Pro Portsmouth Unveils 2016 Market Square Day Logo

PORTSMOUTH, NH - With the 39th Annual Market Square Day Festival & 10K Road Race just around the corner, Pro Portsmouth unveiled its 2016 event logo and discussed the city’s premier downtown festival at a neighbor’s office in the West End: Infinite Imaging, according to a press statement.

Pro Portsmouth’s Executive Director Barbara Massar thanked the many area businesses who make Market Square Day possible – Program Partner Northeast Credit Union, Road Race Title Sponsor Access Sports Medicine as well as longtime Festival and Race Supporting Sponsors Liberty Mutual Insurance, Oakhurst Dairy, Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Coca Cola of Northern New England, People’s United Bank, Runner’s Alley, Lyons Law Offices, SIS Bank, Backyard Farms, Recordsforce, The Mall at Fox Run and Seacoast Dermatology.

Representatives from Infinite Imaging, Access Sports Medicine and Recordsforce wre on hand for the logo reveal. Artist Carolyn Vibbert’s design was chosen from more than 50 submissions and will be featured on all Race and Volunteer T-shirts as well as the Festival T-shirt which will be available at the Pro Portsmouth booth in Market Square during the event. The second and third place designs were submitted by Tory Liebel and Emily Fortin, both students at Portsmouth High School.

Pro Portsmouth also announced that the Canine Community Corps was their featured non-profit for Market Square Day. According Massar, they met at The Fabulous Find.

“We were one of the shop’s April recipients and the Canine Community Corps was selected for May," she noted. "Their mission and message was so moving that we invited them to participate at Market Square Day.”

For information about the CCC, go to caninecommunitycorps.org

It takes a village to make Market Square Day happen - a variety of Volunteer opportunities are open. Information regarding Volunteering for MSD is available by contacting Jennifer Salchunas at 603-433-4398 Ext. 4 or volunteer@proportsmouth.org.

The Market Square Day Historic Walk takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2016. The Walk begins at Market Square in front of the North Church. “The Walk was the creation of the late, great Bruce Ingmire, and although he last gave the tour in 1992, we at Pro Portsmouth are proud to carry on the tradition,” stated Massar.

Market Square Day features entertainment throughout the day on two stages. Various acts will fill the Downtown with music. Noted Massar, “This year’s musical offerings take on a very diverse sound with Dave Gerard and Truffle closing out the festivities on the Main Stage at Pleasant Street.”

An abundance of crafters, local businesses and food vendors will set up ‘shop’ on the streets of Portsmouth. More than 150 will be on hand for this year’s festival.

Parking restrictions do take place in Downtown Portsmouth beginning at 4 a.m. on Saturday, June 11. Streets will be posted on Friday, June 10, to indicate where parking is prohibited during the festival. Parking restrictions will be enforced and vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense. The Parking Garage offers a flat fee of $5 from the hours of 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free Shuttle service (STA) provided by Pro Portsmouth runs from the overflow Lot at The Mall at Fox Run (across from the JC Penny/Lens Crafters side of Mall) to the Hanover Street Bus Station across from the Hilton Garden Inn (Hanover Street Bus Stop) in Downtown Portsmouth. The shuttle runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; details online at proportsmouth.org/MSDparking.cfm.

The event, often referred to as the unofficial start to Summer on the Seacoast, attracts 2,000 runners and competitive walkers for the 10K race and 60,000 festival-enthusiasts to the heart of the city. The Road Race starts at 9 a.m. in Market Square. The Festival runs from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.

Market Square Day is produced by Pro Portsmouth. Pro Portsmouth, Inc. is a 501c (3) organization serving the Seacoast area. Its Mission is to promote the arts, culture, history and community of the area through such events as Children’s Day, Market Square Day, Summer in the Street and First Night Portsmouth.

For more information on the group, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit proportsmouth.org.

Submitted by Pro Portsmouth.