March 29, 2024
Archive

Kittery shipyard supporters plan family picnic

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Portsmouth Naval Shipyard supporters will hold a picnic Saturday as a show of support for keeping the base open.

The federal Base Realignment and Closure commission is expected to decide the week of Aug. 22 whether to remove the nuclear submarine repair facility in Kittery, Maine, from the base closure list or leave it on the list it sends to President Bush.

Supporters hope the event, billed as an old-fashioned New England family picnic, will show the importance of the base to Maine and New Hampshire families.

The Save Our Shipyard Task Force is sponsoring the event from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Pease International Tradeport. Participants have been asked to bring cold lunches rather than grills or other cooking gear.

The free event will feature entertainment, including musical performances by several shipyard workers and a “Maximum Velocity Bike Show” featuring BMX stunt riders.

Those attending are encouraged to wear their yellow “Save Our Shipyard” T-shirts.

The picnic is one of a series of community events staged by shipyard workers and their supporters since the Defense Department on May 13 recommended the 205-year-old yard’s closure.

Nearly 8,000 shipyard supporters lined the streets June 1 to welcome four members of the commission who came to tour the yard.

On July 6, the sea of yellow T-shirts hit the road, with thousands descending upon the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for a commission hearing.

Most recently, a few thousand shipyard supporters rallied on Walker Street on July 26 to greet two more commissioners who came to tour the yard.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like