handouts, are scheduling walkers and events and now we need you! We even have some start up financing. Now it’s your turn. We’re waiting, not for your neighbor, not for the loyal core who have gotten us this far. We’re waiting for you!
JEAN VER HOEVEN
856-304-5830
jeanann@voicenet.com