Beyond having a place to work and a place to live, you need a place that provides recreational opportunities and events, ways to enjoy gathering with your neighbors, and initiatives that promote a sense of community and pride in your town and its people. To that end, the Economic Development Committee has engaged in the following initiatives.

• Town Welcome Banners
• American Flags
• Hometown Heroes Banners
• Passes for Bear Brook State Park
• Spring and Summer Concerts
• Walking Tour of Historic Downtown
• Boat Launch Improvements
• Rail Trail Project
• Family Movie Night
• Halloween Lighting Contest
• Christmas Lighting Contest

To spruce up the town and make it more festive looking, in December 2020, the EDC purchased several 24 inch x 48 inch, double-sided "Welcome to Allenstown" banners.

These banners feature our own lovable bears who are welcoming travellers at the main entrances to town.

These were installed in May 2021 on utility poles at the local entrances to town such as North and South Main St., New Rye Rd., Deerfield Rd., and Mt. Delight Rd. at some public buildings.

Every Spring, the EDC applies to Eversource for permission to hang these banners on their utility poles. The Highway Dept. installs the banners just before Memorial Day and de-installs them in November around Veterans' Day.

 

In the summer of 2020, the EDC received permission from Eversource to install American flags on School St. and Main St. Several flags were then purchased and the Highway Dept. installed them, for which the EDC is grateful. Eversource limits such displays to a six-month period, typically from May to November.

The American flags were purposely installed on poles with street lights, since the U.S. Flag Code specifies that the flag is to be illuminated at night.

After installing the initial set of flags, it was decided that more flags were needed to fill in several gaps.

Every Spring, the EDC applies to Eversource for permission to hang these flags on their utility poles. The Highway Dept. installs the flags on School St. and Main St. just before Memorial Day and de-installs them in November around Veterans' Day.

Early in 2020, the EDC was contacted by Concord for Hometown Heroes, a non-profit NH organization whose mission has been to honor our veterans by encouraging relatives of those veterans to sponsor banners. The one to the right was the first such banner.

As with the American flags, Eversource allows these to fly on their utility poles from May to November only. The EDC was honored this Fall when the Hooksett Rotary offered to sponsor our fourth banner, which was completed in December 2020.

As of early 2024, 13 banners were on display on School St.

If you would be willing to sponsor a banner for your favorite veteran, read Banners for Your Hometown Hero and then contact the EDC.

 

 

In the Spring of 2020, to resolve the problem that the state park, which occupies half the town, could not/would not offer town residents free or reduced rate passes, the EDC and the Town Library joined forces to purchase a few reduced rate season passes.

These were made available to residents at the Town Library on a daily basis, first-come-first-served. Since the Library is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays only, residents needed to obtain a day pass ahead of the desired date. Go to the Allenstown Library for more information.

Note that residents 5 and younger and 65 and older are admitted free of charge.

As a benefit for residents and to encourage community spirit, the EDC has been hosting FREE summer concerts at Town Hall featuring local bands that offer a variety of music such as bluegrass, pop rock, country, oldies, and hard rock. Concerts have been held in May, June, August, and September.

The concerts have been held on Sundays at 3 p.m. and include a food concession selling refreshments such as burgers, hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks. The Allenstown Fire Department usually brings a fire engine or ambulance for visitors to look over, and occasionally an ice cream truck stops by.

A few years ago, the EDC began designing a self-guiding booklet that would highlight numerous historic homes and buildings in downtown Allenstown.

It is to consist of facing pages of old historic photos opposite photos of those sites today. Interesting commentary is to be included to educate the reader about the history of those sites.

The self-guided tour is designed to start near Town Hall and end at the Pelissier Boat Launch at the Merrimack River. In addition to the educational aspect of the tour, it provides good exercise. You can either walk or ride your bike.

Photos and commentary are courtesy of Carol Martel's excellent history, Suncook Village, as well as old photos and commentary provided by Armand and Claudette Verville of the Allenstown Historical Society.

In October 2019, the renovated Boat Launch at the bottom of Ferry Street was dedicated in the memory of Road Agent Ronnie Pelissier who died the preceding May. Since then, the EDC has worked with the Highway Department on improvements to make the site into a more inviting place.

As time permits, the Highway Dept. has cleared overgrowth while the EDC has purchased picnic benches and freestanding charcoal grills. These are to be installed at the Boat Launch for use by visitors.

The EDC also authored a Boat Launch Ordinance that was approved at the March 2024 Town election. The ordinance specifies that the boat launch is for residents only and that residents must obtain the free Facilities sticker in order to use the boat launch.

Early in 2020, small parcels of land below the elementary school became available along what was the old B&M rail line. The EDC and the BOS had been looking for land to connect a rail trail to Hooksett on the south and to Pembroke on the north.

Initially there were two parcels of prime interest but after several BOS discussions, the seller wanted to sell a third parcel as a package deal. At their Nov. 16,2020 meeting, the selectmen approved the purchase of all three parcels (lots 114-001, 115-001, and 113-042).

On the map, lots 212 and 224 total 14 acres and belong to the school district. Lot 224 has a right of way to Ferry St. that was once part of the Suncook Valley Railroad.

Since then the Highway Dept. has cleared trees and thick brush from almost a mile of railroad bed. Gravel and stone dust was supplied thanks to the generosity of Allenstown Aggregate on Granite St. Timbers for rebuilding several small bridges were donated by a local contractor. Wood chips for dressing the sides of the trail were donated by local tree contractors.

   

A Grand Opening took place on Oct. 21, 2024. The trail is now accessible for foot and bike traffic. This was truly a collaboration of local businesses and government.

For an in-depth story, go to the Rail Trail Dedication.

In May 2020, the Town Administrator brought up the idea of developing a drive-in movie. He investigated the equipment needed (a large inflatable screen, digital projector, sound system, low-power FM transmitter, equipment stands). In early June this proposal was discussed at a Selectmen's meeting where they approved using funds from the Parks & Recreation Fund.

After a few trial runs were done at Town Hall, the first outdoor Family Movie Night was held on Sept. 26, with a showing of "The Goonies" on a 20-foot screen in front of town hall.

In 2023, the Fire Chief offered the use of the Fire Station. With town officials leading the food preparation and cooking, and firefighters preparing the equipment bays and the movie projection equipment, several dozen residents and children enjoyed an inexpensive dinner and a free movie at the Family Movie Night at the end of September.

Another fun Family Movie Night is planned at the Fire Station for September 2024.

In October 2020, the EDC sponsored the first ever Halloween Lighting Contest. People were already decorating their homes and lawns, so to make the season more fun, the EDC organized this contest for best decorations in Allenstown. At the Awards Ceremony held outside Town Hall, a few dozen people braved the chilly weather to find out who won the prizes.

The event has taken place every year since then. The EDC is planning the next contest for residents which features registration by e-mail and photos of decorated homes on the town web site. The EDC, the Fire Dept., and the Police Dept. judge the decorations and vote on the winners. Prizes include trophies and gift cards to local businesses.

Fast on the heels of the Halloween Lighting Contest, the EDC is quickly organizing the Christmas Lighting Contest which has also taken place for several years now. The contest offers First, Second, and Third Place prizes and gift cards for best decorations in Allenstown. To improve participation, homeowners are required to send in a photo of their lighting displays, which are then posted on the town web site for all to see. The EDC, the Fire Dept., and the Police Dept. judge the decorations and vote on the winners. Prizes include trophies and gift cards to local businesses.

As an extra bit of excitement, there has been a Santa Parade around the town with a Police and Fire escort arriving back at Town Hall in time for the Awards Ceremony. The Ceremony included warming fires, refreshments, Christmas caroling, and the announcement of the winners.