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CowabungaFest

August 21 @ 10:00 am - August 23 @ 5:00 pm

This year, from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, Dover is leaning all the way into that history with Cowabunga Fest, a three-day celebration of turtles, pizza, art, skating and the wonderfully strange bit of pop-culture history that started right here in the Garrison City.

CowabungaFest takes over downtown Dover, with local restaurants, shops, museums and organizations joining the fun. Grab a Pizza Passport at the Woodman Museum or on Central Ave at My Country Story to explore the city along the way.

Friday night starts appropriately enough with a movie. Dover Main Street will host an outdoor screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze at the Rotary Arts Pavilion in Henry Law Park. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, find a spot on the lawn and settle in for a movie night. Having a pizza craving? OTTO will be delivering pizza orders to the pavilion during the movie.

On Saturday, come hungry. The Cowabunga pizza crawl sends visitors around downtown to try participating pizza spots including OTTO, Fuego, La Festa Brick & Brew, Domino’s, Thirsty Moose Taphouse, and Tokens.

Got the munchies early? The Nook is going all-in with a TMNT-themed breakfast menu, featuring everything from Donatello Pizza loaded with eggs, sausage and hot honey to Raphael’s red velvet pancakes and Shredder’s teriyaki chicken avocado toast. Even April O’Neil gets her own tofu scramble. And the staff will be dressing for the occasion, too.

At My Country Story, kids can pick up a DIY ninja mask to color to match their favorite turtle, along with coloring pages, crayons and stickers while supplies last. The shop will also have locally made TMNT-themed cookies and cupcakes throughout the weekend by local bakery Autumn’s Kitchen.

Keep wandering and you’ll find more turtle surprises. Stop into Potter’s Green & Gift, where turtle-shaped planters are ready to be paired with the perfect little plant. Or make your way to Lickee’s & Chewy’s Candies & Creamery and hunt through its PEZ selection. We have a feeling a few familiar green faces may be hiding in there.

Friday, Aug 21 at 8pm – Family Movie Night: TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze, Henry Law Park

Artist signings with TMNT artist Rich Woodall

Plowabunga Snow plow touch-a-truck


Saturday, Aug 22nd 11am-6pm – Pizza Fest, Cocheco Courtyard hosted by Otto Pizza

Featuring a $15 cheese pizza deal, live music, make your own ooze, cornhole, and an obstacle course!


Sunday, Aug 23rd 2-6pm- Skate Jam, Dover Skate Park
This style will be more of an open skate format, where skaters are just skating/doing their thing, and then from time-to-time we will have a specific challenge like highest kickflip, longest ollie, head to head race around the park, etc.
Live music from Disko Lunatics and Kong Moon!
These events will be free and open to the public! Donations are greatly appreciated and will go to support the Woodman Museum and their Eastman and Laird Gallery. Sponsorship opportunities are available, please contact museum director, Jonathan Nichols at di******@***********um.org for sponsorship information.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor- Leonardo Level

 

 

 

Raphael Level

 

 

 

 

 

Donatello Level

 

Michelangelo Level

     

In-Kind Sponsors

       

 

Details

  • Start: August 21 @ 10:00 am
  • End: August 23 @ 5:00 pm

Organizer

  • Woodman Museum
  • Email development@woodmanmuseum.org

Venue

  • Woodman Museum
  • 182 Central Avenue
    Dover, NH 03820 United States     + Google Map
  • Phone 6037427680

Details

  • Start: August 21 @ 10:00 am
  • End: August 23 @ 5:00 pm

Organizer

  • Woodman Museum
  • Email development@woodmanmuseum.org

Venue

  • Woodman Museum
  • 182 Central Avenue
    Dover, NH 03820 United States     + Google Map
  • Phone 6037427680
© Copyright 2025 l Woodman Museum, Dover, NH l Website Design by Tap House Media
Nature Day at The Woodman1st Annual Woodman Museum Golf Tournament!

Hale House Continued...

Born in nearby Rochester NH, John Parker Hale is best known as the first avowed Abolitionist Senator in the United States. It is an odd irony that, in the two decades Hale was in the Senate, Dover profited from the manufacture of cotton products that were produced by Southern slave labor. Living in William’s own house, Hale took a solid stand against slavery - a position that earned him enmity from Southern leaders, even a death threat on the Senate floor from a colleague. It also earned Hale a statue in 1892 on the lawn of the state capitol in Concord, NH, where his figure now stands with Daniel Webster, President Franklin Pierce and John Stark.

Today, the collections throughout two of the three floors of the Hale House are arranged into galleries displaying Hale Family artifacts, local and regional history, New England period furniture, fine and decorative arts and more.

Woodman House Continued...

The younger Charles Woodman inherited the estate from his mother. A successful financier and manager of the Strafford Savings Bank, he resided here throughout his life. He married twice: his first wife, Hannah (Coffin) Woodman, died in 1854 and in 1856 he married Annie (Allen) Woodman. When she died in January 1915, Annie Woodman left the sum of $100,000 “for the establishment …of an institution for the promotion of education in science and art and the increase and dissemination of general and especially historical knowledge.” The trustees of the estate acquired the Woodman house and the adjoining Hale House, which by chance came on the market that same year. The renovation of the interior was directed by local architect J. Edward Richardson, and the Institute opened in July, 1916.

Today, the collections throughout the three floors of the Woodman House are arranged into galleries displaying natural science (mounted specimens, rocks and minerals, fossils, seashells), Native American culture, military history, “childhood” history (schools, Scouting, toys, games and dolls), seasonal themed exhibits and more.

Damm Garrison House Continued...

In 1915, Col. Daniel Hall (the founding Head Trustee of the Woodman Museum) had an interview with Mrs. Rounds and broached the matter of having the garrison and its contents removed to the grounds of the Woodman Museum. The proposition proved to be acceptable to her; in due time she made a formal gift of the Damm garrison to the Museum. Daniel Chesley was entrusted with the task of removing the house to its new home; it took him one week, using wooden rollers and a horse, to move the garrison to the grounds. Local architect J. Edward Richardson directed the construction of the protective outer “colonnade” building that surronds and protects the garrison currently.

Today, the collections throughout the two floors of the William Damm Garrison House are arranged into galleries displaying local Colonial and Early American history.

Keefe House & Carriage Barn Continued...

Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.

Keefe House & Carriage Barn Continued...

Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.