By Chris Richard, Director of Tourism
June 2017
Greetings.
If you are reading a printed copy of the Fairhaven Neighborhood News, then I have most likely started guiding the first public Henry H. Rogers walking tour of the season. The tours will be held each Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. They start outside the Town Hall, 40 Center Street. I guide the tours on Thursday mornings and Bob Foster guides the tours on Tuesday. The tours last for about 90 minutes and are free of charge. The tours continue every week, weather permitting, until the end of September.
Tomorrow, Friday, June 2, I begin this season’s run of Pirates and Privateers presentations at Fort Phoenix. These are fun, family-friendly presentations about privateers during the Revolutionary War and the historical pirates who sailed local waters.
The first few weeks I’ll be alone, giving these presentations as “Greybeard,” but once school is out I will be joined by “Abby Black,” played by Jordan Richard, and “Andrew the powder monkey,” portrayed by Andrew Morin, a 13-year-old Hastings Middle School student who volunteered to help out this summer. Andrew jumped right into the part by taking part in the spring historical encampment at Fort Phoenix that was held on Memorial Day weekend.
While we’re on that subject, I’d like to thank the Fairhaven Village Militia and the Wareham Minutemen and Militia Companies for co-sponsoring that event with the Office of Tourism.
The current commander of the Fairhaven group, Ellie Sylvaria, is the person who first suggested camping overnight at the fort back in 2003. (My original plan had been just a one-day camp setup to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the British raid on our harbor, but thanks to Ellie, that became the two-day event that we’ve continued to hold every year since then.) The public’s support of the historical encampments over the years has been fantastic. We appreciate all of you who come out to visit us and to watch the firing of the big cannons.
The cannons at the fort will be fired again on the morning of July 4th. That day there will be a car cruise sponsored by the North Fairhaven Improvement Association, beginning at Fairhaven High School with the raising of the “Big Flag” at 9:00 a.m. The cruise will end up heading south on Green Street toward the fort. There, the cars will be joined by the parade, sponsored by the Lions Club, which steps off from Cushman Park as the cruise passes by. When both the cruise and the parade arrive at Fort Phoenix, a ceremony will be held, beginning at about 10:00 a.m.
At the ceremony, I’ll tell a bit about the history of the fort. Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Bob Espindola will then read the Declaration of Independence. Following that we’ll raise the flag while the National Anthem is sung. This year the singer swill be the multi-talented Brooke Douglass, who graduates from FHS this Sunday. Brooke has been president of the Class of 2017, as well as being involved in music, Drama Club, athletics, and just about everything else. After the singing of the National Anthem, the Fairhaven Village Militia will fire the five big cannons.
I got a bit ahead of myself there, but I was trying to keep the Fort Phoenix stuff altogether.
Jumping back to the present, the Old Stone Schoolhouse, 40 North Street, will be opening on Saturday afternoons from 12:30 to 4:30 in June, July and August, starting this week. In addition to the one-room school house being open to visitors, I’ll be giving some free “Lectures on the Lawn” twice a month at 2:00 p.m.
The first lecture is on June 3, with the subject being Poverty Point History. On Saturday, June 17, there will be a lecture on Manjiro Nakahama and Capt. Whitfield. The lectures will be about 45 minutes. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Please note the Old Stone Schoolhouse has no electricity, running water or restroom.
While most of the above stuff is sponsored by or connected with the Office of Tourism, there’s more going on in June with other folks doing the organizing and hard work.
The Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship House, 11 Cherry Street, will be open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from noon to 4:00 p.m. The Fathers Day Road Race will be run on June 18, starting at 9:00 a.m. The same day is when the Fairhaven Farmers Market begins on the lawn of Fairhaven High School. The market runs from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. every Sunday afternoon from Fathers Day into October.
The Fairhaven Improvement Association’s annual Homecoming Day Fair will be held on Saturday, June 24. There will be tours of the high school that day, too. The next morning there will be an Alumni Association Breakfast at FHS, hosted by the Class of ’67. And also on Sunday, June 25, there will be a car show in Cushman Park sponsored by the Angels of ’76 and the annual FHS Hall of Fame banquet in the evening.
You can find these events and more listed on the Office of Tourism website: http:// FairhavenTours.com. Also watch the pages of the newspaper for more detailed press releases.
And to look further ahead, for the third year, the Monday Morning Fun programs at the Visitors Center will run for eight Mondays in July and August. I’ll mention those more next month.
As usual, I welcome your comments, questions, or suggestions. You can email the Office of Tourism at FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov, call 508-979-4085, or stop by the Visitors Center, 141 Main Street. There are a few dedicated parking spaces in the high school lot. Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a half-hour break around noon. On Saturdays, the Visitors Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to noon, then I move over to the Old Stone Schoolhouse from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Click here to download the entire 6/1/17 issue: 06-01-17 MemDay
