Come Home to Portsmouth Island
We will celebrate “The Families of Portsmouth” and the 50th Anniversary of Cape Lookout National Seashore and the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service! You will want to be a part of this!
Reservations to Portsmouth should be made by calling Rudy Austin in early April: 252-928-4361. Please do not call before April 1st. The cost of the ride to Portsmouth is $20 per person round trip.
The NC Ferry service often changes schedules. Contact them directly for reservations to Ocracoke. (800-293-3779 or www.ncdot.gov/ferry).
There will be a special Descendant Tent for Portsmouth families to gather and share their photographs, family trees, scrapbooks, and memories. There will be people under the tent to help, and your family treasures will be well cared for as you choose to attend the different gatherings during the day.
The Post Office will be open to stamp your mail from Portsmouth, there will be hymn singing in the church once again, and there will be some very special family christenings in the church as well. There are special events planned for children also. The Homecoming Program will be held under the large tent and we will have a special celebration of Cape Lookout’s 50th Anniversary and the National Park Service’s 100th Anniversary!
And as always, the best food in the world will be served after the program – food that we have all brought to share. Ice, water, paper products, and tables and chairs will be provided. Everyone needs to bring food to SHARE and any beverage you prefer. Please label your food containers and coolers so you may find them easily on the way back to the dock.
New Portsmouth t-shirts will be available as well as other Portsmouth items.
Boats returning to Ocracoke will run as long as needed to get everyone off Portsmouth.
Contact numbers for more information are: Kathy McNeilly (828-448-0597) or Rosanne Penley (828-439-5424)
Visit our website and our Facebook page (Friends of Portsmouth Island) for any news or updates to this schedule.
NOTE: IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, HOMECOMING WILL BE HELD AT THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH AT OCRACOKE LOCATED ON LIGHTHOUSE ROAD.
We understand a lot of the motels at Ocracoke are already booked, so start making reservations now if you haven’t already. Bring the whole family and rent a cottage from one of the rental agencies on the island. Some of the motels have cottages for rent also.
Editor's note: The Current loves Portsmouth Homecoming! Read Jenny and Sundae's adventures (and see photos!) here and here. We will be there again this year!
