We all love Market Days.
Add up all the food, the entertainment, the people and the fun, and it’s one heck of a three-day party.
People from all over New Hampshire and beyond travel to Concord to enjoy the festivities, as it has grown into one of the premiere summer events in the state.
But when it all began 43 years ago (that’s 1974 for those who don’t feel like doing the math), it was far from what it is today.
Back then, it was actually called Old Fashioned Bargain Days and was essentially a gigantic sidewalk sale with local merchants selling the items that weren’t exactly flying off the shelves in order to make room for new inventory. For a long time, it was also only held on North Main Street.
As the years went on, it went through a few changes to help liven it up a bit and bring in more people, because for a while it was known basically as a glorified yard sale.
“It got a bad rap,” said Brit Johnson, who has been involved with the event for 27 years.
So much so that some even referred to it as “old-fashioned garbage days.”
In the early 1990s, a big emphasis was placed on the music side of things as those in charge got some pretty well-known bands to come and play on a big stage on North Main Street in front of the State House.
“We wanted to add more music to make it a more festive event,” Johnson said.
One of the biggest draws was 1964, a Beatles cover band that Johnson estimated brought in thousands of music enthusiasts.
“We had a big stage and top-end music,” said Tom Arnold, owner of Arnie’s Place, who will be at his 29th Market Days this year.
Over the last 20-plus years, the music scene at Market Days has changed a bit as there’s been more of an emphasis placed on local musicians, but it has also expanded to three venues now. Just think of all the extra grooving you can do.
What is now known as Market Days was once held Wednesday to Friday, but about a decade ago the decision was made to change the dates to include Saturday, which we all know will bring in even more festival lovers.
“We felt by making these changes we could drive more people to it,” Johnson said.
And in the last decade, so much has expanded to make Market Days into the festive event we know and love – especially in the food department.
The kids have seen the most benefit from the changes because there is now a ton of great stuff for them to take part in.
“It’s just gotten bigger and better,” Johnson said.
So as you can see and from what we’ve been told, Market Days is essentially unrecognizable from where it began. Now, just imagine what it’s going to be like in another 43 years.
“It’s a great community event where people can go, have a good time and see their friends,” Arnold said.
