A Touch of 'Stardust'

Throughout the history of Concord, celebrated individuals have trod the streets, bringing their unique celebrity quality to everyone they’ve encountered. From politicians, sports figures or entertainment personalities, Concord has seen more than her share of notable persons.

To this date, my friend Doris Day still recalls with fondness her visit to Concord in the late 1950s while on her way to Maine to make a film with Jack Lemmon.

Miss Day and her husband, Martin Melcher, had driven cross country and stopped in Concord at the Franklin Pierce Inn on South Main Street.  Craving an ice cream, the Innkeeper suggested they try the Concord Dairy Bar on North State Street.  They did and Bob Stuart who was a mainstay of the Community Players of Concord, delightfully waited on them.

I had a good fortune to bring a number of celebrities to Concord as part of my fundraising activities during the past decade. To a person, they fell in love with Concord and found the people of this city to be charming, kind and memorable.

In 2002, I brought Patti Page, the celebrated recording star, to the . It was the second show I’d produced at this amazing venue, having brought award-winning singer Jack Jones earlier.

Working with the team at the CCA makes “putting on a show” even more fun than Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney made it appear in half a dozen 1940s musicals. They really know what they’re doing at the CCA.

Patti, a part-time New Hampshire resident, whose husband operated a maple syrup farm in Bath, packed the theatre to capacity with an audience that demanded encore after encore. At intermission there was a stampede to the lobby where Patti and her husband Jerry sold their unique “Singing Syrup.” A computer chip embedded in the lid played Patti singing about “syrup from New Hampshire” whenever you opened it. The second act was delayed a half hour while locals purchased tens of thousands of dollars in syrup.

“People in Concord sure have good taste,” Patti remarked, with a laugh after the show.

Eileen Fulton, who played the vixen Lisa on “As The World Turns” for 50 years, came to Concord in 2003 to perform in a Dinner/Theatre fundraiser entitled, “Dinner with a Diva.”

Held at the , I never realized what a devoted fan base soap stars have. Hundreds converged on the Hotel complex, some coming from Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, to enjoy an evening of dining, drinking and quality entertainment.

Eileen and her manager Dick Barclay, fell in love with Concord and found the people to be so welcoming and kind.

interviewed Eileen for Concord’s community access television station and Eileen declared afterwards that Dick was a better interviewer than “…any of those so-called professionals on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’”

Jim Bailey, winner of a People’s Choice Award and winner, several times of “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year,” came to the Capitol Center in the fall of 2006 as Judy Garland.

“This show was better than anything I’ve seen in Las Vegas in years,” declared Steve Mello, a highly successful New Hampshire businessman.

Jim, who lives in California, told me that more than anything, while in Concord, he wanted some great seafood and some really good Pot Roast.

“All we have in California is Red Lobster and if I asked someone for Pot Roast, they’d look at me as though I’m nuts!”

We took him to the Makris Lobster and Steak House where he reveled in the delicious cuisine. He found his Pot Roast at the Common Man and said that next to the seven standing ovations he received during his performance, the outstanding food would be his fondest memory of the trip.

Carol Channing, the Broadway and Hollywood legend arrived in Concord in June of 2007 to perform at the Capitol Center.  Carol was 86 at the time and we had a difficult time keeping up with her and her 87 year old husband and Junior High sweetheart, Harry. After settling in at the , she had an insatiable desire to explore her surroundings and get to know the city and its residents.

Carol’s father had been a Christian Science lecturer and so we took her to the on North State Street where she had a special guided tour.

Carol and Harry have a foundation that supports keeping the arts in the schools. They believe that art and music as part of an education can help shape and mold better minds. With that in mind we took her to the . Peggy Senter, president of the School, invited Carol and Harry to sit in on a class. They did, not only observing but actively participating much to the delight of the students.

and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, invited us to visit them in the governor’s office. Carol and Lynch immediately formed a Mutual Admiration Society and Carol and Harry happily accepted an invitation to return the next day to meet the Executive Council as well as visiting the.

Over dinner that evening in the Centennial Inn’s lovely Granite Restaurant, Carol rewrote the lyrics to her signature tune, “Hello Dolly,” changing the words to “Hello Johnny” in honor of Lynch. To his delight, she sang the song, not only in front of the Executive Council but in front of the full Senate and House. The governor beamed.

After rehearsing all day for her performance, Carol announced she wanted a really good home-cooked meal for supper. We had to look no further than Concord’s where Carol told the owner Art that the food and service were “comparable to Sardi’s.”

When Carol returned to New Hampshire in 2008 to perform in a benefit I presented in Portsmouth, her first remark after arriving in the seacoast area was, “When are we visiting Concord?”

Concord does weave a spell which residents may not always realize as they go about their day to day business, but take it from some rather famous folks – “What a wonderful place to be!!”