Juneteenth celebrations, Rock Rest to be honored: Community news update

Portsmouth Herald
·9 min read

Rock Rest to be honored

Rock Rest., a historic home in Kittery Point, Maine, that, from the late 1940s through the 1970s, welcomed African-American travelers at a time when many accommodations were closed to them.
Rock Rest., a historic home in Kittery Point, Maine, that, from the late 1940s through the 1970s, welcomed African-American travelers at a time when many accommodations were closed to them.

PORTSMOUTH — The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire announced the unveiling of two new historical markers honoring Rock Rest., a historic home in Kittery Point, Maine, that, from the late 1940s through the 1970s, welcomed African-American travelers at a time when many accommodations were closed to them. The Seacoast NAACP Youth Council and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will be hosting two unveiling ceremonies on Saturday, June 4. The first will be held at the Second Congregational Church in Wallingford Square, Kittery, Maine, beginning at 1 p.m. Participants will be invited to take a special bus to Rock Rest for the second unveiling immediately after the conclusion of the first event. The celebrations are free and open to the public.

Clayton and Hazel Sinclair formally opened their home as a guest house called “Rock Rest” in 1946. While in operation, the house served as a summertime refuge for Black vacationers in the Seacoast region. Although Maine and New Hampshire did not have “Jim Crow” laws at the time, Rock Rest operated in an era when it was common practice to prohibit Black travelers from staying in hotels, being served in restaurants, or otherwise accessing public accommodations in the Seacoast area.

The commemoration will begin at the Second Congregational Church with openings remarks at 1 p.m. by Rev. Dr. Lillian Buckley, a lifelong Kittery resident and musical artist. Gretchen Sorin, author of Driving While Black: African-American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights will be present via Zoom as a featured guest speaker. Following a program of poetry, speakers, and song provided by local residents, and Seacoast NAACP Youth Council members, the participants will take a short walk to Wallingford Square for the unveiling of the first marker by JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

At the conclusion of the first unveiling, participants will be invited to take a bus to Rock Rest in Kittery Point. There New Hampshire author and historian Valerie Cunningham, Seacoast musician Sharon Partricia Jones, and community leader Kelvin Edwards will give participants the rare opportunity to hear stories about Rock Rest from those who remember it well. JerriAnne Boggis will join with the speakers to unveil the on-site marker at Rock Rest before closing remarks by Rev. Buckley. Bus transportation will be provided.

With this ceremony, we invite the public to come together to honor Rock Rest and the legacy of the Sinclair family in our local and national history. In placing these markers, we memorialize a part of the Seacoast’s shared racial history and help educate future residents and visitors to our region.

Celebrate Juneteenth 2022 with The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

PORTSMOUTH — The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is hosting a series of programs to honor Juneteenth 2022 from June 10 to June 20.  Collectively titled The Gift: Celebrating African American Public Arts, these programs will celebrate Black artists and the power of public art to tell stories, shape history, and help to heal past injustices.

To begin this year’s Juneteenth celebrations, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire in partnership with the Prescott Park Arts Festival, will present the Disney-Pixar film Soul.  Starring the voice talents of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Graham Norton, the film will be shown on Friday, June 10 at 8:30 p.m. in Prescott Park.  The movie is free and will be open to the public.

On Saturday, June 11, the public is invited to explore African American history, art and poetry with a bus tour to Saint-Gaudens Historic National Park in Cornish, N.H.  The tour will take visitors to the home, studio and gardens of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the artist behind the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Memorial.  The memorial, crafted to honor Robert Gould Shaw and the soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, many of whom died during the initial attack on a fort that protected Charleston’s harbor.

Doctoral candidate Dana Green, Public History and Art Fellow for Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park will be in attendance as a featured speaker, along with Newton Rose, the lead interpretive ranger at the park.  The tour bus will pick up participants at the Portsmouth Park and Ride at 8:30 a.m., and the Concord Park and Ride at 9:30 a.m.  Tickets are $40 with bus pick up and $30 without bus pick up.  Lunch is included. Please register by June 2.

For more information on our week of Juneteenth programming blackheritagetrailnh.org/juneteenth-celebration-2022.

Portsmouth NH 400th, Inc. announces donation and sponsorship tiers

PORTSMOUTH – Deep into planning mode, the Portsmouth NH 400th Management Team members are paving the way to a vibrant community celebration next year and have started identifying Signature Events including a 400th Anniversary parade, a community dinner and a fall air show, along with Legacy Projects meant to make a statement about Portsmouth’s past, present and future.

As the PNH400 Managing Director Valerie Rochon and Community Engagement Officer Susan Labrie explained recently to the Portsmouth City Council, “We are planning and promoting a year-long series of fun and educational events for all ages and interests, designed for the entire community to feel engaged in the celebration. We are creating ways for everyone to participate and feel connected to the community.”

Donations and sponsorships are starting to come in, via the online portal on the City website (click on the PNH400 logo at the top of the homepage, CityofPortsmouth.com) and at the PNH400 website,

PortsmouthNH400.org. Portsmouth NH 400th Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible to the extent the law allows. Check donations, made out to Portsmouth NH 400th, Inc. should be mailed to PNH400 at One Junkins Avenue, Box PNH400, Portsmouth NH 03801.

Donors are invited to contribute to this historic celebration by joining the Portsmouth NH 400 Shoalers Club by making a donation of $400, or the 1623 Revolutionaries Club with a donation amount tied to the year of settlement: $1,623. Special recognition and benefits accompany each tier.

There are also five tiers of sponsorship:

The PNH400 Lightkeeper ($50,000 level) symbolizes the power to overcome challenges and adversity, to guide a path forward. Lightkeepers support all PNH400 marketing and merchandising, allowing PNH400 to tell the stories that shed light on the city’s past, present and future. This is the most comprehensive option.

PNH400 Luminaries ($25,000 level) ignite community support through leadership. Luminaries support all programs, marketing and merchandising, influencing others to contribute to the successful year-long celebration.

PNH400 Beacons ($10,000 level) motivate community members to become ambassadors to build programs, events and projects that will ensure the City’s legacy and ignite its potential.

PNH400’s Program Captains ($5000 level) show their dedication to bringing the City’s stories to life, as the leaders who ensure each program’s success.

PNH400 Program Champions ($2,500 level) provide stewardship and inspiration as ardent supporters of, and advocates for, their selected programs.

For more information on sponsorships, donations and other funding opportunities, please contact PNH400 Community Engagement Officer Susan Labrie at susan@portsmouthnh400.org

Humana named NH Gives Matching Funds Sponsor supporting Gather’s food insecurity prevention programs

PORTSMOUTH – Gather is participating in the Annual NH Gives online fundraising event taking place June 7 to June 8. Health insurance company Humana, who partners with Gather regularly, is providing a $5,000 matching funds sponsorship during the 24-hour period of the NH Gives program, which is an initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits.

“We would like to partner with Gather to continue to support our local community. Our Bold Goal initiative is a population health strategy focused on addressing social determinants of heath such as food insecurity, loneliness, social isolation, transportation and housing, to improve clinical and social health outcomes for our members. We value Gather’s commitment and efforts as they align closely with ours, and we are eager for the opportunity to provide these services,” states Nichole Karahalios, Northeast Sales and Marketing Support Executive at Humana.

The public can visit NHGives.org and search “Gather” to make donations during NH Gives. The link will become active on June 7, at 5 p.m., and be open for 24 hours.

For 200 years, Gather has been serving Seacoast residents facing hunger. Gather’s mission is to make the Greater Seacoast a hunger-free community. Some of Gather’s programs include our Pantry Market, Mobile Markets, Meals 4 Kids, Cooking 4 Community, Farm Shares 4 Families and Grow 4 Gather.

All donations to NH Gives or directly through the Gather website are tax-deductible. Please contact info@gathernh.org for visit our website at GatherNH.org more information.

Retirement community residents raise thousands for Ukraine

Finished RiverWoods Durham quilt
Finished RiverWoods Durham quilt

DURHAM — RiverWoods Durham staff and residents have raised almost $9,000 in support of the people in Ukraine, and the number continues to grow.

It started with a staff member, Tetiana. She began offering wooden plaques of the Ukrainian flag, made by her daughter Kate, to raise money for family still living in Ukraine. Another resident coordinated a Blue and Yellow Day on April 8, offering lapel pins for sale, encouraging all staff and residents to wear blue and yellow in a show of support.

To date, $5,600 that has been raised through the sales of lapel-pin ribbons and wooden plaques.

In March, a large group of residents began working together to create the Hearts of Hope Quilt with the intention of offering it up for a raffle.

Blue and Yellow Day was held on April 8, offering lapel pins for sale, encouraging all staff and residents to wear blue and yellow in a show of support.
Blue and Yellow Day was held on April 8, offering lapel pins for sale, encouraging all staff and residents to wear blue and yellow in a show of support.

The design for the quilt is from a pattern created by international quilt designer Bonnie Hunter for the world-wide quilting community as a raffle prize to raise money for the Ukraine. Bonnie began releasing instructions weekly starting March 25.

RiverWoods Durham resident Robyn Shiely donated the fabric, coordinated the construction, and provided instruction when necessary. “When I first saw the design, I realized this was something I could teach my friends at RiverWoods Durham,” Shiely said.

The RiverWoods Durham quilting volunteers met every Friday to review the instructions and start building units. The quilt was finished in approximately six weeks.

Shiely continued, “My personal hope for the quilt is for it to start its own legacy. I hope the winner of the raffle will then take the quilt to another community (church, town hall, library, Lions Club, etc.) and start another raffle. Sort of like a ‘traveling quilt’ fundraiser for Ukraine.”

The raffle has already raised $3,250. The quilters are hoping to see that number climb over $4,000 by the time of the drawing.

Funds are being received by the organization Razom for Ukraine.

RiverWoods Durham Executive Director Kim Gaskell said, “I’m proud of the many ways our residents raise awareness of social justice issues and bring that to our community. They are truly committed to making a difference. It’s wonderful to see how their energy and efforts can have a significant impact globally.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Juneteenth celebrations, Rock Rest to be honored: Community news update