NASHUA, N.H.- Nashua residents turned out Friday through Sunday to celebrate the renovated riverfront park area downtown. The celebration included multiple musical acts, art activities, a Duck Regatta, and a lighted kayak parade on the river followed by a drone show.
A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Saturday for the newly painted mural that is a feature of the park. Artist J. Graham Carraway painted a collage-style mural that ranges from 5 to 20 feet tall, covering more than 70 feet of length.
Laurie Spera-Sabet, a member of the Nashua Arts Commission, said, “We're here today in the heart of historic Nashua, surrounded by the mills where people worked as far back as the early 1800s, to dedicate a distinctly modern work of art that honors the city's past. The imagery in the mural reflects Nashua's rich history, notably immigrants of French-Canadian descent, as well as the flora and fauna native to this area.”
Mayor Jim Donchess spoke at the dedication and said, “We've been working to build this park for 10 years, and you can see that it's nearly finished. There's some more work to be done on the north side, but I think it's come out well, and the mural really finishes it off.”
Eric Drouart, president of the Club Richelieu of Nashua and part of the muralist selection committee said, “It gives us great pleasure to see how this beautiful park is now kind of the jewel box for this statue” referring to the bronze statue ‘La Dame de Notre Renaissance Francaise’ “This mural that really represents the history of Nashua and ends with this textile worker working on a weaving machine and ties it with the statue of this mill worker going home after her shift at the former Nashua Manufacturing Company, now the Clock Tower.”
This weekend also marked the beginning of the 2026 Downtown Nashua Association Nashua Farmers Market. The market will run every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will run through October 18th. Previously the market was held in the Nashua Public Library parking lot.
Alyssa O’Mara, executive director of Downtown Nashua Association praised the new location in Renaissance Park.
“I think it's a more desirable location. Its cooler being near the water. The grass makes a huge difference. It's not the same.” O’Mara said, adding, “We love the library parking lot, and we love the library for letting us be there for so long. But to have it in an actual park is just, I think it's going to be a game changer for us.”
Liz Hannum, the city’s director of economic development, oversaw the park and helped organize the weekend’s celebration.
“I was just very excited to see people using this new space. We tried to do some fun stuff that we don't normally do. The drone show, that was exciting.” Hannum said, “I really love just seeing people use the river and use the parks and the boardwalks.”
