Ellen Carlson and High Range will perform original, refreshing, rootsy, bluegrass, country and rock inspired music on fiddle, banjo guitar and bass as part of the Henniker Summer Concert Series on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Angela Robinson Bandstand, Community Park. The concert is free, although donations are accepted. Masks, social distancing required. No rain date. Bring a chair, spread a blanket, visit a local restaurant or have a picnic supper on the lawn and join your neighbors and friends in this community-building event at our bandstand. Check hennikerconcerts@henniker.org for safety guidelines.
Looking for something to do from the comfort of your car or couch? Want to learn more about the impact the railroad had on the town of Hopkinton? If so, please take a look at Hopkinton Historical Society’s “ALL…ABOARD!” a driving tour of railroad points of interest in Hopkinton. In March 2020, Hopkinton Historical Society was in the middle of planning its summer exhibit, as part of a 16-member collaboration (Museums Sharing Experiences, or MUSE) that had organized eight exhibits and more than 30 programs on the economic, social, and environmental impact of the railroad in New Hampshire. When the pandemic forced the closing of the society, we knew we still wanted to move forward somehow with our summer exhibit. Given the continued uncertainty regarding opening dates and people’s comfort levels with gathering in groups indoors, we decided the best approach was to take our exhibit on the road! Specifically, to put together a driving tour that can be viewed or downloaded from our website, HopkintonHistory.org, or followed on Clio, a downloadable app that allows you to view driving tours of historical and cultural sites. Clio can be accessed via its website or on a mobile device. The tour includes seven stops in Hopkinton and Contoocook. In addition to physical landmarks, the tour examines how the railroad expanded markets for farmers, increased tourism, expanded mobility for rural communities, and impacted mills and factories along the Contoocook River. However, not all of the changes brought about by the railroad were positive. Information about immigrant laborers, those displaced from their homes along the river, and the townspeople and other investors who purchased bonds that paid for the railroad is also included in the driving tour. We hope you enjoy the driving tour. If you have images or stories you would like to share, please contact us at 746-3825, nhas@tds.net, or HopkintonHistory.org. This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Tom Hitchcock will be conducting a series of one-on-one drawing classes, beginning Aug. 1, at LRAA Art Gallery, 120 Laconia Road, at the Tanger Mall. Hitchcock’s style of teaching allows each student to progress at their own pace to experiment with positive and negative space, light and shadow, form, composition and perspective. The classes are open to anyone regardless of age. For information or to sign up, schedule and cost, contact Hitchcock at 496-6768.