The Music Hall Presents 20th Annual Kitchen Tour


PORTSMOUTH—
What could be better than spending a spring day on the Seacoast with friends and family, peeking into extraordinary kitchens and enjoying all that Portsmouth has to offer? The kitchens we all dream of - sleek and contemporary, cozy and traditional, packed with innovation and imagination – will become a reality for one day as The Music Hall presents its popular Annual Kitchen Tour. Now in its 20th year, this benefit for the Hall will feature kitchens and dining spaces in its hometown of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The tour will be held Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“This year’s tour, themed City Living, will be filled with creative and well-crafted kitchen designs, extraordinary views and 20th Anniversary surprises!” says Meghan Durkee, Corporate and Special Events Manager at The Music Hall. “It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year. Each year, the tour attracts over 1,200 visitors, who come out to support The Music Hall and to gain inspiration for their own kitchens. Proceeds from the tour are used immediately toward operating costs to support The Music Hall, an American Treasure for the Arts. We owe so much of our success to our incredible hosts, loyal sponsors, over 100 volunteers, our creative and hardworking committee, and our visitors - many of whom have made this a tradition each spring. Of course a warm, sunny spring day also helps!”
“Each year the tour is held in a different location, and we look for different kinds of kitchens and layouts to showcase. Some kitchens have the ‘wow’ factor; others offer clever ideas to use in your own home. It’s a great way for people to have a full, fun day for a low ticket price,” adds Durkee, who serves on the Kitchen Tour committee with Seacoast residents and co-chairs Ann Kendall and Betsy Cole.
Kitchen Tour fan Janet Stevens, who has been on the tour twice, said, “The Kitchen Tour is a grand day - an opportunity to ‘case study’ because you can go into all of these new kitchens and see the different styles. It’s inspiring and uplifting.”
It’s best to buy your tickets early, as there is a discount on all tickets purchased before the day of the Tour. Purchase tickets at The Music Hall Box Office at the Historic Theater at 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth or online at www.themusichall.org.
Tour-goers are given an easy-to-follow map, and a guidebook with detailed descriptions of the kitchens as well as information on all of the artisans, designers, and architects responsible for layout and design. The map will also be available on The Music Hall’s website the week before the tour. Maps may be mailed out to you once they become available.
Not only will patrons view and experience beautifully designed Seacoast kitchens, they will find a variety of restaurants featured on the map, all of which are fabulous places to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Get a bite to go and picnic or take a short break from the Tour and sit for a while. 


We highly recommend parking in downtown parking lots and the Hanover Street garage and walking around downtown with friends. With guidebook and map in hand, you’ll venture into these lovely Seacoast homes, and tour-goers can start and finish the tour anywhere they like.
For visitors looking to turn their own dreams into reality, the artisans, designers and architects involved in the kitchens are noted in the tour’s guidebook along with detailed descriptions of the kitchens. Many of the artisans will also be available to speak with during the tour. In addition this year, Dovetailed Kitchens will be giving lectures from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 126 Daniel Street on countertop materials, renovating kitchens and kitchen design.
The 2011 dedicated Kitchen Tour Committee, chaired by Ann Kendall and Betsy Cole, and including Meghan Durkee, Dodi Guyton, Cori McGrath, Kirsten Mahoney, Philip Marcus, Julia Madden, Kathy Megna, Janice Page, Amy Pender and Peter Squires invite you to enjoy this great day out, all in support of The Music Hall.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by phone at (603) 436-2400, online at www.themusichall.org and The Music Hall Box Office at 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth.
Photo caption: The Music Hall will present its 20th Annual Kitchen Tour in Portsmouth on May 7. (Photo by Greg West)

St. Thomas Aquinas High School Mathletes Win State Title

DOVER—
A group of dedicated St. Thomas Aquinas High School students recently competed in the 39th annual New Hampshire State Math Meet held at Plymouth State University. Sponsored and coordinated by the New Hampshire Teachers of Mathematics (NHTM), this 4-hour mini-marathon challenged students from 56 high schools throughout the state in a competition for supreme bragging rights to mathematical mastery. The problems were particularly challenging this year, so that advanced analyzing and problem-solving skills were put to the test in order to arrive at the correct answer. The results of the competition were announced this past week and the St. Thomas “Mighty Mighty Math Team” was victorious.
Representing St. Thomas this year were sophomores John Hume (Dover), Hyungee Kim (international student from Korea, hosted by a family in Exeter), Yeeji Kim (international student from Korea, hosted by a family in Dover), Richard Li (international student from China, hosted by a family in Dover) and Ben Mardin (Rye), juniors Joon Choi (international student from Korea, hosted by a family in Berwick, ME), James Klingensmith (Nottingham) and Matt Radford (Brentwood), and senior leaders Nathan Dunn (Berwick, ME) and Surbhi Joshi (Rochester).
Photo caption: Members of the St. Thomas “Mighty, Mighty Math Team.” (Courtesy photo)

Elementary School Students Perform Patriotic Concert

SEABROOK—
The Seabrook Elementary Grade 1 students recently performed their Salute to America Concert, under the direction of SES Music Teacher – Ms. Katrina Mailman. Reviews of the concert report it was outstanding! (Courtesy photo)

‘Toast to the Coast’ Comes to Hampton Beach

HAMPTON/EXETER—
The Hampton Area and Exeter Area Chambers of Commerce invite you to an extraordinary night out, commencing with a sampling of wine, beer, and tantalizing hors d’oeuvres, sweet treats, chocolate, and so much more! Besides the mingling, sampling, and noshing, the evening features an opportunity to find our own “Top Chef” right here on the seacoast. Restaurateurs are invited to compete for the Prestigious Award “Best of the Toast to the Coast.” The 401 Tavern took the award in 2010 with a crowd-pleasing menu consisting of Margarita Oysters and Grilled Asparagus with Tapenade Vinaigrette. Restaurants interested in taking part in the event should contact Gretchen Heilshorn McDonald at 603-772-2411. Mark your calendar! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on May 12 at the Ashworth by the Sea on Hampton Beach. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Order online at www.hamptonchamber.com or call 603-926-8718. This event is generously underwritten by People’s United Bank.

Hampton Historical Society Celebrates Arbor Day Anniversary

HAMPTON—
Arbor Day, which falls this year on Friday, April 29, is a day set aside to increase awareness of the importance of trees. In honor of the 125th Anniversary of Arbor Day in Hampton, the Hampton Historical Society is asking the community to join them in a celebration of trees in their community. With a grant from the Rye Driftwood Garden Club, the museum has purchased two sugar maple trees and an ornamental cherry, which they will be planting on the Museum Green on Arbor Day with the help of local contractor Vic Lessard.
It is a tradition in the town to plant trees on Arbor Day. Hampton first celebrated Arbor Day in 1886. On that day, 125 years ago, numerous maple trees were planted on the grounds of the Academy, as were many pine trees that still stand today along Academy Avenue. In 1938, in honor of the town’s Tercentenary Celebration, about 130 sugar maple trees were planted near the center of town.
The Museum and the Leavitt Barn will be open for the event. Students from the Marston Centre and Sacred Heart Schools will display their tree art on clotheslines around the museum grounds. Guy Giunta from the Governor’s Lilac and Wildflower Commission will be giving away lilac starts, and the Hampton Recycling Committee, the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry & Wildlife Program and the Hampton Arts Network will participate. Bring a picnic and help celebrate with the trees and the community! The event takes place at the Tuck Museum, 40 Park Avenue in Hampton, on Friday, April 29, from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information contact the Hampton Historical Society at info@hamptonhistoricalsociety.org or (603) 929-0781.
Photo caption: The Tuck Museum is the home of the Hampton Historical Society. On April 29, the Society will celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees on the museum grounds. (Photo by Rich Hureau, courtesy www.hamptonhistoricalsociety.org)

Dover Chamber Sweepstakes Event Celebrates 10th Anniversary

DOVER—
Tickets for the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce’s Tenth Annual “Sweep into Spring” Sweepstakes, underwritten by Federal Savings Bank, are available at the Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Avenue or by calling (603) 742-2218.
The event takes place on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the Dover Arena on Portland Avenue in Dover, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. To celebrate the tenth anniversary, this year’s themed is “Ten,” and features themed entertainment, a silent auction, a sampling from over a dozen local restaurants and caterers, as well as a 1 in 250 chance of winning $10,000 in the grand prize drawing, and a 1 in 25 chance of winning at least $200.
Proceeds from the event help fund Chamber programming, which includes joint promotion, community marketing, business education and economic development projects that keep Dover a great place to live, work and visit, and continue to support Dover’s claim to being the “Family Capital of New Hampshire.”
Photo caption: Cartelli’s inviting raw bar display is indicative of the caliber of food selections available at the Dover Chamber’s Annual Sweepstakes event. In addition, several attendees win cash prizes, including the Grand Prize of $10,000. (Courtesy photo)

Strawbery Banke Commemorates Civil War 150th Anniversary

PORTSMOUTH—
Portsmouth men were the first to answer Lincoln’s call for volunteers to fight for the Union cause in the American Civil War. More than 3,000 responded, from a city population of 10,000, affecting life at home as well as on the southern battlefields, where they fought.
Opening for the 2011 season on May 1, Strawbery Banke Museum’s commemoration of New Hampshire in the Civil War leads with the history of Fitz John Porter, the political intrigues that shredded his illustrious career, his court-martial after the Battle of Second Manassas and the struggle for his ultimate exoneration - 125 years ago this August. Born in Portsmouth and a hero of the early battles, commended by President Lincoln, Porter ran afoul of War Department politics. General Pope, on the ascendant gave Porter orders at Second Manassas that were impossible to follow. Porter’s “insubordination” based on better knowledge of the enemy’s position saved his troops from certain disaster. But the Court martial listened to biased observers with bad maps. Even after a military tribunal corrected the account of the incident, it took until 1886 for the pardon that would clear Porter’s name.
The Museum looks at Porter’s record with an exhibit in the Rowland Gallery that invites visitors to make decisions for themselves about the verdict, based on the evidence. The exhibit is based on research in Porter’s letters and the court martial records. Highlights include Gen. Fitz John Porter’s sword (recently discovered and purchased for the Strawbery Banke Museum collection) and his field glasses (on loan from the Manassas National Battlefield Park).
On August 6 - the 125th Anniversary of the pardon of Gen. Fitz John Porter - the City of Portsmouth conducts a wreath-laying ceremony at the Gen. Fitz John Porter statue in Haven Park. Members of the 5th NH 2nd Volunteer Regiment and NH Civil War Roundtable join representatives from Strawbery Banke Museum for the program. On August 20-21, the Museum will host an encampment of 5th NH Regiment 2nd Volunteers, music of the era and a rally with “Governor Goodwin” exhorting the troops to perform their duties in New Hampshire’s name.
Beyond Porter, the museum will be interpreting NH’s home front during the War at the Goodwin Mansion, the home of NH’s 1859-61 Civil War Governor. In collaboration with the Portsmouth Historical Society and Portsmouth Athenaeum, visitors will also be able to participate in a walking tour of Porter’s Boyhood Portsmouth and Civil War Portsmouth.
Associated programs include a fall lecture series featuring prominent historians: Richard Schubart, Phillips Exeter Academy, on Lincoln’s 1860 Visit to New Hampshire; Col. Fred Borch, US Military Academy at West Point on military tribunals; and Dr. Brent Glass, Director of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in DC.
In addition, Strawbery Banke Museum curator Kimberly Alexander, and Dane Morrison, Salem State University faculty, present a Summer Institute course, “Topics in Local History: New England & The Civil War” at Strawbery Banke Museum, July 11-15, 2011. For information on the course, call 978-542-600 or visit https://www.salemstate.edu/academics/2803.php.
“So far, it appears that Portsmouth is making one of the largest commitments to the Civil War 150th in the state,” said Lawrence Yerdon, President of Strawbery Banke Museum. “We take quite seriously the responsibility of including the role of New Hampshire’s 34,000 - including Gen. Fitz John Porter and our 3,000 other Portsmouth men - in the great national historical discussion taking place over the next five years.”
Strawbery Banke Museum’s commemoration of Portsmouth in the Civil War is made possible by grants from The Roger R. and Theresa A. Thompson Endowment Fund, The Putnam Foundation of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the New Hampshire Humanities Council and individual donors who have helped procure artifacts for the exhibit. The Civil War programming also includes collaborations with Civil War Roundtable of New Hampshire, Portsmouth Historical Society, Dover Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, Manassas National Battlefield Park and Fredericksburg National Battlefield Park (National Park Service), New Hampshire’s Fifth Regiment, Phillips Exeter Academy, Portsmouth Athenaeum and West Point Military Academy Archives.
Photo caption: Gen. Fitz John Porter was one of thousands of men from Portsmouth who joined Lincoln’s call for volunteers in the Civil War, but Porter’s story adds political intrigue to the mix. (Photo courtesy Strawbery Banke Museum)