Portsmouth 400th offers Great Portsmouth Community Picnic for free
PORTSMOUTH — Free family fun — including an interactive live stage show — is on tap as Portsmouth NH 400th Inc. prepares for The Great Portsmouth NH 400 Community Picnic, to take place on Sunday, Oct. 1, from noon to 3 p.m. at Leary and Central Fields on Parrott Avenue. The event is free and open to everyone in, and involved in, the Portsmouth community, providing food, entertainment and lawn games/activities for kids and families on the field. Watch for free Frisbees!
The stage show, The Wheel of Awesome, is composed of four local music veterans blending game-show fanfare, audience participation and live music for a fun, interactive extravaganza in an unpredictable “no setlist” format where a spin of the Wheel of Awesome dictates what the band does next. No genre from 1960 to today will be left unturned — funk, '70s disco, punk, rock legends. If the wheel lands on it, the band will play it. In addition to the stage show and lawn activities, Councilor Rich Blalock is organizing a pickup wiffle ball game to take place on Central Field, adjacent to Leary Field.
Picnic-goers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, coolers, side dishes, beverages no alcohol on city property) and blankets. This is a “carry in/ carry out” event, with sustainability as a top priority. In the event of rain, the picnic will be held inside, across the street at the Connie Bean Center, on the same date and time.
The PNH400 team has enlisted the support of members of the City Council to grill and serve hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers. Flatbread will offer free pizza. Pease Development Authority and Allegiant Airlines are sponsoring free ice cream. Kona Ice will provide free ice cones. Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club is providing watermelon, brownies, cookies and the grills. All food is free and served first come, first served, while supplies last. Following the event, any remaining food will be donated to Gather, Portsmouth's Free Food Pantry.
The Great Portsmouth NH 400 Community Picnic is being sponsored by the AC Hotel by Marriott, The Rooftop at Envio, Residence Inn Marriott, Hampton Inn and Residences at Portwalk, Service Credit Union, CSX, Everyday Details and Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club.
Attendees are encouraged to carpool, ride their bikes (with bike parking provided by Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders), and to review in advance places to park, including the lower lot of City Hall on Junkins Avenue. PNH400 volunteers will help with street crossings, parking and event management and are working with the Portsmouth Police and Fire Departments to ensure a safe and entertaining picnic for the community. ADA-accessible parking is provided. See PortsmouthNH400.org calendar page for details.
“The goal of Portsmouth NH 400 is to make the celebration of the city's 400th anniversary as fun and inclusive as possible,” said PNH400 managing director Valerie Rochon. “We have designed each of our signature events to be as safe and welcoming as their venues have permitted, which can be a challenge when excitement grows and the spaces cannot. We have planned the Great Portsmouth NH 400 Community Picnic to take place in one of the city's largest and most accessible spaces — Leary and Central fields — in the middle of downtown Portsmouth. There's still lots of 2023 left and many more opportunities to join the celebration. We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it on October 1st!”