LOWELL — Join the Merrimack River Watershed Association for an evening of local brews, good cheer and fascinating “river talk” at its annual meeting at Navigation Brewing Co. on Jan. 10.

Featured speaker Richard Howe will present “Bypassing the Falls: How Two Lowell Canals Changed the History of the Merrimack Valley.” For more than a century, the Merrimack River’s wild and dangerous Pawtucket Falls blocked inland New Hampshire’s most promising trade and travel route. That status quo changed when a remarkable engineering achievement — the building of the Middlesex and Pawtucket canals — unlocked the upper reaches of the Merrimack. The canals spurred the growth of Manchester, Nashua and Concord N.H., and helped catapult Lowell into the forefront of America’s Industrial Revolution.

Howe, the register of deeds for the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, is an accomplished local historian known for his informative and engaging lectures and tours of Lowell.

MRWC Executive Director Rusty Russell will also present attendees with updates on the organization’s 2017 accomplishments and its goals for 2018.

The event will have a cash bar featuring Navigation Brewing’s signature beers, and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

The annual meeting will be held Jan. 10 at Navigation Brewing Co., 122 Western Ave., Lowell. The entrance can be found underneath the big “Western Avenue Studios” sign. Doors open at 7 p.m. The event is open to the general public. There is no admission charge.

The Merrimack River Watershed Council, founded in 1976, is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to making the Merrimack River a cleaner and healthier resource through environmental advocacy, scientific research, education, and watershed land management.