Manchester Mkerspace to offer community classes starting this spring. Courtesy Photo
MANCHESTER, NH – A new classroom space under construction at the Manchester Makerspace should be ready this week, creating a renovated space for a unique series of community classes.
“We saw a need in the community to offer inexpensive classes on topics not found anywhere else,” said John Robert, secretary of the Makerspace board. “With our classroom ready, our members finally have a space where they can share their knowledge and skills with the community.”
Notably, at least two of the classes listed below are available via Zoom so students can take part from anywhere in the world.
From Sheep to Wool
Students will literally make their own yarn, starting with wool from local sheep. They will learn the process, just as it has been done for centuries, from shorn fleece, to washing, to carding/combing and then spinning.
Date/time: May 7, 14, 21 and 28 6-8 p.m. $80
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Sign up via Eventbrite
Intro to Photography
Discover the art of photography in our beginner-friendly class designed for adults of all skill levels! Whether you’re new to photography or looking to refine your skills, this class will guide you through the essentials and help you develop your own unique style.
In this class, you’ll:
Learn the Fundamentals: Get to know your camera and its settings, and learn key concepts like exposure, aperture, and shutter speed.
Master Composition: Explore the rules of composition to create visually striking photos and bring your vision to life.
Practice Hands-On: Participate in fun, interactive exercises and assignments to apply your new knowledge and improve your photography.
Receive Personalized Feedback: Get tailored guidance and critiques from your instructor to help you progress and grow as a photographer.
Join a Supportive Community: Connect with fellow students and share your journey in a welcoming, encouraging environment.
This class is taught by Ellis Boettger, a graduate of Saint Anselm College and a Manchester resident.
Date/Time: May 19, 4:30 p.m. $160
Sign up via Eventbrite
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Social Media for Makers and Creators: Connect, Grow and Thrive
Tired or scared of feeling salesy and inauthentic online? Discover how to use social media to both connect and grow your followers into a loyal audience you enjoy interacting with!
In this workshop, we’ll uncover ways to showcase your work and craft content that fosters genuine connections. Learn strategies for gaining visibility, choosing the right platforms, and expanding your selling potential. Let’s build a sustainable path to turn your passion into a full-time business.
This class is taught by NH-based Cate Bligh, an expert on the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram algorithms whose had photos and AI-generated videos go viral, receiving millions of views. She specializes in promoting NH-based business via her web-design business and also leads Fall foliage photography tours in the White Mountains.
Class available via Zoom.
Date/Time: June 1, 10:30 a.m. -12 p.m. $40
Sign up via Eventbrite.
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This class is taught by NH-based Cate Bligh, an expert on the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram algorithms whose had photos and AI-generated videos go viral, receiving millions of views. She specializes in promoting NH-based business via her web-design business and also leads Fall foliage photography tours in the White Mountains.
Crochet Workshop
In this 3-session class for beginners, students will learn the basics of crochet from a NH Youtuber, whose work is displayed throughout Manchester (most prominently at Woodstacker Brewery). Students will:
Perform 6 fundamental stitches
How to crochet in rows
How to crochet in the round
How to read & follow patterns
How to select best tools & materials for a project
How to crochet using best practices
Date/time: July 11, 18, 25 6-7 p.m.
Sign up via Eventbrite.
This class is taught by Rebekah Cardenas, a Manchester resident who has been crocheting since she was 8 years old. She sells her work through her Etsy store, Create Fearlessly. Her crocheting tutorials can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@create_fearlessly
Bitcoin and Beyond: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and Blockchains
You’ve heard so much about the world of cryptocurrencies but you’ve been indecisive about diving in. Take this class at the Manchester Makerspace and you’ll be armed with everything you need to know about taking the plunge into this space as an investor.
We’ll provide a history of the crypto world and take a tour of some of the major coins – and show you how their platforms work. We’ll also talk about future price estimates and introduce you to the experts who have been right over and over again. Little or no experience is required … Just a desire to learn.
A laptop computer is recommended but not required. All registered participants will receive a link to a video to watch before the day of the class. (Link will be sent in the week leading up to the event)
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This is a two-session class. The second session will take place on June 12 (6-8 p.m.)
Class available via Zoom.
Datetime: June 5 and 12 6-8 p.m.
Sign up via Eventbrite
This class is taught by John Robert, who has been teaching about the world of Bitcoin cryptocurrencies and Decentralized Finance at Norwalk (CT) Community College for the last 5 years.
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Disconnect from Big Tech: Switch your phone to Graphene OS
Over 99% of the world is either using an iPhone or a Google phone. The companies that provide these phones – and the most-used apps on them – know where we go, who we are with, what we are buying, when we visit the bathroom and who we’re going to vote for (among other things). Can we really trust that they have our best interests at heart? … Or, are we heading toward a dystopian future where our phones will enable a single totalitarian world government?
I don’t know about you, but I started to get concerned when they started to introduce phone-based vaccination passports and contact-tracing apps. And then the federal government started arresting people, based on location data from Google. And then they started freezing the bank accounts of the Canadian truckers. All of this got real – and quick!
In this class, you’ll kick Big Tech to the curb and create your very own cellphone with the Edward Snowden-endorsed GrapheneOS operating system. And we’ll show you how to load apps that WILL NOT send data back to the Silicon Valley or anywhere else. No experience is necessary for this class but students must bring a phone on this provided list … as well as the charging/data cable it came with … and your favorite laptop (although we do have a computer for you to use, if you need one).
Date/time: June 20, 27 (6-8 p.m.) $100
Sign up via Eventbrite
This class is taught by a Manchester Makerspace member who is keenly aware of his public digital signature and would rather not reveal his identity. But students should know that, unlike over 99% of the rest of the world, he does not use an iPhone or a traditional Android phone.
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RoboTech Teens: Building and Coding Your Own Robot
If you’re worried that your kids will spend most of their summer playing Fortnite, why not send them to a summer camp that will teach them about coding and robotics??!!
In this five-part class for middle school and high school age teens, students will build and program their very own robot – no experience necessary!
The “brain” of this robot is the Arduino microcontroller, the board at the heart of so many cool projects seen on instructables.com, hackaday.com and so many other DIY web sites. Students will learn the Processing programming language and use it to control their robot, using strictly code – or in conjunction with distance sensors.
Datetime: July-22-26 8 a.m. to noon $250
Sign up via Eventbrite:
This class is taught by a Manchester Makerspace member who has taught over 500 people to build and program their own robots. He’s been teaching tech in libraries, makerspaces and colleges across New England for the last 10 years.
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Intro to Sports Journalism – Date/time and details TBD
Taught by longtime journalist Andrew Sylvia, Assistant Editor of Manchester Ink Link.
A prelicensed therapist who had been practicing in Bow, N.H., was arrested Monday based on an allegation that he sexually assaulted a patient during an in-office visit, police said.
Daniel Thibeault, who faces two counts of felonious sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, is being held at the Merrimack County jail pending his arraignment, according to a statement from the Bow Police Department.
Daniel Thibeault, a New Hampshire therapist arrested for alleged sexual assault of a patient.Courtesy of Bow Police Department
Thibeault had been a candidate for licensure who was subject to a supervisory agreement since May 2024, according to state records. His arrest comes after the presiding officer of the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice suspended his privileges to practice in the state in late December, citing the alleged assault.
Bow police had notified the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification in early December that Thibeault was accused of sexually assaulting the patient despite her “audible demands to stop,” according to an order signed by an administrative law judge.
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The incident was reported to Bow police in August, prompting an investigation by Detective Sergeant Tyler Coady that led to a warrant being issued for Thibeault‘s arrest, police said.
Efforts to reach Thibeault for comment were unsuccessful Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Police said the investigation is considered active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Coady at 603-223-3956 or tcoady@bownhpd.gov.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
The GameStop store at Fort Eddy Plaza will close this week as the struggling chain closes at least 80 of its stores across the country, including those in Claremont and West Lebanon.
The Concord store will be open Tuesday and Wednesday but will shut after that, the company said in an announcement.
Once the world’s largest retailer of video games with more than 3,200 stores around the world, including more than 2,000 in the United States, GameStop has seen sales fall for years as online gaming has grown. The chain closed some 400 stores last year.
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GameStop gained attention in 2021 for reasons not associated with its core business: It was targeted by short sellers and become one of several high-profile “meme stocks” whose price skyrocketed due to attention from a small number of social media influencers, sometimes through pictorial memes pushing for a “short squeeze” to generate large profits at the expense of short sellers and hedge funds.
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David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com. Sign up for his Granite Geek weekly email newsletter at granitegeek.org.
More by David Brooks
1 of 6 | The New Hampshire State House, completed in 1866, is in the capital of Concord. On January 5, 1776, New Hampshire became the first American state to adopt its own constitution. File Photo by Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress
Jan. 5 (UPI) — On this date in history:
In 1776, New Hampshire became the first American state to adopt its own constitution. The document marked a shift toward representative government and away from top-down British royal rule. The Granite State later replaced the document with its current constitution in 1784.
In 1914, the Ford Motor Co. increased its pay from $2.34 for a 9-hour day to $5 for 8 hours of work. It was a radical move in an attempt to better retain employees after introducing the assembly line.
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In 1925, Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming was sworn in as the first woman governor in the United States.
In 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay.
File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI
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In 1933, former President Calvin Coolidge died of coronary thrombosis at his Northampton, Mass., home at the age of 60.
In 1948, the first color newsreel, filmed at the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calif., was released by Warner Brothers-Pathe.
In 1982, a series of landslides killed up to 33 people after heavy rain in the San Francisco Bay area.
In 1993, the state of Washington hanged serial child-killer Westley Allan Dodd in the nation’s first gallows execution in 28 years.
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In 1996, a U.S. government shutdown ended after 21 days when Congress passed a stopgap spending measure that would allow federal employees to return to work. President Bill Clinton signed the bill the next day.
In 1998, U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif., of Sonny and Cher fame, was killed when he hit a tree while skiing at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
In 2002, a 15-year-old student pilot, flying alone, was killed in the crash of his single-engine Cessna into the 28th floor of the Bank of America building in Tampa, Fla.
In 2005, Eris was discovered. It was considered the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system until a year later when Pluto was downgraded from being a planet.
In 2008, tribal violence following a disputed Kenya presidential election claimed almost 500 lives, officials said. Turmoil exploded after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who had a wide early lead.
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File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI
In 2013, a cold wave that sent temperatures far below average in northern India was blamed for at least 129 deaths. Many of the victims were homeless.
In 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople granted independence to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, formally separating it from Moscow for the first time since the 17th century.
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In 2025, New York City became the first U.S. city to introduce a congestion charge — $9 for Manhattan’s business district. President Donald Trump failed to kill the toll in a lawsuit.
Students will literally make their own yarn, starting with wool from local sheep. They will learn the process, just as it has been done for centuries, from shorn fleece, to washing, to carding/combing and then spinning. 
Social Media for Makers and Creators: Connect, Grow and Thrive
Crochet Workshop
You’ve heard so much about the world of cryptocurrencies but you’ve been indecisive about diving in. Take this class at the Manchester Makerspace and you’ll be armed with everything you need to know about taking the plunge into this space as an investor. 
Over 99% of the world is either using an iPhone or a Google phone. The companies that provide these phones – and the most-used apps on them – know where we go, who we are with, what we are buying, when we visit the bathroom and who we’re going to vote for (among other things). Can we really trust that they have our best interests at heart? … Or, are we heading toward a dystopian future where our phones will enable a single totalitarian world government?
If you’re worried that your kids will spend most of their summer playing Fortnite, why not send them to a summer camp that will teach them about coding and robotics??!!
Intro to Sports Journalism – Date/time and details TBD
