PORTSMOUTH - Strawbery Banke Museum invites the public to experience Springfest: A Celebration of Gardens and Baby Animals, May 10–11, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event offers a vibrant weekend of seasonal celebration, where visitors can explore historic landscapes, engage with heritage-breed animals, and learn from expert artisans, gardeners, and farmers from across the region. Tickets include access to all event programming, as well as the Museum's historic houses and gardens. A full schedule of participants and activities is available at StrawberyBanke.org/springfest.

Springfest marks a fresh chapter in the Museum’s seasonal programming, drawing inspiration from past events while expanding the focus to include the rich intersections of agriculture, horticulture, and history. Guests of all ages can enjoy hands-on experiences, interpretive demonstrations, and encounters with those who preserve and share traditional knowledge.

“Springfest brings history to life in ways that are both engaging and meaningful,” said Linnea Grim, President and CEO, Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair. “From watching oxen at work, to seeing rare heritage breeds, to speaking with those who carry on traditional practices, visitors gain insights into the relevance of  historical husbandry and gardening.”

Agricultural Demonstrations and Interpretive Experiences

Throughout the weekend, skilled demonstrators will present time-honored techniques that defined early New England life. Scheduled highlights include:

• Oxen at Work Demonstration by Howard Welch of Hidden Stream Farm, Lebanon, Maine

• Sheepdog Trials Led by Barbara Eriksson of Blue Rock Dog Training, Orange, Massachusetts

• Sheep Shearing with Alex Meissner of Chinook Trail Farm, Tamworth, New Hampshire

• Honey Extraction & Pollinator Awareness presented by Dan Smith, Strawbery Banke Beekeeper, and Pollinator Pathways of New Hampshire

• Flax Spinning, Seed-Saving & Spring Planting Practices in collaboration with University of New Hampshire specialists and local volunteers

In addition, attendees can pot a plant to take home and gain practical gardening insights from Strawbery Banke’s Horticulture and Landscape team. The Springfest Plant Sale will also offer heirloom plants cultivated on-site, allowing attendees to bring a living piece of history into their gardens.

Heritage-Breed Animals: Living History on the Grounds

A signature feature of Springfest is its showcase of rare and heritage-breed animals, which reflect breeds historically found on New England farms. This year’s featured participants include:

• Nigerian Dwarf Goats — Larissa Mullen, Tiny Hill Farm (Milton Mills, New Hampshire)

• Jacob Sheep — Amanda St. Peter, Jacob Fleece Farm (Gray, Maine)

• Icelandic Sheep — Brian Cassidy, Crommet Creek Farm (Durham, New Hampshire)

• Oberhasli Goats — Claire Eckert, See To It Farm (Plymouth, New Hampshire)

• Silver Fox Rabbits — Ella Morgan, What Farm (Berwick, Maine)

• Holstein Oxen — Howard Welch, Hidden Stream Farm (Lebanon, Maine)

Some of the animals at Springfest represent breeds with a population of fewer than 300. Petting the animals is not allowed for the health and safety of the animals and people. However, visitors are encouraged to engage with farmers, ask questions, and take photographs.

Community, Creativity, and Local Partnerships

Beyond gardens and animals, Springfest celebrates the broader cultural landscape of the Seacoast through crafts, storytelling, and collaboration with local partners. Featured participants include:

• Anne Jennison, Indigenous Storyteller

• Portsmouth Garden Club & Piscataqua Garden Club

• UNH Master Gardeners and Flax Spinner

• Seacoast Science Center

• Darn Good Yarn

• Cheese Louise

• Portsmouth Soap Company

• The Spice and Tea Exchange

• Pollinator Pathways of NH

• Perch + Petal by Bell Farm

• Laudholm Farm at Wells Reserve

• G. Willikers! Books and Toys

• Barred Woods LLC

These partners, among others, will help create a rich and varied experience that blends historical interpretation with contemporary sustainability and local craftsmanship.

Springfest: A Celebration of Gardens and Baby Animals is sponsored in part by Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, ARCove Architects, Bangor Savings Bank, D.F. Richard, Harbour Women’s Health, Lincoln Financial Group, Lonza, M&T Bank, Newburyport Bank, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Portwalk Place, The Puddle Dock Restaurant, ReVision Energy, R.M. Davis, and TOUR Golf & Grill. 

For more information, a full schedule of participants and activities, and for tickets, visit StrawberyBanke.org/springfest.

About Strawbery Banke Museum:
Strawbery Banke is a nearly 10-acre living history museum in Portsmouth, that interprets over 350 years of local history, from Indigenous history to the present. Through its historical houses on their original sites, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers, visitors are invited to explore the stories of the families who lived and worked in the authentic waterfront neighborhood of Puddle Dock. As the first Smithsonian Affiliate in New Hampshire, Strawbery Banke is part of a prestigious network of more than 200 Affiliates across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama.

Strawbery Banke welcomes visitors, members, schoolchildren, and volunteers for daily programs, exhibits, special events, and seasonal ice skating. Strawbery Banke Museum is funded in part by grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom; the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. For more information and a complete calendar of events, please visit StrawberyBanke.org.