February 27, 2025 CI by Smckenna

inside Insider

CONCORD MONITOR EDITOR

RACHELWACHMAN (jvanfleet@cmonitor.com)

DESIGN EDITOR

RACHELSHEPARD (rshepard@cmonitor.com)

INSIDER NEWS TIPS (news@theconcordinsider.com)

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR STEVEPARE (spare@cmonitor.com,369-3229)

Help preserve auto racing history

TheNewEngland RacingMuseumis lookingforpassionatevolunteerstohelp preserveandsharethe richhistoryofautoracing intheregion.AswecelebrateTheYearofThe Modified,weareexpandingoureffortsto showcaselegendaryModifiedracecarsandthe driverswhomadethemfamous.Weneeddedicated individualstoassistinvariousroles,including:

■ MuseumDocents-Engagevisitorswithstoriesof NewEngland’sracingheritage.

■ EventSupport-Help organizeandrunspecial events,exhibits,and fundraisers.

■ Archival&Research Work-Assistincataloging historicalmaterials,photos, andmemorabilia.

■ SocialMedia&Marketing-Helpspreadthe wordaboutexhibitsand events.

■ GeneralMaintenance&

Setup-Keepourdisplays andexhibitsintopshape. Nopriorexperienceis necessary,justalovefor racinghistoryandawillingnesstohelp!Whether youcancommitafew hoursaweekorhelpat specialevents,wewelcome alllevelsofinvolvement.Joinusinpreserving thelegacyofNewEngland’smotorracinghistory. Tolearnmoreorsignupas avolunteer,contactdeputy directorRuthThompsonat 603-783-0183or emailnermvolunteers@ yahoo.com.

AbouttheNewEngland RacingHistoryMuseum:TheNewEngland RacingHistoryMuseumis dedicatedtopreservingthe stories,cars,andpeople whoshapedtheregion’s motorracingheritage. Throughinteractiveexhibits,archivalmaterials, andspecialevents,wecelebratethepastandinspire futuregenerationsof racingenthusiasts.

‘A communal place to go’ black forest nursery

By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Insider

Learningabouthouseplants,planningavegetable garden,growingkitchen herbs,andevenexploring theworldofbeekeepingare amongthefreeweekend classeshostedattheBlack ForestNurseryinBoscawen.

Inanefforttoprioritize peopleasmuchasplants,the nurseryprovidesyearroundlessonsforcommunitymembers–withor withoutagreenthumb–to learnalongsideoneanother.

“We’vewantedtooffer moreexperiencestopeople whoarecomingin,tobeable tonotjustcomeinandbuy plants,butalsotospendthe

daywithfriendsandfamily membersandjusthavea communalplacetogo,”said eventscoordinatorIsabel Burley.

Thenursery,foundedover fourdecadesagobyBoband NancyTowleandnow ownedbytheirdaughter Suzanne,offersconsultation,delivery,andinstallationserviceswhiletryingto hostfunevents,suchasa summeroutdoorartistsexhibitionoranEasteregg hunt.

“Wewanttomakememoriesforpeople,”saidHaley Page,whooverseessalesand marketing.“Wewantto createanexperiencefor peoplehereatournursery.”

Thefreeclasses,which takeplacemostlyonSaturdaysthroughouttheyear, offeranyoneinteresteda chancetolearnsomething new,whilethenursery’sselectionofpaidhands-on workshops newinthepast fewmonths allowspeople todivedeeperandwalk awaywithaplantoftheir own.Fromtheinsandouts ofstartingasucculent gardenorhands-onBonsai trimming,thesenicheworkshoptopicsaimtofillarange ofinterests.

“Weofferalotofdifferent thingsforpeopletobeable to,withtheirbudgetin mind,beabletobeasindependent,ashands-onasthey want,orweofferafulldesignservice,andweevendeliverandinstallsoitcanbe ashands-onorhands-offasa customerwants,”Pagesaid. “Nomattertheproject,big orsmall,wewanttobethere tohelpthemnavigatethat, whateverwaythatis.”

Eachmemberofthe nursery’sstaffhastheirown areasofexpertise.Theyaim tobuildtheirclassesand workshopsaroundthese specialtieswhileincorporatingparticipantdesiresto explorecertainsubjects.

“Wewantpeopletofeel likethey’reempoweredto dotheirowngardeningand

Black Forest Nursery held a free hands-on terrarium workshop on Jan. 26.

nothaveitbeareallyoverwhelmingthingthatthey justdon’tknowwhereto start,”Burleysaid.

UpcomingSaturdayfree classesincludePrinciplesof Permaculture(March1,10 a.m.),HouseplantPropagation101(March8,10a.m.), GardenDesignBasics (March15,10a.m.)andInvasivePlantsManagement (March22,10a.m.).The nurserywillalsohosttwo paidhands-onworkshopsin

March,oneoncreatingair plantterrariums(Sunday, March9,10a.m.)andanotheronBonsaibasics (Sunday,March23,10a.m. or3p.m.).

Thefreeclassesrequireno registration,whilethe hands-onworkshopshavea registrationformonline.To learnmore,visitblackforestnursery.com RachelWachmancanbe reachedatrwachman@ cmonitor.com

Bestselling local author to present novel

Gibson'sBookstore willwelcomeNew HampshireauthorLisaRogakatalaunch eventforhernewestbook “PropagandaGirls:TheSecretWaroftheWomenin theOSS”onTuesday, March4at6:30p.m.Rogak, wholivesin Canaan,willpresenttheincredibleuntoldstoryof fourwomenwhohelped

winWorldWarTwoby generatingawaveofblack propaganda:BettyMacDonald,a28-year-oldreporterfromHawaii,Zuzka Lauwerswhogrewupina tinyCzechoslovakianvillage,JaneSmith-Huttonthe wifeofanavalattaché livinginTokyo,andMarleneDietrich,theGermanAmericanactressand singer.

AsmembersoftheOffice ofStrategicServices(OSS), thesewomenweretasked withcreatingasecretbrand ofpropagandaproduced withthesoleaimof breakingthemorale ofAxissoldiers.

undercoverspiesand doubleagentstospreadto theenemy.Outsideofa smallgroupofspies,noone knewtheyexisted until now.

bert,”and“AngryOptimist: TheLifeandTimesofJon Stewart.”Sheistheeditor oftheNewYork Timesbestseller“Barack ObamainHisOwn Words.”

AheadofherConcord visit,Rogaksharedmore about“PropagandaGirls” andherwritingjourney.

WorkingintheEuropeantheater, acrossenemylines inoccupiedChina, andinWashington, D.C.,Betty,Zuzka, Jane,andMarlene forgedlettersand “official”militaryorders, wroteandproducedentire newspapers,scriptedradio broadcastsandsongs,and evendevelopedrumorsfor

In“Propaganda Girls,”bestselling authorRogak bringstolifetheincredibletruestory offourunsung heroes,whose spellbinding achievements wouldchangethe courseofhistory.Rogakhas alsowritten“AndNothing ButtheTruthiness:The Rise(andFurtherRise)of StephenCol-

Q:Wheredidyoufirst gettheideaforPropagandaGirls?Iusuallyfind theideaforanewproject whileI’mresearching somethingelse.Iamavoraciousreaderofwhatever I’mresearchingatthetime, andin2016I’djusthanded inthemanuscriptand photosforabookcalled “DogsWhoServe,”a follow-upto“DogsofWar.” SoIhadbeendevouring booksonmilitaryhistory whenIfirstheardaboutthe MoraleOperations(MO) divisionoftheOSS,probablyviaBettyMacDonald, oneofthewomeninPropagandaGirls,whohad writtenacoupleofbooks onherexperiences:“UndercoverGirl,”and“SisterhoodofSpies,”asElizabeth McIntosh.

Q:Whatdidyourresearchprocesslooklike forthisbook?Digging,digging,andmoredigging.I probablyreadeverybook abouttheOSSeverpublished.AndthenIstarted lookingforwhatwasunpublished:interviews,stories,documents,newspaper andmagazinearticles,etc.

Lisa Rogak

BecauseMOwascarriedout allovertheworld,Ididn’t wanttofocusonjustone woman.Ialsowantedto balancethemoutgeographically:twoinEurope,onein thePacificTheatre,and mostimportantly,one basedintheStatesatOSS headquarters,sincethedomesticperspectiveofOSS wasrarelytouchedonin thebooksI’dread.

WhileIreallywantedto digthroughdeclassified OSSfilesattheNational ArchivesinCollegePark, Maryland,Iknewitwasn’ta gooduseofmytime.Soon twoseparateoccasionsI hiredtworesearcherswho spenttheirdayscombing throughOSSfilesandtold themspecificallywhatIwas lookingfor.Happily,while therewassomeoverlap, theydugupseparateinformationaboutthewomen andtheMoraleOperations alongwiththeirpersonnel files,whichwereagold mine.Withoutthepersonnelrecords,Iwouldn’t havebeenabletowrite aboutthedegreeofblatant sexismthatthewomenhad dealtwithduringthewar.

Q:Whatdoyouhope readerswilltakeaway fromreadingaboutthese impactfulwomen?That

theywillbeinspiredtofight backandspeakupinwhateverarenatheychoose. Andifsomebodytellsyou NO,thengoaheadanddoit anyway.

Wheredidyoufindcreativeinspirationwhile workingonthisproject?I wantedtoservethese womenandtheirstories well,soIwasconstantlyinspiredbywhattheywere abletoaccomplishunder verylimitedanddangerous circumstances.

Q:Whatwasachallenge youencounteredduring thewritingprocess?

Knowingwhentostop.Researchismyfavoritething aboutwriting,andIalways feelthatifIgodownjust onemorerabbithole,the planetswillalign,angels willsing,andthebookwill beperfect….ha!

Q:What’sonepieceof adviceyou’dgiveaspiring writers?Readreadread readreadreadread.Read somemore.Thenwrite.

LisaRogakwillbeat Gibson’sBookstoreinConcordonTuesday,March4at 6:30p.m.Noregistrationis requiredforthisevent.For moreinformation,visitgibsonsbookstore.com/event/propaganda-girls.

Concord School District holds student show city wide community center

By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Insider

Tocelebratestudentwork inhonorofYouthArtMonth, theConcordSchoolDistrict hostsanannualartshow compilingpiecesmadeby studentsfromkindergarten totwelfth-gradeacrossthe district.Thisyear’sshow

openedonThursday,Feb.20 andwillrunthrough Wednesday,April2atthe CityWideCommunity Center.

Fromdrawingand paintingtoprintmakingand 3-Dinstallations,theexhibit aimstoillustratethewide arrayofcreativeworkhap-

ABBOT-DOWNING

Kindergarten students at Abbot-Downing Elementary School contributed to a collaborative art project.

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peningateachoftheConcordschools.Theshowtries todisplayartworkfromas manystudentsaspossible, accordingtoAbbotDowningElementarySchool artteacherNathanShartarHowe.

“It’sagreatwayforthe communitytoseewhatstudentsaredoingbecausethey don’tgetthechancetosee whatstudentsaredoingin theclassroom,”hesaid.“This bringstheartworktothe community,andIthinkit’sa greatsourceofconnection.”

Thisyear,theshowwill featureawallofself-portraitscompiledfromstudentsacrossallgradelevels, withthegoalofillustrating artisticgrowthasstudents moveupthroughtheschool system.EachofShartarHowe’sstudentsalsohadthe opportunitytoparticipatein creatingasmallpieceofa largerprojectsothattheexhibitincludeseveryAbbotDowningchild’swork.

Helooksforwardtothe showeachyearandespeciallylovestheopeningreception,whichattractsseveralhundredattendeesand

includesaperformanceby ConcordHighSchoolmusicians.

“Thisagreatwaytoshow kidspresenting oneofthe nationalstandardsispresenting,”Shartar-Howesaid. “Thisisagreatwaytodothat, andwegettoshowcaseitfor thecommunity.Andthestudentsreallyenjoygettingto seetheirartworkondisplay. Iknowalotoftheyounger studentsgetreallyexcited.”

Thisyear’sopeningreceptionwilltakeplaceon Tuesday,March4beginning at5p.m.

RachelWachmancanbe reachedatrwachman@cmonitor.com

RUNDLETT MIDDLE SCHOOL

Student ceramic artwork created at Rundlett Middle School in Concord.

22nd Annual David Surette Mandolin Festival concord community music school

The22ndDavid SuretteMandolin Festival,tobeheld March8-9attheConcord ConcordCommunity MusicSchool,celebrates themanyvoicesofthe mandolin,astringedinstrumentheardinbluegrass,old-time,classical, swing,blues,Brazilian, Italian,andCelticmusic. Thefestivalisnamedfor itsfounder,NewEngland musicianDavidSurette. Withareputationthat reachedacrosstheUSand beyondtoCanada,England,FranceandItaly, Surettewasadmiredand respectedasaplayer,composerandteacher.

Thethree-dayeventbeginswithaconcertatthe DanceHallinKittery, MaineonFriday,March7 followedbyworkshopson

Saturday,March8and Sunday,March9atConcordCommunityMusic School,withanevening concertatthemusicschool onMarch8.

TheConcordworkshops willgivemandolinplayers ofeverylevelthechanceto workontheirskillswith world-classinstructors.

Thisyear’sinstructorsare Italianmandolinvirtuoso CarloAonzo,Nashville bluegrasspickerSharon Gilchrist,Vermontjazzand swingplayerWillPatton, andCelticmulti-instrumentalistNeilPearlmanof Portland,Maine.

Theconcertsfeaturenot onlyAonzo,Gilchrist, PattonandPearlman,but alsoSurette’sfamilySusie, IsaandJuliannaBurke.

Toregisterfortheworkshopsorbuyticketsforthe Saturdayeveningconcert atConcordCommunity MusicSchool,visitccmusicschool.org/event/davidsurette-mandolin-festival2025/

ForticketstotheFriday nightkickoffconcertatthe MusicHall(Kittery,ME), visitthedancehallkittery.org/events/davidsurette-mandolin-fest

CONCORD COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL

The 2025David SuretteMandolin Festival performers/instructors are (top-bottom, left to right) Carlo Alonzo, Neil Pearlman, Sharon Gilchrest, and Will Patton.

Applications open for award nh journalism

Applicationsarenow openforNewHampshire’s largeststudentjournalism award,theBrodskyPrize, whichwasestablished sevenyearsagobythelate JeffreyBrodskyandhisfather,Howard,toencourage innovationbystudentjournalists.The$5,000prizeis opentoallhighschoolstudentsattendingpublic, charter,orparochial schoolsinNewHampshire.

Judgingcriteriaincludea student’sjournalisticinitiativeandenterprise,aswell aswhatthelateJeffrey Brodskycalled“acontrariannatureandout-ofthe-boxthinking” The deadlineforapplicationsis April28,2025.

“Workingontheschool newspaperwasthemost formativeandmeaningful highschoolexperiencefor me morethananyclassroom.It’smoreimportant

thaneverforyoungjournaliststopushboundaries andtochallengeauthority, andtheycanstartbyusing thepoweroftheirschool paperjustlikethepressin theprofessionalworld,” JeffreyBrodskysaidofstudentjournalism.

TheNackeyS.Loeb SchoolofCommunications, helpsoverseetheaward programandprovidesone ofthejudges,executivedirectorLauraSimoes.LongtimejudgesareHoward Brodsky,Jeffrey’sfa-

therandco-founderand chairmanofCCAGlobal Partners,MisbahTahir, formerLittleGreenco-editorandnowabiotechnologyfinanceexecutive, formerUnionLeaderand SundayNewspresidentand publisherJosephMcQuaid, andLeahToddLin,VPof AudienceStrategyforNH PublicRadio.

Moreinformationonthe BrodskyPrize,including pastwinnersandapplication,canbefoundatthebrodskyprize.org.