Charged with preserving New Hampshire’s heritage, several museums on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail will offer music concerts for all ages this spring and summer, including The Belknap Mill and Canterbury Shaker Village.
The Belknap Mill’s ‘Arts in the Park’ Summer Concert Series begins Friday, May 26 at 6:00 p.m. with Newmont Military Band. Other dates in the series, free and open to the public, include June 2, June 16, June 30, July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25, and September 8.
Arts in the Park concerts take place at Rotary Park, 30 Beacon St. E. in Laconia. “We are excited to welcome visitors from near and far to these concerts,” said The Belknap Mill’s Jill Desruisseaux. “We hope these concerts spur people to also learn more about The Belknap Mill, by visiting our exhibits and museum spaces during the shows.”
Built in 1823, Belknap Mill is the oldest, largely unaltered brick textile mill in the United States. The Belknap Mill’s mission is to preserve the Belknap Mill as a unique historic gathering place and to celebrate the Lakes Region’s cultural heritage through the arts, education and civic engagement. To learn more, visit belknapmill.org.
Beginning Sunday, July 2 at 4:00 p.m. with the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio, Canterbury Shaker Village’s Music on the Green takes place every Sunday through September 24. An Emmy award winning composer and critically acclaimed New Hampshire based fiddler and singer, Tirrell-Wysocki is known for a unique blend of fiddling and singing to produce his own style of Celtic music.
Admission to Music on the Green is free, although donations are encouraged. “We are thrilled we can provide this beautiful concert series for all ages on our expansive grounds,” said Leslie Nolan, executive director of the Village. “Bring a picnic, go for a hike on our trails, or take a tour before — you can make a day of it here.”
Featuring 694 acres of forests, fields, gardens, nature trails, and mill ponds under permanent conservation easement, the Village is designated as a National Historic Landmark with 25 restored original Shaker buildings and 4 reconstructed Shaker buildings. To learn more, visit shakers.org.
In addition to The Belknap Mill and Canterbury Shaker Village, member institutions on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.