It Takes a Community to Build a Gundalow

PORTSMOUTH—
As part of the campaign to raise $1.2m to build a new gundalow and expand Gundalow Company programs and operations, efforts were boosted at the shipyard from the early support of some special people and businesses from the seacoast area. In-kind services and materials have been valued at over $50,000 towards the project. Strawbery Banke has been instrumental in giving the location to build the boat and site support. Collaborative education programs are ongoing with both organizations. 

In the fall of 2010, Appledore Engineering – a division of Tighe & Bond, provided pro-bono civil engineering and site plans for the Puddle Dock construction site, and supported the gundalow staff through the regulatory and permitting process. McLane Law Firm’s team fielded various legal questions, while Gove Construction created a level gravel pad as the base for the shipyard. 

Tony Coviello at Summit Engineering provided structural engineering plans for the shipyard cover from conceptual designs by the Steve Jones Architectural Design Program at Portsmouth High School. The tool shed that is now at the Puddle Dock shipyard was also designed by students, and built by Dexter Roblee’s Building Trades program students. Over 700 hours were donated in labor to design and build the impressive 10’x20’ shed, delivered in early April. Four Seasons Fence donated the labor to surround the shipyard in fencing, and gundalow volunteers crafted the gate. Vince Todd of V. Todd & Co., built the temporary shipyard cover and contributed his time to plan and oversee its construction. The shipyard was completed by early May with the support of Moores Crane Company, Ricci Lumber, Second Nature Landscape Outlet, A.H. Harris & Sons, Inc., Green Velvet Landscape, Independent Boat Haulers, Jackson’s Hardware & Marine, Jeffrey Knapp Construction, Keith Bridge Electrical, Kevin Knapp, North Hampton Grocery, Peter Coren Builder & Cabinetmaker, Rainscape, Rick Stevens Custom Lumber, Rockingham Electric Supply Co. and Tri-State Fire Protection. 

Construction of the new gundalow began in early May under the direction of York, ME Paul Rollins, boatbuilder. Materials, services and supplies were supported by Bartlett’s Farm & Sawmill, Brentwood Machinery & Tools, Dixon Mills, Fastener Warehouse, Lamprey Oil, Rand Lumber, Sanborn Mills Farm, and Urban Tree Service. Early corporate and business donations from Appledore Real Estate, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Infinite Imaging, Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, Federal Savings Bank, Granite State Minerals, Property Tax Advisors, Waterfront Engineers, and Jeffrey H. Taylor & Associates covered early costs associated with the start of construction.
About the Gundalow Company: Since 2002, the non-profit Gundalow Company has used the Captain Edward H. Adams – a replica modeled after the last gundalow to carry cargo on the bay – to provide “dockside” programs to more than 100,000 visitors. However, the Adams is too authentic to comply with modern U.S. Coast Guard safety requirements. Recognizing the need to get students of all ages to genuinely connect with their rivers and bay, the Gundalow Company is building a new gundalow that will have the safety features and structural integrity required by the U.S. Coast Guard for passenger-carrying vessels.
For centuries, gundalows connected up-river seacoast communities with Portsmouth, the region’s seaport and primary market town. Harnessing the wind and riding the tide, gundalows moved bricks, hay, firewood, and goods crucial to the economy and everyday life. The Gundalow Company takes its inspiration from the vital role of those historic gundalows, vessels unique to the Piscataqua Maritime Region. This new gundalow’s educational purpose is as important for the future as its predecessors were for the past. For more information, www.gundalow.org, info@gundalow.org or 603-433-9505.
Photo caption: A crane hoists the gundalow shipyard cover wall into place on Puddle Dock at Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, NH. (Photo by David J. Murray)

Music-by-the-Sea Concerts Begin

RYE—
The Seacoast Science Center’s Music-by-the-Sea outdoor concert series will start the season in the spirit of summer. On July 7, Islandside will take the stage with their authentic Caribbean sound. Kick off your shoes, breathe in the salt air and enjoy the seaside sounds of reggae, soca, and calypso.
Entrain returns for a tenth season on July 14. Entrain never fails to get the crowd on the dance floor with their infectious percussive rhythm. Gnarlemagne will get you on your feet with their funky blues, classic rock dance music on July 21.
One of the most fun-loving, local party bands, Jumbo Circus Peanuts will close the series on July 28. MBS concert-goers cannot seem to get enough of their swinging-pop-jazz, crazy costumes and tossed-into-the-crowd beaded necklaces.
All concerts are held under a festive tent and take place rain or shine. Just bring your beach blankets and chairs; enjoy hot-off-the-grill fare and great beverages from local vendors, grab an ice cream and stroll along the shore at sunset. The Center and Nature Store are open during all concerts.
Concerts begin at 6:00 p.m.; gates open at 5:00 p.m. for dining. Tickets are $8 for adults and $2 for children ages 3-12. You can purchase your tickets in advance at the Center or online at seacoastsciencecenter.org/events. Present your SSC membership card to purchase your ticket at half price. Bring your friends — if they join that night they can enjoy on-the-spot discounted concert tickets! For more information call 603-436-8043.
Sponsors include Access Sports Medicine, Allegra Marketing Print Mail, Clear Channel Radio, Exeter Events & Tents, Flatbread Pizza Company, Liberty Mutual, Liquid Planet Water Park, Northeast Delta Dental, People’s United Bank, Piscataqua Savings Bank, The Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Public Service of New Hampshire, Salient Surgical Technologies, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Westinghouse Electric Company, and WMUR TV ABC9. All proceeds from the Music-by-the-Sea concert series benefit SSC.
Photo caption: The Music-by-the-Sea concert series at the Seacoast Science Center kicks off on July 7. (Courtesy photo)

Special Events Planned at Children’s Museum of NH

DOVER—
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover is hosting a wide range of special events for families this summer. From a local foods farmer’s market to tender loving care for tattered teddy bears, the museum’s special events are all open to the public and included in the regular price of admission: $8 for adults and children, $7 for seniors age 65+, and free for children under one year old. During the summer, the museum is open to visitors seven days a week.
The Children’s Museum of NH is located in Henry Law Park on the Cochecho River in downtown Dover, making it an ideal day-trip destination. Several free outdoor concerts are held in the park each week, there is a playground and picnic area, and dozens of restaurants and shops are within an easy walk. More information on planning a trip to Dover can be found at www.dovernh.org.
This summer’s special events at the Children’s Museum of NH include:
Four on the Fourth
Monday, July 4, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. - Celebrate the Fourth of July with $4 admission all day long. This half-price admission applies to adults as well as children, and visitors are free to leave for lunch and come back in to play later!
Colossal Construction Day
Monday, July 11, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Can we build it? Yes we can! Join us for a day of design and engineering challenges for all ages. From buildings and bridges to vehicles and your own imaginative creations, the sky is the limit on Colossal Construction Day. Lego your Mind will be providing kids with LEGO building elements, axles, and wheels of all sizes to enable them to free build rolling creations that will be tested down a ramp for speed and distance.
Local Roots Food Fair
Tuesday, July 20, 1-4 p.m. - Discover the joy of eating local at this seasonal food fair, presented in partnership with Hannaford Supermarkets. The museum will welcome a variety of area farmers and local food purveyors for an afternoon of tasty sampling, hands-on activities for kids, and coupons and information for parents.
Bubble Science Day
Tuesday, July 26, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Parents and children can roll up their sleeves for some good, clean fun when the Children’s Museum celebrates Bubble Science Day. The museum’s large classroom will be transformed into a bubble laboratory where families can experiment with bubble shapes, colors and sizes, and build 3-D bubble shapes, walls and windows. In the museum’s Project Area, children can make bubble wands to take home, and parents can pick up hand-outs with more ideas for bubble play to continue the learning at home.
Teddy Bear Clinic & Tea Party
Wednesday, August 10, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Children are invited to bring their favorite stuffed friend to the museum’s annual Teddy Bear Clinic from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a Teddy Tea Party from noon to 12:30 pm. This event is designed to not only be fun, but also help children who may be anxious about visiting the doctor. Volunteer health professionals will be on hand to issue each animal an ID bracelet, perform health check-ups, and conduct minor surgery on furry friends in need of repair. At the noontime tea party, guests will enjoy juice, animal crackers and fruit.
Patterns & Puzzles Day
Thursday, August 18, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Patterns are everywhere! Join us as we look at the world in a whole new way as we seek out patterns and get creative with exhibit-related pattern activities and take-home projects throughout the museum. Older children and adults will scratch their heads as they work to solve brainteasers and riddles sure to give your brain a workout!
Build It. Fly It. Day
Tuesday, August 23, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Young imaginations will soar as children create their own flying machines using a variety of everyday materials in this high-flying challenge. Kids will learn about the principles of aerodynamics and flight as they test their creations in the museum’s two-and-a-half-story Build It. Fly It. exhibit. Whose invention will fly, flip or flop? Visitors can also try their hand at constructing some other simple flyers to test and take home.
The museum will also be staying open extended hours on the nights of Cochecho Arts Festival evening performances in Henry Law Park. On Friday nights between July 8 and August 12, the Children’s Museum of NH will remain open to the public until 7 p.m. to welcome families arriving early for the concerts.
More information can be found at www.childrens-museum.org. The Children’s Museum of NH is open all summer Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m.
Photo caption: Braeden of Kittery experiments with creating multiple linked bubbles. (Courtesy photo)