Sandy first started volunteering for Support The Pink House in 2016 on the morning of our first day ever at our Yankee Homecoming booth. Sandy jumped right in with enthusiasm and positive energy, and helped make our booth a success throughout our two year stint at the local festival.

Sandy’s love of the natural world, for the area’s coastal landscapes & wildlife, and for unique and idiosyncratic scenery are evident in her photography which she has become well-known for in the area. A regular poster on our social media pages, Sandy’s memorable images of The Pink House in all seasons demonstrate her versatility. Her dream-like photo of the pink house in the rain has become a pink house fan favorite.

Sandy is also well known for her work on the local Storm Surge group that works on protecting & planning for the area’s community’s affected by rising ocean levels & other environmental factors. In fact, her work on documenting erosion on the island played a role in her getting involved with the efforts to save & preserve the Pink House, as she would often pass the house and make observations. When she learned the house was facing uncertainty, she felt she needed to help out; to “preserve a piece of our local history that is held so tightly in so many people’s hearts.” 
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One thing people might not know about Sandy is that she is also a skilled historical researcher. When we put out a call to action searching for people to help investigate the elusive history of The Pink House, Sandy again dug right in and went to work, often spending countless hours poring over historical documents in local libraries and online.

In addition to all this, Sandy has also helped out on our Holiday Art Auction, our Flatbread Pizza Fundraiser & Silent Auction, and has continually helped with our outreach efforts through sharing her fantastic Pink House photos, writings, and helping us get the word out. ​

Why she decided to get involved
Growing up in Ipswich, Sandy has fond memories of spending time on Plum Island.
“..like so many others, passing by The Pink House on Plum Island Turnpike, always raised my curiosity.” She also fantasized about living there and the house became a harbinger for her on her travels to the island,“…seeing it along the way signaled the start of an awesome day, seeing it along the way home, signaled the end of an awesome day....anticipation & reflection, both wonderful!”
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Where you can see Sandy’s work
Currently: Riverview Artisan’s Gallery, Bristol NH ​

The Pink House Steering Committee met with Jon D'Angelo and Farrah Ridore at Flatbread Amesbury to discuss the issues facing the Pink House in advance of our May 4 meeting with the State,  Federal and local elected officials the Parker River Wildlife Refuge (who currently own the PH) and interested area organizations. We were impressed that Jon and Farrah drove out to the Pink House to see her first hand before the meeting, and it was clear they had done their research on it before we sat down.  

​The meeting went for 90 minutes and their time and interest was greatly appreciated. Since then, Jon and Farrah have been a great help to us in key moments when we needed to call upon them. 

Not long after the meeting, Pink House Chair and Spokesperson Rochelle Joseph,  got to thank Senator Warren in person on behalf of the public STPH represents, for her pivotal role at a critical time. It may not be widely known, but the Federal delegation, comprised of Senator Warren's office, along with Congressman Moulton and Senator Markey's office, were instrumental in keeping the Pink House from being demolished in 2016. 

Support The Pink House has repeatedly extended our thanks on behalf of the community we represent to Jon d'Angelo from Senator Warren's office, Morgan Bell, Congressman Moultons' regional rep, and Kate Machet from Senator Markey's office for their role in keeping the house standing, so that we may work to keep her as an iconic landmark for the entire North Shore and New England area and it's visitors to enjoy.

In the last few years, The Pink House on the Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury, MA has only increased in recognition as a local icon... which then only fuels the grass roots effort by Support The Pink House to keep her in the area, find new ownership and get her refurbished.

There has been a clothing line based on Ron Emmerling's painting of her, which was prominently featured in a sold-out fashion show at the Newburyport Art Association, created by and for sale at the Elephant's Trunk on Inn Street in Newburyport.  The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank put a wonderful drawing of her on their calendar. You will find her in some form on everything from drink koozies, to bumper stickers to tee shirts and dog bandanas, featured in coloring books,and as holiday ornaments to name a few,

This week, students from both Newburyport and Pentucket High Schools came together to paint the book donation bins in Cushing Park... and lo and behold: The Pink House was featured, along with the PI lighthouse, adorning the marshland - all things that make our area definable!

The Daily News covered the story, written by Jack Shea, on June 21, 2018 (Click on Daily News to read. Support the Pink House, and all in the community it formed to represent, really appreciates seeing The Pink House chosen of all that exists in the area, to define it. 

We also noticed that when you plug in The Pink House on Google Maps, she comes up as a landmark. And it has our website listed. We did not do this, and she is not historically registered (though we have looked into it) but it's interesting to see. 

We know there is a Wikipedia page pending approval; we'll report on that when we learn more. In the mean time, thank you to all who keep the Pink House in the minds and hearts of all in the area, and for visitors from far and near who drive past to paint her, photograph her,  write about her, talk her up, share her posts on social media, and donate! 

If you'd like to get involved, just fill out the CONTACT form here on our website. Or write us at info@SupportthePinkHouse.com! 

The Steering Committee for Support The Pink House met with reps from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office --Jon D'Angelo and Farrah Ridore -- at Flatbread Amesbury on June 5, 2018. Jon started by telling us that they had driven out to The Pink House to see her up close and had done their homework on the movement to keep her in the community. Over the next hour and a half we discussed the history of the Pink House, how many signatures and testimonials prompted the time and effort that has been put into keeping her, evidence of her iconic status, the regular check ups on her good, sound bones and how we work with current owners, the Parker River Wildlife Refuge, to help keep her that way, especially in storm season, and the many developments that have occurred in the last 18 months that we are working on. 

On June 16, Senator Warren visited Newburyport to do a Town Hall Meeting at Newburyport High School.  She spoke energetically and positively, sticking to the issues, inspiring hope and action for each person to contribute to the world they want to live in.

She then met each and every person who stood in a line that wound around and spilled out of the auditorium, and posed for photos with them all. Here she is holding our Pink House bumper sticker having chatted briefly about it with Support the Pink House Chair and Spokesperson Rochelle Joseph - who is beaming from ear to ear. We are thrilled! 

If you'd like to get involved, just fill out the CONTACT form here on our website. Or write us at info@SupportthePinkHouse.com! ​

The Pink House Steering Committee got back to work after the holiday break,  meeting on February 6, 2018.
Two of the things determined from that meeting have already been accomplished: The first was to do our annual walk through of the house to be sure she remained secure through the winter.  We started this protective action in February/March of both 2016, and did it again in 2017. This year the third annual check up happened on Tuesday March 20.

Pink House Volunteer and Plum Island Resident Bill Barrett, our trusted, HIC/CSL builder, performed the assessment, accompanied by Parker River Wildlife Refuge Manager Bill Peterson. They cover from the cupola on top through the second floor, down the main staircase to the ground floor and through to the basement. They also walk around the house outside, looking for any leaks, foundation cracks, bowed windows, etc..., checking brick and cinder block integrity  and making note of any exposed areas. Then we ask the Refuge to please do the basic things on our list to keep her sound as possible as we work to shepherd her through this very long process to secure her for the community. 

We believe the success of her holding regardless of what it looks like on the outside is due not only to the strength of her bones, but because Support the Pink House has kept a daily eye on the house. #PinkHouse Volunteers, as well as Bill Barrett and David Dempsey, Steering Committee Building and Land Chairman, report if a window breaks or comes loose, vegetation is encroaching, or people trespass. Support the Pink House immediately asks the Refuge to act and we very much appreciate when they do.

Folks ask us all the time why she isn't able to be refurbished. The Pink House is federally owned, so while we wish we could do more, there are current limits by which we must abide. We would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the good word that her bones are quite sound and she is being regularly checked on and cared for to the extent of our limits, on behalf of the community, as we work behind the scenes. 

The second item was for Support the Pink House to call another meeting, as we did last Valentines Day 2017, gathering all the people who are invested in finding a solution around one table to discuss the considerable progress we've made and paths to move further forward. That meeting is set for early May and will include The Pink House Steering Committee,  Bill Peterson, Bill Barrett, State Senator and Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, State Senator Kathleen Ives, Morgan Bell, a representative for our district from Congressman Moulton's office, representatives from the Town of Newbury, the Greenbelt, and others. 

​We'll report on all the developments right here! 

Please keep coming to this blog for up to date information, or the public meetings we announce on our Facebook pages Save The Pink House Discussion Group and Support the Pink House. 

 
Support The Pink House just wrapped up another year of fun in the sun and community outreach as part of Yankee Homecoming 2017!
 
It was another truly rewarding experience for us, as steering committee members & volunteers manned our Pink House tent as part of the 10 day Artisan’s Revival at Newburyport’s Annual Yankee Homecoming Festival.  

We are so proud to be a part of this festival, as well as a part of the Revival, which aims to return the festival to its roots by including (exclusively) local artisans, vendors, and community groups like us.  The Inn St Artisan’s Revival was founded by local photographer & visionary John Brown, and this year it included some wonderful additions such as a night of Greek music & dancing in the square by the Greek Food Festival tent, new local food vendor additions including Metzy’s Taqueria, and dozens of fantastic local artisans & live music performances

We also formed a special partnership with The Elephant’s Trunk this year, who graciously invited us to set up our tent right outside their shop, where they were featuring the whimsical & sophisticated Pink House clothing line, designed by artist Ron Emmerling. 

​Highlights of the week included an impromptu lemonade stand created by two young Pink House supporters and their grandmother, the new additions to our clothing & merchandise line including the fabulous dog bandanas, the newly designed t-shirts, the stories we were able to tell booth visitors about the history of the house, and most importantly connecting with visitors and telling them all about the progress we’ve made. 

But the thing that puts a smile on our faces more than anything is hearing the stories about The Pink House from visitors to our booth, who just light up telling us what it means to them! It’s what reminds us why we do all this, and just how special and memorable this iconic house is to fans of all ages. 

We hope to see you all again next year!