Sept 1, 2003
Contact: Suki Casanave
603.659.5588
suki@rcn.com
PHOTOS ATTACHED
(See captions below)
BUTTONS
ON SALE FOR NEWMARKET HERITAGE FESTIVAL
September 19, 20, 21
NEWMARKET, NH - Buttons are now on sale for the sixth annual Newmarket Heritage
Festival (September 19, 20, 21), a fun-filled celebration of local heritage,
culture, and tradition. Full details available at www.heritage-festival.org.
For just $5, festival-goers gain admission to an entire weekend of performances,
demonstrations, children’s activities, great food, vendors, tours, and
more. Children under 12 are free.
Buttons are available in downtown Newmarket at Crackskull’s Bookstore,
Fleet Bank (Newmarket and Epping), Marelli’s, Newmarket Public Library,
the Town Hall, Riverworks Restaurant, and Wadleigh Falls Driving Range. They
are also sold on site during the festival, which will be held rain or shine.
Back by popular demand
The Festival main stage welcomes back a slew of favorites this year: Gary Sredzienski,
the accordion warrior with Bill Zecker on the fiddle (Friday night); The Mighty
Jumbo Circus Peanuts (Saturday night); and the Funky Divas of Gospel (Sunday
night). Also back this year: The high-energy Youth Jazz Dance Orchestra, Captain
Fiddle and his sizzlin’ Crawdad Wranglers Cajun Band, and King Ludwig's
Bavarian Band, complete with eight-foot alpine horns, cow bells and more.
New this year
Board the gundalow, a replica of the historic vessels that sailed the Great
Bay. Check out a model S-gauge railway, complete with bells and whistles, smoke
and diesel roar. Meet live lampreys and horseshoe crabs. Watch a boat builder,
a fly-tier, and a waterfowl carver at work. Create a community quilt. Weave
a tapestry. Learn an Irish dance. Sit down to a Sunday brunch featuring the
harmonies of Labrys, along with the talents of Synchronicity, Newmarket's competition
jump-rope team. On Sunday afternoon, hear stories of life in the mills told
by those who worked among the pounding of the looms.
Plus the festival features a host of high-quality vendor booths offering great
gifts, fine arts, and delicious food. And don’t forget the popular historic
walking tours, scenic boat rides, and community suppers: the International Soup
and Chowder Fest (Friday), the Fireman's Supper (Saturday), and the Community
Church Supper (Sunday).
Fun
for families
Laugh with Martha Dana and her amazing puppets. Sing with Sammie Haynes, who
plays upbeat, foot-tappin’ tunes. Juggling and stilt walking, yo-yos and
unicycles--watch and be amazed! And don't forget face painting and fish prints,
live horseshoe crabs and fun with bubbles. Older kids can try the traditional
arts of fly tying and rope bracelet making. Under the Artisan Tent, kids (and
adults) can try weaving, quilting, origami, and more. Listen to Stories by the
River, books that reflect our heritage and diversity, plus meet Raspeberry the
Turtle from the Seacoast Science Center. Meet local author Jane Cowen-Fletcher
and hear her read from her books, including It Takes a Village.
Artisans
demonstrate skills
The festival’s popular Artisan Tent will be a busy place again this year,
featuring a number of artisans demonstrating their skills, including Newmarket
residents quilter Merrilyn San Soucie and woodworker Alan Mitchell. Other artisans
include weaver Sarah Haskell, potter Tim Christensen-Kirby, boat builder Jay
Trayner, bee keeper Dick Dionne, origami artist Michael LaFosse, and waterfowl
carver Fred Dionne.
Special
events
Newmarket’s newly restored Newmarket Engine House celebrates 150 years
in a Dedication Ceremony (Saturday, 5:00-5:30 pm), which kicks off with a procession
from the main tent to the engine house led by King Ludwig’ Bavarian Band.
Another highlight will be the Millworkers Roundtable (Sunday 1:45-3:00), featuring
Newmarket residents with stories to tell about life among the looms. The roundtable
will be preceded by Joe Dixx Presents (Sunday, 12:45-1:30), featuring Newmarket’s
favorite local celebrity, Richard Schanda. The popular historian and outdoorsman,
aka as Joe Dixx. has been writing a column in the Exeter News-Letter for many
years. At the festival, Schanda will tell tales of his years in the woods and
on the water. Both events are part a special presentation devoted to Newmarket’s
Living Treasures.
For more on special events, visit: www.heritage-festival.org.
Sponsors
Sponsored by the non-profit Newmarket Main Street Corporation, the Heritage
Festival is supported by many people and organizations, including the New Hampshire
State Council on the Arts and the Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation; local
businesses and organizations; the Town of Newmarket; Fleet Bank; individual
donations and button sales; and community volunteers. The Main Street Corporation
gratefully acknowledge the collaborative effort behind this community event.--------------------------------------------------
CAPTIONS FOR ATTACHED PHOTOS
Click on the thumbnails for a larger version.
Mighty Peanuts are Back!
The Jumbo Circus Peanuts are back, by popular demand, for another rip-roaring
Saturday night dance party at the Newmarket Heritage Festival (Saturday, September
20, 7:00-9:30 pm). (Courtesy photo)
Artisan at Work
Jay Trayner, a featured artisan at this year’s Newmarket Heritage Festival
(September 19, 20, 21), restores a 17' Gerrish canoe built between 1875 and
1880. (Courtesy photo)