Most Americans are familiar with the Boston Tea Party. If you’ve recently graduated from school, the events may still be fresh in memory, but if you are…ahem, a bit longer in tooth, you may have lost many or most details. Assuming of course, that you aren’t a history buff and a regular reader on the subject.

I’m of the latter category, but am a history buff. History is a varied, massive, topic. One could spend decades studying one event, i.e. American Revolution, become an expert and highly knowledgeable of the subject, but not touch on other historical events with any depth.

Such is the case, for me, with the Boston Tea Party. My historical niche is the Old Dartmouth Region (actually it’s Sumer, Indus Valley, and Ancient Egypt, but this isn’t the Sumer Guide!) and the topic is large enough that I seldom delve into other nearby regions such as Boston.

The connection for this article is one of the three ships involved in the Boston Tea Party event, the Dartmouth. Coincidentally there was a fourth vessel, The William, that was damaged by a storm en route and was forced to land at Cape Cod or lose its precious cargo. Since this year is the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, I felt it fitting to discuss the vessel central to this historical event.

Not only was the Dartmouth built right here in New Bedford in 1767, she was the first ship built in New Bedford near where Hazard’s Wharf is today. Up to this point the largest sea vessels to be built were whaleboats. No plans exist of the Dartmouth, but being Quaker built meant that she wasn’t decorated or elaborate.

The land near Hazard’s Wharf was originally owned by the Rotch family from Nantucket, Quakers in faith, and they would use the property to start a small shipyard in what was then called Bedford Village. A monument sits there today. Francis Rotch and son Joseph Rotch would have their wooden hulled flagship – pardon the pun – built at 80 feet long and 10 feet wide. It would serve as an offshore whaling vessel to transport whale oil to London. Not a vessel that hunted whales, but supported those hunting vessels and carried cargo.

The Dartmouth was docked in London with the other two historic vessels, The Beaver (also owned by the Rotchs) and The Eleanor in 1773. These four vessels (including The William) were to return to the New World as a Tea Flotilla. British merchants were enjoying the monopoly imposed by the monarchy declaring that the Colonists could only purchase tea from Great Britain creating a robust trade.

At this point it would be easy to discuss the politics behind the Boston Tea Party event, but this would end up being a digression of monumental proportions. Since there isn’t exactly a dearth of literature on the topic, there is no point in covering this. Suffice it to say that the Dartmouth was the first of the four ships to arrive at Long Wharf in Boston on November 28, captained by a James Hall with 114 chests of tea. The Eleanor arrived on December 2, and the Beaver on December 7. The William of course, lost en route.

By law she could sit there for 20 days before unloading her cargo. At expiry, her cargo would be confiscated by customs. Surely, the Rotchs simply wanted to turn a profit, but they were caught between opposing groups – Patriots who did not allow the cargo to be offloaded and Governor Hutchinson and his party who wouldn’t allow the Dartmouth to leave and return to Britain. In the interim, the cargo decays. Ouch.

Instead they were juggled from Long’s Wharf, to Rowe’s Wharf, and finally to Griffin’s Wharf. Enter Samuel Adams and the faux Mohawks to dump all 114 chests of tea within the Dartmouth’s hold into the harbor and the rest as they say – and sorry, can’t resist punning – is history. The only reported damage to the three vessels was a broken padlock, which was replaced.

Life went on for the Dartmouth after December 16 and it returned to service for the Rotchs. However, its life was short lived for on a return voyage from England the Dartmouth foundered. Fortunately, the crew was saved and returned safely to Boston.

Replicas of all three vessels are currently works in progress by the Boston Tea Party Museum and Master Ship Renovator, Leon Poindexter. Only the Dartmouth is being crafted from the keel up. Replicas of the Beaver and Eleanor exist already and are being renovated and re-rigged. On December 16th, a 30 minute historical re-enactment will take place as enactors dump chests of tea into the harbor off the Beaver.

A ship built right here in New Bedford played a pivotal role on shaping America’s history!

Ann & Hope Outlets started in 1953 and never closed completely (Squirm114)

Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases the buildings may still exist, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, the buildings or even the properties have been razed. 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!

As a kid, I was dragged to Ann & Hope at least twice a week and definitely every weekend. Moms across the South Coast made the Ann & Hope Outlet a prime destination. Outside of Arlan’s it was the number one place to get anything and everything in one place. Heck, Sam Walton who founded Wal-Mart (visited in 1961) and Harry Cunningham who founded KMart, got their ideas from visiting Ann & Hope.

There were at least eight locations in Massachusetts – Westborough, Danvers, Weymouth, Millis, Randolph, Seekonk, Raynham, etc. – but there was only one that mattered: the Dartmouth location.

So where did Ann & Hope come from? What happened to it? Where did they go?

Ann & Hope was founded by Ukrainian Martin “Marty” Chase. In 1946, Mr. Chase bought a Mill complex in Cumberland, Rhode Island that was built in 1886. This mill was called the Ann & Hope Mill in tribute to Ann Brown and Hope Ives, wives of successful, iconic 18th century Portsmouth merchants John Brown and Thomas Ives who made a fortune in Far East Trade. Apparently these fellows really loved their wives, because they had two of their vessels, including a flagship dubbed the Ann & Hope.

This story is really a large one and deserves its own article, so we won’t go into too much detail. Suffice it to say, that the names Ann & Hope go back to the mid 18th century Rhode Island. Martin Chase started his business in a mill named after these merchant’s wives and kept the name when he opened his flagship store in 1953 and maintained the name as it expanded.

What separated Ann & Hope from other department stores is that you didn’t need to tell a clerk or serviceman what you needed and they would pick your order. You could freely roam the store with a shopping cart – supposedly the first department store to use them. In addition, there was what was called a sub-tenant, which utilized the concept of a Garden Center, for example. Chase was the first to use a check-out area with multiple counters, that seem so “normal” today.

By 1969, business boomed and Ann & Hope revenue was calculated at $40 million dollars annually. In the 80s, Ann & Hope came to Dartmouth as simply a department store on the site where Lowe’s is now. However, it quickly became so popular that it expanded and took over the adjacent land and became the Ann & Hope Plaza – which some of you dinosaurs may recall held Child World (Christmas Tree Shop), Heartland Supermarket (Kohl’s), and a Newport Creamery (USPS).

By 1990, competition from other department stores and local businesses hurt Ann & Hope and the company began to decline. Stores began to close rapidly, and by Spring, 2001 only two – the Warwick and Cumberland locations – remained, but were downsized.

Ann & Hope may have closed, but really didn’t go anywhere. The company still owns Ann & Hope Plaza and operates the Curtain & Bath, as well as the Garden Outlet stores there. And guess what? Ann & Hope stayed alive with its stores in Rhode Island and many Outlet Stores and began to make a profit again. Expansion began once again and as of 2011 there were 7 Ann & Hope Outlets in Massachusetts, and a few in Rhode Island and Connecticut and revenue approaches $24 million dollars.

Would you like Ann & Hope to return to the area? The closed Shaw’s in Fairhaven? What were your memories of Ann & Hope?

Frates Dairy & Ice Cream at 2840 Acushnet Avenue (1930-2001)

Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases the buildings may still exist, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, the buildings or even the properties have been razed. 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!

Ah…the iconic Frates Milk Bottle! Funny how something so simple in terms of marketing can be so effective. If our mom and dad asked us where we wanted to go to have ice cream, it was EASY: Frates! If a parent would have asked why, we would have used their own quip against them: “Because.” People would say “What is the big deal? It’s not like you go anything from going to a place that was a giant dairy bottle.”

Wrong.

You got excitement. You got juiced. You got jazzed. Your imagination would kick in and you could imagine it full of milk – or even ice cream – and you are swimming about in it. The giant milk bottle was fun. Pure and simple.

The Frate’s Dairy & Ice Cream bottle was built as one of three circa 1930 by designer Les Labrose at 2840 Acushnet Avenue by the Frates family*. The other two being in Boston and Raynham. This location made generations of kids happy, but it wasn’t the Frates family’s only spot. They also had a shop in the South End of New Bedford on the corner of South Water Street and Cove Road. Of course, when Route 18 came along, the location got the boot.

The milk bottle, which stands 52 feet high and was painted to look like the real deal: full of milk with a bit of cream at the top. Well, the real deal if you are old enough to remember that cream separated from milk and came in bottles – and even was delivered to your doorstop by a milkman. Explain that one to your kids and they’ll think you’re pulling their leg.

Some time in 2003 Crystal and Scott Vurpillatte purchased both the building and the business and called it “Tali” after their daughter. Business did not do so well and by 2005 the bottle was up for sale. A year later G&S Pizza bought it and moved from a few buildings away. Yes, they serve ice cream from Spring through Summer!

Some stellar photos on the outstanding WhalingCity.net.

* A story shared on WhalingCity.net states that the bottle “…was not designed and built by the owners, but by Jethro O. Ashley (1897-1975), carpenter and aviator.” A fan has stated “Frates bottle was built by Dosithe Guilotte who owned New Bedford Lumber. He was my grandfather.”

Did you know that nearly two million women are assaulted each year in the United States, and more than half of women will be physically assaulted during their lifetime? As a woman, the matter of your safety is your own responsibility. In Krav Maga, there are no hard-and-fast rules, and no distinction in training for men and women. It is not a sport, and all the techniques focus on maximum efficiency in real-life conditions. Attackers pick on women that are perceived to be easy victims. It doesn’t matter how tough you really are, but how tough the attacker perceives you to be.

We teach women to walk like predators, not prey, learn to spot danger signs, and to defend themselves when no danger signs are evident. We teach them how to turn fear into power and to be aware of their surroundings at all times. More importantly, they learn how to function under the shock and stress of a sudden violent encounter.

Krav Maga Boston (South Coast) will be running a five class Women’s Only Course beginning December 21, 2013 at our 675 Orchard Street, New Bedford location. This course is perfect for women looking to learn the basics of Krav Maga, college student’s home for the holidays and women looking to add another element to their fitness regimen.

The course will focus on basic strikes (punches, kicks, knees, etc.); choke defense, bear hug defense, hair pull defense and basic weapons defense. The cost of this course is $100 and will be conducted on Saturdays from 9am to 10am. Each student will receive a pair of training gloves and a Krav Maga Boston (South Coast) tee shirt. Classes will be held on December 21, 2013, January 4, 2014, January 11, 2014, January 18, 2014 and January 25, 2014. There will be no class on December 28, 2013 due to the school being closed for the holidays.

To register for this class, email us at kravmaga.deaton@gmail.com or call us at (508) 259-1592. Feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have. Space is limited so reserve your spot today!

David Eaton, Jr.
Krav Maga Boston (South Coast)

Well, let’s start with the good news: it’s not supposed to snow this weekend! There is, however, a 40% chance of rain on Sunday. Temperatures will be below freezing on Friday and Saturday night, but above freezing on Sunday night. The days will be a bit chilly, so break out the flannels and sweatshirts. Sunday will be warmer but we might get rain. We can’t have everything! Regardless, we are hardy New Englanders and nature will have to throw a lot more at us to prevent us from going out or even slow us down!

As always, click on the title for more or detailed information on the event. Most of the events were pulled from our event calendar  where you can find hundreds of local area events each month. The event calendar is FREE, so if you are a local business, and not taking advantage of FREE publicity, shame on you! Are you a local business and want to sponsor this high traffic, weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details. Have an event to add? Check out our tutorial. For more info, you can click on each title. Know of another event this weekend? Post a reply!

Friday, November 29th

Outdoor Skating (Providence) (10:00 am-10:00 pm)
Did you know that the Providence outdoor skating rink is now open? It opened yesterday! “Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. General admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. Skate rentals and season passes are available. Across from Kennedy Plaza.” Tomorrow is Open House!

Scrabble & Chess Night (7:00 pm-9:00 pm)
Monthly Scrabble Night, now with the addition of chess, 7-9 p.m. last Fridays. Beginners to experienced players welcome. FREE! Phone: (508) 996-1498. Pilgrim United Church of Christ Home, Purchase and School streets, New Bedford, MA.

Christmas Festival of Lights (Carver) (4:00 pm-9:00 pm)
Runs from today through January 1st. Edaville’s Christmas Festival of Lights is arguably the most-loved festival of its kind, having earned generations of loyal fans. Passengers relax comfortably in warm and dry coaches while riding through a spectacular holiday setting featuring an explosion of lights. Kids of all ages will enjoy an array of vintage amusement rides and a visit with Santa in one of our indoor play areas. Stay for a delicious full meal or enjoy seasonal treats.

Saturday, November 30th

27th Annual Christmas Bazaar: Day 1 (Westport) (9:00 am-3:00 pm)
Taking place at Our Lady of Grace Parish. Children’s craft table, U-Pic-Um Table, raffles and more. Kitchen open both days, music provided by Pat Cordeiro and Judy Souza. Free admission. 569 Sanford Road.

“Purses For Paws” Handbag Sale Fundraiser (Westport) (10:00 am-2:00 pm)
At the Westport United Congregational Church. Unique fundraiser will be selling gently used handbags with proceeds going to Habitat For Cats. 500 American Legion Hwy.

18th Annual Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery (Westport) (11:00 am-5:00 pm)
This is a great chance to take the entire family to the Vineyard. The event is FREE and there will be plenty of parking available. The open house features reduced price wine tastings all day long (only $5), wine and beer by the glass and delicious dishes from Smoke and Pickles. There will also be a variety of local vendors including: Dartmouth Orchards, Shy Brothers Cheese, Rays Kettle Korn, Golden Touch Alpaca petting zoo, Hana’s Honey and local produce, eggs and more from Paradise Hill Farms and Dartmouth Orchards.

Finally the Vineyard will offer FREE vineyard hayrides all day long, hot cocoa, kettle fires, Christmas music, games for the kids (including the infamous Haypit), the Moniz gallery and the wonderful scenic views.

Travessia’s Wine Club Weekend: Day 1 (12:00 pm-6:00 pm)
With Travessia’s “J” dessert red wine being such a hit with wine club members last year (all 300 bottles were sold out in less than a month!), they are excited to release an even bigger lot of this delicious holiday wine: 600 half-bottles this time! Come by and be the first to taste this fortified wine along with roasted chestnuts, a classic Portuguese pairing for this time of the year! Not in the wine club? Here’s how to join: Wine Club

3rd Annual “Christmas Tea” (Acushnet) (1:00 pm-3:00 pm)
Entertainment will be provided by Donna and Ron Laskos. The theme this year is “The Nutcracker.” Menu includes a variety of dainty sandwiches and desserts along with the Laskos very own tea. For tickets or information, call Debbie at (508) 996-1301. No tickets sold at the door. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for children 7 and younger. Acushnet-Wesley United Methodist Church, 67 Main St. Acushnet, MA.

Drum & Bugle Corp. Second Reunion (8:00 pm-1:00 am)
Refreshments, Old School Music from DJ Lady K and more. Donation for $10 asked. For ticket contact the Verdean Vets, (508) 858-5110 or call Diane (508) 951-1827. Verdean Vets, 561 Purchase St.

Sunday, December 1st

Great Big Walk-It-Off (9:00 am-12:00 pm)
Thinking about that delectable Thanksgiving dinner? Mmmm…turkey and all the fixings and then that satisfying unsnap of the top button while you rest, post-feast…here’s your chance at redemption! Join us to walk if off as we travel from the Field Station to our Stone Barn property and return – a total of approximately 6 miles! When you’re done, a plate of leftovers won’t seem evil at all! 6 mile trail from the Field Station to Stone Barn Property. $6 members, $8 non-members, member children $4, non-member children $6.

27th Annual Christmas Bazaar: Day 2 (Westport) (9:00 am-3:00 pm)
Taking place at Our Lady of Grace Parish. Children’s craft table, U-Pic-Um Table, raffles and more. Kitchen open both days, music provided by Pat Cordeiro and Judy Souza. Free admission. 569 Sanford Road.

Travessia’s Wine Club Weekend: Day 2 (12:00 pm-6:00 pm)
With Travessia’s “J” dessert red wine being such a hit with wine club members last year (all 300 bottles were sold out in less than a month!), they are excited to release an even bigger lot of this delicious holiday wine: 600 half-bottles this time! Come by and be the first to taste this fortified wine along with roasted chestnuts, a classic Portuguese pairing for this time of the year! Not in the wine club? Here’s how to join: Wine Club

Greater New Bedford Track Club: Sunday Striders (11:00 am-6:00 pm)
Sunday Striders, weekly training runs starting at 8 a.m. Sundays. All levels of ability welcome; non-members are encouraged to join group. Marathon training continues. Buttonwood Senior Center, 1 Oneida St. Phone: (508) 994-7209.

Want to sponsor this weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details. 

It’s Fudgie!!! (AngusMcguyver)

Remember all those commercials growing up that made us smile or laugh? There are hundreds of commercials like this and NBG has picked 5 in no special order. Some of these are guaranteed to get you singing along and have the song stuck in your head. All of them will remind you of that special time growing up and what it was like to be a kid – something as adults we often forget how to do.

Which commercial was your favorite? One on the list or one we didn’t mention?

1. Krazy Glue

The words “Super glue” or “Krazy Glue” immediately bring to mind a construction worker with a hard hat dangling off of an “I” beam with his feet kicking. I think it’s safe to say this is one of the greatest inventions ever (next to Duct Tape!) and I’ve repaired thousands of things with super glue. One of my favorite things to say is “Where’s the superglue?”!

2. It’s Slinky!

Just saying those two words, conjures an audio to play on loop in the head:

“What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs
and makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing!
Everyone knows it’s Slinky.
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky,
It’s fun, it’s a wonderful toy.
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun,
It’s a wonderful toy.
It’s fun for a girl or a boy. ”

What usually happened with Slinky is about 15 minutes of trying to get it to work down a flight of stairs – which never happened – and then spending the rest of the Slinky’s life trying to get the kink out of it, so it would function. Has anyone successfully got the Slinky to go from the top of a flight of stairs to the bottom or had a Slinky that didn’t have a kink in it with a day?

3. Coke: I’d Like to Buy The World A Coke

I absolutely love this song. It has such a “feel-good” glad to be human, sense of community vibe to it. It never made we want to go grab a Coke, but rather made me want to join hands and sing “Kumbaya.”

4. Where’s the beef?

Who didn’t think this old grandma wasn’t a cool, bad-ass? This is a saying that crept into popular culture and lexicon. To this day, I still hear it said when someone gets “gyped” or ripped off. Order breakfast and only get a few home fries? “Where’s the beef?” Go the the movies with a date and look down at your $40 receipt? “Where’s the beef?”

5. Ch-ch-ch-Chia!

Has ANYONE ever successfully grown a Chia Pet? Or how about Sea Monkeys? I’ve never met anyone who has successfully grown either. For some reason it became a popular Christmas present. I failed so miserably at growing them, that when I got one for Christmas, I just put it on a shelf in the closet unopened. A fully grown Chia Pet is a white whale IMO.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

6. Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale!

Speaking of whales – how about Fudgie?! Memory doesn’t serve me the best, but if I recall correctly, there were Carvel stores. I used to love ice cream cake and still do! Carvel has become synonymous with ice cream cake. It’s like saying Band-Aid instead of bandage, or if you are down south a waitress can ask “What kind of Coke do you want?” and yo can reply with “Sprite.” One say “What kind of cake do you want?” and reply with “Carvel.” You just bring home an ice cream cake of any brand.

7. I Don’t Want To Grow Up!

Going to Toys ‘R Us was really no different than Christmas Day. Regardless, of the time of year, a visit to Toys ‘R Us felt like a holiday. You knew you were going to get something “rad”! The jingle to this commercial has to be one of the catchiest ever written.

Bozo the Clown (1946-2001) (Wikipedia)

If you are creeped out by clowns, then leave fast! For the rest of us, we have fond memories of waking up on a school day, grabbing a bowl of milk and cereal and racing to the “boob” tube to watch our favorite shows before racing to catch the school bus.

One of those shows was Bozo the Clown also known as Bozo’s Big Top or Bozo’s Circus, which spun off “Bozo: The World’s Most Famous Clown” animated cartoon series. The character of Bozo was created – believe it or not – in 1946, by children’s storyteller Alan W. Livingston. His medium was the first of its kind: an illustrative book accompanied with an album.

The first televised episode of Bozo was in 1949 on KTTV Los Angeles. The show’s rights were purchased by a Larry Harmon in 1956 who saw the show’s massive potential. The show became popular enough that it expanded into franchises – as opposed to syndication. This meant that instead of broadcasting the Los Angeles version of the show, local stations could produce their own version with their own Bozo.

By 1959 the character arrived in Boston on WHDH-TV (now WCVB-TV) and was portrayed by Frank Avruch. In spite of the intention to stay a franchise, Larry Harmon felt he could maximize revenue by syndicating the show, which he did in 1966.

By 1970 it arrived in New Bedford where it was portrayed by Bennett B. Schneider IV on WTEV-TV (now WLNE-TV).

At the show’s highest point it was broadcast on cable and satellite and spread to international markets, including Brazil and Mexico.

What led to the show’s demise? In 1994, the most popular market for the show – Chicago’s WGN – shuttled The Bozo Show to an inferior time slot on a Sunday morning. Its popularity slowly declined and then in three years later in 1997, the FCC mandated a three hours per week of “educational and informational” programs for kids. This caused a rapid decline and was the death knell for the show. Competing shows also contributed.

“Bozo: 40 Years of Fun!” was the final show which aired on June 12, 2001 disappointing me kids all over the country.

Though it hasn’t been updated in 2 years, Bozo has an official Facebook page.

by Patrick Correia

Throngs of diaspora will shuffle back to our own grey homes for the holidays. You’ll eat pork prepared 37 different ways and drink enough Port to think you can totally take your sister in a fist fight. You will lose. Try and get some physical activity in, because 10 pounds of Cacoila would slow anybody down. That’s the excuse for your poor performance in the tag football game in the street after lunch. I have a favor to ask: Somewhere in between travelling to see family and friends scattered throughout the 14 square miles of home, can you try and get to these for me?  

1) Gary’s Best
Go in with a five, leave with 3 hot dogs, a bag of chips, and change. I don’t regularly eat hot dogs. I don’t particularly like them, but Gary’s best will always remind me of a reward for being terrible at baseball or the trip back from Mary’s Pond. 

It’s a tiny shack and they pass those savings onto you! Now I want a chili dog and I can’t have one. I already hate myself for writing this. 

2) Metro Pizza
Sorry Me & Ed’s, but I grew up on the border of the West End and South End and Metro is just better. Me & Ed’s and G & S are both standard Italian style pizza, but this list is about New Bedford and New Bedford seems to go Greek fast. Thick crust pizza topped with ground chouriço in the sketchiest little quasi-diner. I’ve heard they make other food, but I don’t think I’ve ever ordered it. I imagine it’s subs? 

3) The Irish Immigrant
Yup, that’s how I’m going to refer to it. Go there and remember what it was. The fellows urinating on the back of the building are now queued up for the cramped men’s room. People use the front door and the floor has less spit on it. The prices are imported from Boston and New York. 

Go for a drink or two, realize it’s entirely too bright to be a good bar, then leave. You’ll probably run into people you know. If you see them, run fast and don’t look back or hug them. I have no idea how your relationships work. . 

4) Carmen’s Portuguese Bakery/ Sunrise Bakery
If you’re like me, you love linguica rolls and have a hard time finding a good one anywhere outside of the South Coast. I stumbled into Carmen’s Portuguese Bakery one morning at 6 AM. I had not slept and had a bit of a walk to where I was staying. The beauty found in a fresh baked linguica roll, the bakery smell, and the fact that they only looked a little disappointed in me will forever hold a place in my heart. 

If you’re sober and driving, Sunrise has a drive-thru. I don’t know why you’d be sober and driving, but hey it’s your vacation.

5) The Pour Farm
A play on words for locals who remember playing hockey on the South End’s Poor Farm, this is where Downtown New Bedford is heading and it looks amazing. The clientele is a reflection of the budding art community, influence of younger residents, mustaches, and tasty beer. The food is meat and starch, but it gets the job done and you should be eating with family anyway. Shame. 

The Pour Farm will lead you straight to the Bus Station. Enjoy the terror induced euphoria now, because, in the indeterminate future, trains will return to New Bedford. Also a Helipad for Providence commuters and a Walrus that performs vaudeville acts will be at the Orpheum.  

I’m sure I’ve forgotten a plethora of establishments and beautiful seaside spots, but I trust you to experience at least these five in my place. My family has been dispersed throughout the country and I am severely lazy. Enjoy the smell of cooking oil and pine that leads into the salt air on Cove Rd. Revel in the magnificent church architecture and the unceasing camaraderie of neighborhoods.

Notice with fury the way no one uses a blinker. Try not to get stabbed.

by Anne Staley

The History of Recycling
I always considered recycling to be a fairly recent phenomenon. Maybe that’s because we tend to associate recycling with environmental degradation, which we all know has become a problem of mammoth proportions in the recent times.

So, imagine my surprise when while digging up information for this post I found out that recycling as a concept has existed for as long as the human race. Huh?

Yes, recycling in its current form of trash separation and curbside collection was not present all those years ago, but there are studies to suggest that recycling was a common practice as far back as 400 B.C. necessitated by scarcity of resources.

In pre-industrial times, recycling of bronze and other scrap metal was fairly common driven by the affordability of recycled feed-stock as opposed to virgin ore. Industrialization spurred this demand for affordable materials even further.

The 19th and early 20th century witnessed railroads, automobile, and steel industries making use of metal scrap for manufacturing. Peddlers roamed streets, went from door to door, and scavenged dump sites in search of sources of metal. By the time the First World War started, American cities were swarming with thousands of such peddlers.

During the two world wars, shortage of resources put pressure on administrations to promote recycling and resource conservation programs. Recycling received another shot in the arm during wartime and some of the programs initiated at this time were continued even after the war.

Circa 1970’s – years of unchecked industrial growth had raised considerable environmental issues. This accompanied by rising energy costs ensured that recycling as a movement gained momentum. The year 1970 also marked the observance of the first Earth Day, birth of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and formulation of the famous three-arrow recycling symbol that we’re all so familiar with.

Among the first bill to be introduced in the U.S. to encourage recycling was the “Bottle Bill” of Oregon in 1971. The bill provided for a nickel in refundable deposit on beer and soda cans as an incentive for people to recycle.

The first curbside recycling program was introduced in Berkeley, California in 1973. By 1998, the number of curbside recycling programs increased to more than 1000 and by 2006, this figure had sky-rocketed to over 8,000.

Recycling was on its way to becoming big! Very big!

The present & the future
According to the EPA, we Americans produce more than 200 million tons of garbage each year. We also have the dubious distinction of producing more trash per person per day than anywhere in the world. In 2010, this figure stood at 4.43 pounds of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day. Of this, we managed to recycle and compost about 1.51 pounds equivalent to a recycling rate of 34.1 percent per this EPA fact sheet.

Compare this to recycling rate of three decades ago (the recycling rate in 1980 was 9.6 percent) and we can take pride in the progress we’ve made so far as recycling is concerned.

Something else that we can be proud of is the drop in the total amount of municipal solid waste going into landfills. While in 1990, the total amount of MSW going into landfills stood at 145.3 million tons, we managed to reduce this figure to 135.5 million tons by 2010.

While that’s a significant drop, clearly a lot of work still needs to be done in the area if we want to prevent the harmful impact landfills have on our environment. If the sight of our overflowing garbage bins is any indication, we’re still some distance away.

A few things you can do to make sure that the future of recycling is safe in our hands include composting your organic waste, making your trash cans leaner by reusing and recycling more, disposing electronic waste and metal scrap in a proper manner.

One of the more profitable ways of managing e-waste and metal scrap is to sell them to a private recycler like SIMS Metal Management. Not only will it ensure that the waste is disposed of properly, but you’ll also be able to make a quick buck from it.

We need to do this because on the future of recycling depends our future on this planet!

Arlan’s Department Store (1945-1973) started at 95 Brook Street

Before Wal-Mart, KMart and Target there was Arlan’s Department Store. This discount store chain was founded here in New Bedford in 1945 by brothers William, Herbert, and Lester Palestine and named after William’s son Arlan. The flagship store was located at 95 Brook Street in an old textile mill building that still stands today. The first two floors were the department store and the top floors were for manufacturing men’s outerwear called Ethan Ames. Arlan’s Supermarket was located across the street.

The department store sold everything and anything and even had a pet section, selling everything from dogs, cats, turtles and reptiles to monkeys!

The chain spread like wildfire from New Bedford and stores popped up all over the nation. There were 50 stores in 18 states by 1965 generating $174 Million dollars. At its peak expansion in 1970, it reached 119 stores. However, as the recession approached in the early 70s, revenue began to plummet to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. By 1973 the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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