by Chris Richard, Director of Tourism
August 2017
Greetings.
Yes, I know, it’s only the beginning of August and already you’re seeing pumpkin décor in the stores. I have to do a little of that early planning for fall, too, as you’ll read about in a minute or two. But first, let’s continue with summer.
There are two August lectures at the Old Stone Schoolhouse before that series comes to an end. On August 12 at 2:00, the lecture will be “Schools of North Fairhaven.” On August 19, also at 2:00, it will be “Rogers School.”
Depending on the weather and the number of people, the lectures may be held outdoors or indoors. Bring your own lawn chair if the weather is nice. The lectures are free. The Old Stone Schoolhouse will be open every Saturday afternoon in August from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
There are three Monday Morning Fun programs left this summer. Those are held at the Visitors Center from 9:00 to about 11:30 a.m. On August 7 “Professor Sprout” returns with herbology fun. The Buttonwood Park Zoomobile program will be on August 14, with zoo critters to see. And the last MMF of the season is August 21 when the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society will provide Japanese cultural activities and games. Of course every Monday there will be face painting, a bounce house, and Acushnet Creamery with ice cream and bottled water.
There was a rained out program on July 24, so we missed out on the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Unfortunately, they could not reschedule. Next year they’ll be invited back.
Once again I need to thank all those people and organizations that sponsored the bounce house and the water slide as well as helping to pay for some of the special programs. Monday Morning Fun just would not be the same without that support.
Vanessa Gralton will guide a Riverside Cemetery Tour on Wednesday, August 23, at 6:00 p.m. This is the last evening Riverside tour of this year. It starts near the Sexton’s house just inside the cemetery entrance.
Don’t forget that on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the Unitarian Church is open for tours. You can show up any time during those hours and a guide or guides will be there to show you around. Use the south entrance on Union Street.
I might have the next “Notes” column out on August 31, but in case that doesn’t happen I’ll mention the Feast of Our Lady of Angels will take place, as usual, on Labor Day weekend, September 2, 3, and 4, at the feast grounds on Jesse Street in North Fairhaven. This event, held every year since 1930, is one of the town’s longest standing traditions.
Stop by for food, entertainment, auctions, and socializing. It runs 5:00 to midnight on Saturday, noon to midnight on Sunday and noon to 10:00 p.m. on Monday. Monday afternoon at 1:00 the procession will be held on Main Street, from St. Mary’s Church to Benoit Square and back.
Now we’ll look further ahead. In mid-July I started accepting booth reservations for the 5th annual Harvest Fun Day, which will be held on the lawn of the Visitors Center and high school on Saturday, October 14. This is a fun little fall fair with food booths, crafts and other items for sale, and activities for kids including some games, a bounce house, and other fun stuff.
Through the day, music will be provided by Ken Souza of KJ Tunes, who will also hold some hula hoop and dance contests.
I may be expanding the fair a bit this year because booth space has been going fast. (Last year there were 41 booth reservations. So far I have 31 for this year, a full month before the reservation deadline.)
Fairhaven individuals, non-profits, and businesses get priority, along with vendors who have been here before, so there are several out-of-towners on a waiting list for now. If you are interested in a space, email FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov. Each vendor is asked to donate $10 to help cover the cost of renting a couple of handicap accessible porta-johns. The deadline to reserve space is Friday, September 1, but as I mentioned, it’s filling up fast so the sooner you get in touch, the better.
This is also the year for a Manjiro Festival, which is held every other year in Fairhaven. The 16th Manjiro Festival will be Saturday, October 7, marking 30 years since our Sister-City agreement was signed with Tosashimizu, Japan.
The Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship House is looking for vendors who want to participate in this year’s festival. There are also ad spaces available in the program book. Visit their website for more information: http://www.whitfield-manjiro.org/.
That’s about it for this 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.
Click here to download the entire 8/3/17 issue: 08-03-17 NatNightOut
