Portsmouth, NH March 2026

More Than an Address

Dear Neighbors,

Your home is more than just a place—it’s a reflection of who you are and what you love. It’s where comfort meets creativity, and this March issue of Portsmouth City Lifestyle is all about celebrating the spaces we call home and the stories they tell.

Our family has lived in various cities across the country, but it wasn’t until we arrived in Portsmouth that we truly felt embraced and folded into a hometown. Portsmouth is a place where you know your neighbors, yet you might also run into the mayor at a local coffee shop or see your child’s teacher at the grocery store. Home is more than just the building in which you live, and a hometown is more than just an address—it’s a place where you are known and recognized.

In this edition, we’re showcasing transformative spaces and spotlighting local designers and homeowners who bring warmth, beauty, and personality to their environments. You’ll discover inspiring home makeovers from Rein & Co, architects like Winter Holben Design who are building exciting, dynamic spaces, and local individuals and organizations giving back to their hometown, including Portsmouth Public Schools and Red’s Good Vibes food truck.

Creating warmth and belonging in a hometown takes people—people who create beauty through design, art, architectural plans, lesson plans, or even plans to build a business that provides free food to those in need. It is these people, and all of us together, who make Portsmouth a town that truly feels like home, whether your family has been here for generations or you’re a “newcomer” like me.

Thank you for welcoming us into your homes each month. It’s an honor to bring this magazine to life for such a vibrant and supportive community. Here’s to making March a celebration of the places and people that mean the most.

Happy March!

Stephen "Stevo" Yang

YANG, PUBLISHER

March 2026

PUBLISHER

Steve Yang | steve.yang@citylifestyle.com

PUBLICATION DIRECTOR

Robert Cook | robert.cook@citylifestyle.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Kendra Yang | kendra.yang@citylifestyle.com

COPY EDITOR

Casey Millette | paladincasey5@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Mia Walston | mia.walston@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lara Bricker, Troy Farkas, Susan Gallagher, Rebecca Ingalls, Angela Smith

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Kevin Edge

Corporate Team

CEO Steven Schowengerdt

President Matthew Perry

COO David Stetler

CRO Jamie Pentz

CoS Janeane Thompson

AD DESIGNER Josh Govero

LAYOUT DESIGNER Amanda Schilling

QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Brandy Thomas

inside the issue

Partners in Life and Design

High

House of History

Step

Mira

city scene

WHERE

NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

1: Escape winter blues at The Envio’s Rooftop—cozy igloos, fun dining, and stunning Seacoast views! 2: Russ Grazier, CEO of PMAC, and Mike Effenberger perform at Chamber Collaborative’s Business After Hours. 3: Jubilant guests ring in 2026 at The One Hundred Club on New Year’s Eve. 4: Business After Hours with Dr. Michael Blackman, West End Wellness, and Stacy Moore, Stroll Cafe. 5: New Hampshire Arts Association members and exhibiting artists attend the opening reception at Puddle Dock. 6: Exhibiting artists Jane Davis Copp and Karen Fazekas attend the NHAA reception at Puddle Dock.

Want to be seen in the magazine?

BY KEVIN EDGE

ARTICLE BY LARA BRICKER | PHOTOGRAPHY

HIGH SCHOOL ACQUAINTANCES BECOME PARTNERS IN MARRIAGE, ARCHITECTURE, AND SHAPING A MAINE COMMUNITY

DESIGNING LIFE TOGETHER

Though they both went to high school in Newburyport, it wasn’t until they were home from college that Brandon Holben and Elisa Winter connected.

“In high school, he was this hockey player, popular guy, who had all the parties, the crazy, fun guy with a big, huge mohawk,” Winter recalled.

Back then, Winter was quieter and more studious, and they hung out in different circles. But during a chance meeting one summer at the Thirsty Whale, she learned that Brandon was studying architecture, and a spark ignited.

“I realized how smart he was, and I've always loved art and design,” she said.

Winter was working toward a biology degree and minoring in art, so his interest in design intrigued her. At the same time, Holben, admits he had always been curious about Winter in high school.

“I had always seen her in the library studying, and you know, I was not doing that, but I always wanted to know her,” he said.

The two have now been married for 21 years, have two children, and are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their boutique architecture and design firm, Winter Holben. Winter segued into graphic design after college, while Holben worked for other local architects before they launched their firm.

“Why this works is because we really have the same philosophy,” Winter said. “We both respect each other's background a lot. Because he's an architect and I'm the other pieces of design, we work together well.”

“THE PINNACLE OF OUR CAREER AND WORKING TOGETHER WAS DOING THIS PROJECT."

Co-Founder Elisa Winter

Their first collaboration happened when they worked together to design 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, and continued with their reimagining of an abandoned gas station on Islington Street to the Getty Bagel.

Both agree their most significant project on a personal and professional level is their new headquarters at 3 Walker St., in Kittery’s Foreside area. The building combines the firm’s studio with a streetlevel art gallery, along with apartments.

“The pinnacle of our career and working together was doing this project,” she said.

Initially, they had been designing the building for a developer with a plan to locate their office there, when the developer suggested, “If you're going to have two floors of the building, you might as well just buy it from me.”

Brandon said they wondered, “You know, can we do this?”

They made it work and began to both design the building and find a way for it to become part of the community. The new building aimed to improve the area where a dilapidated, abandoned building previously sat vacant for years.

“We were trying to complete the square. That was the concept,” Holben explained.

Their design embodied their philosophy about the role architecture should play in a community.

“Properties like this that are central in a community should have multiple uses,” Winter said. “This is a mixed-use building, and that's really important to the health of communities, even small towns like Kittery.”

They felt the size of the building was important to complete the square. “It’s pretty much right to the inch, the biggest size it could be on purpose, so that it would have the value it should have here in our town and for where it's sited,” she said. “It’s a funny-shaped property, so the shape of this building is really unique.”

Holben described how the design shifts off-axis and tilts toward the square, which is the natural shape of the site. “We could have been more traditional with it, but I was like, let's just have fun with it, make it more dramatic and respond to the context better,” he said.

CONTINUED >

While the building is more contemporary than its neighbors, the design was intentional from the shingles on the outside—a modern interpretation of traditional architecture in Kittery—to the metal siding, which is a nod to the shipyard and working waterfront.

They were the first in Kittery to include the two smaller affordable apartments. “It wasn't easy for us to fit those apartments in here, but people were so psyched to have them, they rented right away,” Winter said.

While they lived in Portsmouth earlier in their marriage, Kittery is home.

“Coming here, it felt like a little more alternative than Portsmouth,” Holben said.

Winter added, “It's a very close-knit community.  It's a small town, and we love the people.”

They’ve seen the Kittery Foreside area grow to include favorites like the Black Birch, Lil’s, and Anju. “When we first moved here, there was nothing down here; it was just a corner, and that was it,” Holben said. “Since then,

things really started to pop up more; it felt like it was this innovative culture that I liked.”

All that makes them glad they persevered with their latest project. “There's just a lot we did in this building that wasn't easy,” Winter said. “We could have just put an office here, and that's it, but we did all this because we feel like it has a value to the community and to the downtown.”

ARTICLE BY SUSAN GALLAGHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN EDGE & SABINA ION

House OF HISTORY

Step into Portsmouth’s past in the John Paul Jones House.

In the heart of Portsmouth’s bustling downtown stands one of the city’s first grand homes, the John Paul Jones House, an 18th century gem named for the celebrated Revolutionary War hero known as the Father of the American Navy. Built in 1758, the stately, white-trimmed, butter-yellow Georgian mansion is not only an exquisite example of fine architecture but also a treasure trove of Portsmouth’s storied history through the centuries.

The impressive house was built for Sarah Purcell and her husband, Gregory, a Portsmouth merchant and sea captain. When Gregory died in 1776, his widow began taking in boarders to help support her many children. According to local tradition, John Paul Jones rented rooms from Sarah in 1777 and 1781 while visiting Portsmouth, giving rise to the home’s noteworthy moniker.

Jones’ bountiful legacy includes his well-known, audacious quote, “I have not yet begun to fight.” While his bravery in battle is renowned, he also left his mark as a ruthless raider and harsh commander.  Regardless of his multifaceted reputation, his famous name may be the reason the house is still standing.

In the late 1910s, the Georgian mansion and its rich history were almost lost when demolition threatened the structure. Thankfully, concerned citizens came to the rescue, establishing the Portsmouth Historical Society in 1917 and acquiring the house—its connection to the colorful seafaring swashbuckler likely spurred their motivation. A museum since 1920, the house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

Stepping through the front door summons a palpable sense of those who walked here long ago—elegantly dressed ladies with rustling petticoats, dapper gentlemen in waistcoats and breeches, and the rakish Captain Jones himself. Historical Society Curator Gerry Ward understands this powerful aura of the past. “We can picture these people sitting in the very chairs here,” he says.

The central hallway is akin to a gallery, displaying six portraits of the Badger family, prominent 19th century Portsmouth residents. The father, Samuel, was a master shipbuilder on Badger’s Island. The wide hallway is a classic feature of Georgian houses, and much of its original woodwork and moldings remain intact. The stairway with its sweeping, curved banister boasts intricately carved spindles. Ward explains that the banister is in the typical Portsmouth tri-art design, the spindles displaying three distinct patterns—a design unique to Portsmouth.

Like the banister, nearly everything in this carefully curated home was made in Portsmouth or claims a history of local ownership. In the parlor, a small, oval table is one of the few remaining pieces of the home’s original owners. But the parlor’s most striking piece is the fancy pinkish-orange sofa, reupholstered in the style—and unusual color—of the times. With its multiple pillows and round bolsters arranged in the period fashion, it is easy to imagine a couple of cultured ladies perched on the brightly hued sofa, sipping tea from delicate china cups.

"...his famous name may be the reason the house is still standing."

In a corner, an exquisite 1820s square Babcock piano makes a bold artistic statement. Genteel young ladies of the time would have sat at its keyboard, displaying their musicianship—with perfect straight-back posture, of course. Even now, dulcet tones of Mozart and Beethoven seem to linger in the air.

Across the hall in the dining room, lovely blue-on-white ceramic tiles frame the fireplace. Crafted in Holland in the mid-18th century, the tiles are considered original to the house. Each tile depicts an Old or New Testament biblical scene with chapter and verse numbers, a common practice in English and Dutch tiling.

The dining room and adjacent pantry beautifully showcase the Historical Society’s extensive collection of ceramics and fine china. These pieces, along with the home’s furniture and other memorabilia, weave a vibrant tapestry of Portsmouth’s history. Since 1920, local families have donated their treasured heirlooms, spawning a collection that has grown to more than 3,000 objects.

Ward stresses the importance of preserving these historical objects. “They don’t lie, like documents often do,” he says. “These items illustrate the popular culture and craft industries of the time—as valuable as written documents and much more interesting.”

Ascending the stairs reveals another enchanting piano in the upstairs hallway, once thought to be the oldest piano in America—an idea that gained it much attention when the house first opened to the public. It is indeed old, crafted in London in the 1770s. Esteemed ancestors of Portsmouth’s Pike, Burrier, and Tarlton families keep watch over the antique instrument from their portraits on the walls.

In a second-floor bedroom, the Barnes Bed claims fame as the bed Lafayette reputedly slept in. Surrounding the bed, 18th century furnishings offer a glimpse into the private details of daily life, including a large, wooden bathtub hewn out of a solid mahogany log. A bedside chair discreetly conceals a chamber pot—a convenient alternative to a midnight outhouse excursion.

"Stepping through the front door summons a palpable sense of those who walked here long ago—elegantly dressed ladies with rustling petticoats, dapper gentlemen in waistcoats and breeches, and the rakish Captain Jones himself."

The bedroom John Paul Jones presumably rented is a veritable mini museum, dedicated entirely to the house’s namesake. Paintings of Jones hang from the seablue walls, letters and documents reside in glass cases, and a dignified plaster bust of the war hero surveys his domain.

A maritime gallery occupies another bedroom, chronicling the maritime trade that was crucial to the economic life of New Hampshire’s only seaport.

This stunning historic home is a testament to the efforts of the Portsmouth Historical Society, whose members maintain the home, curate and display its furnishings, and present various exhibits. The Society conducts tours of the house from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. The property’s lush gardens are a popular draw when in full bloom.

While John Paul Jones no longer walks among us, his essence lives on in the grand house that bears his name. Beyond the home’s connection to Jones, its greatest charm lies in the centuries of Portsmouth life that reverberate within its walls. Ward states proudly, “This is the only museum in town that collects the history of Portsmouth from Native American times to—literally—today.”

Red's

ARTICLE BY TROY FARKAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN EDGE

Radical giving without limits

Good Vibes

Caitlin McGrath-Levesque remembers everything about that night.

The orange glow of the fireplace. The texture of the octopus on the plate in front of her. The families scattered across tables at Tuscan Kitchen, smiling over shared meals and promises of future nights such as these.

She remembers how she felt when she watched her sister, Meghan McGrathHarriman, answer a call from the Portland police, the sparkle leaving her eyes instantaneously when the voice on the other end relayed the sobering news.

Caitlin knew.

“It’s Bobby. He’s dead,” Meghan said.

Bobby “Red” McGrath was only 29.

As the two youngest of the four McGrath siblings, McGrath-Levesque had always felt closest to Bobby.

“We were typical siblings,” she said of their relationship growing up in Connecticut. “It was a love-hate relationship for sure, but as we grew up, that just really turned into a bond of love.”

McGrath-Levesque eventually moved to Portsmouth after college and Bobby moved in with her briefly before settling in Portland. Her favorite memories with Bobby revolve around food, like the time they spontaneously drove to Philadelphia to pick up cheesesteaks, or when they would start a summer day with lunch at Union Lobster House before an afternoon of kayaking on the Piscataqua River.

McGrath-Levesque remembers stopping at Union Lobster House in 2014 to visit her brother Bobby at work, when he first casually floated the idea that paved the way for what would become Red’s Good Vibes, a nonprofit that believes in “radical giving without limits,” a concept upheld by their commitment to providing free meals for Seacoast residents in need.

“It began as a joke. We were talking about how he really needed something of his own one day, maybe a clam shack.”

Then, almost offhand, Bobby said, “It’s gotta be a food truck.”

“In that moment, the conversation shifted,” McGrath-Levesque said. “From there, the dream started to take shape—not just about food but also his purpose.”

From his time volunteering at Portland’s Preble Street Food Pantry, Bobby believed everyone deserved a hot meal, but he felt “uncomfortable” with the hierarchy setup of the food pantry. With his food truck, he envisioned customers flashing a card that would ensure a volunteer handing them a free meal in a non-judgmental, no-questions-asked fashion.

Bobby didn’t live long enough to see his dream come to fruition.

Again, McGrath-Levesque just knew.

One day in late 2019, while driving along Lafayette Road in North Hampton, N.H., the entire vision for Bobby’s food truck flashed before her eyes. She pulled over and came face-to-face with a red 1984 P-40 Step Van with a FOR SALE sign plastered on the windshield.

McGrath-Levesque said she never carries cash, but that day she found $300 in her car and walked over –sobbing – to the owner to negotiate a deal. She asked him how much for the vehicle, and he said $1,000.

After hearing McGrath-Levesque explain the situation – from Bobby’s tragic death to his food truck dream — the owner relented. He took the $300, delivered the truck to McGrath-Levesque’s house free of charge, and then she and her siblings immediately started the nonprofit paperwork for Red’s Good Vibes.

The original vision?

Hand out delicious meals from the food truck for free. No income requirements. No questions asked. No judgment.

The food truck (a different one – the original never left the garage) eventually made its debut in 2022, thanks largely to help from generous donors to cover

$17,000 worth of renovations, plus crucial handiwork from Hart Plumbing (Dover, N.H.) and the Dover Regional Career Technical Center.

Today, Red’s has two food trucks, and McGrathLevesque and her dedicated team of volunteers regularly bring the trucks to different locations in Dover, Rochester, Hampton and Portsmouth.

They’ve handed out approximately 550,000 meals, often serving goodies like pulled pork sliders, lasagna, tacos, and chicken wraps, with a vegetarian option always on the menu as well.

After over half a million meals served, hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, and countless lives on the Seacoast touched through the food trucks, what does McGrath-Levesque think Bobby would say if he were still alive to have witnessed it all?

“Good people are so rad.”

For more information, visit redsgoodvibes.com

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Curated for Life

How Rein & Co Design brought a South Berwick remodel to life—without losing what made it theirs.

ARTICLE BY ANGELA SMITH | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN EDGE

A WALL COMES DOWN—AND THE REAL DECISIONS BEGIN

For South Berwick residents Jessica and Brandon Elsemore , the wall was gone, the kitchen was open, and the first floor finally had the flow they’d been imagining for their family. Then came the part that stops most renovations in their tracks: the finishing decisions that determine whether the new space feels seamless—or like good ideas that never quite connect.

I talked with interior designer Sheri Gibson , owner of Rein & Co Design , about how she helped the Elsemores bring their remodel across the finish line—making the space work for everyday life while showcasing the pieces that already told their story.

“I often receive calls from clients who are planning or in the midst of a renovation project,” said Gibson. “They’re excited for the changes, but quickly get in the weeds navigating finishing touches and next steps, especially for a space they can’t see yet.”

For Jessica and Brandon Elsemore, it sounded like this: What do we do for backsplash tile? Do we hang lights over the island or not? Where do we start and stop the new paint color? We have a new kitchen, but now what?

After walking the space with them, Gibson understood what they were really building: a fun, welcoming home base where family and friends

could gather around a big island, cooking and eating together. They also wanted to work in their best “ingredients” already on hand: vintage barware, a cookbook collection, cake stands and serveware, and art with history—Jessica’s photography, family photos, modern pieces, mid-century nods, and coastal oils. The goal: make it all belong and work for real life.

KITCHEN: QUIET TEXTURE, LASTING STYLE

With cabinetry and countertop selections already underway, Gibson helped the Elsemores choose finishes that added interest without overpowering the space. For the kitchen backsplash, they selected a glossy, ribbed vertical white tile—modern, organic, and intentionally restrained. In the adjacent bar area, they opted for a penny round tile, closely matching the rich cabinet color, creating contrast and cohesion simultaneously.

LIGHTING: CLEAR LINES, BIG IMPACT

Lighting was next, and it became a classic renovation crossroads: hanging light fixtures over the island, or a clear ceiling that lets the architecture breathe? With varying ceiling heights, they decided to keep the island free of fixtures, so the eye could travel from the family room across the kitchen to the dining area. A cool, multi-arm modern fixture over the dining table became the focal point and set the tone for the rest of the open layout.

FAMILY ROOM: DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE

In the family room, Gibson leaned into comfort with intention. She layered in a rich patterned rug that, as Gibson likes to say, “hides a lot of life,” and chose a new sofa in performance velvet—beautiful, durable, and family-proof. Soft teal swivel chairs

“I think our homes are always evolving, just like we are,” she says.

“I want them to be representative of the people who live there.”

add flexibility: turn toward the TV, the kitchen, or the conversation.

Then came one of the most personal moves: a gallery wall that frames the TV within artwork, so it becomes part of the story, not a black box on the wall. Photos, oils, and meaningful pieces wrap the room—finished with subtle graphic wallpaper, a narrow mid-century-inspired cabinet, and a round coffee table that softens the layout.

WHERE STYLE MEETS STORY

For Gibson, the best rooms don't look staged— they look loved. “I think our homes are always evolving, just like we are,” she says. “I want them to be representative of the people who live there.”

And in the Elsemores’ home, that’s exactly what happened—through a design that doesn’t just look beautiful, but feels like home.

PORTSMOUTH TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS CELEBRATE THE TIMELESSNESS OF IMAGINATION.

THE MONSTERS PROJECT

"IN THE SPRING, AS THE SNOW IS MELTING... THE MONSTERS FINALLY COME OUT TO PLAY"

“…Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” — Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, 1871

Those who recall Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland may remember the words spoken above as those of Alice herself. And yet, they are actually the words of the grown-up, the White Queen, who teaches a skeptical seven-year-old Alice an important lesson: in her imagination, the impossible is everywhere around her.

One doesn’t have to drop down a rabbit hole to see that same invaluable lesson unfold, for it’s at the very heart of a school’s art program. Here on the Seacoast, Portsmouth High School art teacher Sarah Mundy and her colleagues are dedicated to celebrating and preserving the imagination. Through drawing, ceramics, and composition, they inspire students to collaborate across ages to bring monsters out of their minds and into the real world.

The project begins in the second-grade classroom of Adam Bastille, art teacher at the Mary C. Dondero Elementary School in Portsmouth. “When [Mundy] asked me to do this with her,” he says, “I was super excited to collaborate. I knew my students would love it.” In the Fall, he invites each 2nd-grader to draw a monster, guiding them through

"THROUGH DRAWING, CERAMICS, AND COMPOSITION, THEY INSPIRE STUDENTS TO COLLABORATE ACROSS AGES TO BRING MONSTERS OUT OF THEIR MINDS AND INTO THE REAL WORLD."

brainstorming as they integrate texture and color, considering thoughtfully their monsters’ unique physical features and powers. “When they get talking about it,” he says, “their creativity flows.” The delight of originality does not stop with the children, for Bastille also creates his own monster alongside them.

Once the drawings are finalized, Bastille transports them to Mundy. Protecting the original drawings, Mundy makes copies and her high school ceramics students get to choose which monster they want to bring off of the page and into the form of a 3-dimensional sculpture. In so doing, they must closely consider the integrity of the child’s drawing as they negotiate the technical aspects of the clay, paint, glaze, and other media they decide to use. Many of them contemplate what the 2nd-grade artist might find to be especially funny, and then add their own humorous twist to each creation.

As an independent artist and advocate for arts education, Mundy aims to increase student engagement and celebrate student achievements through social media. She has thousands of online followers, and she often creates posts of her own and her

students’ artwork. “Sometimes I have a video that will blow up,” she says. In 2024, after she posted about the monster project, it went viral. “I was sitting in my studio over April break, and I got a phone call from the Kelly Clarkson Show. First, I hung up. They called back and invited us to New York City. Three or four days later, we were on an airplane.” The show, which aired in May of 2024 as part of Teacher Appreciation Week, featured Mundy, Bastille, and two of their student artists.

In the spirit of creative evolution, the collaboration has grown to become more efficient, more celebratory, and more interdisciplinary. For example, each monster project now incorporates the art of writing. Audrey McBride, English teacher at Portsmouth High School, especially loves interdisciplinary work, so when Mundy told her about the project, she was eager to join. She prompted her creative writing students to compose short fiction stories for each monster. “I’m a big believer in having fun,” she says, “and in encouraging students to develop writing skills through creative means.” This year, McBride’s students will breathe new life into the monsters through poetry.

In the Spring, as the snow is melting and the days are lengthening, the monsters finally come out to play. In 2024, Portsmouth High School started hosting an annual showcase in the library, and they are planning for this year’s showcase to be in April 2026. At the event, drawings, sculptures, and writing are on full display. The 2nd-graders and high school students have the chance to meet one another, the children can hold the sculptures of their monsters in their own hands, and the high school students can read their stories to them. In the end, the 2nd-grade creator of each monster takes home the sculpture and composition that was created for it.

The energetic exchange between ages is fun, generous, and respectful. For the teachers themselves, it’s a pleasure to watch it all happen. Mundy expresses a special appreciation for the way it allows high schoolers, who experience lots of adolescent pressures, to be “innocent and cute.” Some of the high school students are Bastille’s former 2nd-graders, now burgeoning artists. And McBride appreciates the memory of positivity and engagement that such an experience can bestow. “We need more of this in the world,” she says. She’s right.

"THE ENERGETIC EXCHANGE BETWEEN AGES IS FUN, GENEROUS, AND RESPECTFUL. FOR THE TEACHERS THEMSELVES, IT’S A PLEASURE TO WATCH IT ALL HAPPEN."

IT’S TIME TO START PLANNING FOR YOUR RETIREMENT HEALTH CARE COST STRATEGY.

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MARCH 2026

THURSDAYS - SUNDAYS IN MARCH

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

The Seacoast Repertory Theater, 125 Bow Street, Portsmouth | 7:30 PM

Two con men clash on the French Riviera when they realize one town isn’t big enough for both, sparking a hilarious battle of wits and schemes. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the 1988 MGM film, delivers stylish comedy set against glamorous high jinks. Featuring a jazzy score by David Yazbek, the show earned eleven Tony Award nominations. Info at seacoastrep.org

MARCH 1ST

Portsmouth Wedding Show

The Venue at Portwalk Place, 22 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth | 12:00 PM

This wedding planning event offers a relaxed opportunity to meet local vendors, sample cakes, explore entertainment options, and discover helpful planning resources. Guests can enjoy a complimentary mimosa while browsing and gathering ideas. Open to couples, families, and friends, it’s designed to make wedding planning a shared and enjoyable experience.

MARCH 15TH

Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Winter Concert – American Voices

The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth | 3:00 PM

This winter concert program showcases three modern American composers whose works reflect the nation’s rich diversity and musical voices. Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst explores vibrant string textures, while Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 blends Romantic traditions with elements of Black musical heritage and jazz. The concert concludes

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CONTINUED

with Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, featuring pianist Mike Effenberger. For more, visit themusichall.org

MARCH 18TH

Meconi Financial Management & Advisory: Tax Preparation in Retirement Webinar

Online | 12:00 PM

How are recent market events impacting your finances? During this session, we’ll discuss factors that may contribute to market volatility and offer strategies to help you weather market uncertainty. Presented By: Art Meconi, Private Wealth Advisor, Meconi Financial Management & Advisory. To reserve a spot, email alexis.mckenna@ampf.com.

MARCH 20TH

A Bronx Tale with Chazz Palminteri: The One Man Show

The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth | 8:00 PM

A Bronx Tale: The One Man Show is Chazz Palminteri’s acclaimed autobiographical performance, portraying all 18 characters from his Bronx childhood, torn between his father and a local mob boss. Using minimal props, Palminteri brings young Calogero, Sonny, and others to life, captivating audiences for decades with humor, heart, and gritty storytelling, inspiring both a hit movie and Broadway musical.

MARCH 25TH

Charlie Hunter Trio

Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, 135 Congress Street, Portsmouth | 7:30 PM

Charlie Hunter is a guitarist, producer, and composer famed for hybrid guitar innovation. Using custom multistring instruments, he plays bass, harmony, and melody simultaneously. His 35-year career blends jazz, funk, blues, and rock through albums, global touring, and collaborations.