Sunday, August 2nd kicked-off a new event series called “Trails + Trucks at River Park West Lebanon” hosted by the Friends of River Park. The event brings Food Trucks and Local Vendors out every Sunday to celebrate the launch of public access to the Connecticut River waterfront via two newly established public walking trails.
River Park is located at 173 N. Main Street (Route 10), West Lebanon, and has over ½ a mile of river frontage just below the Wilder Dam. “Trails + Trucks” runs every Sunday from 11am-7pm, and more information can be found online at www.friendsofriverpark.org/trailsandtrucks or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/riverparkwl.
Over 220 people attended the August 2nd kick-off despite a few scattered showers. Two roughly 1-mile loop trails (see map) have been established and marked by Friends of River Park Board Member Duff Cummings, an abutting neighbor to River Park and active member of the Lebanon community. Duff and his wife Sandy also serve as the “River Park Rangers” making occasional patrols of the property to ensure visitors are abiding by the “Be Nice, Be Neighborly” rules of access.
The trails are considered “Version 1.0” of the public access plans that have been a part of the River Park Master Plan that was unveiled in 2009, and lead to a successful public referendum in 2010 to enable the zoning changes necessary for the mixed-use development plan. A 2015 Landscape Design Competition invited five leading landscape architecture firms to submit ideas for the future of public access and open space at River Park.
The walking trails are open to the public every day dusk-to-dawn, with parking available alongside Route 10. Every Sunday the gates are opened for “Trails + Trucks,” and the public is invited to park in the field along Route 10 to “Grab a Bite, and Take A Hike.”
"What a great turnout! Being the first week, we expected a slow start, but were pleasantly surprised when we started selling out of popular items,” said Jarett Berke of Lou’s Restaurant, the operator of The Box Food Truck which helped launch the event series. “We're excited to make this our regular Sunday spot, and we're thrilled to share the beautiful outdoor space with other food trucks, vendors, and hikers."
The Box was joined by Boloco, a regional burrito favorite with deep ties to the Upper Valley, as well as Cowbell Mobile Bike Shop which offered bike tune-ups on-site.
“When COVID hit we decided it was time to launch something as soon as possible to give our neighbors and community a place to get outside at a safe social-distance,” said Chet Clem of Lyme Properties, the West Lebanon-based developer of River Park. “We had been planning a “BBQ and Bluegrass” event with Friends of River Park to coincide with the 4th of July fireworks, but elected to cancel that out of an abundance of caution.
““Trails + Trucks” is intentionally informal, the only thing we take seriously is safety– which is why mandate face masks and social distancing. Otherwise we’re having a lot of fun with it, and we have been very pleasantly surprised by the interest and community support.”
Sunday, August 9th will the see the addition of a farm stand featuring fresh produce from Edgewater Farm downstream in Plainfield, N.H., as well as live bluegrass and Americana music from local musicians Ford Daley and Steve Hennig. Martha’s On A Roll, another Upper Valley food truck favorite will join on August 16th when she returns from vacation.
Vendors interested in being a part of “Trails + Trucks” on future Sundays are encouraged to reach out to info@friendsofriverpark.org to get more information. There is no cost to participate, but there are insurance and safety requirements similar to the Lebanon Farmers Market. The Lebanon Fire Department requires that all food trucks be inspected and approved before vending in Lebanon.
Founded in 2015, Friends of River Park is a N.H. not-for-profit organization responsible for the future of public access to the waterfront at River Park West Lebanon. In 2018, in keeping with commitments made to the community during the planning process, River Park recorded deed restrictions for Lot 6 in Grafton County prohibiting development on this Open Space parcel. Friends of River Park will own the 6.02-acre “Lot 6” parcel representing the entire riverfront of the River Park development.
Friends of River Park is now actively working with additional Upper Valley stakeholders to connect the River Park trails to other existing and future trail networks in the area, including the Wilder Dam and Boston Lot Lake to the North, and the Mascoma River Greenway to the South.
In November 2019 Lyme Properties presented their vision for Public Access to the Connecticut River & Regional Connectivity to the Lebanon Conservation Commission. Lyme has offered to double their contribution to the City’s Open Space Trust “LOST Fund” if the Commission will direct those funds to improve public recreational development along the river at River Park.
For more information, please contact Angela McCanna (603-676-7800, angela@friendsofriverpark.org) or visit www.friendsofriverpark.org.