Live Free and Blog

The ManchVegas Roller Girls

2009-11-13T00:12:00Z

I've been wondering about the newest thing in sports, Roller Derby, a sport which is really not so new at all, and the group known as the ManchVegas Roller Girls. Roller Derby, it seems, is so popular (again) that there was even a film, Whip It, featuring Drew Barrymore, released this year. Manchester's Roller Girls are becoming quite popular, and it sure looks like a lot of fun, both to participate in and to watch. Their season just ended in October, but you can find them at various events throughout the year. Check out this footage from a 2009 bout with the Department of Public Hurts:

Thanks to chalkyxiii for putting this video up!

The 222 lb. Meatball!

2009-11-03T15:13:00Z

To be fair, I should mention that my sister told me about and attended this event. I couldn't figure out why she would be interested in a giant meatball, but it turns out that someone on her daughter's cheerleading team invited them and she felt compelled to make an appearance. I even called her during the event (oops) and she whispered into the phone, "I'm at the meatball thing!" I almost didn't believe her, but I could hear the cheers behind her. And now I know she wasn't kidding, because here is the video.

Check off another New Hampshire entry into the Guinness Book of World Records!

Thanks to lwbard for uploading this video.

Gov't Mule at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

2009-11-01T00:46:00Z

Here's some video taken last night at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom's performance of Gov't Mule. Shot by someone in the audience, the video is excellent. The song, "Broke Down on the Brazos" is from latest CD, By a Thread.

Thanks to bgradys for posting this video.

Dog Sledding, already?

2009-11-01T00:35:00Z

Yes, it's (almost that time of year). That is, time to get the dogs running on the trails in preparation of the long winter ahead. Here's a nice video of some dog sledding with a gorgeous group of Siberian Huskies in southern New Hampshire. Looking good!

Fall Foliage Drive: Route 16N from Wakefield to Ossipee

2009-10-07T00:05:00Z

I filmed my "leaf peeping" drive north on Route 16 today, October 6, 2009. The colors were actually quite brilliant but the cloud cover prevented the photography from showing that color. It was near peak in many areas, especially on Mount Chocorua, one of my favorite mountains in the entire state. Here's the video:

Columbus Day Weekend should be peak foliage up north. Think about taking a ride because this year it seems the colors are especially bright, thanks to the early regular rain we got this summer.

A visit to North Conway Village

2009-09-28T23:25:00Z

Found this nice video of North Conway Village, thanks to rsntv16. It's a great time of year to be in this area too! So, check it out and be sure to pay a visit to the area if you can.

Mark Martin wins the Sylvania 300

2009-09-21T02:05:00Z

Some video of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon today. 50-year old Mark Martin took the checkered flag, his first win at NHMS. This was the first race in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Scenes from Hopkinton State Fair

2009-09-06T18:15:00Z

This is a great video of the motocross competition that I found from this year's Hopkinton Fair.

Video from the popular Demolition Derby:

If I find some additional video from the fair, I will post it here. Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone!

Ruckus at Carol Shea-Porter's Town Hall Meeting

2009-08-30T20:15:00Z

Some scenes from Carol Shea-Porter's "Town Hall Meeting." Shea-Porter held two on Saturday, August 29 - one in Portsmouth, and one in Manchester. Carol Shea-Porter represents District One in New Hampshire.

From SeacoastOnline.com:

Carl Tomanelli of Londonderry gets removed from the "Town Hall" meeting over his concerns about who is attending the meeting, since only 100 people were allowed inside.

Josh, the camel that climbed Mount Washington

2009-08-27T17:15:00Z

I have been so busy that I forgot to tell you that I recently met a local celebrity. That's right. I met Josh, the camel that climbed Mount Washington! Josh received national attention in June for being the first camel to climb the 6,288 Mount Washington. He even received his own "This Car Climbed Mount Washington" bumper sticker, modified, of course, to read, "This Camel Climbed Mount Washington."

Josh is incredibly friendly and photogenic, seemingly posing with people as they come over to say hello. And he draws attention wherever he goes. In April when I was in Hampton, I ran into Josh the first time. He was making his way down the beach, and I was walking to the jetty. He was with a group of horses, I didn't immediately notice that Josh was a camel until I passed by (doing a double-take). Josh and his handler, Chris Butler, have been making their way across New Hampshire meeting and greeting visitors and residents alike.

It's quite a site to see a camel grazing in the City of Manchester -- but that's where I saw him -- on the church grounds at the Mahrajan Festival on August 15, 2009.

Follow Josh's journey: http://humpacrossamerica.com/default.aspx

Here's a great video of his trek up New Hampshire's tallest mountain:

Hurricane Bill hits Hampton Beach

2009-08-24T03:47:00Z

Hurricane Bill spins away from the coast of New Hampshire on August 23, 2009 causing ten to fifteen foot high waves. The beach was closed to swimming due to rip tides and high surf. Here's some footage.

10th Annual Latino Festival in Manchester

2009-08-17T01:55:00Z

The 10th Annual Latino Festival took place in Veteran's Park in Manchester on August 15, 2009. There was music, dancing, food from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Colombia, and other countries.

If you missed it - especially the food, which reminded me of the food I was raised on - you'll have to wait until next year. This is a popular festival, and the food is just one of the reasons why it has become a Manchester tradition. Next weekend (August 22), the location will be the site of the African-Caribbean Celebration, so if you like to try foods and listen to the sounds of music from other cultures, be sure to check it out!

Xtreme Descent, a fund-raiser for the Boy Scouts

2009-08-16T23:19:00Z

There was a lot going on in Manchester yesterday, August 15, 2009.

This event was called Xtreme Descent. And here's what they did: they rappelled from the tallest building in the state, the 24-story Brady-Sullivan Building at 1000 Elm Street in Manchester. Over 100 rappellers made the descent, with the help of Over the Edge, a rapelling organization that works with non-profit groups across the country, to raise money for the Daniel Webster Boy Scout Council. They raised $54,000!

There's nothing little about this cupcake

2009-08-13T23:15:00Z

GourmetGiftBaskets.com, a southern New Hampshire based company, made it into the Guinness Book of World Records this weekend by making the largest cupcake ever. Here is some video of from the ceremony in Detroit:

Some video of the preparation required to make this ginormous 1,224 pound frosted confection. It stood over 7' tall, measured 11' around, used 800 pounds of eggs, sugar, flour and butter. They originally estimated it would hit the 7,000 pound mark, but after some technical issues, they had to scrap the original plan. The record was still broken though, and this one beat the last record by more than 1,000 pounds.

The giant cupcake was part of the "Cupcake Wars" that have been raging in the gourmet food community for the last two years. More importantly, it raised money, through cupcake sales and other donations, for the benefit of Susan G. Komen's "Passionately Pink for the Cure," a program encouraging people to wear pink, raise funds and fight breast cancer.

Congratulations to the folks at GourmetGiftBaskets.com for a fabulous feat!

President Obama comes to Portsmouth to talk about healthcare reform

2009-08-12T00:23:00Z

Protestors march on President Obama health care forum in Portsmouth, NH:

More protestors, from both sides:

Video from Seacoast Online:

More from the protestors and supporters outside:

President Obama answers a question at the healthcare town hall meeting:
(coverage from C-Span)

Today, President Barack Obama came to Portsmouth to hold a "Town Hall" style meeting about healthcare. After a speech about the plan, he took some questions from the audience (a total of 9 questions were asked). Outside, both supporters and protestors lined the sidewalks outside Portsmouth High School where the meeting was held. I'm including some clips from the day here for those interested in seeing democracy in action, right here in New Hampshire.

I will try to add to this tomorrow as I find some additional video that covers all angles of this "Town Hall" (Healthcare Reform) meeting.