Friday, November 13 through Monday, November 16: House drop-off at Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, 10am to 5pm
Friday November 20: Gingerbread House Exhibition opens to the public (early this year!)
Starting November 20, we will be open 7 days a week, 10am to 5pm through December 23!
Your Input Matters! Win a $50 Gift Certificate!
Can you fill out our survey? Portsmouth Historical Society needs your insights!
We are planning a major 2022 exhibition, “Imagine That! The Power of Picture Books,” about children’s books as a foundation of imagination and empathy. We’d like to hear from you about your experiences with reading and picture books. Please take our brief, 4-minute survey and complete it before midnight on Sunday, November 15, 2020. You could win a $50 gift certificate to G. Willikers! Toy Shop of Portsmouth.
Our wonderful shop manager, Beth, has commissioned lovely tote bags emblazoned with images of the community quilts! Get yours today while supplies last!
Hats off (and masks on!) to our Walking Tour Guides!
With only today and tomorrow left in our regular season for historical walking tours, we wanted to take this opportunity to say
THANK YOU
to our intrepid walking tour guides who have done such a fantastic job this season. We started off late but ended the season enthusiastically. We couldn’t do it without you!
Joe Distefano • Linda King Fred Lewis • Lauren Gianino Elisabeth Sanborn • Alan Cohen Jeff Thomson • Randy Absher Richard Candee
Last Chance! 50% Off Voting Merchandise!
All our voting-related merchandise is now 50% off! Curbside pickup and free delivery within a 10-mile radius available! Call 603-436-8433 or email Beth@portsmouthhistory.org to coordinate!
Join us for a selection of short presentations and a Q&A with the exhibitors whose work is on display in the balcony of the Academy Gallery. We’ll talk about quilt guilds, quilting technique, alternative uses for quilting skills, and more!
It’s GINGERBREAD TIME
Have you signed up yet?
We need YOU to participate!
This year, we’re placing gingerbread houses in our Academy Gallery on the ground floor AND on the balcony level AND in storefronts downtown. We need all the holiday cheer we can get! Don’t know where to start? We’ve got tips, tricks, and ideas being posted all the time on our social media accounts!
Are you interested in participating but don’t know your royal icing from your fondant? Become a sponsor! We’re always looking for more local businesses and individuals to get involved. Contact our Director of Development Judy Loto at 603-570-2492 or by email at judy@portsmouthhistory.org.
Last Call for Walking Tours
The walking tour season ends October 31st! Book one of the last remaining spots before autumn slips awa!
Our annual meeting, an integral part of being a non-profit organization to benefit the public, was held this past Monday to review the accomplishments of the previous year. If you were unable to attend, you can download the report here:
These fun, light-up hats are selling out fast at the Museum Shop. Get yours today! Curbside pickup and delivery within a 10-mile radius upon request! Just reach out to Beth@PortsmouthHistory.org! Members get 10% off!
Sea Swept, Judey Clemons, 2014, and Marcia McLaughlin, The Raven, 2019. Photo by Raya on Assignment.
Join us for an evening with our exhibiting quilters! We’ll have a few presentations about quilts and quilting today and then a Q&A session where everyone can ask their burning questions about quilting!
Portsmouth Historical Society invites friends of the organization to attend our annual meeting this Monday, October 19, at 5:30pm, via Zoom. We will discuss board positions, new board members, and institutional by-laws, among other topics. The meeting link will be distributed via the registration button below. Only current members will be able to vote. Not yet a member? Join now!
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in this year’s unique John Paul Jones Jubilee experience–from the wine raffle, to the online event, and our “fundraiser-for-two” art auction through Bidding for Good. The Jubilee, like Portsmouth Historical Society, couldn’t be a success without all the help and support we receive from around the community. We hope all of you enjoyed it and will join us again next year! Stay tuned!
Join us at Portsmouth Historical Society as we celebrate this sweet season with the 30th Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition from November 20 through December 22. This year, we are “taking it to the streets” with gingerbread creations on display both at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and throughout downtown in shop and restaurant windows.
Call for Entries
We need all the holiday cheer we can get!
Register today to enter your gingerbread creations in the contest!
Houses entered in the contest must be delivered to the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center on November 13, 14, 15, or 16 during open hours, 10am to 4pm.
Please note that houses are due BEFORE THANKSGIVING this year!
Want to join the fun but don’t know where to start? This year we’re suggesting historical buildings in gingerbread form! We’ve had a lot of great houses recreated in the past, but it doesn’t have to be a landmark. It can be your own home, a favorite downtown spot, or a bit of unique architecture. Follow us on social media to for tips, tricks, and ideas!
Slide left or right!
Have something else in mind? Go for it! The theme is in no way mandatory.
Scavenger Hunt! Raffle! Prize Ribbons!
Every year we seem to have more awards and prizes to give out. The more the merrier! This year we’ve got more than a dozen ribbons to distribute. Your creation could be the winner! Buy tickets for a chance to win a gingerbread house as your holiday feast’s centerpiece!
This year we’re putting together a downtown scavenger hunt! No need to go inside! Each participant will be entered in a special raffle for a $100 gift card to a Portsmouth restaurant! Details coming soon!
Community judges will award ribbons, and then YOU can vote for the People’s Choice!
Rules & Conditions for Entry
Wait! Before you enter, please read the rules. Even we cheerful holiday elves need rules.
Important Dates
Entries must be registered no later than Monday, November 9.
Registered houses must be delivered to the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center at 10 Middle Street in Portsmouth on November 13, 14, 15, or 16 between 10am and 4pm.
The show at Portsmouth Historical Society, as well as the downtown scavenger hunt, will be on display from Friday, November 20, through Tuesday, December 22.
Those wishing to pick up their gingerbread house when the exhibition is over may do so on Wednesday, December 23 from 10am–4pm, or on Thursday, December 24 from 10am–12pm. Unclaimed houses will be thrown away. (We can’t be inviting mice to stay over the holidays!)
Entry categories
Participants are required to submit entries under one of these categories. Note: If youth and teens are working together without an adult, please choose the Teen category.
Business/Non-Profit/Organization
Adult(s) (Age 19 and older)
Professional (chefs & bakers)
Multi-Generational (Adults and youths or teens working together)
Teen or Teen Group (Age 14–18, working without an adult)
Youth or Youth Group (Age 13 and under working without an adult)
Rules
Maximum base size is 15” by 15”. You may NOT attach multiple bases together.
Entries larger than 15” by 15” will not be accepted.
Base must be sturdy! Your house will be picked up and moved multiple times during gallery set-up.
Edible materials only! This includes the “glue” that holds pieces together!
Entrants will be asked to give their entry a name on drop-off.
By entering the contest, entrants authorize Portsmouth Historical Society to use their images and images of completed work in promotional materials.
FAQ
Gingerbread kits are allowed, provided they use only edible materials.
Plug-in string lights are allowed.
Battery-operated lights are strongly discouraged as the batteries run out within a week.
Your entry doesn’t have to be a “house.” We’ve seen boats, cars, books, barns, trees, etc. Anything goes as long as it’s made of edible materials!
Awards: The guest judges are chosen by the Gingerbread House Competition committee and volunteer their time (and good taste!)
Judges’ awards:
First place in each entry category (Business, Adult, Professional, Multi-Generational, Teen/Teen Group, Youth/Youth Group)
First place among the houses in the downtown scavenger hunt
Honorable Mentions in all the categories above
People’s Choice awards:
Best in Show (inside at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center)
Best in Show (for the downtown scavenger hunt)
People’s Choice for each entry category
Most Whimsical
Most Attention to Detail
Most Creative Building Materials
Committee Awards: The same group of hardcore gingerbread fans gathers every summer to begin planning this onslaught sugar-fueled holiday cheer. We’ve gotten to know a lot of the annual entrants, have seen a LOT of gingerbread creations, and we want to hand out some awards, too. So we’re reserving a couple of ribbons to bestow on our favorites!
