Manchester Celebrates River Days

Manchester celebrated River Days with a three-day festival on and around the Maquoketa River this past weekend.

Chamber board member Lucas Fangmann said despite the rainy start on Saturday, the vendor fair had a good turnout.

There were three nights of live music, along with food trucks, the Country Cruisers Show & Shine car show, Farmers Market, and much more. Hannah Ray J was part of Surf Iowa, one of several kayakers performing some rolls, flips and cartwheels at the Whitewater Park. She says it’s important to celebrate the river that flows through the community.

City Manager Tim Vick was on hand with a booth representing the Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority. He says the river is at the heart of who we are – Manchester’s first settlers came here because of the railroad, which came here because of the river. And the Whitewater Park and Riverfront area – both new to the community in the past decade – are the perfect place to hold an event like River Days.

photos courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH