Market Square Day 2013

JUNE 8, 2013  

The 36^th Annual Market Square Day Festival & 10K Road Race just around the corner. The Market Square Day Historic Walk takes place on Friday, June 7 at 6:00pm.  The Walk begins at Market Square in the North Church. Besides three stages filled with  entertainment on June 8, 2013, MSD includes 150 local businesses and food vendors who will set up ‘shop’ on the streets of Portsmouth. (Continued below) 

 Artist Elissa Von Letkemann’s design was chosen from over 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.

 “This year’s logo is Pro Portsmouth’s official welcome to our “new” Memorial Bridge”, noted organizer Barbara Massar. “We’re all looking forward to the new span and it seemed appropriate to acknowledge that emotion with this year’s artwork.” The second and third place designs were submitted by Katie Rolfs and Chuck McLean.

Market Square Day features entertainment throughout the day on three stages. Various acts will fill the Downtown with music. “We’re very pleased to feature our First Night “Battle of the Bands” winners, Black Agnes and Kenny Brothers Trio”, noted Massar. “This year’s musical offerings take on a very diverse sound with Salt River, Pinkerton Raid and Old Saw – just to name a few.”

Parking restrictions do take place in Downtown Portsmouth beginning at 4:00am on Saturday, June 8. Streets will be posted on Friday, June 7 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 $5.00 from the hours of 6:00am – 2:00pm and $3.00 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Shuttle service provided by STA/Pro Portsmouth runs from the overflow Lot at the Fox Run Mall (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 8:30am – 4:30pm. 

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 9am in Market Square. (Race registration closed on Wednesday when it hit the maximum of 2,000 runners/walkers) The Festival runs from 9am through 4pm.  

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 www.proportsmouth.org