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Hey, we know a celebrity! Anbika Strand, creator of the logo for Children’s Day 2010, was at our house not long ago. We had no idea that  her artwork was about to be emblazoned all across the city. The official press release and info about the annual Sunday festival follows. Congrats Annika! (Continued below)

The Press Conference, which took place at Service Credit Union, one of this year’s Shareholders, introduced Annika Strand as the artist whose work was selected for the 2010 logo. Annika, age 10, hales from the Port City. Her logo artwork will be featured on the Volunteer T-shirts, the Children’s Day Map and Poster and the Pro Portsmouth website.

In what has become a Children’s Day tradition, we asked our community artists to design a logo for this family-friendly event. Annika’s logo depicts a personal goal – to successfully perform a cartwheel!

Children’s Day returns after a two year hiatus; the event was cancelled in 2008 due to a storm. In 2009 citing lack of financial support, Pro Portsmouth elected not to produce the event. Thanks to the support of Shareholders – both large and small – Children’s Day returns to the Port City in 2010.

The event, which takes place on Sunday, May 2nd from Noon – 4:00pm, begins when friends from Character Island arrive in Portsmouth aboard the M/V Thomas Laighton at The Isles of Shoals Steamship Co. Activities abound from A to Z as all are invited to follow the Children’s Day map which takes them all over Downtown where they can enjoy crafts, face painting, bowling and more.

Entertainment takes place at the Block Party on Pleasant. This year’s schedule of performers includes Mary Kaye & Professor von Wienerschnitzel, the Seacoast Civic Dance Company and, thanks to Service Credit Union, The Money Mammals.

Winner of the Dr. Toy award and touted by the Wall Street Journal as "showing children the joy of saving, sharing, and spending smart", The Money Mammals are brought to you by Service Credit Union’s Financial Education program. The interactive puppet show follows Joe the Monkey and Piggs the Bank as they save their allowance for Clara J. Camel's birthday present. Kids laugh out loud while learning concepts such as money transactions, saving allowance money, and sharing in the form of gifts through catchy songs and funny dialogue.

Irving Oil partners with the New England Aquarium to bring Calvin, the North American Right Whale, to Children’s Day. The 42’ life-sized whale, along with other Aquarium exhibits will join in the festivities at The Connie Bean Recreation Center on Daniel Street.

Children’s Day Shareholders include: Irving Oil, Lonza, Isles of Shoals Steamship Co., Service Credit Union, Treehouse Toys, Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, Alie Jewelers, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bob’s Clam Hut, G.Willikers!, Gymboree Play and Music of Rye, NH Association for the Blind, Portsmouth Lions Club, PortsmouthNH.com, SeacoastKidsCalendar.com, Seacoast Mothers Association, Sheds USA, Tugboat Alley, Ad Cetera Graphics, Infinite Imaging and PromoCentric.

Thanks go out to the City of Portsmouth, City Manager, John Bohenko and the various City Department heads for their support of Children’s Day

The Children’s Day map is available at the event and on the Pro Portsmouth Web site

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