Once again this weekend, Bradford is the place to be for yard sale action! These dayglo signs caught my eye as I was making my way down Salem St. this evening. But, there are some pretty great looking Craigslist listings on the other side of the river, too, including:
145 WARRENTON RD Saturday 8am to 1pm. Billed as “Gran’s cleanout,” this sale promises “lots of antiques/collectibles and old stuff.”
266 HYATT AVE Saturday 8am to 10am. They must figure it’ll only take 2 hours to unload the giant pile of “old stuff” they have pictured in the ad.
544 W. LOWELL AVE Saturday 8:00am to 1:00pm. Yet another person who can’t spell the word collectibles is forsaking a bunch of their material possessions.
MEARS FARM RD Saturday and Sunday 8:00am to ??? Multi-family with different stuff each day, including baby stuff, kids stuff, and high end stuff. Stuff to fulfill all your stuff needs!
As always, if you have a hot tip on a cool yard sale, email us and we’ll be sure to update this post.
Tonight was the grand opening of Pedro’s, and those of who made it down to 147 Essex St. got a tour of their gorgeous office space, sneaked a peek into their secret R&D lab, and best of all were treated to free beer and cupcakes.
Bike shop inside Pedro's
But wait- did I mention there were mini bike races? Oh. Yes. There. Were.
Around 7:00pm a nice crowd started to gather out in front of Pedro’s HQ waiting for the main event…
And it did not disappoint! Check out these action shots:
Hmmm, you guys, I think an event this monumental calls for more Haverhill Fever goofy animated gifs, don’t you? (I can sense your heads nodding through my computer) In that case, I give you…
The Top 3 Goofy Animated Gifs from Pedro’s Mini Bike Race
1. Know what this race needs? More cow bell.
2. I like to call this one the “Whoopsie Daisy”
3. And last but not least- check out this guy’s mad sit-down skills.
But all goofy animated gifs aside, between Pedro’s and Frozen Waves, I’m starting to get really excited about the state of small business in Haverhill. It’s been my dream since moving here to see these types of businesses come into town and thrive…nice to see it’s coming true!
Unfortunately, due to all the activity at the open house, plus some shyness on my part, I wasn’t able to catch up with any of the crew at Pedro’s. Plus, with all the gif making going on, I ran down my camera battery before getting shots of the inside office. But rest assured, I’ll be making another visit soon, if only to be able to pretend for a moment that I work in such an inspiring workspace!
Rumors of an indoor dog playground at Ward Hill industrial park have been swirling around the Haverhill Fever Facebook page recently, and now it seems Ward Hill East is home to an even juicier development- Haverhill is getting an indoor skate park! A friend just texted me this exciting photographic evidence:
Frozen Waves indoor skate park taking shape in Ward Hill East
How cool is that? No word yet on when it’s set to open, but the park, being built by local ramp manufacturer Frozen Waves, has been in development since early March.
Frozen Waves specializes in mix-and-match ramps so anyone can design their own unique skating experience. Founders Brandon Bader, Rif Welsh and Benny Paquette gush on their Web site:
“25 years ago, we had an incredible dream. We grew up on skateboards. As we thrashed away our childhood, this dream matured right along with us. Our common ground is skateboarding, and thus, the way of our walk. Our goal is to make our dream, your reality.”
Well, despite being all kinds of no good on a skateboard, I for one am totally psyched and will be waiting with bated breath for this awesome new venture to open up shop. Until then, check out this cool video of a recent event Frozen Waves put on at Pop*Up Shoppes in Manchester, NH.
This past week, our friend A.A.S. posted this great shot of the Merrimack River. It inspired me to immediately log onto Craigslist and start searching for a cheap boat to ply its waters, which are looking positively benign these days.
The Merrimack River- silent, but deadly
But, if you think the Merrimack looks compellingly placid, and you’re tempted to dip a toe in, don’t be fooled. “The place of strong current” is no misnomer- this waterway is wild and dangerous- a force to be reckoned with. Its 110 miles of twists and turns inevitably swallow person or two each summer (pretty Merriwhack, if you ask me, River) and its waters are not immune to a few jabs at the expense of its cleanliness.
Merrimack Street panorama- Photo by A.A.S. on Flickr
But while some of us (particularly those who remember the Great Poo Flood of ’06) might be a bit hesitant to throw on a swimsuit and rush to Bradford’s new sandy beach, none of us can deny the impact the Merrimack has had on our fair city. The water power it provided during the late 1800’s put Haverhill on the map as “Queen Slipper City of the World.”
With the days at their longest and the weather at its most hospitable, don’t forget to take a moment and sit out on one of the handful of decks jutting out towards the river, behind Washington St. Sip your beer and enjoy not only the view, but the sound of the rushing river- a constant whispered reminder of the industrial revolution.
Okay, sure- if you want to be bowled over with weekend brunch options, downtown Haverhill leaves a lot to be desired. The Bistro 45 Jazz Brunch is defunct, and despite posters in the elevator to the contrary, I have yet to see solid evidence of a regular brunch offering at George’s.
But, don’t lose hope, hungry Haverhillians, for right over the bridge on Bradford’s Main St. there’s Village Square, a family run greasy spoon that boasts some of the best breakfast for miles.
I’m not going to lie- the exterior is um, shall we say, not very appetizing. But, Village Square’s teal blue façade and modest decor is more than compensated for by its friendly waitstaff, bottomless coffees, and heaping plates of whatever breakfast food your heart desires- whether it be pancakes, french toast, S.O.S. (tee hee hee) or even a breakfast burrito. (though the latter is not my favorite- I prefer the eggs and home fries inside like they do out west.)
The fare is so note-worthy that whenever our friends from Denver visit, they insist we hit the Square and pig the you-know-what out. Check out this photo I snapped pre-devour: my breakfast and the one across the table seem poised for an early morning throw down…
Breakfast Battle Royale: The Rumble in the Tummy
“Innn this corner, practically enveloping the plate is the meatloaf breakfast! Featuring two over-easy eggs, half-n-half (meaning half baked beans, half home fries). Annnnnnd in the other corner we have the featherweight breakfast champion- a mushroom and swiss omelet made with egg whites, served with wheat toast and baked beans…”
Here are a few snaps of our other orders, though not pictured are the must-try homemade grilled cornbread and grilled blueberry muffins. (Anyone who can down one of those bad boys is a hero in my book.)
Nothing escapes the grill- even the croissants are toasted in delicious griddle grease.
French toast with bacon and check out that big mound of butter!
Whether you’re nursing a hangover, or just need a hearty morning meal to fuel a busy day, you can’t go wrong at Village Square, though on weekend mornings you may find yourself at the end of a sizable line. (toootally worth it, though.)
I’m still a bit hung up on lack of fancy brunch, but some baked beans and a raised pinky get me by.
This little sweetie is posted in the Haverhill Gazette under “Pet of the Week.”
The caption reads, “Nubbin, caught for a week in a leg-hold trap like the one pictured with him, was rescued and rehabilitated by Animal Rescue Merrimack Valley in Bradford. The lucky cat is getting around fine on three legs and will be released for adoption soon. For more information about him, visit armv.org or e-mail adoptions@armv.org.”
Did they really need a leg trap prop? I guess it’s better than a dirty cat box prop. And what’s with the name Nubbin? That’s just messed up. Whatever, I hope he finds a home.
In case you were wondering where he be:
Animal Rescue
Merrimack Valley
PO Box 8006
Bradford , MA 01835
978-374-7233
In case you missed it, here are some highlights from this weekend’s big downtown bar crawl. A crowd of altruistic thirsty Haverhillians in their favorite sports gear hit 7 Haverhill Bars in 3 and-a-half hours (okay, maybe it was more of a bar SPRINT) last Friday, all to benefit the Haverhill High Athletic Department.
Lined up outside the Tap for bracelets at 7:00pm
Looks like someone's got a case of the Fever.
Cosmic Amanda and Chris give The Essex St. Grille two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Making colorful cocktails at Lounge 59.
Bar crawl organizer/referee Firg introducing Merrimack Delta Dub Set at Mal's Lounge.
The costume contest winner meets his adoring public.
As you can well imagine, a lot of our photos came out a bit…um…blurry, but it just goes to show that a fun time was had by all. Thanks to Firg for organizing it and to all the bars that participated. Good stuff!
159 EAST BROADWAY: Saturday 9:00am – 1:00pm for clothes, books, jewerly, kitchen appliances, small pieces of furniture, comforters, etc.
SALEM ST: I snapped the above photo while driving down Salem St. this afternoon. Haven’t seen a listing for this one yet, but it looks promising. Also, further down over the Groveland line there’s a white house for sale with about six plastic covered folding tables set out.
If you have a hot tip on a cool yard sale, email us and we’ll be sure to update this post.
