Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2017 is an annual festival featuring live music, Classic Cars, Kids Zone, great local foods, and spectacular fireworks over the Merrimack River
September 23, 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM, at Riverfront Park in Haverhill’s Riverfront Cultural District and Washington Street
Follow River Ruckus on Facebook for the latest news and announcements about the Band Lineup and Set Schedule, the Classic Car Show, the Fireworks, the Food Vendors, our Awesome Sponsors, and Family Fun. Please LIKE and SHARE to spread the buzz!
From Team Haverhill to River Ruckus! From River Ruckus to the World!
Please note: Washington Street will be closed to all traffic from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm on Saturday for the Classic Car Show. We will post reminders and parking information as we get closer.
Festival Timeline of Events
12:00 – 8:30 PM, Riverfront Park
Time Event
| 12:00 – 3:00 pm | Classic Car Show Sponsored by Haverhill Bank | Washington Street |
| 12:00 & 3:30pm | Zumba Fun and high-energy dance for everyone! Sponsored by MedExpress | River Ruckus Stage |
| 12:00 -1:00 pm | Crew Exhibition The Haverhill High School Crew Team will use the River Ruckus as the finish line for their exciting crew exhibition. |
| 12:00 – 4:00 pm | Kids Zone Mass Audobon’s Joppa Flats Touch Tank, Bouncy House, Games, Sidewalk Chalk Art, Arts & Crafts, and more! | Gazebo Area |
| 12:00 – 8:00 pm | Beer & Wine Garden Featuring Harpoon crafted beer and served by Butlers & Bars. | Riverfront Park |
| 12:00 – 8:00 pm | A Taste of Haverhill Food for sale by local restaurants & vendors | Riverfront Park |
| 1:00 & 3:00 pm | Historic New England Walking Tours Historic New England guided walking tour exploring Haverhill history along the newly opened Bradford Rail Trail. Tours leave on-foot from the Team Haverhill booth. |
| 1:00 – 7:45 pm | Live Music Great live performances brought to you by 92.5 The River. See the Band Line-up for set times Sponsored by Pentucket Bank | River Ruckus Stage |
| 12:00 – 7:00 pm | 50/50 Cash Prize Raffle 1 ticket/$5 – 3 tickets/$10 – 10 tickets/$20 One cash prize winner, splitting with Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus | The Team Haverhill Booth in Riverfront Park |
| 8:00 – 8:30 pm | Fireworks Spectacular A spectacular Fireworks display over the Merrimack River Best. Fireworks. Ever. Sponsored by New York Life. | RiverWalk and Riverfront Park |
Our Sponsors
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors:
Pentucket Bank New York Life Haverhill Bank Med Express
Haverhill Medical Offices of Anna Jaques Hospital Greater Haverhill Foundation
Lowell Five UMass Lowell Haverhill Cultural Council
Pentucket Medical Rotary Club of Haverhill
2017 Schedule of Events
Live Music
Classic Car Show
Zumba
Crew Exhibition
Kids Zone
Historic New England Walking Tours
50/50 Cash Prize Raffle
A Taste of Haverhill: Local Food Vendors and Beer & Wine Garden
Fireworks Spectacular
Live Music
12:30 pm – 7:30 pm on the River Ruckus Stage
WXRV 92.5 the River once again brings a great lineup of bands to the River Ruckus Stage.
| BAND LINE-UP | |
|---|---|
| Start Time | Appearing |
| 12:30 pm | Bliss |
| 1:15 pm | Gretchen & The Pickpockets |
| 2:00 pm | EJ Ouellette Presented by UMASS Lowell |
| 2:45 pm | Analog Heart Presented by the Haverhill Medical Offices Anna Jaques Hospital |
| 3:45 pm | Neon Alley Presented by the Greater Haverhill Foundation |
| 4:45 pm | Anderson East Presented by Lowell Five |
| 6:15 pm | Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum Presented by Pentucket Bank |
Stage management provided by DreamWeaver Presents.
Classic Car Show
12:00 – 3:00 pm, Washington Street
The Classic Car Show brings over 50 cars to Washington Street. Antiques, classics, muscle cars, hot rods, specialty cars and their proud owners gather for the afternoon.
Once again, HC Media’s Frank “I’m just along for the ride” Novak will do a car commentary for HC Media, channel 22, Haverhill. Let us know in advance with a post to River Ruckus on Facebook and tell us what kind of car you are bringing and Frank will talk about your car on the air! He will talk to you, too, and you can see the show later on tv!
Team Haverhill appreciates the ongoing support of Haverhill Bank as the sponsor of the Classic Car Show for the sixth year.
Zumba
12:00 pm 1st session & 3:30 pm 2nd session, River Ruckus Stage
Zumba… yes… ZUMBA! High-energy, great music, a dance workout for the whole family! No experience necessary, really! Led by our energetic local instructors. Kids love this so bring them and have some fun! Join the Team Haverhill girls and guys give it a try. Baila!
Crew Exhibition
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, On the Merrimack River
Watch and cheer along the Haverhill High School Crew Team in this exhibition race on the mighty Merrimack River.
Kids Zone
12:00 – 4:00 pm, Gazebo Area in Riverfront Park
Kids Zone activities include Mass Audobon’s Joppa Flats Touch Tank, a bouncy house, sidewalk chalk art, a balloon artist, arts & crafts, games and more.
The Kids Zone is organized by Haverhill YMCA.
Professional face painting from Fun Face Express will be at the festival as well.
Historic New England Walking Tours
1:00 pm & 3:00 pm, Team Haverhill Booth
Historic New England invites you to chug through Haverhill’s history along the newly opened Bradford Rail Trail. The tour highlights the importance of the Merrimack River and the fascinating stories and tales that epitomize larger themes such as immigration, industry, and economics.
Historic New England brings history to life while preserving the past. Historic New England shares the region’s history through historic sites, vast collections, publications, programs, archives, and family stories that document more than four hundred years of life in New England.
Tours will leave from the Team Haverhill Booth and will take about one hour. Tours provided by HistoricNewEngland.org
50/50 Cash Prize Raffle
12:00 – 7:00 pm, Washington Street & Riverfront Park
The CASH PRIZE grows over the course of the day! Tickets will be sold at the Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus booth. Tickets are $5/one ticket, $10/three tickets and $20/ten tickets. Cash prize will be split 50/50 with Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus. Additional prize baskets containing local restaurant gift certificates and more will be given away between music sets throughout the day with winning tickets being thrown back in for the CASH PRIZE to be drawn on the Riverfront Park stage just before the fireworks!
A Taste of Haverhill with Local Food Vendors and Beer & Wine Garden
12:00 – 8:00 pm, Riverfront Park
| Vendor | River Ruckus Menu |
| Haverhill Beef | Sausages, Hot Dogs, Shrimp Scampi, Seafood Chowder, Meatball Subs |
| Kona Ice | Tropical Shaved Ice and pre-packaged ice cream treats |
| Carter’s Ice Cream | Homemade Ice Cream |
| Casa Blanca | Tacos, Burritos, Jarritos, Chips & Salsa, Guacamole |
| Chicken Connection | Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, French Fries, Chicken Fingers |
| Hobbsies | Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, BBQ Chicken Wings, Potato Salad, Collard Greens, Ribs |
| Your Place and Ours | Pizza, Fried Shrimp, Fried Clams, Fried Dough, Cupcakes, Cookies |
| Ryan’s | Popcorn & Cotton Candy |
| Harpoon | Harpoon IPA, Harpoon House Golden Ale, Harpoon Octoberfest, and this year’s River Ruckus bonus brew: Harpoon Hoppy Adventure! |
Fireworks Spectacular
8:00 – 8:30 PM, Riverfront Park
BEST. FIREWORKS. EVER. Boom!…boom boom boom Boom!
Festival Backstory
River Ruckus was born at Possible Dreams in January of 2009 as a “dream” of bringing the community together for a day of family fun along the Riverwalk and the Riverfront Cultural District; to boost the local economy; and to boast about what Haverhill has to offer. A team of dedicated Team Haverhill volunteers pulled together the first event in August, 2009.
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus was an immediate success and has grown in numbers of guests, volunteers, sponsors and participants every year. (We took a hiatus in 2012 due to the rolling out of the Essex Street Gateway Mural that spring.)
Our original festival mascot was “Sammy the Sturgeon” chosen because there are sturgeon living in the Merrimack River in the environs of the Bassiliere Bridge. While the sturgeon used to be prolific in the river, it is now protected as an endangered species. Sammy is pictured in our former logo and he still appears at the festival to the delight of the children.
Our new logo conveys the spirit of THRR: our love for the mighty Merrimack River, our passion for live, local music, and the excitement and spectacle of the fireworks over the river. We think it says that Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus is a rockin’ good time for everyone!
Look through the photo gallery for memories of past events.
The Facebook wall is open so post your stories and photos and tag us (#teamhaverhillsriverruckus) in your pictures! We’d love to see them!
