Working Waterfront Festival seeks family photos from fishing families

The Working Waterfront Festival is hoping to collect photographs from fishing families in conjunction with the 2014 festival theme Ship to Shore: Celebrating Families in the Industry. Festival staff will be holding a photo scanning session on Saturday, June 21st from 10:00 am to noon at the Wharfinger Building on Pier 3. Members of the commercial fishing community are encouraged to bring up to 10 photographs that they feel represent their experience as fishing families. Photos might depict multiple generations at work or at play, family celebrations, boat launchings, community celebrations, etc. The photographs will be scanned and returned to the owner on the spot. The scanned photographs will be archived and selected images will be used to create an on-line exhibit about fishing families. For more information call 508-993-8894 or email info@workingwaterfrontfestival.org

The 2014 Festival will be held on the New Bedford waterfront September 27th and 28th. Festival performers will present programs in area schools during the day on Friday, September 26th and a Festival Sampler will be presented on Friday evening. This year, we put the spotlight on the historic and contemporary role of fishing families, both on shore and at sea. Programming will highlight the skills, knowledge, and traditions which are passed from one generation to the next. We will explore what it means to grow up in a fishing family; consider the important support role family members play; and pay tribute to the many family businesses which are part of the industry. We will encourage multiple generations to compete in fishermen’s contests; showcase family recipes on the Foodways Stage; and collect family stories in the FishTales Area.

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend of September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.