Many Volunteers Attend Kick-off Meeting on August 9,  2012

Planning  for Portsmouth's upcoming 375th anniversary kicked off on Thursday, August 9,  when a group of 20 volunteers met in the Portsmouth Free Public Library to begin organizing a year of events and festivities. March, 2013 will mark the 375th  anniversary of the signing of the Portsmouth Compact.

The ad-hoc  committee was brainchild of Doug Smith, who facilitated the session with fellow  Portsmouth Economic Development Committee (PEDC) member Gary Gump. Participants  represented a cross-section of civic organizations, businesses, and residents  interested in getting involved, and Council President Joseph Robicheau and Town  Administrator John Klimm were on hand to offer the Town perspective.


With less than five months to plan, Smith noted that the group had some  catching up to do.  "Other towns we've looked at have typically had more lead  time," said Smith. "We're already behind the curve." But he proposed a solution  which would leverage the town's robust and diverse civic calendar. "We don't  have to invent new events," he said, ticking off the many groups active in town  that could be potential partners.

"This is an opportunity for the people  of Portsmouth to show that we have a lot to be proud of," said Smith. He invited the attendees to brainstorm ideas and work with their respective committees and stakeholders to consider tie-ins to the anniversary. "If you can get excited
about it, other people can get excited about it."

The group quickly got  down to business, putting pencils to paper to articulate a list of Portsmouth's  qualities for a local professional, who will be designing a logo. And within  just an  hour, participants brainstormed how to work with groups in town to  sponsor fireworks, re-enactments, speakers, art shows, parades, student  projects, and sprucing up Portsmouth's 77 cemeteries. Some big themes were  proposed, like celebrating Anne Hutchinson, and having a "Taste of Island  Park."

Robicheau invited the group to make a formal presentation at a  future Council meeting to explore how some of the Town's boards and committees  might be able to integrate anniversary themes into their plans. Smith said the  group has also reached out to the school department and plans to get on the  agenda for an upcoming meeting.

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