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December 15, 2015
On December 14, Star Island received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to strengthen the care of artifacts in the Celia Thaxter Museum located on Star Island, one of the Isles of Shoals.
This $6,000 grant from the NEH’s Preservation Assistance Grant program will go towards strengthening the facilities and staffing needed to ensure proper care for artifacts in the Celia Thaxter Museum. Read more…
Fundraising
December 02, 2015
Thank you to everyone who helped support Star Island on #GivingTuesday. We nearly doubled the amount of money raised this #GivingTuesday over last year. Your support means the world to us, and allows us to focus more on 2016.
One highlight of yesterday’s giving included a first time donor. This donor, Ally Miner, worked on Star Island this past summer as the Front Desk Supervisor, and now works in our mainland office. When the younger generation of Shoalers starts participating, we are thrilled and hope the inspiration Ally finds from the Star Island community also inspires others to support this gem of the Isles of Shoals. Read more…
Fundraising
December 01, 2015
About a month ago we reached out to a few folks asking them to help us prepare for #GivingTuesday. The request involved asking for a photo of the person on Star Island, plus a one to two sentence answer to: Why do you give to Star Island? We’re sending out those responses throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter.
One couple, Bruce and Carole Parsons, responded so amazingly in more than two sentences. And we just had to share their thoughts. So while the little image we post on Twitter might give a couples of sentences, here’s what they really wanted to say:
As you know room and board rates do not cover the full expenses to run and maintain Star Island. Its old buildings, constantly being battered by hard weather, need constant maintenance. New regulations and outside agencies regularly have the island make upgrades to its buildings and systems. The Board and Staff have worked very hard to create the façade of the island to be as it looked over 100 years ago. This is not easy, especially while the systems needed to operate it like the new solar fields, wastewater, reverse osmosis, etc are all very current high tech expensive pieces of equipment. I often use the analogy that Star is a like a Model A with a Ferrari Engine. Read more…
Events
November 30, 2015
Gather in our Portsmouth office on Saturday, December 12 from 10 AM to 3 PM for a basket making workshop. Karen Ellis of the Star Gathering conferences will be leading this workshop and guiding people through making their own basket.
The cost for the workshop is $50, which includes all basket supplies plus a donation to the Star Island scholarship fund. Participants should bring a lunch. Dessert and beverages will be provided. Read more…
Events
November 23, 2015
On Saturday, November 21 we welcomed over 100 people to the Discover Portsmouth Center for a great fundraiser featuring a talk by Dudley W. Dudley about her part in saving the Isles of Shoals from becoming a superport for oil tankers in the 1970s. The night also included a silent buy lasix furosemide no prescription auction, live music from the band Seasmoke, and delicious food from Take Away Cafe.
The entire event brought in over $10,000 from ticket sales, sponsorships and the silent auction. Thank you to everyone who came out to the event, donated an item to the silent auction, or supported us through a sponsorship or volunteering. And a huge thank you to Dudley W. Dudley for her presentation. We learned so much and found great inspiration in this story. The night was a terrific reminder of how strong our community is, even on the mainland. Read more…
Events
November 18, 2015
This Saturday, before or after coming to Starry Night, head over to the BRGR Bar in Portsmouth, NH for a delicious meal. This awesome burger joint is featuring The Star Island Burger on November 21st.
The Star Island Burger includes a Maine Family Farms beef patty with spinach, tomatoes, house made old bay aioli, and lobster mac + cheese. You started to salivate, didn’t you? Well, easy fix. Go to the BRGR Bar on Saturday and eat this thing!
And might we suggest ordering a side of ricotta stuffed sweet potato tots? Basically, in case you haven’t figured out, the BRGR Bar means business with its food and we think you should try it out. If not for us, for your stomach. We probably forgot to mention that they have milkshakes that will make your day. How? Some of them are spiked. They also have great homemade sodas like citrus + thyme, or blood orange. We are so hungry right now. Is it Saturday yet?
Even if you fill up at the BRGR Bar earlier in the day, don’t let your food coma make you miss Starry Night. Click here to learn more about the fun evening event.
Directions to the BRGR Bar from the Discover Portsmouth Center
Events
November 17, 2015
Our seventh annual Starry Night fundraiser is set for this Saturday — November, 21. But you already knew that and purchased your ticket? Awesome.
Starry Night goes from 5-7 pm featuring a talk by Dudley W. Dudley and a silent auction. You’ll also be treated to refreshments from Take Away Cafe, music from Seasmoke, and an open bar supplied by Sam Adams. Pretty exciting, right? Read more…
Events
November 11, 2015
On Wednesday, November 11, Star Island welcomes United States military veterans to enter its third annual raffle for a free Star Island stay during the 2016 summer.
“Our gratitude for the veteran community cannot be matched by any gift, but we hope that this experience will make a difference for one veteran and their family,” said Star Island CEO Joe Watts. Read more…
Events
November 09, 2015
This weekend we hosted the Island Institute’s annual Island Enery Conference for a field trip out to Star Island. The group toured Star to look at our innovative sustainable energy initiatives including our solar array and water filtration systems. Thank you to the Island Institute for including this trip – we hope everyone enjoyed it and took something away from the visit to bring back to their island communities.
Here are some scenes from this weekend’s trip:
Folks from the Island Institute’s Island Energy Conference meet at our dock in Portsmouth before heading to Star Island for the afternoon. Read more…
Events
November 09, 2015
It was 42 years ago that a local citizens’ revolt shattered the plans of Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, the Olympic Oil Company, then NH Governor Meldrim Thomson, and newspaper publisher William Loeb. In 1973 that powerful group intended to build a refinery in Great Bay and a superport for crude oil production at the Isles of Shoals. A few local activists and a freshman legislator successfully rallied the community to oppose the project. In an editorial at the time, Union Leader Publisher Loeb criticized the voters of Durham for being “screwballs” who were influenced by “these housewives who are beating their small breasts against the power of Mr. Onassis.”
At the time, Dudley W. Dudley was a 37-year-old mother of two and a state representative from Durham who was instrumental in leading the charge against the project. She was also elected to four terms on the Executive Council – the first NH woman to hold that position. Dudley, now a nationally recognized environmentalist who has received numerous awards for her community service efforts, says her experience opposing the massive project has relevance today: “We had no funds, no organization, and no experience in fighting huge corporate interests. But we had the truth, passion and community. And in the end, we prevailed and protected our wonderful coastline and bay.” Dudley credits Phyllis Bennett, the publisher of a small start-up local paper, and fellow Durham resident Nancy Sandberg, who spearheaded the group Save Our Shores, with mobilizing the community to oppose to the project. Read more…