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Community Corner

80 Thoreau Serves Up Tasty Gratuity

Restaurant offers tasty thanks for guides

Good Morning and the happiest of Fridays to you all. Tonight my second oldest niece is headed to the alter to marry her childhood sweetheart. I could not be happier for them. On top of that, I will be mingling with a host of friends and relatives who are coming in from all over to enjoy the nuptials. How can I not enjoy myself?

Speaking of people coming from all over, did you know that more than 20,000 tourists (the final tally isn’t in yet) were served by the since it opened in April, and closed for the season last weekend? That’s quite a figure considering the population of our fair city is about 16,000. Guests came as near as Concord, and as far as Micronesia to enjoy a guided tour of our wonderfully historic sites, restaurants and retailers.

The individuals who led those tours, many of them in costume of the Colonial era, were treated to a delicious gourmet dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 25, by the folks at 80 Thoreau. The guides selected whatever they wanted from the menu, and enjoyed the atmosphere and excellent service — and, of course, the food!

Thoreau's owner, Ian Calhoun, said he and his staff were proud to be able to host such a fine group of guides from the Visitors Center. “We wanted to show them what we do at 80 Thoreau. They ordered off the menu and really enjoyed themselves. I am proud to have opened 80 Thoreau in Concord and it was fun to share the restaurant with a group of people who are passionate about the town and representing it well to the rest of the world."

Stephanie Stillman, executive director of the The Concord Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the Visitors Center, agreed the evening was lovely. “The dinner was wonderful and the staff now know how to tell visitors about the restaurant,” she wrote in an email to me. “It was a very generous offer from 80 Thoreau and a very smart one — my staff now has real knowledge they can pass on to visitors looking for a place to eat in Concord.”

Because we live here, we already know about the great places to eat in Concord.

There are wonderful places to eat here in Concord, and here are two that host live music many nights of the week:

is performing classic rock and blues of the Woodstock Generation tonight in the Village Forge Tavern at the Colonial Inn. Tom Yates, as you read here, performed regularly with the Kinks way back when. Tomorrow at the Village Forge Tavern, Toni Lynn Washington performs with the Workingman's Band perform soulful jazz & blues, and Sunday tune in for up-and-coming musicians at Acoustic Open Mic, hosted by Ken Selcer. There is no cover charge for any of these events and the tavern is open from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and 7 to 10 p.m. for Open Mic night.

Live music is also on tap around the corner at Main Streets Market and Cafe. Breaktime performs pop and folk music tonight from 8 to 11 p.m. If you go, say hello to my friend Margaret Fries who seldom misses Friday nights at Main Street. Tomorrow, Nov. 5, Two for the Show, featuring Ellen Schmidt and Jake Kensinger, performs rock and alternative rock.

Both locales offer fine live music, plenty of free parking and excellent menus as well as great service and atmosphere.

Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at mcb23@comcast.net or Stefanie at stefanieac@comcast.net and we will be happy to help you spread the good news.

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