2023 Lantern Festival
Overview
As an official program partner of the Portsmouth NH 400 Celebration, the Alliance for Greater Good is hosting a Lantern Festival. Our theme is "Illuminating 400 Years of Community Kindness." This is a family-friendly, community event and fundraiser. Enjoy some good vibes with DJ Skooch, facepainting for the kids, and decorate lanterns to light and launch on the South Mill Pond at dusk.
All proceeds raised through the sale of lanterns (less credit card fees) will be donated to Seacoast Mental Health Center, which provides a broad, comprehensive array of high quality, effective and accessible mental health services to local residents.
Details
Date: Saturday, September 30th, rain date is October 1st
Time: Festival begins at 5:00 PM, with launch of the lanterns starting around 6:30 PM (sunset)
Location: South Mill Pond, Corner of Parrot Ave & Junkins Ave, Portsmouth, NH
Music: Celebrate community kindness with music by DJ Skooch
Ceremony: Prior to the launch of lanterns, there will be a brief ceremony that includes:
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Jay Couture, President & CEO, Seacoast Mental Health Center
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Diannely Antigua, Portsmouth Poet Laureate
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Deaglan McEachern, Mayor, City of Portsmouth
Volunteer: We will need 80+ volunteers on the day of the Lantern Festival. Volunteer sign-up will start about 30-45 days prior to the event. If you want to stay in the know, click on the Volunteer button.
Donate: Help us buy decorating & volunteer supplies and lanterns; and help us bring music & entertainment to this family-friendly event.
Sponsor: Become a sponsor. We offer different levels of sponsorship. For additional information, email us at alliance.greatergood@gmail.com.
1623 - 1722
In 1705, an accidental fire consumed the house of Reverend Nathaniel Denison Rogers, killing three people, including his mother and 17-month-old daughter, Elizabeth. The town came together and rebuilt his house. This is just one example of community kindness in response to a family tragedy in Portsmouth.
1723 - 1822
For over 200 years, Gather has been serving Seacoast residents facing hunger. The agency was founded in 1816 by a small group of women committed to feeding the families of fishermen and continues to actively serve food-insecure community members to this day.
1823 - 1922
During the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth / Portsmouth Peace Conference the Wentworth By-the-Sea hotel donated accommodations to all delegates for the full 30 days that the conference lasted; and the Russian delegates were met with a warm welcome from Portsmouth’s Russian-Jewish immigrant merchants.
1923 - 2022
In 1939, Josie Fitts Prescott gave what is the core of Prescott Park to the city of Portsmouth. Josie continued to work on the project until she died at the age of ninety-one on October 2, 1858. Before her death, Josie set up a private trust of $500,000 to fund the park. Prescott Park remains a public park, enjoyed by the community and its visitors.
2023 & Beyond
In 2023, the Alliance for Greater Good and its sponsors will host the Portsmouth NH 400 Lantern Festival to ignite community kindness and improve access to mental health services by raising funds for the Seacoast Mental Health Center.