Barbara Bush takes a stroll on Gooch’s Beach with her beloved dogs in 2015. Photo courtesy of Mark Ettinger
Kennebunkport will celebrate what would have been first lady Barbara Bush’s 100th birthday with a fun-filled day on June 8.
Hosted by the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, the celebration is a part of a larger event from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy, which will honor Bush’s centennial year around the country.
“We’re honored to be a part of it for what she’s done for our country, but also what a wonderful member of our community she was,” said Tom Bradbury, Kennebunkport Conservation Trust director.
The celebration will kick off at 7 a.m. on June 8 with Barbara’s Beach Walk, a dog walk on Gooch’s Beach. Participants are invited to dress themselves and their dogs in classic Barbara Bush style, including pearls and sun bonnets.
“Walking her dogs on Gooch’s Beach was something that Barbara would regularly do,” Bradbury said. “We’re going to make it fun.”
Following the dog walk, a birthday party will take place on the Village Green, which was home to Bush’s cherished “Ganny’s Garden,” a nickname given to her by her beloved grandchildren.
Festivities will include cake and ice cream, with cakes made from recipes in Bush’s home and ice cream topped with peppermint sticks, which were her favorite candy.
Cards will be available for participants to write notes to the family with thoughts or memories of the first lady.
Barbara Bush’s 100th birthday celebration will take place at the Village Green in Kennebunkport. Photo courtesy of the Kennebunkport Conservation Commission
“It’s going to be a fun town party on the green in honor of Barbara,” Bradbury said.
Musician Lisa Mills, who is a friend of the Bush family, will perform, and a Maine/Texas-themed meal will be served.
The first lady was a special part of the Kennebunkport community who was always trying to do good in the town, Bradbury said.
Her legacy lives on in the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, and in the George and Barbara Bush Center at the University of New England in Biddeford.
“She was just a wonderful member of the community that cared about the people here and was approachable to the people here,” Bradbury said. “She was a role model, and it was both a joy and an honor to have her among us.”
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