Old Time Holiday
Get into the spirit of the holidays and find an array of holiday gifts, food, music, and old-fashioned good cheer by visiting Fairhaven this Saturday, 12/10, for the annual Old-Time Holiday in the historical town center. One of Fairhaven’s favorite events, activities will be going on at six venues within a short walk of each other.
In December 1998, the Fairhaven Office of Tourism first launched what was then called the “Very Victorian Holiday,” bringing together about thirty non-profit, school, and church groups to create a weekend filled with old-fashioned holiday events. Previously, independent groups had held fairs, bazaars, concerts, luncheons, sing-alongs, and other activities over the course of several weeks between mid-November and Christmas. What was different in 1998 was that most of those events were moved to a single weekend and promoted as one big, holiday package, wrapped in a Victorian theme, with the public able to walk from location to location in the center of town. Tourism Director Christopher Richard credits Millicent Allen and Helen Radcliffe with first suggesting the idea.
“The idea really caught on,” Richard says, “and now people come from quite a distance to attend. We regularly see people visiting from the Cape and Rhode Island for the Old-Time Holiday”
A similar slate of activities has been repeated every year since, except for a two-year break during the Covid pandemic, with the only change being the switch of the name from “Victorian” to “Old-Time” so that it was not bound to a specific historical time period.
This year, the Old-Time Holiday events will take place during the day and early evening on Saturday, 12/10. Both the First Congregational Church, 34 Center Street, and the Unitarian Memorial Church, 102 Green Street, will hold fairs, with church members and outside vendors displaying a wide variety of items for sale. In a similar vein, about 20 of the town’s non-profit groups will have tables at the Town Hall, 40 Center Street. At these locations you’ll find handmade crafts, gifts, holiday greens, delicious baked goods, gift baskets, silent auction items to bid on, and more. In the Town Hall there will also be a few children’s activities. All three fairs run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Unitarian Church, a magnificent English-Gothic style “cathedral,” will also give guided tours of the sanctuary during the day.
At the Millicent Library, 45 Center Street, there will be live music, treats, a book sale and a drop-in craft activity for children. The used book sale will be held in the downstairs auditorium, sponsored by Friends of the Millicent Library. Upstairs in the children’s room, kids can stop in from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to make Reindeer Food for Santa’s eight tiny reindeer with Miss Allie. The library will be open during its regular Saturday hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
A new venue for 2022 is “Santa’s Sweet Shop” at the Northeast Maritime Institute, 32 Washington St. The Institute will team up with Dorothy Cox’s Chocolate to bring the building alive with holiday cheer. They will have festive music by a guest pianist, a hot cocoa bar and chocolates with Dorothy Cox and family, fun crafts, and most importantly. . . Santa! Stroll on over, sip some hot cocoa, take a picture with Santa, grab some delicious Dorothy Cox’s chocolates and be merry! Santa will be there from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for pictures. There will also be a Toy Drive, collecting new toys, for Better Community Living.
As lunch time rolls around, food will be available at three locations. A lobster roll luncheon will be held at the First Congregational Church. The Cove Surf and Turf restaurant will be catering the luncheon, and all proceeds will go to the church. Along with the 1/4 lb. lobster roll at $16.00, there will be chowder, stuffed quahogs, and hot dogs. Across the street at the Town Hall, Boy Scout Troop 52 will be set up on the front steps selling hotdogs, and in the Town Hall Banquet Room the North Fairhaven Improvement Association will serve hot soups, meat pies, spinach pies, soda and water. There will also be popcorn available from the Fairhaven Village Militia. And at the Harrop Center of the Unitarian Memorial Church, there will be a Soup and Sandwich Luncheon from 11:30 to 2:00 p.m.
Sing Along
At 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, the day will wrap up when the Fairhaven Improvement Association hosts its annual Sing-Along on the steps of Town Hall. There will be caroling and the arrival of Santa on a fire engine. Then hot chocolate and snacks will be available inside in the auditorium.
During Fairhaven’s Old-Time Holiday, people of all ages from throughout the Southcoast area can find something to put them into the holiday spirit.
NOTE: The Unitarian Church will require that masks be worn in all its buildings except for the luncheon area in the Harrop Center.
You can find more information about the weekend at https:// fairhaventours.com/old-time-holiday/
New Bedford Tree Lighting
NEW DATE
Holiday Stroll/Tree Lighting
Due to the weather last Saturday, the Downtown Holiday Stroll and the Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting were rescheduled to this Saturday, 12/10. Updated info follows.
Sat., 12/10. Noon to 5 p.m. in Downtown New Bedford. Kick off the holidays at DNB’s annual holiday stroll. Featuring live music, performers, and festive fun for the whole family.
Parade at 4:30 p.m. From the bottom of William Street, near the Whaling Museum, to the library steps for the tree-lighting. The parade will feature the New Bedford High School marching band and color guard, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and surprise guests
Tree Lighting 5 p.m. Join Mayor Jon Mitchell, New Bedford City Council President Ian Abreu, and the New Bedford community for the annual tree-lighting celebration. This year’s emcee will be Armand Marchand, executive producer for New Bedford Festival Theater. Remarks at the library by Mayor Mitchell and Councilor Abreu will be followed by holiday songs by Miss New Bedford Tori Kalisz and Miss New Bedford Outstanding Teen Jaime St. Onge
Free hot chocolate courtesy of Community Services, Veterans Transition House, and New Life Church
United Way will have a toy drive box for children from infants to teenagers. All gifts must be unwrapped
Holiday Stroll, Noon to 5 p.m. Downtown New Bedford Inc is excited to announce the return of dNB Holiday Stroll!
Strollers will be met with the sounds of the Seaglass Theater Company Carolers and the Southcoast Brass Band while walking the historic cobblestone streets of downtown New Bedford. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Winter Fairy — and of course, Santa Claus!
Take in the sights of downtown with antique fire truck rides provided by the New Bedford Fire Museum and be sure to support local at the numerous shops, restaurants and galleries.
This year, the Buy Black NB Holiday Market will be located at The New Bedford Whaling Museum.
This year’s event has an extensive list of programming. Play Arcade is hosting celebrity puppeteer and muppet designer, Bill Diamond; Festival Theatre will perform a preview of their holiday musical, White Christmas, at the Zeiterion; and a variety of kids’ arts & crafts are happening at the New Bedford Art Museum, Bristol CC, and the New Bedford Public Library to name a few!
Strollers will also find sales, pop-up shops, and food and drink offered at businesses throughout dNB.
For full list of events, visit https://downtownnb.org/downtown-new-bedford-holiday-stroll-2022/
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