Our next Writer's Night at Mel Flanagan's Cafe in Rochester takes place on Thursday October 7th.  Sign-ups begin at 6:30, our feature starts at 7, after which we take a short break and the open mic portion of the program begins.  Please come to read your original work of poetry, prose, or music.  There is a 5 minute limit per participant, with extra rounds as time allows.  We usually finish around 9 PM.  Mel provides complimentary tea/coffee and cookies for this event, but the full menu is available if you would like to order food.

This month's feature is Lindsey Coombs.  I had the pleasure of listening to Lindsay at the Cafe on the Corner in Dover, and again last month at Mel's.   Always interested in sharing the spoken word, poetry became Lindsey Coombs' language of choice.  After helping start Women Who Write in New Jersey, she found slam poetry and featured in Delaware until moving to New Hampshire in 2006 where she discovered a wide world of poets and poetry readings.  She started 4^th Tuesday Poetry at the Lazy Lion Café in Deerfield, became involved with Poetry Out Loud in NH high schools as well as continuing her poetry and storytelling program for Senior Residences called "Between You and Me." Her poetry has been called lyrical and inspiring, as well as just plain fun.  She continues to entertain all ages and loves being asked to read!  And you'll love watching and listening to her.  Please come and enjoy this delightful poet. 

For information and directions:  www.melflanagans.com  or call the pub at 332-6357. Mel's is located at 53 North Mains St. in Rochester.

Scheduled topics include a discussion of the incubator space at 55 North Main Street, Upcoming Main Street Projects and future Sidewalk Talk topics! Held the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 am as a forum for downtown businesses to discuss items of mutual concern.

The public is invited to an open meeting regarding the study for a business incubator at 55 North Main Street on Wednesday, October 13 at 5:00 pm at the Roberge Center. Jill Michaels of Community Investments, consultant for the study will facilitate the meeting, will cover such topics as What is an incubator, Why 55 North Main, and Vision for 55 North Main. In addition, there is an open discussion period. The event is hosted by the Rochester Economic Development Commission.

The Funky Divas of Gospel and Sole City Dance present Soul to Sole - a Collaboration of Live Music and Dance to be held one night only, October 16 beginning at 7:30pm in the Auditorium at Spaulding High School, Rochester.  Joining the Divas will be members of the Rochester Middle School Chorus.  Tickets are just $10. Sole City Dance is the heart and soul of the Rochester arts community.  A not-for-profit organization, Sole City Dance (formerly Arts Rochester) is dedicated to providing outstanding dance education and performance in the greater Rochester area and surrounding communities.  To learn more about Sole City Dance go to www.solecitydance.org <http://www.solecitydance.org/> .

The well known gospel group The Funky Divas of Gospel enters their 20th year of performing around the seacoast and throughout New England.  Their repertoire ranges from traditional call and response and acappella to roots, gospel shouters, rock and rhythm and blues.  To find out more go to www.funkydivasofgospel.com <http://www.funkydivasofgospel.com/> .

When the Lights go down in the city, recapture the stirring emotions of rock's most glorious power ballads with Captured: The Journey Show at the Rochester Opera House on Saturday, November 6 at 7:30 PM.  With state-of-the-art sound and lights, Captured recreates Journey's brilliant music that brings fans as close as it gets to seeing and feeling Journey live in concert.  Connecticut's up-and-coming band Lifted, voted #1 out of 1400 bands in Virgin Mobile's FreeFest semifinals, opens with their rock/funk sound, combining elements of reggae, pop and jazz and adding saxophone and trumpet for extra dimension.

This show is sponsored in part by Eastern Propane & Oil, L. Wynn Sound and Foster's Daily Democrat. Reserve tickets online at www.rochesteroperahouse.com, call the box office at (603) 335-1992 or stop by M/W/F from 10-5.  The Rochester Opera House is located in City Hall, 31 Wakefield Street, Rochester NH.  The season continues with Illusion Quest on 11/13, Martin Sexton on 11/20 and Makem & Spain Brothers on 11/27.  Tickets:  $22/$20

Below is a look at work expected to take place at the North Main Street Bridge rehabilitation work site this week.

ˇ The crew from Fairpoint is wrapping up demolition of the downstream sidewalk of the bridge, where phone lines have been embedded in the old concrete. The Fairpoint crew also has constructed a system to support the phone lines during upcoming construction work on the bridge, including substantial repairs required to the brick arch of span one.

ˇ S.U.R. Construction will be on the work site early this week and will excavate the bridge deck above span one. This will set the stage for masons to begin repairing the brick arches on the 127-year-old bridge.

ˇ Last week, masons completed grinding and repointing the brick on the underside of span 3. They now are repairing the granite facade of the bridge.

ˇ The crew from bridge contractor Wyman & Simpson has completed building forms for the upstream sidewalk. This week they will begin installing rebar in preparation for pouring concrete. Wyman & Simpson is expecting delivery of granite for the curb, as well.

For more information about the bridge rehabilitation project, visit the Rochester Public Works Department bridge web site