This past weekend Concord kicked-off its first ever Weekend on the Water festival at Kiwanis Riverfront Park, right along the Merrimack River.
But the surprising thing about the festival is the way it came together.
In the past, the Concord Crew team has taken a weekend around this time of summer to hold a low-stakes regatta with other high school teams. So how did it turn into a two-day event with a craft beer festival, live music, and touristy duck boat rides? Concord Rotary Club President Chuck Willing says this year, the right people just found each other.
“It turns out a lot of us had the same idea of wanting to do an event on the river. Concord Crew wanted to host a regatta. Concord Parks and Rec wanted to have a Dragon Boat race, and we wanted to have a duck race," Willing says. "And we all basically found each other and put our events together and turned it into a big festival that we hope will grow.”
The Rotary Club used its rubber duck race along the river as a fundraiser for charity work. And they exceeded their goal—more than five thousand ducks were released Sunday afternoon to float down river.
