Walldogs Keene, New Hampshire

Walldogs Keene, New Hampshire! What is a Walldog? Sit back and watch the video below and see the amazing artistry and altruistic spirit of these incredible people. Read through the post to learn more about the event and how it came to be. Schedule time to come and stroll through beautiful downtown Keene and wander the “Magical History Tour!”

(Paid Affiliate Link)

The amazing Walldogs in Keene, New Hampshire! This post is going to be fun!

On June 19, 2019, the city of Keene hosted a four-day event with a group of amazing artists called the “Walldogs”! This event was 20 months in the making and is a great example of a sense of community and the coming together of those with a vision.

Keene is fortunate to have many events throughout the year, but this one was very different and exciting in its own right.

While chatting with a coworker connected to the event, I learned that a local sign maker, Peter Poanessa, returned from participating as a Walldog artist at another event and thought this would be fantastic for Keene.

The Magical History Tour

After many meetings and even the tweaking of the local ordinances regarding signage, the Walldog Team came to Keene ready to share their gifts and talents. The event was tagged as “The Magical History Tour”. 

Walldogs are an international group of artists that work with communities to preserve their history in the form of fantastic historical murals on the exterior of buildings. They work with communities to narrow down and select themes from their past and determine the best locations for each of them.

We were fortunate enough in Keene to have so many historical themes to choose from. Numerous possibilities were presented to the community and we were encouraged to vote to determine the eventual 16 themes that would be the focus of the event.

Keene was abuzz for four days as each team slowly unveiled its historically-themed work of art. Volunteers hustled to provide the artists with tools, paint, food, and drink. A Craft Beer tent, games, and food trucks added to the excitement and celebration.

I am fortunate enough to live minutes from downtown and went out each day to capture the progress of the murals.

On the final day, we decided to ride bikes downtown and soak up the excitement and talent. The weekend turned out to include beautiful weather that almost seemed like an unveiling for the murals.

(Paid Affiliate Link)

It was great to see downtown Keene buzzing with happy families, talented artists, and hard-working volunteers. Keene has always had a great sense of community with its many events and festivities.

Follow this link to a Youtube video showing the evolution of the baseball mural.

Here is another video showing a timelapse of the Keene State College mural.

This map link will help you navigate locations for each of the murals. The Cheshire Historical Society is a great place to learn more about the murals and register for a tour.  I would encourage you to add Keene’s Walldog murals to your wish list of things to do in New Hampshire! You will be glad you did! Visit my post on downtown Keene before your visit!

We ended our day with an easy bike ride through Keene State College and over the pedestrian bridge along the Ashuelot Rail Trail.

Did you experience the Walldog event in Keene? Have you done the Walldog tour through the city? Do you have a favorite mural? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!