Prescott Park Arts Festival Receives $100,000 Bequest

Leola Pierson leaves funding to support beloved arts organization

PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE – A lifelong Portsmouth resident has left Prescott Park Arts Festival $100,000 as part of a trust established to benefit several local charities.

Leola Pierson, 93, died in August 2006. Through her frugality and hard work, she accrued an estate worth $500,000 and established the trust prior to her death in order to continue her support of many non-profit organizations, including the Prescott Park Arts Festival.

Pierson, who never married, came to Portsmouth as a teenager from Tenants Harbor, Maine, and lived many years in her parents’ home on Dodge Avenue. She attended Portsmouth Beauty School and worked as a beautician well into her 70’s.

“Prescott Park relies on the support of its generous donors and sponsors,” said Ben Anderson, Prescott Park Arts Festival Executive Director, “Leola Pierson’s support and contribution will allow our organization to continue culturally enriching those living in and visiting Portsmouth. It’s a contribution that has a sizable impact.”

Funds received as part of the trust will be used to eliminate lines of credit remaining from past years, plus establish both a contingency and endowment fund.

The Prescott Park Arts Festival presents music, art, theater and dance on the banks of the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The primary objective of the Festival is to provide quality family entertainment, promote artistic excellence in the community and maintain quality presentations of both entertainment and educational events. Located on 3.5 acres in downtown Portsmouth, the arts festival has a long and rich history of successfully presenting the arts with no fixed admission.

Its 33rd season featured a production of “The Sound of Music” this past summer along with a number of musical festivals, concerts, and educational events.

For more information about the Prescott Park Arts Festival, visit www.prescottpark.org or call 603-436-2848.

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Pictured in photo from L to R: Richard Kaiser, Senior Trust Officer and Vice President of Piscataqua Savings Bank Trust Department; James J. Flynn, Esquire; Amy L. Cronin, CPA and Prescott Park Arts Festival Treasurer; and James F. Lamond, Prescott Park Arts Festival Board President.