Brogan: Looking Back while Striding Forward!

We are but days away from not only the end of 2019 but the end of another decade. Believe me when I say that I grow more and more astounded each year with how quickly they seem to pass.

This picture, taken in May of 1965, will be 55 year old in less than six months. I remember the day as though it were last year. It was the two-hour parade that marked Concord's Bicentennial. I was riding on the Friends of the Concord Public Library float, modeling the new earphones that were part of the library's then new Listening Room. The Parade and indeed that whole year of 1965, was a true celebration for all of the people of Concord and you couldn't help but be proud to be a part of the community.

As I reflect on the last decade, I realize that much of it was about my desire to both be a part of and to give back to Concord. This city has been good to me and I am sure thousands of others can lay claim to that same sentiment. Growing up here was like living in some fabulous amusement park. It was impossible to be bored because around every corner there seemed to be opportunities beckoning.

I know the remarks that were bandied about regarding "City in a Coma" and perhaps that was true after the arrival of the Mall in 1990 and a massive exodus from our downtown. However, when Main Street was replete with nearly 20 clothing stores, Five and Dimes, Sears, Penny's, three bookstores (Gibson's, Apple Tree and Bookland) and a wealth of activities for every age-range, I reveled in spending my allowance or earnings from a paper route, at any number of downtown locations.

On a typical weekend in the 60's or 70's, upwards of 2,000 would attend the movies at the Capital Theatre and Concord Theatre. I recall some films attracting more than 1500 between Friday and Sunday at the Concord Theatre where I worked for 27 years. Like the shopping experiences, the movies were as much a social event as well as economic generator, as anything else.

I know I am not alone in taking time at the end of a year or decade, to assess what it meant to me. And I am sure that many others give back to our community with the same level of enthusiasm that I do. For me, this past decade has been about recognizing the value of sharing a talent, passion or spirit of caring with others.

The decade brought with it a number of highs. I started the decade with a best-selling book (Was That a Name I Dropped?) and concluded it with another, (The Concord Theatre and Concord's Love Affair with the Movies). More than anything, I wanted the books to preserve a history of not only myself but of what it meant to be in Concord. I also wanted to pay tribute to the amazing individuals who shouldered the responsibility of trying to bring to all of us, the finest in motion pictures.

Theresa Cantin (The Concord Theatre), Barry Steelman (Cinema 93) and others dating all the way back to Jacob Conn in the early 1900's. looked at being theater-owners as much more than a job. It was a calling.

As a youngster in the days before Asthma inhalers were the norm, I was limited in what I could do because of serious Asthma. I did seem to make a habit of supporting our local hospitals with more than 40 admissions due to Asthma, before I was 12. However, I loved watching old movies on television and in the past decade I got to share that love with more than 1,000 area individuals. My classes for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), LINEC at New England College and at Goodlife, entertained and enlightened.

My nearly 200 blogs for Concord Patch ran the gamut from "The Good Old Days in Concord" to speaking out about sexual assault including the time I was assaulted at knifepoint, to voicing opinions about the redo of our downtown area to recognizing and highlighting various non-profits and individuals within our community who give that extra amount. Both the radio show I did for WKXL and my current Concord TV Show, were extensions of my belief that we must celebrate those who are selfless.

Of course we all come up short sometimes and my run for Mayor of Concord in 2015 was a perfect example of that. It was a misfire and deservedly so. However, it did make me realize how much I genuinely like our Mayor, Jim Bouley. True, I sometimes disagree with him about a plan or idea, but I cannot deny the love, caring and concern he has for our City.

Many times he has taken an hour to talk with me about concerns I have, just as he does with everyone. He even took time from his busy schedule in May to attend my book launch event at Gibson's and has guested on both my radio and television show where he has honestly discussed a wide-range of topics.

2019 was also the year I stopped listening to New Hampshire Public Radio, once I realized that it was not all the public they cared about. After having endured their rudeness, arrogance and bad behavior once too often, I switched stations.

The dissolution of the Granite State Symphony Orchestra, several years ago, after providing our city with its own professional symphony orchestra, left a gap in our local culture, a culture that is rich in music and the arts. The Community Music School continues to thrive as do various choral and musical groups. The arrival of the Hatbox Theatre increased the number of theatrical offerings available in our city.

Seeing my beloved Concord Theatre reborn as The Bank of New Hampshire Stage, was something I'd dreamed about since the theater shuttered in 1994. Thanks to Steve Duprey, Nicki Clarke, Joe Gleason, Steve Martin, Katie Collins and so many other remarkable individuals, this piece of history, dating back to 1860, is thriving, alive and a vibrant part of our downtown. Operated by the Capital Center for the Arts, these venues along with Red River Theatres, has made South Main Street a genuine center for entertainment.

The poster for the 1983 Barbra Streisand film Yentl contained the tag-line, "Nothing is Impossible". I think that for those of us who have been a part of Concord, New Hampshire, this might also be a perfect philosophy. Concord, New Hampshire makes you believe that you can try anything and that, whatever the outcome, you will come away better for the experience.

I've no idea what the next decade will hold for me. I know that during that decade I will turn 70 years of age. However, as my late friend Doris Day once said, "Age is only a number..."

I would urge everyone to step out of your comfort zone at least once in the next decade. Try something that might have once seemed impossible. You might surprise yourself.

After nearly 9 years of blogging, I would like to thank Tony Schinella for allowing me this forum and to also wish the readers of Patch a wonderful Holiday Season. May 2020 bring each and every one of you good health, success and much happiness. Happy Holidays!!