We all have a bucket list – or, if it’s not in list form, at least some ideas of things you want to try before you-know-what happens.
For your information, all of ours involve things that include the word great – like walking the Great Wall of China, swimming with Great White Sharks (cage optional) and navigating a standup paddleboard across the Great Lakes.
The way we like to think of it is that if it’s going to be on a bucket list, it might as well be something that you’ll remember. Go big or go home.
But while our dream endeavors mean a large travel budget and a most certain brush with death, there’s a chance you can cross something off right here in Concord – that’s if your list includes paddling a long, narrow boat down the Merrimack River with a dragon head on the front of it.
That’s right folks, the second annual Weekend on the Water at Riverfront Park, behind Everett Arena, is only days away (that means this weekend) and it’s about time to get in on the fun.
“It’s exciting to have this kind of event around the water and it’s exciting to have this kind of event in Concord,” said Gary Miller, a member of the WOW committee and president of the Concord Rotary Club.
There are two positions available for the dragon boat races. You can be one of 20 paddlers in a team’s quest for dragon greatness, or the drummer, who works to keep the boat’s rowing in rhythm by making sweet musical fusion (or just a simple beat).
“It’s the only one in New Hampshire,” said WOW committee chairman Simon Keeling. “But in different parts of the country it’s huge.”
And there are also two ways to enter. You can put a team together, minimum of 16 members and max of 25, for a cost of $1,050, or claim a single seat and be placed with a team for $50. Each team is guaranteed three races and ample warm-up time prior to the 9 a.m. kickoff on Saturday. The dragon boat races will last all day and the more teams the better.
“If we get more teams that means people get more time on the water,” Miller said.
But that’s only one great part about the weekend. Now we know what you’re thinking, how can you beat dragon boats racing down the Merrimack? Well here’s one for you – the Capital Cup Brew Festival. With 20 or so craft brewers (and many from the Granite State) in one spot, it’s going to be a delicious way to spend a Saturday afternoon. For $15 in advance and $20 at the door, you’ll get 10 tickets for samples from noon to 4 p.m. And if you’d rather just have a pint of your favorite cold one, there’s a beer garden (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), too.
“The beer garden will be open longer for cold beverages,” Keeling said.
And if a trip around the city is your idea of a fun adventure, well wait until you do it in a duck boat. This is the perfect way to avoid driving and get some sweet historical facts about Concord at the same time. For just $5, you’ll take an almost hour long guided tour to the most famous spots in our fair city, but you have to take the tour to find out because we hate ruining surprises. The tours start at 10 a.m. and run every hour, but since there’s only one duck boat, tickets are limited.
“Five bucks is cheap for an hour of entertainment,” Miller said. “And you learn all kinds of tidbits around town. Last year, I heard things I never knew before.”
And FYI, there will be no water excursions.
“We could get them in, but they can’t get out,” Keeling said.
Although it would make for a fun day, it’s not all just about beer and dragons. There’s going to be food, live music with Bob French (noon to 2 p.m.), The Petty Thieves (2 to 4 p.m.) and the Dusty Gray Band (4 to 6 p.m.), and a rock wall for what else, climbing.
One thing that organizers felt they needed more of for this year’s second go-round was stuff for the kids. Last year there wasn’t a whole lot for the little ones, so organizers added a trackless train ride around Everett Arena and a kids zone.
“We’re just trying to engage the whole family,” Miller said.
And the best part is that’s just day one of the weekend. The beer gardens, food, kids zone and duck boat tours will make a return on Sunday, with a host of other fun stuff. The Concord Crew will hold its annual regatta starting at 8 a.m., the Friendly Kitchen 5K (at NHTI) will begin at 8:30 a.m. and there will be a mini craft fair and an old fashioned bake sale.
“I think it will be a really good weekend and we look forward to adding things to grow it each year,” Keeling said.
But the highlight of Sunday has to be the rubber duck race at 1 p.m. With thousands of yellow plastic toys dumped in the river at the same time, it’s going to be a floaty dash to the finish.
“In year one we put about 5,600 in the river,” Keeling said. “This year we’re looking at close to 9,000.”
Ducks are only $5 or five for $20, and first place wins $1,000. Now that’s our kind of return on investment.
And the money raised this weekend, after expenses, will go back into the community.
“The goal is essentially to improve the infrastructure of the local parks and access to the river,” Keeling said.
But you really don’t have to spend money to have a good time.
“You can go into the park, see everything that’s going on and not spend a dime,” Miller said. “We just wanted to be able to create an environment where anybody can go and enjoy themselves.”
For more on Weekend on the Water, visit concordwow.org.
