Let the free holiday festivities begin

by Rona Trachtenberg

We all know that Christmas cheer starts right after Thanksgiving.

In that spirit, the City of New Bedford and The Town of Fairhaven, respectively, are each gearing up for a fantastic and festive day of holiday activities that are free to all who attend. First up is AHA! Night on Thursday, December 8 in New Bedford. This monthly themed arts and culture event usually draws approximately 2,000 visitors from the city, surrounding towns, Providence, and Cape Cod.

“We want to welcome winter, honor all the Festivals of Light, and invite you to celebrate the joyous holiday season in our downtown neighborhood,” explained AHA! director Candace Lee Heald.

“To that end, we have named this event Starry Nights.” Heald, who has led this program since 2007, promised, “December will be magical as New Bedford sparkles with lights, is filled with music, has open shops, and has excellent restaurants to meet friends for dining.”

While AHA! usually starts after dark, the organization recognized that after the pandemic, there is a need to start earlier for families. Therefore, during this December AHA! The New Bedford Public Library, Whaling Museum, and other sites will be hosting activities for children of all ages beginning at 3 p.m.

A sampling of the programs includes: The Sippican School Band (sippicanband.com) playing songs of the season at the New Bedford Whaling Museum (5 p.m. and 7 p.m.), and the South Coast Children’s Chorus (singsouthcoast.org) performing with the UMASS Chorus (umass.edu/music/ vocalchoral-ensembles) at the First Unitarian Church (7 p.m.). Everyone’s favorite, Southcoast Brass (southcoastbrassband.com), will play in Custom House Square and the Oxcart will be open to hand out hot chocolate and cookies.

After a two-year hiatus, Fairhaven will once again welcome locals and visitors from as far away as Cape Cod and Rhode Island to its annual Old-Time Holiday small-town stroll featuring an array of holiday gifts, food, music, and oldfashioned good cheer.

At The Rotch-Jones-Duff House (rjdmuseum.org), visitors will be inspired by the decked halls of the mansion and will learn holiday customs held by the residents of the house. Tours run from 4 to 6 p.m. AHA! Night also offers the opportunity to shop for those perfect one-of-a-kind holiday gifts in advance of the rush. Students from the College of Visual Arts at the Star Store are holding their annual sale. Stores on William Street, like Anthi’s Drawing Room, TL6 and Alison Well Gallery, as well as the New Bedford Art Museum’s store have curated selections from local artists and artisans.

All of the programs are free and open to the public. For a more detailed view, you can visit ahanewbedford.org.

Fairhaven returns

The next great free event takes place two days later, on Saturday, December 10, in Fairhaven.

After a two-year hiatus, Fairhaven will once again welcome locals and visitors from as far away as Cape Cod and Rhode Island to its annual Old-Time Holiday small-town stroll featuring an array of holiday gifts, food, music, and oldfashioned good cheer.

“Over the years it has become one of Fairhaven’s favorite events,” exclaimed Chris Richard, director of Fairhaven Tourism, who along with Millicent Allen and Helen Radcliffe first created the “Very Victorian Holiday” in 1998.

Richard explained, “What was once 30 independent groups holding their own fairs, bazaars, concerts, luncheons, sing-alongs, and other activities over the course of several weeks between mid-November and Christmas is now a unified Saturday with a name change to ‘Old-Time’ so that the event isn’t bound to one specific time period.”

Richard elaborated, “The First Congregational Church, at 34 Center Street, and the Unitarian Memorial Church, at 102 Green Street, will hold fairs, with church members and outside vendors displaying a wide variety of items for sale. Approximately 20 of the town’s non-profit and school groups will have tables at the Town Hall, at 40 Center Street. At these locations, visitors will find handmade crafts, gifts, holiday greens, delicious baked goods, gift baskets, silent auction items to bid on, and more. In the Town Hall there will also be face painting and a few children’s activities. All three fairs run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“The Unitarian Church, a magnificent English-Gothic style ‘cathedral,’ will also give guided tours of the sanctuary during the day.”

Santa Claus himself will be at “Santa’s Sweet Shop” at the Northeast Maritime Institute, at 32 Washington Street, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for pictures. There will also be live music, craft, cocoa, treats, and more.

A lobster roll luncheon will be held at the First Congregational Church; at the Town Hall, Boy Scout Troop 52 will be set up on the front steps selling hotdogs; and in the Town Hall Banquet Room, the North Fairhaven Improvement Association will serve hot soups, meat pies, spinach pies, soda, and water. There will also be popcorn available from the Fairhaven Village Militia.

“At 6 p.m. on Saturday,” continued Richard, “the Fairhaven Improvement Association hosts its annual Sing-Along on the steps of Town Hall. There will be caroling and the arrival of Santa on a fire engine. Then hot chocolate and snacks will be available inside the auditorium.”

You can find more information about the weekend by visiting fairhaventours.com/oldtime-holiday.