The City’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Program will be held on Sunday, January 15th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church located at 47 South Sixth Street.

Sponsored by the City of New Bedford’s Department of Community Services, and the Office of the Mayor, The New Bedford Human Relations Commission, and the NAACP New Bedford Branch, the program will feature live poetry, music, remarks from the Mayor, and keynote speaker Rahsaan Hall.

Hall is the founder and principal of Rahsaan Hall Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts, where he provides experienced racial justice and criminal law reform advocacy focusing on community engagement, policy advocacy, and racial equity. He was the Deputy Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice where his work included policy, legislative advocacy, and community outreach.

“Each year during this annual day of remembrance, we come together to celebrate Dr. King’s message of peace and unity. We are strongest when we set aside our differences and find common ground,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.

Sunday’s program also features musical selections from vocal artist and New Bedford native Candida Rose Baptista, Councilor at-large Shane Burgo, Travis Rapoza, Rev. Laurie Smalls, Avamarie Khazan, and more. Other highlights will include the announcement of the 2023 Creative Expression Winners in the Poetry, Art, and Essays categories.

All are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the MLK Planning Committee at (774) 271-4808 or through email at MLKCreativeExpression@newbedford-ma.gov.

“The City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing and Community Development is hosting two (2) identical public meetings in January to discuss its FY23 Annual Action Plan and its HOME-ARP Allocation Plan.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides $5 billion to assist individuals or households who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations, by providing housing, rental assistance, supportive services, and non-congregate shelter, to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability across the country. These grant funds will be administered through HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME).

A City Action Plan addresses a wide range of short and long-term measures, with the aim of preventing plastic from entering the environment, waterways and ultimately, the ocean.

We hope you will take the time to join us for one of these two sessions; we want to hear what you think are the greatest housing and community development needs and priorities within the City of New Bedford and to solicit resident and stakeholder input to help shape the design of the City’s HOME-ARP Allocation Plan!

Please join us at one of the following Community Meetings—both cover the same information:

January 10th, 2023, Tuesday
Carney Academy at 6.00pm In Person
247 Elm Street – New Bedford MA

January 11th, 2023, Wednesday
Community Meeting via Zoom at 6.00pm
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83041179361?pwd=NUsxQ2tSYTlGSUdzTXBQa1BwNUwyUT09
Meeting ID: 830 4117 9361 Passcode: 463504

The FY2023 RFP (proposal application) will be made available online at the OHCD website at https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/housing-community-development/ beginning Tuesday evening, January 10h.

For your convenience, attached are copies of the Community Forum flyer in three languages—English, Portuguese, and Spanish —that provide additional information and notice of the RFP Workshops.

For more information, please contact Joshua Amaral, Director at Joshua.Amaral@newbedford-ma.gov or Jennifer Clarke, Deputy Director Community Development, at Jennifer.Clarke@newbedford-ma.gov.

The City of New Bedford is moving to indoor programming on New Year’s Eve due to the rain forecast. Fireworks are still scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

Broken Glass Projections 3D mapping will be postponed to a later date.

Updated Events:

• Vinny’s Miracle Fish Puppets
The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Meet magical creatures, embarking on an imaginative journey into 2023.

• Ever After Storybook Entertainment Characters
The New Bedford Free Public Library, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Come sing, dance, and celebrate with Mirabel, Elsa, Winter Elf, and Spiderman.
https://www.facebook.com/EverAfterStorybookEntertainment

• Cirque de Light
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A spectacle of fire and light! Improvisational fire spinning and LED performers light up the night.

• Kaleidoscope Art and Entertainment: Magician and Face Painting
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Expect the unexpected and lots of laughs with an interactive show that will entertain the whole family.

• Buttonwood Brass Band
UMass Dartmouth CVPA Star Store, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Lounge to the trio performing jazz, classical, and the Great American Songbook.

• Toe Jam Puppet Band
The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Get ready for the “family fun band” in the Jacob’s Family Gallery with interactive silly songs and dancing.

• Photo Booth
Whaling Museum Lobby, 5 p.m. –8 p.m.
funfotos2go has your keepsake special moments covered with complimentary photographs sent directly to your mobile device.
Inter Church Council Worship Service
Seamen’s Bethel, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

• City of New Bedford Fireworks Display
Head down to the bottom of Union Street just before Route 18, for ideal viewing of the spectacular fireworks over the harbor, commencing at 8:30 p.m.

“New Year’s Eve City Celebrates is a wonderful opportunity for area families and visitors to enjoy free, fun events for all ages in our historic downtown,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “We appreciate the generous support of Bristol County Savings Bank, which has sponsored City Celebrates for many years, and we are grateful that they are joined this year by Vineyard Wind and Claremont Companies.”

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Colonel Christopher S. Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced that a “Sobriety Checkpoint” will be implemented by the Massachusetts State Police on a Public Way in Bristol County between Thursday, December 22, into Friday, December 23, 2022.

The purpose is to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public’s awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs from our roadways. It will be operated during varied hours, the selection of vehicles will not be arbitrary, safety will be assured, and any inconveniences to motorists will be minimized with advance notice to reduce fear and anxiety.

The City of New Bedford will a host a variety of free family-friendly programming throughout the downtown area as part of its City Celebrates! New Year’s Eve event.

Activities will take place both inside and outdoors between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., including the traditional fireworks display at 8:30 p.m. The programming is made possible through the generous sponsorships of Bristol County Savings Bank, Vineyard Wind, and Claremont Companies.

Events:

• Vinny’s Miracle Fish Puppets
The New Bedford Free Public Library steps and around downtown, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Meet magical creatures, embarking on an imaginative journey into 2023.

• Ever After Storybook Entertainment Characters
The New Bedford Free Public Library, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Come sing, dance, and celebrate with Mirabel, Elsa, Winter Elf, and Spiderman.
https://www.facebook.com/EverAfterStorybookEntertainment

• Cirque de Light
Custom House Square, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A spectacle of fire and light! Improvisational fire spinning and LED performers light up the night.

• Kaleidoscope Art and Entertainment: Magician and Face Painting
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Expect the unexpected and lots of laughs with an interactive show that will entertain the whole family.

• Buttonwood Brass Band
UMass Dartmouth CVPA Star Store, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Lounge to the trio performing jazz, classical, and the Great American Songbook.

• Broken Glass Projections & 3rd EyE Unlimited
Wing’s Court, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

• 3D Projection Mapping
Come see this special debut of the vibrant artistic medium rarely seen in the U.S. Broken Glass Projections makes surfaces, like building facades, come to life in a unique display while 3rd EyE Unlimited provides music and other entertainment.

• Toe Jam Puppet Band
The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Get ready for the “family fun band” in the Jacob’s Family Gallery with interactive silly songs and dancing.

• Photo Booth
Whaling Museum Lobby, 5 p.m. –8 p.m.
funfotos2go has your keepsake special moments covered with complimentary photographs sent directly to your mobile device.

• City of New Bedford Fireworks Display
Head down to the bottom of Union Street just before Route 18, for ideal viewing of the spectacular fireworks over the harbor, commencing at 8:30 p.m.

“New Year’s Eve City Celebrates is a wonderful opportunity for area families and visitors to enjoy free, fun events for all ages in our historic downtown,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “We appreciate the generous support of Bristol County Savings Bank, which has sponsored City Celebrates for many years, and we are grateful that they are joined this year by Vineyard Wind and Claremont Companies.”

“At this exciting time of year, the Spirit of Saint Anthony Choir is together again, after a COVID hiatus.

On Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 3:00 pm, the 45-voice choir will be performing a Christmas Concert including their traditional sing along and Hallelujah Chorus. Everyone is welcome to come out to Saint Anthony of Padua Church, at 1359 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford and sing along.

Bring your family and friends and enjoy complimentary refreshments following the concert in the church hall. For this event, free parking and shuttle service is provided by Tremblay Bus from the St. Killian’s parking lot on Earle St, between Ashley Blvd and Acushnet Ave. A suggested donation of $10 will be accepted at the door.

The Spirit of St. Anthony Choir was formed and first performed in 2004 as the fundraising effort to restore the church’s now 110-year-old historic pipe organ. Opus 489 was built specifically for the space by the Casavant Brothers company in Canada.

It is a French Romantic style pipe organ that has been in continual use by the church for its ministry and to provide musical events from time to time. Because the instrument is so old, some of the leather and wooden parts are worn, and need refurbishing. Music at Saint Anthony’s holds both concerts and pipe organ recitals to raise funds for repairs and ongoing annual maintenance for the precious instrument.

David Touchette is the long time Choir’s director and has a loyal membership that are inspired by the selections of music that he prepares for the performances. He is accompanied by Isleila Rodrigues on the keyboard, and local instrumentalists, Neil Sylvia on drums, and Wendy Hawes on the flute. Many of the songs are well known Christmas anthems. Coupled with the traditional singalong, ending with the Hallelujah Chorus, this concert is a well-loved family event that starts off the week of Christmas on a positive note.

Steven Young will be playing the pipe organ during the concert. His selections include Toccata on Helmsley by James Vivian, and Wachet auf by Aaron David Miller, and he will accompany the sing along. Guest soloists, featuring Kevin Gomes performing local composer Russ Campoli’s song, “HOPE”, plus three other local performers from Debra Perry’s Vocal Development Studio, Joey Azevedo, Meghan Bernier, and Kailey Poitras who will be accompanied by Ruth Monty.

This year, a lovely Christmas pageant will be performed by the religious education students at 6 pm. Concert attendees are encouraged to remain in the church hall to enjoy the children’s Christmas production.”

By Bailey Bisson

Looking for some fun, kid-friendly events to attend this holiday season? Here are a few ideas that are sure to lift the whole family’s spirits!

Buttonwood Park Zoo is hosting a Holiday Stroll on two Saturdays only, this month, Dec. 10th and the 17th, from 10am-4pm. The latest admission for this event will be 3:15. The park is located on 425 Hawthorn street in New Bedford, MA. With 25 different vendors, guests are sure to find the perfect last minute gifts. General admissions ticket fees are required to enter the zoo.

The Children’s Advocacy Center is a non profit organization located on 58 Arch street in Fall River, MA. The staff will be hosting a free event called Holiday Potluck on Monday, Dec. 19th from 1pm-9pm. Anyone wishing to attend this event must RSVP electronically by Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Lunch and goodies will be given out, and guests are encouraged to bring their own holiday treats to share.

Attleboro’s famous National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette is currently hosting their 70th Annual Christmas Festival of Lights located on 947 Park street in Attleboro, MA. This is an ongoing attraction which is available for people of all ages until after Jan. 1st. With a complete food court, carousel, and hot chocolate, this is sure to be a favorable site for the kiddos. However, partygoers can get involved in the Midnight Mass, which will take place on Dec. 25th. Check the complete list of dates and events on the website.

Tiverton’s local farmer’s market is hosting the Christmas Market, which will take place on Sunday, Dec. 18th from 10am-2pm. The market will be set up in the Tiverton Middle School Gymnasium located on 10 Quintal Drive in Tiverton, RI. This one-time event includes artisanal foods, gifts, artists and live music.

Don’t miss out on a joyful season. Get involved and have a good time!

Due to the weather forecast predicted for Saturday, December 3, the Downtown Holiday Stroll and the Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting have been postponed until Saturday, December 10. Updated event information is as follows:

Downtown Holiday Stroll
Date and time: 12 – 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10
(Rain date: 12 – 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10)
Location: Downtown New Bedford

Activities:

• Santa, New Bedford Fire Museum Antique Fire Truck Rides, Southcoast Brass Band (Barkers Lane) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Seaglass Theater Company Carolers, the Starchasers Fleet, the Winter Fairy (various locations) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Story Time with Salty Santa and Ornament Craft Projects (Fishing Heritage Center) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Kids’ Crafts and Hot Chocolate (various locations) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Vendor Market (YWCA Southeastern MA) 1 – 5 p.m.
• Meet & greet with Celebrity Puppeteer Bill Diamond (PLAY Arcade) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Holiday Open House at the Nathan and Mary Johnson House (NB Historical Society) 12 – 5 p.m.
• BuyBlackNB Holiday Market (New Bedford Whaling Museum) 12 – 5 p.m. plus entertainment (Alma Stomp Crew, Our Sisters’ School Soul Sisters, UMASS Dartmouth Gospel Choir, Pan African Dance Group, New Bedford Performing Arts Center Dancers 12:30 – 3 p.m.
• Calico Makers’ Mini Market with DJ Anj Kepinski (Bristol Hall) 12 – 5 p.m.
• Santa spotting throughout downtown

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City of New Bedford Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting
Date and time: 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10
Location: Pleasant Street in front of Main Library downtown

Program:

• Join Mayor Jon Mitchell, New Bedford City Council President Ian Abreu, and the New Bedford community for the annual tree-lighting celebration. This year’s emcee will be Armand Marchand, executive producer for New Bedford Festival Theater.

• At 4:30 p.m., a parade will march from the bottom of William Street, near the Whaling Museum, to the library steps for the tree-lighting. The parade will feature the New Bedford High School marching band and color guard, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and surprise guests

• Remarks at the library by Mayor Mitchell and Councilor Abreau will be followed by holiday songs by Miss New Bedford Tori Kalisz and Miss New Bedford Outstanding Teen Jaime St. Onge

• Free hot chocolate will be offered courtesy of Community Services, Veterans Transition House, and New Life Church

• United Way will have a toy drive box for children from infants to teenagers. All gifts must be unwrapped

_________________________________________________________________________

[The Clasky Common Park Christmas Tree Lighting will still take place as planned at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 4.]

Clasky Common Park Christmas Tree Lighting
Date and time: 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4
Location: Clasky Common Park at County Street and Pope Street

Program:

• Remarks by Mayor Mitchell and Councilor Abreau, followed by holiday songs by Miss New Bedford Tori Kalisz, Miss New Bedford Outstanding Teen Jaime St. Onge, and the Parker School Chorus

• Guest appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus

• United Way will have a toy drive box for children from infants to teenagers. All gifts must be unwrapped.” -City of New Bedford.

“For the 38th straight year, the Massachusetts State Police are proud to assist the United States Marine Corps Reserve with the annual Toys for Tots holiday drive.

Donors may drop off new, unwrapped, non-violent toys for boys or girls, ages infant to 14, at any State Police Barracks across Massachusetts or at State Police General Headquarters between now and Friday, December 14. Those in Western MA (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties) may drop off until December 15 and those in Bristol County (Dartmouth and Middleborough Barracks) may drop off until December 21. As always, donors also have the option of making a monetary donation by credit card or through the mail directly to the Toys for Tots program.

New this year, donors also have the option through the Toys for Tots website of shopping for a toy online and donating it through the organizations new Virtual Toy Box.

For more information about making a monetary donation or donating a toy through the Virtual Toy Box, please visit the Toys for Tots site at https://www.toysfortots.org/donate/.

For those still wishing to donate locally, you can find locations of MSP Barracks here: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-state-police/locations

General Headquarters is located at 470 Worcester Rd. (Route 9 eastbound), Framingham. Those needing assistance requesting toys, and who are not currently working with a nonprofit agency/organization or church, are encouraged to check with their local Toys For Tots county campaign. Every Toys For Tots county handles individual family requests differently. For information about how to request toys, please visit https://toysfortots.org/donate/toys.aspx

We thank you in advance for your support of this wonderful program. For many families, economic realities make the holidays difficult. Families in need have all they can do to ensure their children have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and a roof overhead. Holiday gifts for young ones might not fit into the budget. That is why we are proud to support the USMC Reserves once again in the mission to ensure that all children, regardless of their family’s situation, have gifts this Christmas and holiday season.” -Massachusetts State Police.

“Dickens’ holiday classic the basis of devised theater production by students, Dec. 2-4.

How do you take a time-honored holiday classic and make it relevant for today’s audiences and issues? This year, the New Bedford High School Drama Club tackled that challenge as a devised theater project – “a process in which the whole creative team develops a show collaboratively” (Walton, 2014). Come see the results of their work during the first weekend of December as they debut their original adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” at NBHS Bronspiegel Auditorium.

Sarah Cadieux Pacheco, co-Director notes, “We knew we wanted to do a holiday-themed show this year, and A Christmas Carol felt like the right story to tell. However, all of the scripts available left us uninspired so we decided to do something original. The other directors and I have some experience and training in devising theatre, and we thought it would be a new challenge for the NBHS students to create a show without a script.”

‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ REIMAGINED – Olivia Viera, New Bedford High School senior as Eleanor Scrooge and sophomore Mariam Hasab as The Ghost of Christmas Past are at odds over Scrooge’s behavior in the NBHS Drama Club’s original devised production of Dickens’ holiday classic, Dec. 2-4. New Bedford High School Drama Club photo.

The collective creative process in devised theater requires a well-known narrative as a starting point. Cadieux Pacheco explains, “Everyone already knows A Christmas Carol so our devising process was really about updating the story so that it remained true to the themes, but felt more realistic and gave our team ownership.” She shared that the students spent weeks working through theatre exercises to explore the characters and to modernize the circumstances and then things started coming together to tell a cohesive story.

In the NBHS devised version, the stingy Christmas-hating Scrooge is ever-present and recognizable, but the play explores contemporary reasons why she is the way she is – including experiencing a tough childhood, struggles to climb the corporate ladder as a woman, and the trauma of losing her childhood best friend (Marley.) The NBHS students even came up with a modern take on the troubles that face the Cratchit family, as Bobbie Cratchit keeps asking Scrooge for full-time hours so she can qualify for the medical benefits that her sick son (Tiny Tim) requires.

“I’m very proud of what our team has created,” shared Stephanie Donnelly, the other drama club co-Director and NBHS Theatre Teacher. “Our directors have always challenged our company to do a variety of different styles of theater, but devised theater was definitely the biggest shock to our club. Starting from scratch was so unique and having everybody make a contribution into how the show should go truly let us express our creative side and really feel heard,” said senior Makenna Calvao, Drama Club President, who appears in the production as The Ghost of Christmas Present.

“Overall I think we’ve struck a nice balance between honoring a beloved holiday classic with updating it to feel really fresh. I keep saying that I can’t believe no one has created this modern version before, so much of what we came up with aligned to the story so naturally that once we got going things fell into place really nicely,” said Cadieux Pacheco.

Come check out what they have cooked up as we kick off December and get into the holiday spirit with the NBHS Drama Club presentation of “A Christmas Carol” at the NBHS Bronspiegel Auditorium. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3 with a matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4.

Tickets are $10 for students/seniors and $12 for adults, and – to limit large groups in the lobby – can be purchased ahead of time online at http://our.show/nbhscarol. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase in person via cash or check at the box office beginning 1 hour before each performance. Tickets purchased in person are subject to a $2 processing fee, per ticket.”