The Country Club of New Bedford will host the international touring band BRASS TRANSIT, the musical legacy of Chicago, with a percentage of proceeds to benefit the Schwartz Center for Children. The concert will take place on Friday, August 17 at 8:00 p.m. on the grounds of the Country Club located at 585 Slocum Road, in North Dartmouth, MA. Tickets are $50 per person (concert only) and food and beverages will be available to purchase beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.schwartzcenter.org or by calling the Country Club directly at (508) 993-3453.

When making your reservation, mention the Schwartz Center to receive a guest pass for 18 holes of golf at the Country Club of New Bedford. With each ticket sold, a portion of the proceeds ($20.00) will go directly to programming at the Schwartz Center for Children and funds raised will be matched by an anonymous donor.

“We are so grateful that the Country Club of New Bedford is committed to supporting our children by partnering with us on an event of this quality”, said the CEO of the Schwartz Center for Children.

Speaking on behalf of the Country Club of New Bedford, Vice President Jim Thompson said, “During these difficult economic times our Board wanted to help a well-deserving local non-profit. We are ecstatic that we can produce a high end concert for our members, their guests, and invite the local greater New Bedford community, to celebrate the night, while at the same time recognizing the work of great organization like the Schwartz Center.”

The BRASS TRANSIT concert includes all the hits from Chicago’s golden ages. With a world-class horn section, a rocking rhythm section and vocals stacked sky-high, Brass Transit transports its audience back to the freewheeling day’s of the seventies. The band includes veterans of the Hall-of-Fame rock and soul acts like the Drifters, Sam an Dave, Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valli, Martha Reeves, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Del Shannon and the Mamas and the Papas. “This is not just a tribute band, it is THE Chicago experience!” Joe Donofrio, six-time Grammy award-winning record producer.  More information about the band can be found at www.brasstransit.com.

Herman Melville Family Day celebrates the 193rd birthday of the famed author of “Moby-Dick” at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on Saturday, July 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with free children’s activities indoors and out, including a whale of a birthday cake.

The annual celebration features special guests, art, music, poetry, and story reading for children 12 years and younger and takes place in the Jacobs Family Gallery and museum plaza. Regular admission applies to museum galleries.

Children’s arts and crafts activities scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. include creating soap scrimshaw, sailors’ valentines, whale hats, bookmarks and magnets.

Kids can also make their own floatable toy model of Captain Ahab’s ship, Pequod. Wading pools on the plaza will allow young shipwrights to test their vessel’s seaworthiness before they take them home.

At 2:00 p.m. kids of all ages are invited to join in a “Happy Birthday” sing-along and enjoy a slice of birthday cake.

Special activities include: 10 am to 11am, Moby-Dick tour; 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, Harpoon throwing contest; 11 am to 1 pm, Kids’ poetry workshop; 11:30 am, Special reading of Moby-Dick (popup version); 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, Go below deck on the Lagoda; 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, Learn sea chanteys while weighing anchor; 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, Blubber tossing; 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, Take your photo next to a sperm whale; 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, Go on a whaling voyage aboard the Lagoda with Captain C. Weade; 1:30 pm, Happy Birthday sing-along and birthday cake.

Regular admission rates apply to programming in the museum galleries, including the Moby-Dick tour, Lagoda Below Deck tour, Weighing Anchor, and Captain C. Weade.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Drawings to win family memberships will be given throughout the day. The Museum Store will also hold a summer tent sale.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world’s most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales, whaling and the cultural history of the region. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city’s historic downtown. For events: www.whalingmuseum.org.

The New Bedford Preservation Society will sponsor a trolley tour of many of New Bedford’s historic mill sites on Thursday, July 26 (South End) and Thursday, August 23 (North End). On each tour the trolley will leave from the William Rodman House parking lot, 388 County Street, at 6 p.m. Free parking is available there in the lot.

New Bedford was one of the most important centers of textile production in the world at its peak in the early 1900s. The industry began in the city in 1846 and lasted until the 1980s. The legacy of this long and eventful history continues to affect the city today in profound ways.

Please join the Society to learn more about the buildings, people and events that shaped the development of New Bedford during this important era in the city’s history. The tour will last approximately one hour and will be led by Society member Bruce Barnes. Since seating is limited on the trolley, please call the society office (508-997-6425) for reservations. $5/person; non-handicap accessible. Visit www.nbpreservationsociety.org to learn more about the society and its upcoming events.

NewBedfordGuide.com hosted photo contests in April and May. April’s results can be seen here and May’s can be seen here. We are once again offering our Facebook cover photo to one photographer this month through a free contest. Our Facebook cover photo is valuable real estate for any photographer because the New Bedford Guide facebook page reaches over 20,000 people in New Bedford, or over 77,000 people in Massachusetts and Rhode Island each week. All photographers will get to promote their work to the masses with one photographer gaining additional exposure by being awarded our Facebook cover for a full month. The winning photo will have the photographers name and optional contact information watermarked on it. We will also choose winner for our Fairhaven Guide and Dartmouth Guide Facebook Pages.

Contest Details

• Join our Facebook Page and the Southcoast, MA Photographers Facebook group to make sure you get updates.
• All photos will get uploaded to this Facebook album. The photos with the top 20 likes will be used to pull the final winner from. You can can vote/like one, some or all of the photos.
• This contest will run from July 16th through July 31st, 2012. Submit them early to get more exposure and share them with friends and family to get more likes!
• For this contest, we are looking for any photos in the “Old Dartmouth” region:  New Bedford, Dartmouth, Acushnet, Fairhaven, and Westport.
• Photos must be submitted to info@newbedfordguide.com. Photos should be a maximum size of 1500 x 1500 pixels and under 1 MB. Please include a description of the photo with at least a location.
• Photos should have a small watermark of “newbedfordguide.com” and the photographers name at the bottom of the photo. This helps protect your work. There is a good FREE online watermark tool here.
• Photographers can submit up to 6 photos total.
• Photos must be yours, original and unpublished. We should not see these photos in magazines or websites other than your own personal website, stores, etc.
• Photographers provide full display rights of the photo to NewBedfordGuide.com. Basically, this is your “payment” for getting into the contest. We get the photo to be used on newbedfordguide.com and you get exposure. You can use any of your photos on your own website, Facebook, etc. We do NOT have the right to resell your photos, but get to use them without restrictions on our website and Facebook page.
• We will narrow down the best 20 photos based on Facebook likes. We will select a winner from the top 20 photos. The winner and new contest will be announced on 1 June, 2012. The winning photo will remain as the New Bedford Guide Facebook page cover photo from 1-30 June.
• We will also choose winner for our Fairhaven Guide and Dartmouth Guide Facebook Pages.

Follow this article as we reserve the right to add, remove or modify these rules at any time!

The theme for July’s AHA! is “Kids Rule” and the weather will be in the mid-to-high 80s. The full AHA! schedule can be found here. As an AHA! seasoned veteran, here are the 10 AHA! events (5 kids and 5 adult events) that I recommend you attend this AHA!

Let’s start with 5 fun events for the kids.

1. Yoga for Kids

Tim Donohue will be hosting Yoga for kids starting at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn of the amazing Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum on 396 County Street. There will also be lawn games and old fashion lemonade for sale starting at 5 p.m.

2. Lego Engineering for Kids

Bristol Community College is hosting Lego Engineering for Kids on 188 Union Street. Here’s your chance to trick your kids into learning while they have fun learning engineering principles with legos!

3. Open Mic for Kids

Wings Court recently received a make over and the First Unitarian Church “Way Cool Sunday School” will be breaking it in with Open Mic for Kids from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

4. Summer Science Street Fair

The New Bedford Ocean Explorium is hosting a Summer Science Steert Fair from 5-8 p.m. on Purchase Street (between Union and Spring Streets). This is another great way into tricking the kids into learning and having fun!

5. Kids Events at Custom House Square

The center of the AHA! universe during the summer time is the Custom House Square parking lot across from Freestone’s Restaurant. It’s where Summerfest, Taste of Southcoast and tons of other major New Bedford events are hosted. Starting at 5 p.m. there will be plenty of events for the kids to include Soltice Skate Jam, the New Bedford Art Museum ARTmobile (5-7 p.m.), the New Bedford Public Library’s Bookmobile (5-7 p.m.) a Play in the Park Open house presented by New Bedford Parks, Recreation and Beaches, a mobile climbing wall by Carabiner’s Climbing and a blood drive.

Here are 5 fun events for adults.

1. Downtown Farmers Market

The downtown New Bedford Farmers Market runs each Thursday from 2-6 p.m. Pick up some fresh produce and support your local farmers. Check out our list of other New Bedford or southcoast, Massachusetts farmers markets.

2. Open Mic at Cafe Arpeggio

Every Thursday Cafe Arpeggio (800 Purchase Street) hosts the area’s best open mic event. Join dozens of local musicians as they show off their talents from 7-10 p.m. Cafe Arpeggio is also hosting amazingly talented and local musicians Molly O’Leary & Valrie Paynton from 6-7 p.m. Grab a refreshing drink, a Lombahdi Biscotti and enjoy the FREE music.

3. Enjoy Some Poetry!

The Bartleby Scrivener Poets Group is hosting an evening of poetry at The Celtic Coffee House on 42 North Water Street from 6-8 p.m. Join in or simply enjoy a coffee and listen to some local poets.

 4. Ticket “Stick It” 

Did you get a $10 parking ticket in New Bedford recently? Bring it to Rose Alley Ale House (94 Front Street) and get half off your entree. Full details and limitations can be found on Rose Alley’s Facebook page.

5. Learn About Rowing

The New Bedford Community Rowers will be in front of the Downtown YMCA on Union Street to demonstrate rowing. Check out the boats, racing gear and get information on what it takes to row the New Bedford harbor.

Summertime is the best time to enjoy free entertainment in your local national park! Hip-hop artist Tem Blessed will be appearing in the garden area of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in downtown New Bedford on Thursday evening, July 19, from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. as part of its Thursday evening summer concert series. Then, on Saturday, July 21, from 12 noon- 2 p.m., Charlie York will be demon-strating oar making in the garden, while Ruth and Abby, the 1850s ladies, offer hands-on crafts for children. The Saturday afternoon activities are part of the park’s Maritime Heritage series. The concerts and maritime crafts are offered free each week at the park during July and August.

Tem Blessed has been making socially conscious music for over ten years now with Busted Fro now including Da Empress, Strela Negra and also as a solo act. He has continued to elevate the underground Hip Hop scene and has released many albums. Blessed has also opened up for nationally known recording artist such as Ludicris, Common, Das Efx, Brand Nubian, Killa Preist, Wordworth, Dead Prez, Slick Rick and KRS-1. For more information on Tem, go to http://temblessed.com/

The Dock-U-Mentaries Film Series continues Friday, July 20th at 7 p.m. with three short seafood industry promotional films: Sardines From Maine Down East Style, Live Lobster: Maine Lobstermen and Pearl of the Atlantic. Dock-U-Mentaries is a co-production of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the Working Waterfront Festival. Films about the working waterfront are screened on the third Friday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the theater of the Corson Maritime Learning Center, located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge.

These historic gems dating from the 1950s and 60s offer a wonderful glimpse into what for many was the heyday of New England’s seafood industry. Take a trip back in time to the days when scallops were routinely served in school cafeterias, lobstermen fished out of wooden boats and Maine was home to hundreds of sardine canneries. A variety of recipes are presented and Julia Child even makes a cameo appearance.

The new Whaling City Festival returns to Buttonwood Park in 2012 from July 13th – 15th with several new improvements and a focus on family activities. New President Allen Richard has big plans for the annual festival and is beginning to take the festival into a new direction. Here is NewBedfordGuide.com’s 10 things to do and see at the 44th Whaling City Festival.

1. Fanelli Traveling Amusements and Carnival
The ever popular Fanelli Amusements and Carnival is part of the history of the Whaling City Festival. All your favorite rides, games and food concessions will of course be there. This family owned and operated business has one of the best safety records in New England. For food, there will be the crowd favorite Blooming Onion, Italian Sausage and Steak Sandwiches, Chicago Style Pizza, fresh squeezed lemonade, fried dough, cotton candy and more!

In terms of game concessions, the Balloon Water Race, Skee Ball, Ring Toss, Dart Ballons, Duck Pond, Basketball, and many more will be present. This is the year you will finally win that giant stuffed animal! Of course all the classic rides will be there like the Round Up, Cliff Hanger, Pharoah’s Fury, Ferris Wheel, Super Slide, Carousel, and little kids rides. In addition to Fanelli Amusements, Dun-Rite will have a variety of bubble bounce amusements which are a blast for kids and adults alike.

2. Zumba
All three days of the festival will have Zumba. Join the high energy and popular Zumba with Steph as you get your blood flowing, burn calories, and get healthy. Head home, take a shower and come back to the festival rejuvinated. There will be Zumba at 1 p.m. on Friday, Zumba with Steph on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. Work off those burgers, hot dogs, and blooming onions!

3. Rosie’s Racing Pigs
The kids and adults alike are going to love watching this little guys race and watch Rosie do her tricks! Rosie’s Racing Pigs is a traveling show that was started in 1966 and has been touring New England since 1997. Get a sneak peek:

4. General Lee and the Force III Trans Am.
The world’s most famous Dodge Charger, the General Lee will be present all three days of the festival. The car named after civil war general Robert E. Lee and made famous by the show the Dukes of Hazzard, and driven by Bo and Luke Duke will be available for you to actually touch!

Courtesy of the Rhode Island Comic Con and Southcoast Toy and Comic Show will also be the Force III Trans Am.

5. Wrestling
What is perhaps the biggest draw for the Whaling City Festival, Top Rope Wrestling will have a nail biting show with your favorite local wrestlers and heels. You’ll get swept up in the world class matches and stroylines and be able to throw popcorn at the heels. If your voice isn’t hoarse by the end of the wrestling, you’re doing something wrong! Shows will be at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with an third show at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

6. Car & Bike Show
There are a lot of gearheads and hot rod fans in the area as evidenced by how many people turn out to browse through the car and bike show. You’ll be able to stand alongside and even sit in cars you have only seen in movies and pictures. Perhaps your dream car will be there! The show will take place all day Sunday until 4 p.m.!

7. Kenpo Karate
You will be wooed and wowed with the high kicks, mystical katas, and exciting techniques displayed by Steve Arsenault’s Ecks Kenpo Karate. Mr. Arsenault has run schools in the area for a long time and is responsible for hundreds, if not thousands of people learning Kenpo Karate. This exciting demonstration will take place on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

8. Music
The 44th Whaling City Festival has a lot going on in terms of musical acts and a lot of variety to suit all tastes. Want vocalists? They have New Bedford Idol, Nelia doing Portuguese language music, Lorae Tavares, Voices in Time, a children’s vocal troupe. Want popular music? FUN 107 has you covered? Rock & Metal? How about React, Omega Reign, Fat Angus (AC/DC Tribute), or Cheap Shot? Like Blues, Jazz, Funk? Looking for Hip Hop? Well you’ll love the NB Global Charter Hip Hop Club’s set.

The variety is continued with Neal McCarthy Problem, Dancing Dogs, Delta Charlie and the KabuJazz Ensemble with Candida Rose. To round things out Pop/Rock/Boy Band 4171, Soul Unit doing R&B, and alternative acts Tide of Empire and Whiskey Affair. That’s more than 16 separate musical acts! You can sing to your heart’s content. See the Whaling City Festival’s updated schedule for the schedule of the musical acts.

9. Mad Science
Mad Science is a company that takes the “blah” out of science and makes it fun, yet educational! This is an audience participation act, and don’t be surprised if you’re picked! The idea is to get kid’s to rethink Science and stir their imagination and creative juices.

10. Pets Overboard
Here’s a video glimpse of “Pets Overboard” whose cats and dogs are rescued from shelters. Enjoy the act as the animals try to find the lost treasure and includes audience participation!

This is by no means an exhaustive and comprehensive list as there is so much MORE going on at this year’s festival. The best way to find out is head down and see for yourself. If you want to help volunteer, or looking for more info about the festival visit the festival’s Facebook Page, website or e-mail President Allen Richard at ARichard@WhalingCityFestival.net.

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The New Bedford Bay Sox (www.nbbaysox.com) are located right here in our lovely city. The Bay Sox are members of the prestigious New England Collegiate Baseball League (www.necbl.com). The NECBL is supported by Major League Baseball, considered one of the top 3 collegiate summer leagues in the country and features 10 teams from all over New England. Past NECBL players include 2012 MLB All Stars Stephen Strasburg, Joe Nathan, Brian Lahair as well as slugger Andre Ethier.

In the Bay Sox recent five game home stand that began on July 4^th, the team posted a record of 3-2. They advanced their total record to 16-10, held onto second in their division, and are 3.5 games behind the first place Newport Gulls. There was some great pitching and hitting on the Bay Sox part during this span, including two grand slams in two days. The team is having a great year and a great deal of fun.

The players love seeing the kids and families that come out to the games to cheer them on. Children are encouraged to stay after the game as the players always sign autographs.

The team is hosting our third FREE baseball clinic Tuesday, July 10^th, at Paul Walsh field at 2 pm. The clinic will last 90 minutes and focus on key aspects of the game such as pitching, hitting, fielding and more. The clinic is open to all kids age 6-16 and only a waiver needs to be signed when you show up. Also each child will receive a free ticket for Tuesday night’s game!

The Bay Sox focus on making sure all games have a family-oriented atmosphere and are constantly having kid friendly events like Beach Day at the Park, face painters, prize wheels and more. There are also tons of on-field events and opportunities for kids to win free t-shirts, autographed balls, and other Bay Sox items.

As much as the fans come out to see these young men play baseball, the players equally love to play for the fans. The people that come out to support them are what drive and motivate them to play better and succeed.

This Tuesday, July 10^th, is our next home game and it is Canned Food Night at the park. When you bring a canned food item you will receive two tickets for the price of one! All canned food donations will go to Mobile Loaves and Fish. You can always learn about our upcoming promotions and events when you “like” us on Facebook (we want to get to 1,000)!

We would love to see you on the 10^th and at the rest of our home games to help support these boys as they pursue their dreams on the diamond.

Here is the New Bedford Bay Sox July, 2012 Schedule. Red blocks are home games.

Registration is now open for the 24^th annual walk-a-thon to benefit the Schwartz Center for Children. The walk-a-thon will be held on Sunday, September 16^th at Fort Taber in New Bedford. The 3.5 mile walk starts with an 8:30 a.m. check-in and a 9:30 a.m. kickoff. The Walk-A-Thon will be held rain or shine and is open to individuals and teams of walkers.  Registrants will be provided with a Schwartz Center walk-a-thon t-shirt, plus breakfast and lunch.  New this year is live music along the walk route, along with a few other fun family-friendly surprises.

The walk-a-thon is a pledge event and you can participate individually or form teams with friends, family or coworkers.  Interested parties should register now online at: www.schwartzwalk.kintera.org.  To be guaranteed an event t-shirt on the day of the event, advance registration is highly encouraged.

The Schwartz Center for Children’s mission is helping children achieve their greatest potential. It is able to do this through strong community support, the United Way of Greater New Bedford, and fundraising events such as the annual Walk-A-Thon.

Once again, McDonald’s of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven and Wareham is sponsoring this event. Additional walk-a-thon sponsors are being sought. Sponsors of the event will receive exposure to over 1,000 estimated attendees and thousands others via media outlets and online visibility.

The Schwartz Center is a not-for-profit organization serving children with a variety of developmental delays and disabilities from birth to age 22.  Services include a Day School, an Early Intervention Program, and Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, Regional Consultation Program, Pediatric Specialty Clinics and a variety of other programs.

You can register to participate by forming your own team, register with an existing team, or simply make a donation in support of the Schwartz Center for Children online at: www.schwartzwalk.kintera.org.  For more information, please contact the Development office at (508) 996-3391 x 427 or walk@schwartzcenter.org.