Weirs Beach ready to kick off summer tourist season

LACONIA — Back-to-back weekend events in Weirs Beach will usher in what businesses hope will be a return to the usual hustle and bustle of the city’s tourism mecca.

The curtain will go up at 5 p.m. Friday on "Wake the Lake," a weekend block party hosted by Tower Hill Tavern and the Big House.

Lakeside Avenue will be closed off between Tower Street and Foster Avenue, making for one large patio where people can mingle, enjoy the fresh air, and have a good time, said Anthony Santagate who owns the two popular nightspots.

Bands will perform from the deck of a flatbed trailer on the closed-off portion of Lakeside Avenue. In addition there will be other bands and deejays providing entertainment inside at both Tower Hill Tavern and the Big House, Santagate said.

The hours will be from 5 p.m. Friday until 1 a.m. Saturday; from 11 a.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday, and then from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday.

Outside entertainment will run until 10 or 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to City Manager Scott Myers. Inside entertainment will continue on until the establishments’ usual closing times.

Santagate said Wake the Lake will attract motorcycle enthusiasts and non-bikers alike.

The event gives an early start to the summer tourist season which traditionally kicks off on Memorial Day weekend which is when the Craft Beer Xchange in Weirs beach will hold its special kick-off Beer Festival.

"I think business will be good and it will be very busy. I expect we will see a lot of people," said Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.

She said inquiries from prospective visitors to the area are strong, as well as reservations at hotels and resorts.

"People are ready to be out and about," she said. "It seems people are comfortable."  

Santagate said the Wake the Lake, together with the beer festival, should help bring crowds to the area, and especially Weirs Beach, which saw a big drop-off in tourists last year due to COVID. He’s hoping that the turnout will match or even surpass the numbers of the first Wake the Lake in 2019, when at times the crowds reached 1,000.

The event had to be canceled last year because of COVID.

The O’Learys opened the Beer Xchange last August during the midst of COVID. Since then they have expanded the parking and doubled the size of the beer garden at their establishment on Doe Avenue with a view overlooking Weirs Bay.

O’Leary said they chose 14 Star Brewing for the Memorial Day weekend event because the craft brewery is owned by veterans. He said that a different craft brewery will be featured during the brew fests that follow – which will be held every weekend from the end of June through the end of August.

The Memorial Day Weekend festival will run from 1 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Monday, May 31, Memorial Day.