Scheduled to coincide with the Black Pond Ice Hockey Tournament and NHTI Winter Fling, Winter Fest is two days of winter fun and festivities, including an ice carving competition and demonstrations, themed ice bars, outdoor activities for all age and more at multiple venues throughout downtown Concord. Spectators will enjoy watching ice-carving demonstrations and meeting some of New England’s most talented carvers on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m., followed by an ice carving competition on Jan. 25 starting at 11 a.m. Carvings will be judged by a panel led by a team of Concord’s own dignitaries. The Hotel Concord will award prizes to the top three carvers plus a People’s Choice Award. Concord’s unique boutiques will welcome shoppers and browsers looking to enjoy a Winter Shopping Stroll, with the chance to win Downtown Dollars all weekend. Games and activities for kids and families will be stationed throughout downtown. Warm-up stations along Main Street will offer hot cocoa, hot cider, and toasty s’mores. Complimentary shuttle service will be provided between downtown and the Black Ice Hockey Tournament at Winter Park. Parking is available in the covered garage located in the Capital Commons Parking Garage accessed via Storrs Street. For more information about Winter Fest, visit intownconcord.org.
The Jill M. Barbosa Foundation has just announced a New Hampshire youth classical piano competition for junior and senior high school students. The competition is scheduled for spring 2020, with the venue and date to be announced soon. To qualify, a maximum of six young Junior/High School students must be able to perform a memorized 12 to 15 minute classical piano piece before the judges on the day of the competition. Students must also have the entry form completed by the parents with the piano teacher’s sign off, and also be accepted by the JMB Foundation Chair and Vice Chair no later than one month before the event. One cash prize of $1,000 and two $500 prizes will be awarded the day of the competition and the decision of the judges are final. The winner of first prize cannot compete again in this particular competition for the next three years, but the rest of the participants can compete the following years, as long as the contestants are in junior or senior high school in the school year of the contest. For the entrance form info and all other information, email JMBfoundation@myfairpoint.net or call 690-5929.
The N.H. Coverts Project is accepting applications from new volunteers interested in taking part in the 2020 N.H. Coverts Project volunteer training workshop on May 13 to 16 at the Barbara C. Harris Conference Center in Greenfield. Each year, 25 conservation-minded residents gather with a team of natural resource professionals for a four-day workshop to learn about wildlife and forest ecology, habitat management, land conservation and effective outreach. There is a $50 registration fee; however, program sponsors fund all lodging, food and other expenses. To apply for this year’s training, download and complete the 2020 N.H. Coverts Project Application at nhcoverts.org. The deadline for receiving applications is March 1. For more information, visit nhcoverts.org or contact haley.andreozzi@unh.edu or 862-5327.