A few months ago we discussed Jonathan Abreu’s All Friends Catering and focused on one thing that they do better than anyone in the area: Bar-B-Que – unless of course, it’s your mom’s Bar-B-Que, in which case it’s the best on planet earth. That article, especially the images – pardon the pun – got the juices flowing and let people in greater New Bedford know about their mouth watering offerings.

However, All Friends Catering is so much more than authentic and New England Bar-B-Que. They have ways, tools, and methods to get those salivary glands popping and kick your special event up a notch! More importantly, they have ways to bring it to you, allowing you to divert time and energy away from cook preparation and put it into making that special function a memorable experience. For foodies and partiers like us, that’s great news!

We at New Bedford Guide are promoters and practitioners of the maxim “Buy local!” for reasons explained in an article we published early in April. Abreu re-iterated multiple times how important this was to him personally and it’s locked and loaded into his business model.

It is not only crucial, but in his mind mandatory, that a chef buys local produce, and the freshest ingredients to offer a superior dining experience. Anything less, and the menu suffers.

The meats, dairy, and produce come from only local farms, like Silverbrook Farm in Acushnet, and suppliers like local icon Giammalvos and the many Fisherman’s markets throughout the waterfront and beyond. He proudly serves Jim’s Organic Coffee as part of my full service menu. This is a man who is passionate about his food and what he lets past his guard to the diners.

All Friends Catering has a large and diverse menu, which allows them to cater to you, your friends and family regardless of restrictions, allergy sensitivity, or preference. They will effortlessly devise a full menu that accommodates those with food allergies, vegetarian or vegan diets. Bar-B-Que? Check. New England Fare? Covered. Are you fanatical like I am about Portuguese food? Well, their Portuguese food rivals any full restaurant in greater New Bedford, Fall River or beyond.

All Friends “traditional” menu offers classics like:

• Bifanas– Seasoned pork loin, sliced and pan seared and baked with sliced onions. Topped with sliced red peppers.
• Portuguese Little Necks – Fresh littleneck clams cooked in a garlic white wine sauce with onions, peppers, and ground chourico.
• Kale Soup – A Portuguese favorite containing Yukon gold potatoes, Cannelloni beans, kale, yellow onions, seasoned beef and slice chourico simmered in a chicken stock with garlic and bay leaves.
• Chicken or Shrimp Mozambique-Fresh shrimp or sliced chicken breast simmered in a garlic and beer sauce with crushed red peppers, onions, bay leaves, and Goya seasoning.
• Cacoila– Cubes of pork loin marinated in white wine with garlic, cumin, and bay leaves and slow cooked with crushed red pepper, orange juice, and white wine until fork tender .
• Pork Alentejana – Cubes of pork loin marinated in white wine, garlic, and bay leaves, pan seared in oil then simmered in a garlic and tomato white wine sauce with sliced onions and fresh littleneck clams. Served with roasted potatoes.”
• Bacalhau Gomes Sa– Salted codfish seasoned and layered with sliced potatoes and onions. Oven baked and topped with hard boiled eggs, and black olives.

Salivating yet?

Abreu could easily rely on his ethnic credentials and authenticate his Portuguese dishes by saying “Hey…I’m Portuguese. I’m the genuine article.” But he is a “practicing,” proud Portagee! He belongs to to Clube Madeirenese S.S. Sacramento, and All Friends Catering is part of the annual Portuguese Feast, which he has been volunteering for these past 10 years. It’s likely that you’ve eaten his dishes and not even known it! The Portuguese Feast is celebrating their 100th Anniversary, this year and you will find Jonathan on the grill cooking the Carne D’Espeto in the booth right next to the malassadas. Be sure to stop in and say hi!

Before the feast arrives you can also get a sample of what All Friends does in the “Taste of South Coast” event in May.

They bring their delicacies to you and treat your special occasion with equal importance, whether it’s something as casual as a backyard cookout, a big game, birthday party, even bachelorette party or something very formal like a wedding or graduation. In essence, it’s like having a fine restaurant come to you in the comfort of your own home, surrounded by only your chosen friends and family.

Family, friends, food, and fine dining – it doesn’t get any better than that, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who brings it to you better than All Friends Catering.

All Friends Catering

1133 Fisher Rd
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747
*By appointment only!

Phone: 774.628.9735
Email: Jon@allfriendscatering.com
Website: allfriendscatering.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/All-Friends-Catering-BBQ/136699856387438

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Edible Arrangements is a local business that specializes in putting smiles on people’s faces. While the Wikipedia definition of Edible Arrangements states that they “…specialize in fresh fruit arrangements, melding the concept of fruit baskets with design inspired by the floral business.” what they really do is make people happy. quite simply, they’ve taken the idea of gifting someone with flowers and improved upon it. Flowers are nice – you can enjoy their beauty and aroma, but a fresh-fruit arrangement you can also eat!

Edible Arrangements in North Dartmouth and Fall River are two franchises that are owned and operated by the exuberant sisters Isabel Da Silva Levisee and Jessica DaSilva. The inspiration came via a fruit arrangement Isabel had received while pregnant. The New Bedford natives opened their Fall River store in 2006 where an existing Edible Arrangement store was available for purchase and the North Dartmouth location in 2009. It’s no surprise that the chain itself, and these two locations in particular, have enjoyed great success. There’s a reason the Connecticut based company that started in 2001 has become one of the most popular franchises on earth and has been voted first – yes, first – in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 seven years in a row.

Why should anyone pay for a fruit arrangement? For the same reasons one would buy a bouquet of flowers: to say “I love you,” to apologize, to say “I’m thinking of you,” get well, happy birthday or congratulate someone for an accomplishment like graduation or just “because.” These aren’t just for mom, girlfriend, wife, daughter, or ill friend, but that guy in your life likes chocolate whether he admits it or not. Besides, with all that steak and potatoes in his life, some fruit would be good for him!

In fact, Isabel and Jessica mentioned that arrangements have been ordered to thank people for plowing a driveway, getting a business promotion, getting out of the “Dog House,” a thank you to nurses for saving a life, ” rubbing in the UConn win w/ fruit in a basketball container,” a wedding centerpiece, and many other reasons. Certainly not just for birthdays!

One of the most common misconceptions that the two sisters encounter is that folks believe that arranged fruit is too expensive. However, a quick glance at the menu will show that just like a bouquet of flowers there are a range of prices depending on what you buy, from $15 on up.

Can you simply buy all the fruit and make it yourself? Sure, you can head to the supermarket, wait in line, come home, chop everything up, arrange it and in 2 hours or more you’ll have something special. I can brew my own coffee. I can easily make my own pizza. I can save money by laying in the sun instead of going to a tanning salon. I could do my own hair and nails, but…oh, wait. I can’t do that!

I think you get the point. It’s an unfair misconception. Regardless, you really can’t put a price on the end result, the smile it creates, the message it sends. You could buy flowers, balloons and a card or purchase a fruit arrangement for the same price.

The other misconception that was important to her to have cleared up: that everything arrives frozen and pre-arranged and Edible Arrangements is simply a re-seller. This is flat out untrue. Each morning a delivery of fresh fruit arrives and the fruit is arranged right there on the premises. In fact, they arrange many ahead of time, so you can call and head right over and pick them up right away! Each is hand-designed by a person, not a machine. I didn’t need to take her word for it, since I could see one being hand arranged nearby.

Each arrangement is made fresh to order from locally sourced farms to what is called Fruit Expert® standards. The brilliance behind Edible Arrangements is even though they retain the “mom and pop” feel because they are independently owned, being a franchise means that each is held to specific, high standards.

All the familiar, favorite fruits are there: aromatic oranges, succulent apple, pear, and banana. Juicy pineapple and strawberries. Honeydew, cantaloupe, kiwi, apples, grapes and more! The coup de grace, if you will is that these can be dipped in chocolate, one can add balloons, card messages, stuffed animals, or a variety of fun containers. There is an astounding variety to what Edible Arrangements offers, which means there will be something for everyone.

I spent 2 hours one afternoon with co-owner Isabel, asking her about the two locations and the motivation the two sisters had. She finds it an incredibly rewarding experience. She knows the effect that receiving a gift from Edible Arrangements has on people. She hears the anecdotes, since she has a large regular customer base. Once a person sees for themselves its effect, they return for each special occasion.

This was evident to me, once the shop had opened and the customer’s began to flow in. Each customer that came in she knew on a first name basis and some conversed with her in Portuguese – which she speaks fluently. She mentioned how rewarding the entire concept is, and wasn’t embarrassed in the least to admit that everyone that works at Edible Arrangements, from the worker to the driver to owners Isabel and Jessica, has shed tears. Isabel says it best: “We’ve cried with customers who’ve lost spouses and came in looking for a thank you arrangement to send to the nursing staff who cared so diligently before he passed, a friend who doesn’t know what to say when she finds out her best girlfriend has breast cancer so she sends our cancer awareness basket, the apologetic tearful neighbor who didn’t see the dog, the sympathy basket for the woman who meant so much to so many and how will we make it without her, the doctor who saved my life after so many treated me like a number, or the baskets we’re asked to send after tragic car accidents involving children…”

Franchise headquarters are affiliated with and donate to the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation and during the month of September and October 2010, 10% of the purchase price from the Awareness Celebration, Breast Cancer Awareness Bouquet and Heels for Healing BouquetTM are be donated to National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.(“NBCF”). Isabel and Jessica go a step further and are actively and voluntarily involved in numerous local charities as a way to give back, i.e. school fundraisers, St. Vincent’s, and one that is a personal and dear to them both is Cerebral Palsy through United Cerebral Palsy Boston. This is a personal choice they have made.

So, if you want to put a smile on someone’s face, say congratulations, thank you or happy birthday; if you want to wish someone good luck, happy anniversary, get well or for no reason at all – there is something better than flowers to give: a fruit arrangement, dipped in chocolate (in my opinion), with some balloons and a creative container. It’s fun, it’s healthy, it’s something out of the ordinary. What Isabel has at her two stores is extra-ordinarily good – deliciously so!

Edible Arrangements (North Dartmouth)
85B Faunce Corner Rd
Phone: 508-858-5450
Fax: 508-858-5453
Website: ediblearrangements.com/stores/dartmouth
Instagram: instagram.com/ediblearrangements

Monday-Friday: 8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Edible Arrangements (Fall River)
Executive Plaza, 101 President Ave
Phone: 508-730-3410
Fax: 508-730-3413
Website: ediblearrangements.com/stores/fallriver
Instagram: instagram.com/ediblearrangements

Monday-Friday: 8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

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Statement from New Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin On the Conclusion of the Investigation into the Incident at New Bedford High School

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Building a positive learning environment at New Bedford High School is critical to our success in raising academic performance for all our students and implementing a state-mandated turnaround plan. That is why the incident that occurred at New Bedford High School recently has been taken so seriously by my administration.

Situations that lead to violent reactions of any kind in our schools are always and everywhere unacceptable. Keep in mind that the vast majority of New Bedford students strive every day to do the right thing. It is precisely because appropriate student behavior at New Bedford High School is the norm that we must respond swiftly and with clear consequences when students make the wrong choices. There is no place in New Bedford Public Schools for the behavior displayed in this incident toward any staff member. No teacher deserves the disrespectful treatment that was exhibited in this incident and the student involved is facing serious consequences.

With every instance of misconduct in New Bedford Public Schools, we also have an obligation and a responsibility to conduct a full investigation. This investigation includes speaking with all parties involved, and taking appropriate action so that we stay on the path toward the positive learning environment everyone is working so hard to ensure.

With this incident, that investigation began with the students directly involved, followed by the students who were bystanders, and has concluded with the teacher who was questioned today. That meeting was held and based upon the review of the facts, except for the fact that the incident should have been reported in a more timely manner, the matter was handled reasonably under the circumstances and no disciplinary action was applied to the teacher. However, this incident has led to the conclusion that increased communication and High School policies, practices, and procedures need to be reviewed with all staff as well as additional support be provided in dealing with such situations.

New Bedford Public Schools responds to all reports of misconduct of any kind, thoroughly investigates these reports, and takes appropriate disciplinary action where warranted. State and federal laws prohibit us from disclosing confidential information regarding student records including the discipline records of students. Students and families are informed about the requirements for conduct and our disciplinary procedures in our Student & Family Handbook. All educators – administrators and teachers – understand that they are required to comply with the Student & Family Handbook and school procedures in reporting misconduct and disciplining students.

As a community and as a school, we must use this incident as a “learning moment” when all of us—students, parents, teachers, administrators–all collectively step forward to reaffirm our goals and our vision for New Bedford High School. We must work together to build a place for our children where learning is the number one priority and anything that distracts us from that objective has no place.

We hold our administrators and educators to high standards and expect them to utilize appropriate techniques to de-escalate situations and to help students, when necessary, to conduct themselves appropriately in our school community. We are proud of our students, educators, and administrators who make our school community a place where students grow, learn and succeed. We value each member of our school community who works every day in our schools to create a positive and productive learning environment.

In the coming weeks, we will be hosting a forum that will include the incoming New Bedford High School leadership staff who will specifically address the issues at the high school and the plan to address the school’s climate and culture next year.

Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right or by clicking here. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases the buildings, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, the buildings or even the properties have been razed. Instead of a building, it may be a TV show, personality, or commercial that no one longer exists. Either way, it can’t stop us from taking the Memory Lane stroll!

As always we would rather this be a discussion. No one knows this area better than those who grew up here! Please, leave constructive criticism, feedback, and corrections. We’d love to hear your anecdotes. Please share!

This installment of “Who Remembers…?” is kind of melancholic. Visiting Penny Candy is a bummer, since there are only a few bastions of sugar remaining. While you certainly may find packages of old penny candy favorites, or even “2 cent candy” or “nickle candy,” you’d be hard pressed to find PENNY candy. Regardless, it’s just not the same. It wasn’t only about the candy. It was about the experience.

I guess, identifying with penny candy and waxing nostalgic about it simultaneously outs one as “old.” It’s how I felt when I told my daughter when she was 8-9 years old about pay phones and she thought I was pulling my leg. “Why would you put a coin in a phone, when you have a cell phone.” Remember the spiral chords? Rotary dials? If you remember cranking the phone to get an operator, then you are positively Jurassic. Anyhow, that’s another article for another day.

As a kid, there was something special about being gifted with a dollar. Heck, even fifty cents. When that George Washington was put in your palm, you could feel all the neurons in your brain fire at once. Your salivary glands would explode in anticipation. That boring, dull day just became one of the best days ever. The first thing I would think of was finding my brother or a good friend to share in the stroke of good luck.

Penny candy wasn’t just about the candy. It was about the experience. It was about taking your sibling or best friend with you. It was about racing into the store to gaze at the shelves of what – in my mind at least – was a million choices of candy, stacked to the ceiling! It was about grabbing a brown paper lunch bag and trying to fill it to the brim. It was when you didn’t need safety seals. It was about the trust that the proprietor extended you – he didn’t watch over you. He knew you would taste the merchandise, but that was OK.

You can head to that chain to buy the 99 cent bag of assorted fish, spice drops or circus peanuts all you want. It just isn’t the same.

As those of you who are regular readers may recall, I lived a sort of gypsy lifestyle moving all around the the greater New Bedford area. This meant I became an expert at penny candy. A connoisseur if you will. A grandmaster of Squirrel Nut Zipper-Fu. My fondest spots were Bob & Eileen’s on County Street and Chris’ Variety on Main Street in Fairhaven.

Do you remember the paper receipts with the small dots of hard candy? I think they were called Candy Buttons. There was Abba-Zaba, atomic Fireballs, Bit-O-Honey, Pixy Sticks, Bazooka Joe bubble gum and Baseball chocolate balls. There were candy necklaces, chocolate coins, red hot dollars, Mexican hats, root beer barrels, nonpareils, Göetzes, and Mary Janes! The list goes on and on!

Of course, there was always a few extra coins about, so we’d purchase more than we could…or should have. But that was also OK, because it just meant we had to shrink the packed bag down before we got home for the “mom inspection.” It was fun to have her inspect the lot and “steal” a few of her favorites – always followed by a playful “HEY!” from us.

The vast majority of the time, the best way to polish of a bag was to race to the bedroom and pull out some comic books, sprinkling each page with sugar!

Then one of the most glorious treats of all: the medley of crumbs, bits and sugar that sat at the bottom of the brown paper bag. I wonder how many times we’ve straightened that bag out, and formed a funnel to savor those sweet remnants.

While candy goes back 5,000 years, Penny Candy made its debut sometime circa 1896 with the Tootsie Roll at Woolworth’s Five and Dime. Of course, the popularity of the Tootsie Roll inspired Woolworth’s to expand into an entire Penny Candy Aisle.

It’s sad that the entire experience has disappeared. Penny candy no longer cost a penny, there are no more brown paper bags or “trusting” proprietors. No more sugar sprinkled comic book pages. No more testing the merchandise. The next best thing is a place like Emma Jean’s or Billy Boy Candy. And we can always reminisce.

But it just won’t be the same.

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Dartmouth was originally a pastoral community and consisted of farms like this one from 1909 (Spinner Publications)

Few could imagine the change North America would go through with arrival of Bartholomew Gosnold at Hap’s Hill or Dumpling Rocks in 1602. Of course, most know it as Round Hill today. In just a few centuries, the North and South American continents would be drastically altered and the world remapped, with new nations – indeed, Superpower and First World nations – springing up with a feverish pace.

While, the “Vikings” had certainly arrived six centuries before Gosnold at L’Anse aux Meadows -in an attempt to explore Vinland- they had done nothing with their presence (that we are aware of) beyond the small settlement. After Leif Ericson, would come a man hardly anyone has heard of: Cristoforo Colombo, who sailed the ocean blue. However, Mr. Columbus never made it to the mainland of North America.

Gosnold’s arrival at Cuttyhunk signaled what would become a mass influx of Europeans, beginning with the Leiden church members 18 years after. The rest as “they” say is history.

European Settlement
On November 29, 1652 the governor of New Plymouth, William Bradford, along with thirty-four (or thirty-six depending on the historical document) shareholders signed a deed making an official purchase of a “tracte” of land from Wampanoag Indians Woosamequin (Massasoit) and his son Moanam (Wamsutta) for “…thirty yards of cloth, eight moose skins, fifteen axes, fifteen hoes, fifteen pairs of breeches, eight blankets, two kettles, one clock, two English Pounds in Wampum, eight pair of shoes, one iron pot, and ten shillings…” Though made official in November, the land was unofficially purchased 6 months prior on March 7. While the exchange seems like a pittance, these things were incredibly valuable to the Wampanoags.

The deed that ties this parcel of land to the European proprietors, the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers, gave specific dimensions on what it encompassed – some 100,000 acres of pristine country. These lands were owned by the Wampanoag tribes the Acushnets, Acoaxets, Apponagansets who would have Acushnet (included New Bedford), Dartmouth and Westport respectively, named after them. This also included Sconticut or Fairhaven.

For you etymology buffs or fans of Amerindian culture, the words are simple descriptions. Acushnet means “at the head of the river,” and Acushenas meant “those who live near the head of the river.” Apponagansett means “waiting place at the ledge.”

Sconticut means “a place to stay during the summer,” Acoaxet means “at the fishing promontory,” or “at the place of pines.” In this context the promontory is a part of land that overlooks a body of water. Please, lend me the liberty of inaccurate spelling with many of these Amerindian words. Historical documents show a similar struggle to write these words using our alphabet.

Over the coming three decades, the European settlers began to spread into the continent, primarily around garrisons, due to the general hostility, understandably so, of the local Amerindian tribes. The first garrisons were at the head of the Apponeganset (would later become Joseph Russell’s property) and a mile north of what would become Oxford Village in Sconticut or Fairhaven, at the Isle of Marsh. Some of the foundation of Russell’s Garrison can still be seen at the site on the appropriately named Fort Street. The garrison, named after John Russell is where the locals would hold out during the coming King Philip’s War.

Garrisons, homesteads, and farms
These garrisons were often simply isolated, fortified homesteads, which is what Dartmouth was comprised of early on. The garrisons eventually grew into hamlets, villages and townships. Some of the very first being in Nomquid known as Russells Mills, Slocum Neck, and Smith Neck.

Many of these first settlers to the Dartmouth region were Quakers, who ironically were escaping religious persecution from the Puritans – who came to the New World to escape religious persecution. The early Quakers were far more liberal in their approach to religion and gender equality, than the Puritans were. Indeed, many Puritans tortured, humiliated, banished, and even executed Quakers for their religious beliefs.

The early Quakers were an industrious, hard-working folk who weren’t averse to working on the Sabbath day, unlike their counterparts, the Puritans. This “extra” work day gave the Friends a substantial advantage in availability and convenience which translated into an economic boon for the little township.

One site in particular that really placed the township on the proverbial and literal map, was the iron forge at Russell’s Mills started by John Russell, circa 1660. Russell had bought Myles Standish’s full share of land – approximately 3,200 acres for $210. Standish must have been a happy camper, since he paid about $8 for his share. Quite the return on his investment for a holding of less than a decade! Russell’s share comprised a little place we now know as Padanaram, from Bush Street to Russell’s Mills Road – including Bliss Corner and vicinity. Padanaram is typically and incorrectly thought to be an Amerindian word, but it is actually an Aramaic term meaning “the field of Aram” dubbed by Laban Thacher in the late 18th century.

Dartmouth’s first buildings
In addition, John and William Cummings erected a stone grist-mill and factory at Smith’s Mills. Allen-Sheehan Mill was on Slades Corner Road was was erected then and may be the country’s oldest. By 1664, Dartmouth would incorporate as a town, taking its name from Dartmouth, Devon, England where many of the first Puritans that came to Dartmouth originated. Around these mills and forges, many farms sprouted up as homesteaders nestled in.

By 1675, and the advent of King Philip’s War, there were just shy of 40 dwellings, mainly homesteads. King Philip’s War has been written about ad nausea, so I won’t enter the topic with any breadth or depth, but suffice it to say that most of the homesteads were wiped out. In Acushnet, the devastation was total.

However, the settlers weren’t deterred and made haste in rebuilding and returning back to normal.

This time a few salt works, shipyards, and workshops were erected to support the booming whaling industry and complimented the homesteads and mills. The first Town House, was erected in 1686, followed by a post office, tavern, school and general store. The first “Dartmouth Friends Meeting House” was built in Dartmouth in 1699, on six acres of land donated by a Mr. Peleg Slocum. It was razed during the Revolution, a new one was put up near the same spot in 1799.

The Howland Homestead was built in the early 1700s, but this home was moved to Newport, Rhode Island. Nonetheless, and perhaps because of its historical relevance, Colonel Green built a summer cottage on the site where he would berth the Charles W. Morgan. The Akin House was built in the 1760s by Job Mosher. It was burnt down by the Redcoats during the Revolution, but Padanaram’s first business mogul Elihu Akin rebuilt a home on the spot.

Dartmouth’s villages sprout up
The little township of Dartmouth continued to grow, as did the surrounding villages and towns. Eventually, some got too big for their britches and/or ideological, political differences made them itchy to separate. In 1787, New Bedford (included Fairhaven and Acushnet) and Westport were established with New Bedford receiving additional land from Dartmouth in 1845 and 1888 and Westport in 1793, 1795, and 1805. Reflecting these numbers, the population of Dartmouth according to the census was 6,773 residents in 1776, but 2,499 in 1790 after the towns separated. Dartmouth wouldn’t see 6,000 strong until 1920.

Hixville was named after the Reverend Daniel Hix who established a church and mill in the village in 1781. As public transport developed, Hixville became a stop between New Bedford and Fall River. This was pivotal in the village’s growth and in very little time, a general store, school, post office, inns, and blacksmith sprouted up turning Hixville into a minor economic hub among a primarily pastoral landscape.

In 1827 the Dartmouth Bridge Company erected a bridge across the harbor. Baptists communities developed and the first Baptist Church in the area was built in 1838.

The Grange Hall put up in 1860, the library in 1871. By 1900, the region was booming and New Bedford was becoming very industrialized with markets, waterfront, and mills.

As is the case today, many would rather live in a more rural area and have a short commute. This made Dartmouth highly desirable and it became a prime residential area. The Dartmouth coastline become a favorite resort area for the wealthy members of New Bedford society and the well-to-do flocked there in record numbers. This led to the development of Mishaum Point, Nonquitt, Salter’s Point.

The very pastoral and residential nature of Dartmouth attracted the next population wave: Portuguese immigrants. What attracted them to Dartmouth was that they could continue to have livestock and farms just as they did back in the old country. In spite of Westport, Fairhaven, Acushnet, and Dartmouth annexing, what was left in terms of land makes it the fifth largest town by land area in Massachusetts.

A look to the future as Dartmouth celebrates its 350th anniversary
The town of Dartmouth has a lot in store in terms of celebration. While events are planned over many months from May 18th to September 7th, the actual anniversary is on June 8th, and the town has fireworks, a live concert, and a massive birthday cake planned at Apponagansett Park for “Incorporation Day” and the finale will be a parade on Sept. 7. Each village or neighborhood will have its own calendar of events planned. The variety of events is astounding. Antique car show, community floats, emergency vehicles, youth orchestras, a visit by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, wine tastings, ballroom dancing, breakfasts, luncheons, tea, historic photograph displays, cook off showdown, sidewalk sales, civil war encampment and MORE. The vast majority of which are free. Keep up to date and find detail on the town’s official website dedicated to the celebration: dartmouth350.com.

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Music is one thing that perhaps every human being can agree on. All communities benefit from it. It touches us all at a primal level. We fill our media players, create playlists, and stream. It is multi-faceted in that it unites or divides, relaxes or excites. It compliments the visual, like film, or the kinesthetic, like dance.

In a bad mood? Put on music. Going to clean the house? There’s a playlist for that. Want to make the atmosphere romantic? There’s an artist for that. Going to run, lift weights, or do yoga? There’s a specific set of music that caters to those environments.

There is hardly an aspect of life that music doesn’t relate to. One area that it benefits monumentally, yet is often overlooked, is in personal growth. Particularly in infants and children. Programs that immerse children, as young as newly born, in music and movement have benefits that last an entire lifetime.

It kick-starts learning, boosts confidence in social environments, exercises the parts of the brain that are responsible for emotional development and academic learning. Humming and singing in particular, help with forming basic, fundamental speech patterns. It teaches one to focus and concentrate.

When it comes to learning a musical instrument – the body included – one may encounter stress or frustration, and learn to develop the patience and creativity it takes to outlast and persevere. Important character traits!

Movement aspects are important since it is the first method of communication, via gestures and facial expressions, infants learn before they develop language skills. It helps form a deeper connection with their bodies, creates more neural connections and stimulates brain development. Furthermore, spatial awareness heightens as a child learns to navigate about others.

These are fundamental concepts that South Coast native, Rhonda Matson, feels that individuals and the community will immensely benefit from. She is a living example of a lifetime involved with music and movement and would love nothing more than to see others enjoy similar benefits. Benefits that I couldn’t agree more with after several decades of similar experience.

These are the reasons she started up South Coast Music Together, now with four satellites, New Bedford (Wamsutta Club), Tiverton (Sandywoods Farm), Padanaram (St. Peter’s Episcopal Church), and Marion (The Yoga Loft).

Music Together is a music and movement program for early childhood development, from infant to Kindergarten and in between. Even earlier, through the “First Sounds” class, whereby the parent(s) learn to hum, sing or play instruments to form early bonds with their unborn child. In fact, much research shows that by the sixteenth week of gestation, sounds are heard.

Parents participate with their children and further strengthen bonds. Both get to interact with good, local folks and your child gets to further develop his or her social skills through modelling. This is not a new program, but one begun and the late 1980s and one that was so effective and successful that it is now found all over the world.

One of the fundamental tenets of Music Together, and one revisited time and again during my conversation with Rhonda, is that all people have an intrinsic, natural enthusiasm for music. It is so basic to who we are, that the thought of life, completely devoid of music, is horrifying. Imagine, if you could never listen to music again!

In addition, to the primary program that caters to infants through Kindergarten, there is a Children’s Singing Circle for those aged five to nine.

Typical classes are 45 minutes (one hour for the Children’s Singing Circle) in length and “…presented as informal, non-performance-oriented musical experiences.” Groups are between 8-12 people in size, so each parent and child receives plenty of attention and feedback. Parents also get to bring home a special DVD, two CDs and an illustrated songbook for home or auto.

To get an idea of a typical class, I’ve included a video at the bottom of the article, but you can also visit for a FREE demonstration, which is scheduled periodically. Visit the website or Facebook page to keep updated. In addition, the website has testimonials, a Parents Perspective blog, a place to book South Coast Music Together for a special Birthday Party, how to register for a class, images and much, much more.

Would you like your child to have a leg up on learning? Social skills? Confidence? Want an activity that forms a lasting bond with your child? You can’t find a better place or way to do that than South Coast Music Together. You won’t find a more caring, friendly, inspirational instructor than Rhonda Matson.

South Coast Music Together
PO Box 382
Westport, Massachusetts 02791
Phone: 508-636-7426, 508-493-0355
E-mail: Rkhowarth1@yahoo.com or southcoastmt@verizon.net
Website: southcoastmt.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/South-Coast-Music-Together/59709212336

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What the heck is CrossFit? It’s a place where freakish athletes, born with tons of natural ability, drink protein shakes, and ramp up on vast amounts of steroids gather to pick things up and put them down, right?

This is what I thought and boy, was I wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

As someone who has been in athletics for three decades, and coaching for a dozen, I’ve seen my share of new health or fitness fads come and go. The mere mention of the latest one is guaranteed to get an eye roll. It’s now a default response for many of us. We’re burnt out on guerilla marketing, in your face promotion, and promises to have a new you with only 90 seconds a day- just get that credit card out.

While the name CrossFit is something new, the concepts and principles are ancient. Many of the methods, exercises and tools are ones that have been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Call it a resurgence, if you will.

I stopped by owner and head coach Brad Cardoza’s facility – or box as it is called in CrossFit lexicon – in South Dartmouth to gain some more insight. I have about 20 friends who train here and they are fanatical. Heck, I’ll just put it out there: they are pains in the arses about getting me to stop in!

What was to be a 15 minute visit turned into two and a half hours, demonstrating Brad’s passion. What he has here is something special. Not only is Brad an interesting, storied figure, but CrossFit New Bedford has all the right things in all the right places.

Throughout our discussion, Brad revisited the same things over and again. What he felt was incredibly important to convey: CrossFit is an “everyman’s or everywoman’s” activity – in fact, it is ideally suited for families. Is it for the elite athlete, or serious competitor? You bet it is, but that is a small portion of the membership at the Rogers Street facility. In fact, the majority of his members are women and children. Approximately 65% of his members are women alone!

Brad has been in the exercise business for decades. He has seen day in and day out, the benefits of what he coaches – improved health, physical strength, self-confidence, well-being – and wants to spread this positive service to the community. In fact, he’s pretty darn passionate about these three things: health, fitness and community. When he discusses it, there is a fire in his eyes. His posture changes. He’s 100% present. He’s not in the CrossFit business – he’s in the life-changing business.

So, what exactly is CrossFit?
Here is the Wikipedia definition: “CrossFit incorporates high-intensity interval training, olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, strongman exercises and other disciplines. The exercise program is practiced by members of approximately 7,000 affiliated gyms…” The term is a compound of CROSS-training FITness.

What Brad was wary about, is that people may think that each “box” teaches the same things. He felt it crucial that, people understand that each box, its coaches, its atmosphere, team, and instruction differ in terms of curriculum, methodology, technique and quality. Unfortunately, this means that there is no standard and that many folks open a box after a only few months of experience and dropping money over the course of a weekend to get a piece of paper that declares you an “expert.”

This has become an all too common trend. Being an inexperienced coach teaching a group of people to throw heavy weights around in close proximity is a recipe for disaster. There is substitute for experience – three decades in Brad’s case – no matter how fancy the piece of paper in its fancy frame hanging on the wall. The difference is not only night and day, but the difference between injury and none.

What is a CrossFit N.B. class like?
People are always curious about what a class consists of. There is a lot that is familiar to all of us: bodyweight exercises like chin-ups or pull-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks or crunches. There are medicine balls, Swiss balls, rope climbs, dumbbells. There are gymnast rings, tires of various sizes to flip, barbells and kettlebells. But it’s not these things that make CrossFit N.B. what it is, but the “how” – the order, amount of time, repetitions – that matters.

Each workout changes from day to day and is carefully crafted by Brad and his team of expert coaches to maximize results. This spontaneity keeps one’s interest and fends off boredom.

You don’t have to take my word for it, or Brad’s. There are 3,200 fans and 200 reviews on his Facebook timeline alone, he has a 4 1/2 out of 5 star rating in a world full of cynics, and there are hundreds of pictures of satisfied people from all walks of life – including young children and pregnant women.

There is a buzz, an excitement, about Brad’s facility, instruction, and curriculum that is contagious. The images showcasing the results bolster this idea and speak louder than anything I could say. There is a reason he is the premiere CrossFit box in New England, perhaps planet Earth.

Whether you are an individual or a family, an athlete or overweight, young old, male or female you have a home at CrossFit N.B. The genius behind Brad’s curriculum is that it integrates and fits anyone regardless of objectives. You compete with YOURSELF and others, not against yourself and others. Brad is laser-beam focused on integrating your objectives and goals in a carefully calculated and crafted progression – not pushing you into the deep end of the pool and telling you to kick your feet.

CrossFit New Bedford offers group classes, one-on-one personal training, CrossFit Kid’s Classes, Sport Specific Strength & Conditioning for teens and collegiate athletes. You get unlimited access to the classes for just $95 per month in an industry that typically charges $150 a month. For less than $25 a week you can have a life changing health & fitness experience with world class instruction in a friendly environment.

Training alongside people who are out-of-shape, pregnant or 8 years old will remove the intimidation factor and let you drop any barriers you may have had. Training alongside super athletes will spur you on and motivate you. More importantly, the group of genuine good folks will welcome you with open arms and treat like one of their own from the moment that you walk in, as Brad did with me.

In a nutshell, if you are looking to lose weight, improve your overall health and fitness levels, develop more strength and athleticism, or improve your performance in your chosen sport(s), there is a facility in greater New Bedford that offers world class instruction for affordable rates: CrossFit New Bedford.

CrossFit New Bedford
140 Rogers Street,
Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02748
Phone: (774) 202-3110
Email: info@pinnaclestrength.com

Facebook: facebook.com/CrossFitNewBedford
Website:crossfitnewbedford.com/

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Hidden away on a side street one almost ne’er travels, is a gem of a shop called Crescent Moon Holistic Therapy Shoppe. Head towards St. Luke’s, go down Allen Street and take a right at the pizza shop, and the shoppe is nestled in on your right.

With “Crescent Moon” owner Annabelle Williams has carefully crafted a haven of relaxation and calm. No, this isn’t new-age mumbo-jumbo, but the genuine article. You’ll see what I mean… Walking into the shoppe is actually like walking into someone’s living room – quite comfortable and has a homey, welcoming ambience. The entrance leads to a large, open central room. There are smiling Buddhas gesturing mudras, creatively placed knick-knacks, an inviting couch loaded with a score of pillows that screams for your company, and diverse items adorn the walls.

A maddening blend of unfamiliar, but pleasant aromas wafts your way. Annabelle welcomed me with a soothing voice, that furthers pushes you into calm and offered me some tea or coffee. Sights, smells, and sound weave a spell. I swear, I felt my shoulder tension ease up!

Indeed, it’s the intention and objective of Crescent Moon; you’re to leave the worries, woes and concerns of the world behind during your visit. A respite, never long enough.

But this isn’t the rub of Crescent Moon, just the preparation. It’s what the shoppe offers in terms of services that set it miles above others in the South Coast: healing, massage, meditation, and metaphysical instruction. Annabelle made it abundantly clear frequently throughout visits, that she is passionate about the shoppe being a place for people to slough off the world, even if you just came, grabbed a book off the library shelf and sipped a cup of tea.

You see, Annabelle wants this. Some people are born motherly and nurturing and upon your visit, you’ll quickly get it. While surely she wants to run a proper business, her primary objective is to heal, soothe and calm. She sums it up best: “Assisting you with your personal journey to wellness and spiritual development.” One thing Western Medicine does not supply – this is no slight on it – are services like those offered, or the atmosphere, vibe, energy or whatever you wish to call it. Cynics can call it placebo, it doesn’t matter. The end result does.

Before I went into any depth of conversation with Annabelle, she showed me a vast wall of herbs and concoctions which could be used for those into magick, Wicca, paganism or simply as tea. She was vocal about supplanting a well-known tea company, and offer what they offer, but with a larger variety…and fresher. If you are the type that owns a tea ball, you are going to go bananas. Two massive shelves with scores of glass jars revealing contents, higher than my head. To give you an idea, I’m 6′ tall….OK, I’m 5’11” and 31/32. If she doesn’t have it or have a particular blend, she will eagerly find it or create it for you. Imagine your favorite tea, but you’d like a little more of a certain herb – you can have it your way.

Sea Salt from Israel, vanilla sugar, echinacea, lemon ginger, catnip (which she said you can smoke!), juniper, chamomile, Cat’s Claw, roses, anise, cinnamon, sarsaparilla, mint and a hundred more. Whatever use you want it for. You know when you go to the candle store and pick up 30 candles and whiff them? Yeah, that will be you!

After this, she brought me past a display case/counter and into a “living room” or lounging area.

There was a shelf filled with books on many topics, lounge chairs, an Ottoman, and a coffee table. She showed me a side room that had a large, cushioned massage table for private sessions, then led me into the back room that served as a kitchen for preparing teas or coffee. It was in the kitchen that we discussed some of the services that she specializes in, like the Usui Reiki and massages for individuals, athletes, couples, and businesses, Shamballa healing, guided meditations, and more. I nao falo Portugues, but Annabelle does! So all services are available in either language, if you have a preference.

If some of this is unfamiliar territory for you, here is a short, easy to understand guide:

Variety of Massages
Massage is good for the body, mind and soul. Store all of your stress in your shoulders? Temples? Back? Sit and have the chair massage or foot massage or go for the “Pamper Me” Swedish, which is a gentle massage that will not only relax you, but help you release tension. Suffer like me from dry or cracked skin? Have eczema or psoriasis? The “Warm Candle” massage will leave your skin smooth and replenished. Do you play a lot of sports? Have some nagging injuries? Try the deep tissue massage for injured or tight muscles, or the sports massage which is perfect for those of us that have a fitness lifestyle.

The last two massages are the signature massage which combines the “Swedish” and the deep tissue massage with crystals, and the most popular one she offers: the “Tandem,” which is a couples massage. A superlative way to begin a special night, whether an anniversary, wedding, or just a date. These massages start as low as $15 – that’s not a misprint – and last from 15 minutes to an hour and a half.

Spiritual Healing through Reiki and Shamballa
You have probably heard the word “Reiki” before and may have wondered what it is. The most concise explanation is from reiki.org: “…a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing” primarily through light touching. In lay terms, one could say it is the removal of bad energy and replacing it with good energy. It is a stress reduction technique and we all know that stress often leads to poor health.

While the massage sessions primarily address the body and indirectly the mind, Reiki is more subtle, addresses the spiritual, mental and emotional aspects – but the effects can be as profound, if not more. The Reiki sessions are available on their own or you can supplement one of the massages, thereby extending the length of the session, for a nominal fee.

Shamballa Healing is an extension of the Reiki that “…assists in reconnecting you to the full expression of your being, so that you can experience fulfillment in every aspect of your life.” I would certainly do it a disservice, if I were to explain the subject, so I won’t pretend I am knowledgeable on the topic. While you can read more about it on the her page dedicated to it, you will certainly be far better off, visiting in person.

Stress Reduction with Meditation
We’ve all heard the benefits of meditation; it promotes calm, focus, relaxation and is an effective stress reducer. Annabelle offers group sessions, which you can watch the calendar for, and the one on one meditation session, which is by appointment only. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to meditate properly, now there is a source of quality instruction very close by!

Classes and Instruction
Annabelle offers instruction in virtually all the services at the shoppe and then some. You can learn the couples massage, the Shamballa Healing, and Reiki (3 levels), but you can also attend an Intro to Herbalism or Aromatherapy class, get certified in Tarot interpretation, learn Celtic divination, Cauldron or Money Magick, Scrying with Crystals and more! Learn to blend your own teas or healing ointments, rekindle your relationship with a massage or even tap into your more mysterious side.

The one thing that stands out about all these services at Crescent Moon Holistic Therapy Shoppe are the rates. As a person who has had massages in the past, I was actually shocked when she told me how long the sessions were and how much they cost. She makes easily available regular healing – whether physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual – with these affordable rates that don’t bust the wallet, or purse. This is what people who follow the maxim “People first.” do. She has a genuine passion as a healer, and wants to be doing what she loves. She fills a void left empty by modernity – that of the spiritual healer, Shaman or mystic. Her shoppe is appropriately located one street from St. Luke’s hospital allowing you to have the best of both worlds.

Annabelle’s website contains plenty of detail, a calendar and a FAQ. She has a regular Facebook presence as well. However, as I mentioned above, this is all no substitute for the real deal: stop in for a visit and tell her NBG sent you!

Crescent Moon Holistic Therapy Shoppe
16 Brigham Street
New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740
Mon – Tue: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thu – Sat: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Street Parking
Phone: (774) 328-8763
Email: crescentmoonhts@yahoo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/crescentmoonhts
Website: crescentmoonhts.com/

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One of the most difficult endeavors a person can undertake these days, is to lose weight or take up a fitness program. There is a mass of incoming information -often conflicting- that can be overwhelming. Books, websites, social media, radio, TV all bombard us with the latest trend or fad; telling us one day that something is good for you and the next that it’s not! It’s tough to get into to mindset and motivation to exercise, when you are deep in the sea of lacking them!

Beyond trends, fads, and the glut of information, the single most common thread among success stories that I have personally seen in almost 30 years of exercising -half of that coaching- is ATMOSPHERE. It’s not enough to be knowledgeable and qualified – though that is mandatory. People will gravitate towards and stick with a trainer or facility full of positive, motivating, energetic, magnetic coaches. Using logic as the stick or carrot, simply won’t work.

Being in the exercise business myself, I’m always trying to keep current on sports science & psychology, new facilities, coaches, and anecdotes. There are a fair number of world class facilities in the area, and New Bedford Guide wants to promote a healthy lifestyle – exercise, dietary habits, and more – so we plan on bringing a number of them to our readers in the coming weeks and months!

I have had a number of friends in the past year, who have whipped themselves into shape. When I asked about the source of the change, I heard over and again “Boutique,” meaning Boutique Fitness. They are located in the Coffin Building on 516 Pleasant Street, across from the Bristol County Probate Court. Co-owners Lara Harrington (ISSA*, ACSM*, Head trainer) and Angela Corrieri-Johnson (ISSA, PN*) have made waves in the region’s health and fitness world in their short 2 year existence. That’s astounding, to say the least.

There’s a reason for that: the energetic, positive atmosphere that I mentioned, practical, tangible results, and world class instruction. The ladies specialize in private and small group fitness training. There’s no getting assigned a number and being lost in a massive group, relegated to anonymity. The more intimate, private and small group instruction, means an integral and effective element is always present: perpetual feedback. They get to not only know your name, goals, and objectives, but create a prescription, customized program combining a variety of specific health and fitness methodologies that work best for you, and only you. On your first day, you will go through a fitness assessment and movement analysis, so they know EXACTLY what will be most effective for you. They then follow up with retests every 6-8 weeks, to maintain that all-important feedback.

It’s not a shotgun or cookie cutter approach. This takes more time and effort from the coach, but has significant, speedy results.

The ladies of Boutique Fitness -assisted by trainers Niki Harrington (ISSA) and Erin Carr (ISSA, TRX*, TWF*)- combine a multi-pronged, balanced approach of strength & conditioning exercises, stretches, diet counseling, nutritional coaching in 2-3 times per week, 30 minute long sessions. Kettlebells, Swiss ball, dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, cables, and Plyometrics are just some of the methods and tools you may encounter. This variety keeps you on your toes and you never have a dull workout. While the exercises will become familiar, their cadence, combination, and spontaneity in execution, will keep you motivated and your interest piqued – which promotes constant progress!

The pros at Boutique have not only helped a number of my friends (Hi Sandi!), but they have helped hundreds of others in the area kick butt! You don’t have to take my word for it, as you can visit their testimonials page, which is comprised of textual and photo testimonials – including “before and afters.”

Having said all that, you don’t have to be someone that needs to get in shape to enjoy what they have to offer. If you are already in shape and a more serious athlete, who is looking to add another element to your routine you will, find a happy home there. If you are interested in seeing more of what the pros at Boutique do, you can browse their YouTube Page, or better yet, contact them and book your complimentary consultation.

Boutique Fitness uses all the major social media outlets (regularly updated), maintains a web page, a bunch of recipes, rates, photos, videos, a stellar blog and more. They are open Monday through Friday: 5:30 am – 7:30 pm, and Saturday from 6:00 am – 12:00 pm. Whether you want to be able to squeeze into an old pair of jeans, t-shirt or bikini or looking to seriously challenge yourself athletically, you’ll find world class coaches and instruction, in a world-class environment!

Boutique Fitness
516 Pleasant St. #104
New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740
Phone: (774) 202-4688
Email: fitness@boutiquefitness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/boutiquefitnessnb
Twitter: twitter.com/boutiquefitnb
Website: boutiquefitnessnb.com

*Credentials Guide
ISSA=International Sports Science Association
ACSM=American College of Sports Medicine
PN=Precision Nutrition
TRX=Suspension Training Bodyweight Exercise Certification
TWF=True Warrior Fitness

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Charles W. Morgan, built at the foot of Maxfield (now Hillman) Street in 1841 (Spinner Pub.)

The Charles W. Morgan is scheduled to sail into New Bedford Harbor on Wednesday, June 25, at approximately 3:30pm. Homecoming ceremony is Saturday, June 28 at 10am. The vessel will open to the public on Saturday, June 28 at 1pm.

What’s the big deal about the sea vessel, Charles W. Morgan? Why all the hoopla? It seems like locals are going bananas over the upcoming visit of the vessel to New Bedford this summer. Why is that? Here is our guide for the layperson, or average Joe without all the historic fluff to make you drowsy. We’ll keep it interesting, and place some wonderful historic photos that you all love.

Just the -not so boring- facts, ma’am.
The Charles W. Morgan was built in July 1841 right here in New Bedford. Indeed, at Jethro and Zachariah Hillman’s Shipyard at the bottom of Maxfield Street – which “turns into” Hillman Street until it runs into the harbor. Hillman Street was named after their father, Zachariah who was the commander of the first uniformed militia in New Bedford in the 1820s. The War of 1812 wasn’t even over for a decade and there was yet to be an official police force. These Hillman’s were the same fellows who tried to stifle the mob violence that revolved around New Bedford’s “brothel in a ship,” the Ark.

The 113′ foot long, 351 ton ship would one of many to be owned by New Bedford whaling mogul, Quaker, and Pennsylvania native, Charles Waln Morgan. It took more than 30 craftsmen, a total of 7 months at the cost of $26,877 to build her. Her main truck or mast for you landlubbers, stood 110′ above the deck. Her masts held a whopping 13,000 square feet of sails and was one of a few ships, that had a tryworks* on deck, as opposed to paying someone else to do it. Because of this she had a rather large crew of approximately 30-35.

She would serve the Morgan family on many voyages until America’s largest whaling firm, New Bedford based J.&W.R. Wing Company, purchased her in the middle of the Civil War in 1863. She continued as a whaler through 1921, making 37 voyages, totaling exactly 80 years. She also had a part-time career as an “actor” in three movies from 1916-1923.

While sitting in the harbor on the night of June 30, 1924, a steamer called the Sankaty caught fire and drifted into the Morgan and set her afire as well. Poor gal. Here she was with no industry to ply her trade for, looking forward to retirement and she gets nearly burnt down. She would have certainly been destined to be trashed if it wasn’t for one of the world’s richest men, Col. Edward Howland Robinson Green, son of the “Witch of Wall Street,” Hetty Green. He tossed lots of money at her, then brought her to his Round Hill Estate, embedded her in the sand, then exhibited her.

In November of 1941, she was sent to rest at Chubb’s Wharf, Mystic Seaport. In 1968, a restoration project did a bang-up job on restoring her structurally. This was followed in 1974, with some work on her hull. Finally, the most recent restoration project was undertaken in 2008, she had major work done on the keel (“fin” at the bottom), the bow (front) and the stern (rear). On her 172nd anniversary, July 21, of 2013, she was re-launched into the Mystic River.

She will then make her 38th voyage with stops in New London, Conn., Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford (yay!), Boston, back to New London, a stop at the Cape Cod Canal Mystic Seaport before returning to her home at Mystic Seaport in August 2014. The full itinerary can be read here and the specifics on the New Bedford visit can be seen here. To see if you had a relative that sailed on the Charles W. Morgan, check the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s Crew List Database.

What’s all the hoopla about?
The short and easy summary of why the Charles W. Morgan is a big deal is because it is the oldest wooden whale-ship on the planet. Whaling gave America in general, and New Bedford specifically, a massive economic boost and contributed to making both financial powerhouses. It served a total of 80 years generating massive amounts of revenue. That means it has a tremendous value in the nation’s and New Bedford’s history. In fact, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

Of great historic importance to America and the South Coast. Check.

But, what else?

How about the 1,000 souls who worked as crew on the Morgan? The scores of craftsmen that restored it? The docents that worked on it in an historic capacity? It has generated income for countless people whose families have benefited. It has put supper on the table, paid mortgages, developed bank accounts, or simply placed priceless smiles on thousands of faces. Imagine how many tens of thousands of people that this ship has affected by its existence!

So, when a multi-million dollar restoration project was undertaken in 2008 at her home in Mystic Seaport, she garnered everyone’s attention. Everyone wants to see this almost magical ship. If it weren’t for the whaling industry, and vessels like the Morgan, New Bedford would not be the same. Not by a long shot. Countless more will be affected.

We will be able to climb aboard the Morgan and walk the very same footsteps as the 19th century whalers – great men who had the fortitude, resilience and doggedness to go to sea for up to 3 years at a time. Men who made enormous sacrifices, to take care of their families. We’ll be able to share the tread of men of character that helped found the greatest nation on earth. You will be able to stand on the deck and declare “I am standing on vessel that played a pivotal role in history – America’s, the South Coast, and New Bedford’s.” A privilege, I will be honored to receive.

That’s why it’s a big deal. And it’ll be worth it every penny.

* For you landlubbers, a tryworks is a facility that melts whale blubber, and filters it to produce barrels of oil for lighting, heat, and more.

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