This year, we had two individuals whose contributions were very different yet equally meaningful to Portsmouth. Rather than choose one over the other, we felt the right decision was to recognize them both.”

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr.

PORTSMOUTH — Two men whose service to Portsmouth has taken very different forms — from firefighting and lighthouse preservation to playing Santa Claus — were honored Monday night for something they share: decades of giving back to their community.

Kevin J. Blount and Ed “Duce” Ferreira were presented with the 2026 Portsmouth Award during Monday’s Town Council meeting.

Council President Keith Hamilton read proclamations honoring the two men, who were selected as co-recipients of the annual award recognizing exceptional service, leadership and commitment to Portsmouth.

For Blount, the recognition reflected a lesson passed down through generations of his family.

“This is indeed humbling,” he told the council. “My parents and my grandparents instilled in me that if you love a place, give something back.”

Blount has certainly followed that advice.

He joined the Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department in 1981 and rose through the ranks from firefighter to acting chief. During his 45 years with the department, he has helped train and mentor generations of firefighters while strengthening the island’s ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

His service extends well beyond the fire department. Blount has devoted countless hours to preserving and restoring the Sandy Point Lighthouse and has spent approximately 42 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, serving both on active duty and as a civilian employee.

Ferreira’s contributions have been quite different, but perhaps just as recognizable to generations of Portsmouth families.

For more than four decades, Ferreira has been synonymous with one of the town’s favorite holiday traditions, “A Visit from Santa Claus,” traveling by sleigh through Portsmouth neighborhoods and creating Christmas memories for local children.

Ferreira indicated Monday that he hopes the tradition will continue.

“Hopefully we can keep this tradition going and the fire department will help us out,” he said.

Joining him for the ceremony was his wife, Mary, to whom he has been married for 68 years.

The couple were charter members of St. Barnabas Parish and helped build its original chapel. They have served as festival chairs and participated in CYO activities, while Ferreira also coached Little League for many years.

The family also participated in the Seven Seas program, which raises scholarship funds for children across Aquidneck Island.

Town Administrator Richard A. Rainer Jr. previously said the decision to honor both nominees was an easy one.

“This year, we had two individuals whose contributions were very different yet equally meaningful to Portsmouth,” Rainer said. “Rather than choose one over the other, we felt the right decision was to recognize them both.”

Monday’s ceremony put those different contributions side by side — one honoree whose service has included fighting fires, preserving a lighthouse and serving with the Coast Guard, and another who has spent decades serving his church, coaching children and bringing Santa Claus through Portsmouth neighborhoods.

Both, however, have spent much of their lives following the simple philosophy Blount described Monday night: If you love a place, give something back.