MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Saturday May 1, 10am-3pm
Kittery, Maine

The kitchens we all dream of -- sleek and contemporary, cozy and traditional, packed with innovation and imagination – will become a reality for one day as The Music Hall presents its popular annual Kitchen Tour. Now in its 19th year, this benefit for the Hall will feature kitchens and dining spaces in the historic seacoast towns of Kittery and Kittery Point, Maine.

Mary Horigan, Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving, at The Music Hall notes, "The seven homes on our tour in Kittery and Kittery Point are spectacular. It’s The Music Hall’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Each year, the tour attracts over 1,200 visitors, who come out to support The Music Hall and to gain inspiration for their own kitchens. Proceeds from the tour are used immediately toward operating costs to support The Music Hall, an American Treasure for the Arts. We owe so much of our success to our incredible hosts, loyal sponsors, over 100 volunteers, our creative and hardworking committee, and our visitors - many of whom have made this a tradition each spring. Of course a warm, sunny spring day also helps!"  

Betsy Cole, an eight-year veteran as co-chair of the Kitchen Tour Committee, says, "This year we have one of the most exquisite kitchens ever on the tour. Our patrons will love this one!" Photographer Greg West agrees. He’s been capturing the Kitchen Tour on film for years and has previewed a few of this year’s kitchens. "Visitors to this year’s Kitchen Tour will be privy to some exciting kitchens: down home cottage charm, and stunning views along the Piscataqua await."

Kitchen photos by Greg West Photography

Ann Kendall, co-chair of this year’s event, says, "This year, we are confident that each Kittery and Kittery Point home will thrill and inspire everyone on the tour. The kitchens are so diverse; some are so sophisticated with all the newest equipment, while others seamlessly blend the old with the new. There are spacious kitchens and cozy kitchens and they are all wonderful. Some of us just dream about what we could do to our own kitchens, while others actually take notes and make plans for real changes. It is a spectacular day and each year is unique and exciting."  

To start your tour

It’s best to buy your tickets early, as there is a discount on all tickets purchased before the day of the Tour. Purchase tickets at The Cranberry Bog in Hampton, Greater York Chamber of Commerce in York, Beach Pea in Kittery, and The Music Hall Box Office at 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth. Maps will be available at the Box Office, ticket outlet locations and on The Music Hall’s website the week before the tour. If you buy your tickets now, we will mail the maps out to you once they become available. On the day of the tour, The Music Hall ticket booth will also be set up in the lobby of GreenPages on Badger’s Island West, located right next to two of the kitchens on the tour. 

We highly recommend carpooling with friends - it’s much more fun! With guidebook and map in hand, you’ll head out to venture into these lovely Seacoast homes, and tour-goers can start and finish the tour anywhere they like. For visitors looking to turn their own dreams into reality, the craftsmen, artisans, designers and architects involved in the kitchens are noted in the tour’s guidebook along with detailed descriptions of the kitchens. Many of the fine craftsmen will also be available to speak with during the tour. 

While on the Tour…

Not only will patrons view and experience beautifully designed Seacoast kitchens, they will find a variety of restaurants featured on the Tour map, all of which are fabulous places to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Get a bite to go and picnic or take a short break from the Tour and sit for a while.  

Kitchen Tour fan Janet Stevens, who has been on the tour twice, said, "The Kitchen Tour is a grand day - an opportunity to ‘case study’ because you can go into all of these new kitchens and see the different styles. It’s inspiring and uplifting."

Our 2010 dedicated Kitchen Tour Committee, chaired by Ann Kendall and Betsy Cole, and including Cori McGrath, Kirsten Mahoney, Philip Marcus, Donna Lyn Tamaroff, Julia Madden, and Mary Horigan invite you to enjoy this great day out, all in support of The Music Hall. 

About the towns of Kittery and Kittery Point, Maine

Kittery, like most coastal New England communities, draws its existence from the sea and the availability of a good, deep water harbor created by a river, in this case the Piscataqua River. Early history records visits to the Isles of Shoals and the Piscataqua in the early years of the 17th Century with the first settlement by Europeans in 1623. Kittery was incorporated in 1647 making it the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Kittery’s early existence was tied to the sea and it developed as a fishing and shipbuilding center, a role that continues to the present. In the late 1600's, the area was the source of masts for the Royal Navy resulting in much of the area being harvested. In the late 1700's, development of Kittery Point occurred resulting in the construction of what are now considered to be many of the community’s historical landmarks. In 1800, a government shipyard was established, which became and continues to be a driving force in the community. In the late 1800's, the area developed as a tourist center with the construction of summer hotels on the islands and at Kittery Point so that Kittery became a destination for summer visitors and in the 1980's, those visitors also came to the factory outlet retail center. While Kittery has changed over the past 350 years into a modern residential and retail community, it remains firmly routed in its heritage and its connection to the sea. 

About the Kitchen Tour

1,200 visitors attend The Music Hall’s Kitchen Tour each year to get a peek inside the contemporary or traditional homes of an historic seacoast town, and to gain ideas for their own kitchens. Proceeds from the popular tour - now in its 19th year- are used immediately toward operating costs to support The Music Hall. The tour highlights the work of local companies including architects, builders, carpenters, and lighting, landscape and sound designers. In addition, local retail shops and restaurants support the tour through ticket sales and special promotions.

Tickets

Kitchen Tour tickets are $20 for Music Hall members, $23 for non-members, and $25 if purchased the day of the event. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by phone at 603.436.2400, or online. Additional ticket locations include The Cranberry Bog in Hampton, Greater York Chamber of Commerce in York, Beach Pea in Kittery, and The Music Hall Box Office at 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth. On the day of the tour, our ticket booth will also be set up in the lobby of GreenPages on Badger’s Island West, located right next to two of our kitchens on the tour. 

Presenting Sponsors

Coastal Home Magazine

DeStefano Architects

Piscataqua Landscaping Co., Inc.

Portsmouth Blind & Shade

Stonewall Kitchen

The Harbor Lights/ The Lighting Center at Rockingham Electric 

Lead Sponsor

Bold Cabinetry

VISIT THE Music Hall Web Site