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In Concord, caring for an old house can mean caring for a piece of American history.

That was certainly true when Target Painting was called to work on the historic Daniel Chester French House, built around 1787. French became on of America’s most celebrated sculptors. His Minute Man statue, unveiled at Concord’s North Bridge in 1875, became an American icon; decades later, he created the monumental statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Seven years ago, in the first issue of Discover Concord, we introduced readers to Kristin Canty—entrepreneur, filmmaker, farmer, restaurateur, mother of four, and passionate advocate for changing the way we think about food.

Even then, Canty was thinking big. Today, the ideas she put into practice in West Concord have reached one of the culinary world’s most respected stages. Woods Hill Pier 4, her restaurant overlooking Boston Harbor, has earned a MICHELIN Guide recommendation—an impressive milestone in a journey that began close to home.

In 1989, opening a store devoted to organic foods, natural remedies, bulk ingredients, and environmentally responsible products was hardly an obvious business proposition. But Debra Stark knew that you could feed your family—and that it could still be delicious—with nothing artificial, nothing chemical, no refined sugars or flours. The idea was clean food, period. Thirty-seven years later, it is difficult to imagine West Concord without Debra’s Natural Gourmet.

Traditions. Each season has them. Picking apples is one quintessential fall activity that never grows old. There is something magical and exhilarating about walking through an orchard and choosing your own apples, always picking more than you can carry. Your head is full of apple varieties—McIntosh, Cortland, Spartan, Honeycrisp, Baldwin, Macoun, Spencer, Empire, Winesap, Fortune, Jonathan—and what delicious things you can make with them.

Orchards filled with apple trees laden with fruit are a sight to behold. Each orchard offers its own unique experience, and many offer pick-your-own fruit opportunities. Go early, and you could find additional fruits like peaches, plums, nectarines, or late-season raspberries; go later, and pumpkins might be in the mix.

We hope you enjoy exploring these vibrant communities!

This spring, visitors wandering through the West Concord Cultural District may have stumbled upon something unexpected: the sound of jazz drifting from a pop-up gallery, a master luthier explaining the mysteries of guitar bracing to a packed audience, a Celtic harp performance in an intimate exhibit space, or families gathering around an artist-painted piano outside a future museum still years away from opening.

There was a time when fine jewelry spent most of its life tucked away in a velvet box, reserved for weddings, anniversaries, and other milestone occasions. At Fairbank and Perry Goldsmiths, owner Geraldine Perry is helping to rewrite that story. “We want people to wear and enjoy their jewelry every day,” she says. “It should be part of your life.”

In colonial America, taverns were commonplace throughout Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. But these early American taprooms were much more than just watering holes. They served an important purpose in the community as a place for townsfolk to gather and plan. This proved especially important in the years leading up to the Revolution. Taverns became Patriot refuges, where decisions were made about separation from the Crown and what a more democratic form of government would look like. As British-colonial relations finally boiled over, taverns became meeting spots for Patriot militias to assemble and prepare for battle. 

This year, the Trinitarian Congregational Church (TriCon) on Walden Street is celebrating its 200th anniversary. However, from the early days of Concord’s founding in 1635, there was only one meeting house, and that was First Church in the center of town. In 1778, Reverend Ezra Ripley assumed the pastorate, a position he would hold for 63 years. By 1825, First Parish, like many Congregational churches in Massachusetts, had changed, adopting a Unitarian theology. But not all parishioners were happy with “Dr. Ripley’s church” or his unorthodox preaching. In March 1826, nine dissenters, joined by seven townspeople, left First Parish to form their own “religious conference.”

This year marks the 85th Annual Gathering of the Thoreau Society—the oldest and largest community devoted to an American author. Founded in 1941 by Walter Harding, the Society began with a simple invitation to a “Thoreau Birthday Mecca”:  meet at Walden Pond, share lunch at Concord’s Colonial Inn, and talk about forming a group devoted to Henry David Thoreau. 

From November 8 through the holidays, Loveday Boutique will showcase hand crafted contemporary lockets from 14 artisans, alongside a selection of vintage finds. These modern heirlooms are created with a range of materials, including precious metals, diamonds and gemstones, walnut wood, and Formica veneer.  

“Lockets can open a conversation and create meaningful connections,” said Kirsten Ball, owner of Loveday Boutique. “I often wear my grandmother’s locket, which holds a photograph of her inside it. When I’m wearing it, I feel her comforting presence.”