From: PMFF News Subject: Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival 2010: Last pre-fest News-Blast Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 11:08 PM Hello Friends of PMFF and all maritime music lovers, We're all really primed for this weekend's (11th annual) Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival (Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26, 2010)! To get yourselves psyched up, check out our website again to read some of the PMFF press. Print out a poster to tape to your car window (mobile advertising!) while your car is parked in Portsmouth. And check the Market Square webcam to get a look at the scene downtown. As we close in on this year's celebration, there are just a few last reminders and announcements. A major piece of news for us is that Celtic Crossing [http://celticcrossing.com/] has stepped up again and offered a very generous donation towards the production of this year's Saturday evening concert. We are most grateful to this local business, and encourage our fans and audience members to visit them on Congress St, thank them for their kind support, check out their wares and maybe even find a special gift for someone on your list. The 2010 schedule IS up and available at our website, and we do not anticipate any further changes: [http://www.newenglandfolknetwork.org/pmff/schedule.html]. In addition to a few brief notes on the various workshops, events and venues, there's also a link near the top of the page that will open a .pdf file that is a table-view of the weekend's activities. Get out the yellow highlighters! As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, we have a new opening event - Roving Shantying around the town. The singers involved aren't giving away any secrets, so you'll have to catch them outside RiRa at 10:30AM Saturday, as they begin singing, to find out where they're headed next. They'll be like a flash mob, popping up suddenly somewhere in town, singing a couple of shanties, and moving on! To end the movable shanty feast, Great Bay Sailor will perform (and advertise our OWN festival) from the stage of another festival - the 2nd Annual NH Fish & Lobster Festival at Prescott Park [http://www.prescottpark.org/fish.cfm]. The "Fishtival" promotes the local fishing industry, locally caught fish, local seafood merchants and seafood restaurants, and local maritime music. This is a free event, with the focus on good, fresh seafood to eat right there on the banks of the river, though there will be a charge for any food purchased. Parking has gotten to be quite a competitive sport here in Portsmouth. There will be more events than just our own in town this weekend, so please DO leave time for possible traffic issues, and for finding parking. The City of Portsmouth has a fine parking map at this link: http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/Transportation/downpark.htm Most of our festival events are held in the area between numbers 1, 4, and 5 on the map. The farther out you're willing to park, the better your luck will be. State St, Middle St, Court St, and Parrott Ave are good bets. As ever, we greatly appreciate the donations and support of all our friends, allowing us to present the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival. We are also grateful for the ongoing support - sometimes YEARS of support - from some of the local businesses in Portsmouth. Please check the sponsor banner at the bottom of our homepage for sponsor information, and then visit these helpful merchants, and thank them for supporting our festival. Here's to another wonderful fest! Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival Committee
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