by Chris Richard, Director of Tourism
March 2018
Greetings.
Now that March is here, things are really picking up as far as plans for the upcoming season. Before going into that, I’ll recap a couple of things I mentioned last month.
First, I’ll be giving a lecture on Fairhaven’s Pilgrim John Cooke at the Town Hall on Friday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m. This is sponsored by the Fairhaven Historical Society. A donation at the door is suggested. If you’re interested in learning what we know and what we don’t know about John Cooke — one of the region’s earliest settlers from Europe, and the longest surviving male passenger of the Mayflower voyage — come to the Town Hall on March 16. The auditorium is handicap accessible.
I also mentioned last month that I have started promoting the Office of Tourism’s new Huttleston Marketplace, which will take place on the lawn of the Visitors Center every Saturday this summer. Booth space is available either by the week at $20 a week or for the whole 12-week season for $150, which brings the price down to just $12.50 a week, an unbeatable deal, really. Besides the categories for vendors I mentioned last month, I have added “local authors.” So far I have a number of crafters signed up, a Fairhaven farmer (Widemarsh Farm) with fresh produce, a local author, and some folks with antiques and collectibles. You can find the list of vendors, information, and application forms on the tourism website at http://fairhaventours.com/huttleston-marketplace/.
This month I have started lining up programs for the fourth season of Monday Morning Fun, which will take place in July and August at the Visitors Center. If you haven’t heard about it, is a series of programs aimed at children 5 to 12 and their parents and guardians.
On each of the eight Monday Mornings there will be lawn games, water sprinklers, face painting, etc. from 9:00 to about 11:30. Along with those activities there is a different fun and/or entertaining guest program each Monday at 10:00. This year’s season will begin Monday, July 2, with a visit from the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with a program called “All About Scallops.” I’ve also arranged for disc jockey Ken Souza to return with musical fun on July 16. Other plans are in the works, including new programs and returning favorites.
I’ve been putting together a list of summer events to submit to one of the local newspapers for its special summer edition. In the process of doing that I got the dates for the FHS Alumni Association’s tours of Fairhaven High School. Once again Alumni Association president Bob Foster will guide these free tours of the “Castle on the Hill.” On the day of the Homecoming Day Fair there will be two tours, one starting at 10:00 a.m. and the other at noon. Then on the next three Fridays, July 6, July 13, and July 20, there will be tours at 10:00 a.m. only. Last year more than 350 people got to tour the high school on Bob’s tours. Make a note of those dates if you or your friends want to go.
While I’m on the subject of that list, any groups that are sponsoring public events this summer should get their information to me as soon as possible. I need the following details for each listing: Name of Event; Day(s) and Date(s); Time; Location, including the street address; Description of event, which can include performers’ names, menu, activities, etc. (If the event is a benefit/fund-raiser the beneficiary should be mentioned.); Admission price, if any (If admission is free, please state that.); How/where tickets may be purchased, noting whether advance reservations are needed; Name of Sponsoring Organization, Contact telephone number (to be published) for additional information (listings will not be accepted unless they include a contact phone number); Handicap accessibility; Email address (to be published) for more information; Website url or Facebook or Twitter url.
Those event listings get submitted to local and regional media, are posted on the Office of Tourism website, and sometimes appear in paid advertising. I also share them on Facebook. There is no charge for this service. You just have to mail or email the listings to me. I do not take information on events over the phone because errors can creep in that way. I must have them in writing.
If you drop off the listings in person, you can also visit the museum. In fact, you can come and visit the Historical Society’s museum even if you’re not dropping off something. Any time the Office of Tourism is open, the museum is open. I understand the Society will be mounting an exhibit about West Island for the summer season. Right now last year’s exhibit of photos related to Captain Joshua Slocum is still up. And lots of other interesting artifacts, artwork, and photos from Fairhaven past.
Beth David just phoned to say she needs this column right away because she needs to get the paper finished up early this week so she can go to one of the candidates nights. So, I’ll wrap this up. If it’s not long enough to fill the page, Beth can pull out a pithy quote to fill space. . .
As always, please feel free to pass along your comments or suggestions. You can contact me via email at FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov, by calling 508-979-4085, or by stopping by the Visitors Center, 141 Main Street. The hours of the Office of Tourism are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a half-hour break around noon. There are some reserved parking spaces in the high school lot closest to the Academy Building.
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