Women of Portsmouth Walking Tour with the Portsmouth Historical Society on Saturday, March 29 & Sunday, March 30 at 2:30 p.m. This 90 minute tour will explore how women shaped Portsmouth over 400 years. Tickets are $15 for members and Portsmouth Residents/ $20 non-members
PONTINE THEATRE PERFORMS
SOJOURNER STORIES:
New Englanders in Nature
14 – 30 March / Portsmouth, NH
PORTSMOUTH NH: Pontine Theatre’s 24-25 Performance Season continues14-30 March with SOJOURNER STORIES: New Englanders in Nature. This production includes three stories by noted New England authors: “A White Heron” by South Berwick, Maine’s Sarah Orne Jewett, “Farmer Eli’s Vacation” by Hampton Falls, NH’s Alice Brown and “The Star-Splitter” by Robert Frost.
Sarah Orne Jewett was a novelist, short story writer and poet, best known for her local color works. Her short story, “A White Heron,” published in 1886, is a coming of age story about a young city girl, Sylvia, who comes to live with her grandmother in the country. She meets a young ornithologist who is hunting a rare bird he recently spotted in the area. Sylvia wants to please the young man by revealing the heron’s location, yet doesn’t want him to take its life. In the end, she embraces her passion for country life and the natural world around her.
Alice Brown’s short story “Farmer Eli’s Vacation,” published in 1895, tells of a parochial farmer who lives within an easy drive of the ocean, but has never seen it. His wife plans a week-long excursion to the shore to satisfy her husband’s life-long ambition, but the vastness and strangeness of ocean and shore prove foreign for his sensitive spirit.
Robert Frost’s “The Star-Splitter,” published in 1923, explores the conflict between societal expectatireons and individual passions. A farmer’s pursuit of a telescope leads to the loss of his farm and home. This loss initially evokes ridicule from the townspeople. However, their subsequent contemplation reveals the importance of forgiveness and understanding. Frost uses the image of a telescope, “a star-splitter,” as a symbol of the farmer’s “life long curiosity about our place among the infinities.”
The cast of Sojourner Stories features Pontine Artistic Co-Directors, Marguerite Mathews and Greg Gathers. Mr. Gathers creates all the sets and properties for Pontine’s productions.
Pontine’s venue, the 1845 Plains Schoolhouse theatre is located at 1Plains Avenue in Portsmouth NH’s West End. The intimate performance space is fully accessible with free parking located onsite. Purchase tickets at Pontine’s website: www.pontine.org. Performances are scheduled for Fridays @7pm, Saturdays @3pm and Sundays @2pm. For more information contact Pontine Theatre: 603-436-6660 / info@pontine.org
This production is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.
H.E.R. Conference empowering women is on March 21st at the Ashworth By the Sea in Hampton from 8:30 to 3:30. Register at Eventbrite.
Seacoast Women’s Network meets on March 25th at the 28 Grill in Portsmouth from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Go to https://www.seacoastwomensnetwork.com/ to register by March 19th.
Order Dinner from Jersey Mikes tonight on Wednesday, February 26th and raise funds for the Share Fund of Rochester. The Share Fund of Rochester provides a food pantry, thrift store, diaper service and more for people who have a need.
“Cabot Lyford: Winds of Change” Preview Party and Silent Auction
Thursday, March 27, 5:30 – 8 p.m. at the Portsmouth Historical Society
Enjoy an exclusive preview of the artist’s groundbreaking work. This evening also features a silent auction with incredible items, with all proceeds directly benefiting the Historical Society’s vital programs like the 3rd-grade history program, the community-driven Gingerbread Exhibition, and the preservation of our historic properties.
Tickets are $35 for members/ $50 non-members
The Great New England Holiday Specialty Food & Artisan Shows. Mar 8th, 10-4 | Mar 9th, 10 – 3pm. The Rim Sports Complex – 311 Winnacunet Rd – Hampton. 100 exhibitors of handmade Food options| Cocktails | Live Music| Door Prize | Free Parking. $5 Entry- valid both days – Ages 14 & under free of charge.
Abenaki Medicinal Plants. The Portsmouth Public Library presents Dr Vicki Motz on March 8th from 1 to 3pm. She will talk about native pollinator plant species that were used as medicine by the Abenaki and how these plants work. FREE Event but Registration is required.
Winter Farmers Market at the Cooperative Middle School on March 1st from 10am to 2 pm. 100 Academic Way, Stratham.
Historian Brad Fletcher Explores: Lafayette, Maine, and America
SOUTH BERWICK, ME—The Old Berwick Historical Society and its “Let’s Talk History” lecture series are thrilled to present Lafayette, Maine, and America, a dynamic presentation by historian Brad Fletcher, exploring the excitement of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-1825 tour of America and his visit to Maine. From South Berwick to Portland, Lafayette’s visit was not just a trip down memory lane—it was a full-blown national event.
As one of the last living heroes of the American Revolution, Lafayette sparked an outpouring of patriotic fervor upon his return to the United States. When his ship arrived in New York Harbor, a staggering 60,000 to 80,000 people turned out to welcome him—an audience that dwarfed even the Beatles’ iconic 1964 debut. Fletcher will explore how this “Nation’s Guest” was more than just a celebrated figure from the past; he was a living bridge to 1776, rallying a young republic still defining its future.
Join us for an evening of history and spectacle as we revisit Lafayette’s whirlwind tour of America, including his memorable stop in South Berwick, Maine and the enduring legacy he left behind. This free public event takes place on Wednesday, February 26th, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM at The First Parish Federated Church, 150 Main Street, South Berwick, Maine. For more information, visit oldberwick.org
