Renaissance on the Riverwalk

This heart provided a great photo opp over the weekend

We spent the Memorial Day weekend at home in Nashua, NH. Despite the cooler and often rainy weather there was a lot of activity going on adjacent to our apartment residence.

Residents and city visitors lined the new river walk on Memorial Day weekend

Last weekend marked a 4-day celebration, Renaissance on the Riverwalk, to celebrate completion of the river park, Le Parc de Notre Renaissance Française, known locally as Renaissance Park, and a new walkway along the Nashua River. 

The event, which was coordinated by the Downtown Nashua Association and the city’s Department of Economic Development, brought many residents and out-of-towners to the city for events that included live music shows, a duck race, craft vendors, outdoor yoga, petting zoo, drone show and kayak parade.

Musical entertainment was heard Friday & Saturday evening

Built along the Nashua River waterfront, the park includes a paved walkway, grassy areas, benches, a band shell with outdoor seating and a mural. 

This mill worker & son sculpture overlooks the river walk

La Dame de Notre Renaissance Française, the sculpture of a mill worker and her schoolboy son, remains the focal point of Renaissance Park. It was also in the former park and was protected all during the reconstruction roject.

Mill workers were the driving force behind the city's transformation from a farming village to a major industrial hub. Employed primarily by the former Nashua Manufacturing Company and the Jackson Manufacturing Company, these mainly female workers fueled New England’s textile boom for over a century.

An estimated 5,000 ducks were dumped from the Main Street bridge

The highlight of Saturday afternoon was the return of the Rubber Duck Regatta with 5,000 ducks dropped into the Nashua River from the Main Street bridge. This fundraiser had community groups, businesses, and organizations competing to adopt the most ducks. The first duck to cross the finish line earned $1,500 for their team’s cause.

Up to a dozen volunteers in kayaks collected ducks after the race

Once all the ducks were dropped, volunteers in kayaks helped wrangle the ducks and then collected them after the race completion.

Makeit Labs provided these permanent duck sculptures for the river walk

These duck sculptures were installed on the river walk last week and will be a permanent display (unlike the Love Nashua display). They were completed by Makeit Labs in Nashua, the state's first community workshop described as a volunteer collection of engineers, makers, hackers, inventors and tinkerers who enjoy building cool things.

This new river walk mural was dedicated during weekend events

A new 70-foot-long mural along the north wall of the Water Street Bridge facing the Riverwalk shows highlights of the city's history. Students from Nashua high school helped artist Graham Carraway paint some of the mural. 

Some of the mural highlights include tributes to baseball, movie theaters and wildlife on the river. The Nashua Arts Commission hopes it will be a popular spot to socialize and take pictures.

The new riverwalk mural shows parts of Nashua's history

The 1948 Nashua Dodgers were the Class-B minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They competed in the New England League and home games were played at Holman Stadium in Nashua, which today features summer collegiate baseball teams.

Downtown Nashua was once home to several single-screen venues that operated throughout the 20th century (State Theatre, Star Theatre, Tremont Theatre, Daniel Webster Theatre, Brandt Theatre and Nashua Mall Cinema). In 1896, the Nashua Theatre on Elm Street was the site of the first movie shown in the city. Today, none of these movie houses remain.

The fleur-de-lis in this egret mural is a nod to French mill workers

The Nashua River hosts a wide variety of marine life including geese, ducks, otters, herons, seagulls and turtles. This past week, a lone swan was seen on the river.

Lighted kayak parade on the Nashua River

Once the Saturday activities ended after sunset, kayaks and small boats floated downstream on the Nashua River decked out with lights and colorful decorations, before pulling off to the shoreline to take in the drone show, which started promptly at 9 p.m.

A colorful drone show capped Saturday's festivities

But, the evening's highlight was a lighted drone show over the river concurrent with the lighted kayak parade. The drone show was coordinated and staged by Sky Elements Drone Shows, which is the largest drone light show provider in the U.S. This first-time Nashua event was a huge hit producing the largest crowds of the weekend.

The drone images above depict Clocktower Apartments (formerly Nashua Manufacturing Company) and one of several mill towers in the area.

The Riverwalk is the new location for the weekly Sunday Farmers Market, which will continue through October with a rotating list of vendors. Unfortunately, rain on Monday morning cancelled the annual Memorial Day Parade.

Jazz guitarist & singer John Pizzarelli at Nashua Center for the Arts

We capped off the weekend by attending a show at the Nashua Center for the Arts featuring jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli with a musical tribute to the late Tony Bennett.

We couldn't resist a photo opportunity 

Being at home in Nashua, NH, was the best way to spend the Memorial Day weekend. Better yet, it was within steps of our apartment.