New Hampshire
Reinstalled Satanic Temple ‘Holiday Display’ Damaged Again At Concord’s City Plaza
CONCORD, NH — The newly reinstalled so-called “holiday display,” “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” or “demon goat god Baphomet” at Concord’s City Plaza by the Satanic Temple on Monday has been damaged again.
Only this time, a suspect was quickly caught.
For the last 10 days, Brian Blackden, the organizer of the Christmas Tree Lighting event downtown, has been spending his evenings guarding the Nativity scene at Concord’s City Plaza, after several threats of vandalism online. He hangs out in his truck on North Main Street, has video cameras recording, and sometimes walks the grounds.
During this time, he has had several encounters with men, mainly during the early morning hours, scoping the plaza. Some of the vehicles have out-of-state plates. But they see Blackden, and then, they leave the area.
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Blackden, on Tuesday night, however, was in the right place at the right time.
Around 8 p.m., a man, who appeared to be disheveled or homeless, walked over to the Satanic Temple display, stood there for a short period, and then began to destroy the display. Blackden called the police, and the suspect was stopped about a block away. The suspect was questioned and then arrested.
On Monday, Blackden said after seeing the threats online, he decided to commit to protecting the Nativity scene.
The potential vandals, he said, “are ratcheting up the presence … I think they are just trying to gaslight me as they have not tried anything.” Blackden added, “But I am allowing them no time to do anything also.”
Last week, someone left a sign on the creche stating, “Do Not Go After Evil, That Path Leads To Destruction.”
Vandalism against spiritual displays during the holidays tends to be rare in Concord.
In December 2007, the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Nativity display outside St. Peter’s Church. Other figures in the display were not taken or damaged.
At some point, the Knights of Columbus installed mesh covering the current Nativity scene to keep the figurines, which are quite expensive, from being stolen or damaged.
Concord NH Patch will update this post when more information becomes available.
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New Hampshire
Photo Exhibit | Art Talk | Crew Competition | Nashua Genealogy Club | More: Week Ahead Events
NASHUA, NH — Here is the week ahead roundup.
Get out, New Hampshire.
Event listings are free on one Patch site. You can share your calendar info on other community sites for a modest fee, starting at 25 cents per day. To get started, visit the Events link on the front page of all Patch sites. Statewide calendar roundups are published on most Sundays and Wednesdays. Visit any of the 223 New Hampshire Patch Event sites (patch.com/map/new-hampshire) for updated listings.
New Hampshire
Let’s Talk Nature: The Value of Conserved Land
Join us for a community conversation exploring how land conservation supports thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and local economies. Recent research from Maine highlights the growing economic value of conserved lands — from supporting recreation, forestry, agriculture, and tourism to protecting clean water, storing carbon, and strengthening climate resilience. The findings reveal something important: protecting natural landscapes is not only good for the environment, but also for the people and communities that depend on them.
Together, we’ll explore what this research means both regionally and here at home. How do conserved lands shape our quality of life, local economy, and sense of place? How can communities balance growth, conservation, and long-term sustainability? And what role can each of us play in protecting the landscapes that support both nature and people?
At each “Let’s Talk Nature” gathering, we share a short article in advance and come together for an informal, welcoming discussion. Each session stands on its own, and everyone is welcome. No expertise needed. Bring your curiosity and a willingness to listen and share. Drinks and cookies provided.
Read this session’s article: Conserved Land in Maine has Growing Economic Power
Grey Rocks Conservation Center
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM on Wed, 1 Jul 2026
Event Supported By
Newfound Lake Region Association
603-744-8689
info@NewfoundLake.org
New Hampshire
High winds, heavy rains lead to scattered NH outages
High winds and widespread rain contributed to more than 12,000 power outages Saturday as a low pressure system passes over New Hampshire.
A high wind advisory remains in effect for southeastern New Hampshire until midday.
There is a high surf advisory in effect for the Seacoast area until 8 p.m. Saturday, with large-breaking waves in the range of 6-9 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
The forecast warns of dangerous wintry winds for hikers and campers, with heavy wet snow likely at higher elevations and a foot of snow possible on summits in the White Mountains.
In southeastern New Hampshire, the wind advisory calls for steady winds of 15-25 mph, and potential wind gusts up to 50 mph.
Eversource reported over 10,000 outages as of 9:30 a.m. Unitil had about 1,400 outages at that time.
The Mount Washington Observatory has recorded winterlike weather over the past 24 hours. Weather observers there say over half a foot of snow and sleet has fallen at the summit.
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