Harborfest wraps up for season

Jonathan Comey, Neighb News Correspondent

As the start time of Saturday’s Medieval Faire neared, Alyssa Botelho and her crew of Discover Fairhaven volunteers were rushing around Grimshaw Park at Fort Phoenix, putting the finishing touches on the final event of the Huttleston Harborfest series. 

The preparations paid off, as a steady stream of fair(e)goers came and went all day and into the night, most wearing costumes or at least a smile.

“We were very happy, it was a lot of fun,” said Botelho, the town’s Tourism Director. “It was definitely a great day, and we’re confirmed to do it again next year.”

Scores of vendors with a medieval theme, “or at least medieval-adjacent,” in Botelho’s words, were on hand, along with live music and a nighttime screening of “A Knight’s Tale” with a special guest emcee, Oscar-winning writer-director Brian Helgeland.

When you’re running an event with multiple vendors from different towns and with different approaches, there’s a tell-tale sign if things are going well or not: what’s the vibe like with 15 minutes left in the official run time? 

“A lot of times, at that time the vendors are packing up to get going,” Botelho said. “But people were still interacting, buying and selling way past close (4 p.m.), and that was great to see.”

On a beautiful last Saturday of summer, the parking lots and roadsides were packed; not an uncommon experience at Fort Phoenix. But on this day the focus was on the small park above the tennis courts, where scores of tents were occupied with an assortment of off-beat vendors and food trucks were ready to serve.

Over the outdoor speakers, medieval versions of an eclectic group of modern songs lilted above the grounds: Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” translating surprisingly well to lute and harpsichord. 

Flags with town territories flapped high in the wind, representing East Fairhavenshire, The Centre Towers, Isles of Sconticut and Olde Oxford Village. The port-a-potties even were in the spirit, as signs pointed the way to “Ye Royal Restroom.”

Mike Akin of Acushnet was there with a display of his homemade “Clever Meadows” candles.

“It’s something I’ve been doing the last few months, kind of a hobby, I’m just here to see how it goes,” he said.

A collection of folks in period garb represented “The Society for Creative Anachronism,” a national organiza­tion dedicated to the crafts and skills of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. 

At one point an announcement came over the PA: “Hear ye, Hear ye,” it began ominously, then: “We are looking for the owner of a Honda Odyssey, license plate number …”

People could collect a gold coin from the Discover Fairhaven stand and leave it in the treasure chest on their favorite vendor stall. The winner was Colorloom Designs of New Bedford, which had a table full of intricate, angular 3D printed products that were on brand for the event – swords, steins, dragons, etc. 

“Some of the designs, we do ourselves, some we license, and we work with multiple different artists,” said Cristina Cairo, who started the business with her husband two years ago. They were there with their two daughters, in period garb. “We don’t normally do dragons, but we knew they’d be popular with this event. It’s fun!”

The Harper and the Minstrel, aka Jay and Abby Michaels, played multiple sets of Celtic music, and costume contest winners were crowned in several different divisions. 

The nighttime portion was a live screening of the classic movie “A Knight’s Tale,” which was introduced by its creator, Brian Helgeland. 

“I had always wanted to connect with Brian, dating back even to high school,” said Botelho, a filmmaker in her own right. “But there was never a direct reason to. I thought this was a great opportunity to try and get him, so I basically emailed his agent every week until he said yes!” 

Helgeland, whose latest movie “Finestkind” was set in the New Bedford fishing industry, spoke to the crowd about the importance of pursuing dreams, which is at the heart of the movie and in his personal arc from local kid with ideas to Hollywood powerhouse. 

“The whole theme of the movie is that a person can change their path.” Botelho said. “He was sharing stories all night, it was great.”

This was the last in a series of five Huttleston Harborfest events, and wrapped up the first year of Botelho’s stint in the town’s tourism office. 

“It felt like the big grand finale, definitely,” she said. “I learned so much about event layout, and the way my team works. Learning who can do what and what the process is, I think we really came a long way.”

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