Great day for a grand opening!

Success! The skies opened up for our grand opening on Saturday, and the turnout could not have been better. Hannah and I had a fantastic time meeting new people, reading new stories and making new crafts. Thanks to everyone who came out to support our organization and make friends with our critters!
Saturday's theme was hermit crabs. We read "House for a Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle and "Platypus" by Chris Riddell, both which explored the lives of these creatures and how we can respect them. Then, our visitors had the chance to make a shell of their own - they colored circular "shells" and pasted them onto hermit crab bodies to give them protection and shelter. Our resident giant hermit in the tank, dubbed "Fred" by a visitor, even gave us a show - twice during the day, he switched shells! We watched as he checked out an empty moon snail shell, then popped out of his own and into the new one backside first. It's a rare treat, and our visitors were just as excited as us to watch it happen.
We also had feeding time for the green, jonah and hermit crabs. Haddock donated by Seaport Fish of Rye keeps the crabs full and happy, so they're less aggressive and less likely to eat other critters in the tank. At 1 p.m., visitors got to watch the crabs chow down, often fighting for a share and sometimes grabbing the food right out of each other's mouths.
During the day, several guests bought tickets for our 50/50 raffle, going on all week long. Tickets are $1 each, $5 for 6 or $10 for 13. The drawing on Friday will determine the winner of one of Blue Ocean Society's membership packages, as well as the winner of half the cash raised in the raffle. Come to the tank this week and buy a ticket to win!
Thanks again to everyone who came out and made Saturday's grand opening such a success. We are now open every day from 10 to 2, so make sure you come see us again and again - we'll have new critters and new crafts every week. See you soon!

Grand opening this Saturday!

The big day has finally come - our grand opening! This Saturday will kick off our full-time season, when we are open every day from 10 to 2. In celebration, we'll have snacks, story time, games, raffles, crafts - and, of course, critters!
There are some really cool animals in the tank right now, including sea scallops, which clap their shells to try and escape predators; a giant moon snail, which creates a slime trail across the bottom of the tank; and an enormous hermit crab, living in a moon snail shell and, once in a while, testing out a new one.
Come see them and more on Saturday! From 10 to 2, we'll be raffling lots of great prizes, such as Blue Ocean Society memberships, Isles of Shoals Steamship Co. cruise tickets, cash and more. The festivities will continue aboard the M/V Thomas Laighton, where we'll bring critters and crafts and hold another raffle.
Here's our schedule of events for Saturday's grand opening:

- Snacks and crafts all day.
- Story time, 10:30 a.m.
- Lunchtime at the tank, 12 noon – bring a picnic and have lunch with the critters.
- Feeding time, 1 p.m. – watch the crabs chow down on haddock donated by Seaport Fish of Rye.
- Historic Isles of Shoals and Portsmouth Harbor Tour, 1:55 p.m. (ticket purchase and $5 parking payment required) – join critters on board the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company’s M/V Thomas Laighton for a tour of the islands, a story time with Blue Ocean Society and a raffle for cash and other prizes.
- Tank raffle, 2 p.m. – tickets will be sold all day; winners will be announced at 2 p.m. and contacted by phone or e-mail.

Dads, bring your kids to celebrate Father's Day - or better yet, kids, bring your dads! The event is free, and it will be a great way to see all that the touch tank and Blue Ocean Society have to offer. Hope to see you there!