a 501c3 non-profit with a mission centered around economic and cultural vibrancy in Downtown Nashua, NH |
| | The Downtowner
Your Source For All Things Local! | | |
| | Dear –FNAME–, In case you missed it, I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to order your Nashua Skyline tee or hoodie before orders close on February 20th! We’re producing a limited run with our friends at Mint PrintWorks in Nashua’s school colors. Available in Nashua South Purple, Nashua North Blue, and Bishop Guertin Green. Our skyline logo has been given a treatment that incorporates all of the school colors, and is a great way for you to show your Nashua Pride, and support our mission of vibrancy. Thank you to everyone who has ordered theirs already! We hope you have a great week, and enjoy reading about all of the fun and exciting things happening in Downtown Nashua this week!
Sincerely,
Paul Shea
Executive Director
Great American Downtown | | |
| | For more Downtown information, visit DowntownNashua.org | | |
| | Our photo of the week is an illustration by artist Gary Destramp, capturing the exterior of City Room Cafe. We look forward to welcoming our friends to a return to business when they’re ready. We’ll keep an eye out! | | |
| | Do you have some great pictures of our vibrant Downtown you’d like to show off? Post them to our Facebook page, or send them to us by email! We love to share images that capture the beauty and excitement of Downtown Nashua. | | |
| | THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | |
| | SYMPHONY NH HAS TWO OFFERINGS THIS WEEK | | |
| | Symphony NH presents two virtual events to experience live music safely from home Event #1 Music Director Roger Kalia leads a chamber orchestra in Sarah Kirkland Snider’s 60 minute song cycle, Penelope in a virtual concert. $10 Event #2 Boston based duo, Parsonsfield (you may remember them from Great American Downtown’s 2019 New England Roots Festival) will be performing live from the Riverwalk Cafe with no audience present. Enjoy the thrill of live music from the safety and comfort of your own home. $20 | | |
| | FREE CONCERT SUNDAY, FEB. 28 | | |
| | First Music Concert Series 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 28 FIRST MUSIC CONCERT SERIES at The First Church, 1 Concord St., will offer Franz Schubertâs beautiful 1827 song cycle âWinterreiseâ (Winter Journey) in a complete performance by acclaimed bass-baritone Mark Andrew Cleveland, joined by Eliko Akahori on piano. Join them for a winter afternoon in the beauty of this Romanesque-revival space. Poet Wilhelm Müllerâs introspective writings set to music by Schubert are considered the pinnacle of the âLiederâ (Art Song) movement of the 19th century. The intimacy of this salon-style of programing is a rare musical treat for concertgoers. Entry to the church building is through the sole entrance currently used, in the courtyard between the old and new buildings at the rear. Wearing masks is a requirement inside the church building for all attendees. FIRST MUSIC operates with full social-distancing principles and air exchange in the Sanctuary, for the safety and comfort of our patrons. FREE ADMISSION. All are welcome! This in-person concert is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of First Music, and is the fifth program on the 2020/2021 FIRST MUSIC season. First Music has brought the Joy of Music to the Gate City since 2008. More information about the Seriesâ concerts may also be found under www.first-music.org, by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or by calling (603) 882-4861. | | |
| | THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | |
| | THINK SPRING, PART I: NATIVE LANDSCAPES PROGRAM | | |
| | ‘Why Native Plant Landscapes Matter’ at Nashua Public Library 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 25 Find out how to make your garden more earth-friendly at âWhy Native Plant Landscapes Matterâ â a free program, sponsored by the Nashua Public Library and featuring Claudia Thompson, founder and president emerita of Grow Native Massachusetts. Thompson will give an overview of the essential role of native plants in ecosystem health, starting with the concept of co-evolution between plants and animals and ending with a virtual tour of her 7,000 sq.-ft. garden in Cambridge. Sheâll explain the differences among native, naturalized and invasive plants, and explore the food web that links plants to insects, birds, wildlife and humans. Learn the essential principles for designing gardens that are places of beauty and biodiversity and habitats for birds, butterflies and wildlife. This virtual event is free to attend. Register by clicking below. You will be sent the Zoom link. For more information, contact Carol at the Nashua Public Library at [email protected] or 603-589-4610. | | |
| | THINK SPRING, PART II: YOUTH PROJECT OFFERS TREES | | |
| | Tree-Plenish of Nashua South will plant trees for you Order by March 17! Tree-Duce, Tree-Use, Tree-Cycle! After noticing the amount of paper that was used at their local public high school in Massachusetts, two students decided that they wanted to replenish the environment with the resources that their school has taken. They set out with a goal to plant 230 trees in the local community â the number required to make up for their school’s paper consumption during the 2018-2019 academic year. â The tree-planting event was a major success. The community came together to plant more than 330 trees, exceeding the initial goal! After spreading to other towns and working with environmental advocacy groups, Tree-Plenish has now come to Nashua High School South! Students from Nashua High School South need to plant at least 275 trees to offset their school’s paper usage. Your donation of only $4.10 a tree will send volunteers to plant it in your yard on April 17. They have several varieties of trees available: Red Maple, Silver Maple and River Birch. Read about this great youth endeavor HERE, and register for your sapling by clicking below! Please sign up by March 17 so the students can schedule for your April 17 planting. | | |
| | THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | |
| | TWO GREAT NEW NASHUA BUSINESSES | | |
| | Stepping Stones Youth Center Stepping Stones is a new drop-in youth center located on Pine Street Extension that opened in December. They assist homeless youth (ages 12â25) by providing them with a place where they can always get the basics they need and someone to talk to. There are approximately 400 unaccompanied youths currently homeless in Nashua alone. They have no safe place to go during the day. At Stepping Stones, homeless kids become comfortable, so that they can move away from worrying about their safety, and moving towards becoming self-sufficient, happy adults. They can explore new ideas and access other resources, many of which they may not even be aware are available to them. Stepping Stones is working towards becoming a 24/7 center, so that homeless kids always have a place to go that is safe, no matter what the hour. Their current hours are 8 amâ4 pm, SundayâFriday. Stepping Stones offers many activities and services, which can be found HERE. If you can donate or volunteer to help with their necessary and important work, please contact them! | | |
| | | Nightmare Escapes Nightmare Escapes at 100 Main Street is an exciting new haunted escape room experience, right in the heart of Downtown Nashua. Owned and created by the Katsakis family, the business offers you the challenge of making your way through a dark maze of elaborate rooms of puzzles to solve â before your time runs out! Attendees work their way through eight spooky rooms, figuring out puzzles and tasks, all while being stalked by mysterious creatures in the dark. One scene is shown below. Jenn and Kathleen of Great American Downtown were able to make their way and escape, screaming and laughing the whole way! Read all about our creep-tastic experience, by clicking the button below. Then make your own appointment for adventure â if you dare! | | |
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| | THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | |
| | BOOK CLUB CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH | | |
| | Join the Mayor and panelists to discuss ‘The Warmth of Other Suns’ Mayor Jim Donchess invites you to read âThe Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of Americaâs Great Migration,â by Isabel Wilkerson, and join in a virtual discussion in March. âThe Warmth of Other Sunsârelays the true story of three African-Americans fleeing the south at different points during the 20th century heading north and west, in what is known as the Great Migration. Wilkerson tells the story of what motivated their journey, as well as that of others along the way and what challenges they faced in their new world. At 7 pm Thursday, March 4, local panelists, along with Mayor Donchess, will hold a virtual discussion of the book, with each offering a perspective on the book and then opening it up to questions from registered participants. Panelists scheduled include: - Harvey Keye, community activist;
- Fran Keenan, Library Director at Nashua Community College; and
- Irving Scales, chairperson of Southern NH Outreach for Black Unity.
A limited number of copies of the âThe Warmth of Other Sunsâ are available at the Nashua Public Library for anyone interested in participating in the event. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon, in-store at Barnes & Noble in Nashua and at barnesandnoble.com. Register by March 1st to attend the virtual event, by clicking the button below. Event login information will then be sent to those who register. In addition to âThe Warmth of Other Suns,â Isabel Wilkerson has also authored âCaste: The Origins of our Discontents.â She is an American journalist and is the first woman of African-American heritage to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. More about the author and her books HERE. | | |
| | THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | |
| | WARM UP WITH A COFFEE AND BAKED TREAT! | | |
| | #TakeoutTuesday this week: Coffee shops and bakeries! Weâve been sharing suggestions with you in our weekly blogs on where to grab-n-go your meals in Downtown Nashua. Now that weâve grouped them by proximity, we thought it might be helpful to share those names with you grouped by restaurant type. This week’s offering is where to find a cozy nook to relax with a hot cup of coffee and a delicious home-baked treat. Whether you love donuts, cakes, pies, or pastries, we have several options for grabbing a sweet treat or a savory bagel, along with a hot cup o’ Joe. Why not commit to #TakeoutTuesday (or whatever day works for you and your family) every week, and expand your culinary horizons? Affordable and delicious options await you, with easy curbside pickup or delivery, and no grocery shopping and cooking for you! Read our blog below, and check our website weekly for more suggestions! | | |
| | ARE YOU A DOWNTOWN VENUE PRESENTING LIVE MUSIC? LET US KNOW! Please email us at [email protected] with your upcoming musicians, so we can share the info with our readers! | | |
| | Thank you for being a subscriber to The Downtowner! | | |
| | Great American Downtown is a Nashua based 501c3 Nonprofit Corporation that provides coordination, collaboration and partnerships that unify the entire Nashua community around a common vision for an attractive downtown that is vibrant, viable and truly reflects the character of our city. Learn all about our wide variety of programs here. We’re happy to share information about your upcoming event in and around Downtown Nashua! If you would like to submit an event to be featured in The Downtowner, or are interested in any other sponsorship and marketing opportunities through Great American Downtown, contact our Downtown Marketing Coordinator at [email protected]. | | |
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