A Fair Stroll

The post title is a play on words as it combines two events we attended over the weekend. Both of these were in New Hampshire and only one required a road trip.

Our first weekend event was the 68th Annual Canterbury Fair in Canterbury, NH, an hour's highway drive from Nashua. In the afternoon, we walked downtown for the 2026 Nashua Summer Stroll. Both of these family-friendly community events were free to attend.

Canterbury Town Center: United Community Church, post office and general store

The Town of Canterbury, named for William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, is located in the central part of New Hampshire bordering the State Capitol of Concord. The town is primarily rural with an active agricultural and farming community. The population, as of 2016, was under 2,500 residents. There's a small commercial area with direct access to Interstate 93, which is how we traveled there.

Town Center set up for annual fair

The Canterbury Fair is always held on the last Saturday in July and includes a 5K run, artisan performances and music performances. It's completely volunteer run and a great example of small town community involvement. Proceeds from the fair and food sales benefit the Canterbury Fund and the community service programs of the Canterbury United Community Church including scholarships and for family emergencies. 

Vintage Canterbury Fair poster & folks lined up for shuttle bus to town center

The fair has received recognition as part of a National Geographic Society listing of outstanding attractions nationwide.

The What-Not Sale is always a very popular fair event

This was our first time attendance and we found out that a couple of events were long-time favorites. The most popular was the large What-Not tag sale that featured everything from antiques to household goods, toys and holiday decorations all of which had been donated by town residents and others. Items were laid out end-to-end on large tables in the historic town hall and it was packed with shoppers.

The book and video sale was the second most popular event

The used book and video sale also attracted many folks, It was housed in a large old barn. Books were displayed by subject matter and there was a lot of book browsers and buyers, including myself.

Canterbury, NH, one-room schoolhouse was a primary school until 1956

We stepped back in time and toured the interior of the town's one-room schoolhouse. Built in 1844, it served as a primary school until 1956. The restored red brick building operates as a living history exhibit that's managed by the Canterbury Historical Society. The society runs an immersive One-Room Schoolhouse program which lets students from Canterbury Elementary and surrounding towns experience a full school day circa 1887. 

Prescott piano in Canterbury one-room schoolhouse

Many early schools contained a piano for music and singing lessons. This one was built in New England by the Prescott Piano Company. Originally established as the Prescott Organ Company in Concord, NH, in the 1830s, Prescott built a line of American upright and grand pianos in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company originally catered to local schools, churches and parlors, manufacturing instruments specifically designed to withstand New England's seasonal humidity and temperature shifts

Antique vehicles at Canterbury Fair

A notice of the fair included information on an antique auto display, but unfortunately, there were only a handful of cars and tractors on display this year.

Downtown Nashua, NH, Summer Stroll

Later on Saturday afternoon on a perfect weather day, the 2026 Nashua Summer Stroll Saturday turned downtown Nashua's Main Street into a pedestrian-only event of art, live music, food, crafts and activities. 

The event include musical performances, boxing demos and ghoulish folks

The annual event was sponsored by the Downtown Nashua Association and ran from 4 to 8 pm attracting hundreds of residents and visitors. There was a lineup of local musicians with musical performances on the corner of Main and East Pearl Streets throughout the afternoon and evening. 

Synthetic roller skating rink, chalk car painting and wall painting

Interactive features include splatter painting and a synthetic roller-skating rink. Local nonprofit Positive Street Art Hosted brought back the popular chalk car for members of all ages to decorate.

Sunday Farmers Market in Renaissance Park, Nashua, NH

Downtown Nashua will be hosting a series of upcoming events before the end of the year. We're looking forward to: Coloring Main Street in September, the Main Street Monster Mash in October followed later by the Festival of Trees, Main Street Unwrapped, Plaid Friday and the annual Winter Stroll. The best part is that all of these are within walking distance of our home.