It’s summertime again in New Bedford, which means great weather, visits to local beaches and of course farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets provide us with fresh, locally-grown and often organic, produce at a great price. As a supporter of small business and someone that ensures vegetables make up the majority of every meal, I visit farmers’ markets every chance I get. From early July through late October, New Bedford hosts three farmers’ markets on three different days of the week. Here is a list of the three New Bedford farmers’ market locations with times and details on each.

New Bedford Farmers’ Markets List

Brooklawn Park Farmers’ Market (July 9th – Oct 29th, 2012)
Location: Brooklawn Park, Ashley Blvd Entrance east of Carlisle Street
Time: Mondays, 2-6pm
Details: Shoppers can pay with Cash, WIC FMNP Coupons, or Seniors’ Coupons.

Downtown New Bedford Farmers’ Market (July 12th – October 25th, 2012)
Location: New Bedford Public Library (613 Pleasant Street) front steps.
Time: Thursdays, 2-6pm
Details: Shoppers can pay with Cash, WIC FMNP Coupons, or Seniors’ Coupons. The location could change between the library location and Wings Court.

Clasky Common Farmers’ Market (July 7th – October 27th, 2012)
Location: Pleasant Street, between Pope and Pearl Streets
Time: Saturdays, 9am – 1pm
Details: Cash, SNAP/EBT, WIC FMNP Coupons, or Seniors’ Coupons.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts State Senate, in its latest effort to establish greater protections for homeowners, passed legislation preventing unnecessary and unlawful foreclosures, reducing the number of abandoned properties across the Commonwealth and helping to remove one of the biggest remaining barriers to our ongoing economic recovery.

“The foreclosure crisis has hurt many people and has taken a toll on our communities,” Senate President Therese Murray (Plymouth) said. “In many cases there just hasn’t been a concerted effort to treat people fairly, make these loans work and keep people in their homes. There’s a way to do this, and this bill is strong step forward. Senator (Anthony) Petruccelli, Senator (Karen) Spilka and the Attorney General have worked hard on this legislation and deserve a lot of credit for advancing a solution to this crisis.”

“The devastating impact of the foreclosure crisis is still being felt in our communities. While our overall economic outlook is improving, recovery in the housing market has continued to be a slow process.  Under no circumstance should the burden of this recovery be carried strictly on the backs of homeowners,” said Senator Mark Montigny (New Bedford), a supporter of the bill. “It is our sincerest hope that this bill will serve a dual-purpose, first holding banks accountable for their predatory tactics used in the past, and secondly to provide some much needed relief to our communities that are working tirelessly to drive this recovery.”

“The Senate today has taken another critical step in our effort to assist struggling homeowners in Massachusetts and ensure that Massachusetts fully recovers from the foreclosure crisis,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley, who filed the original bill. “These first-in-the-nation standards will promote reasonable loan modifications that keep people in their homes without requiring banks to sacrifice the bottom line.  We thank Senate President Murray, Chairman Petruccelli and Senator Spilka for their leadership on this important issue and we look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature to prevent unnecessary foreclosures and help move our economy forward.”

The bill requires banks and other lenders to offer loan modifications to borrowers in certain circumstances to avoid foreclosures. The modified loans would allow borrowers to stay in their homes, lenders to avoid foreclosure costs and potential market losses, and neighborhoods to avoid the problem of abandoned properties and vacant lots.The bill compliments the work of loan modification specialists in the Attorney General’s Office who assist borrowers in their negotiations with lenders.

The legislation also includes a provision that gives borrowers the right to go into mediation with lenders prior to foreclosure proceedings to work out renegotiated loan terms through a neutral third-party

Get a head start on your summer fun with a visit to New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park this Saturday, June 9. In celebration of National Get Outdoors Day, all 397 national parks will waive entrance fees.

“Outdoor physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is a great place to get out and enjoy a free guided tour at our park,” said New Bedford Whaling NHP Park Superintendent Jen Nersesian.

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park will offer a free guided walking tour at 10:30 am. From 11:00 am until noon there will be games on the lawn with Abby, one of the 1850s ladies. From 9 am- 5 pm, the exhibits about the city’s fishing industry will be on display at the Wharfinger Building (the old fish auction house) on Fisherman’s Wharf. In addition, the park will have its Burn While You Learn maps available, which provide information about calories burned while walking to various locations within the historic district. Movie, tours, maps, and visits to the visitor center and Wharfinger Building are all free of charge. Both the visitor center and Wharfinger Building are open and free of charge from 9 am- 5 pm.

National Get Outdoors Day, now in its fifth year, encourages Americans, especially youth, to participate in outdoor activities while enjoying the beauty of public lands such as national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. Nationwide, hundreds of organizations and businesses will partner with Federal, state, and local agencies to provide fun and healthy events at sites throughout the country.

President Barack Obama has proclaimed the month of June as Great Outdoors Month and encourages all Americans to share in the natural splendor of which we are all proud inheritors. Governor Deval Patrick has also proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month.

The National Park Service will have four more entrance fee free days in 2012 – September 29 (National Public Lands Day) and November 10 to 12 (Veterans Day weekend).

If you are planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands – more than 2,000 in all. This America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents. Information on these and other pass options is available online.

At a press conference in New Bedford City Hall today, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the District Attorney’s Office and the City of New Bedford would share the cost of operating the Shotspotter gunshot detection system over the next year. District Attorney Sutter presented Mayor Mitchell with a check for $50,000 which represents more than a third of the annual fee to maintain and repair the gunshot technology equipment as well as provide for critical software upgrades. The funding is forfeiture money, seized during a drug trafficking raid and forfeited upon a conviction or ruling by a forfeiture judge.

“The District Attorney’s offer to assist the City to pay for an important crime fighting tool reflects real out-of-the box thinking about our public safety challenges,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor.

Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter remarked, “I am extremely happy to be able to support the Mayor and the Police Department in sustaining this innovative and successful technology at a high standard. Shot Spotter acts as both a crime solver and a crime deterrent and we need to keep it going at the highest level of effectiveness to protect our citizens.”

The gunshot detection technology provides the New Bedford Police Department with real-time validation of gunshot location data helping improve its situational intelligence. The gunshot alert information and forensic evidence is also used for investigations and analysis, leading to increased prosecutions for gun-related crime.

“Shotspotter provides location specific information that releases officers from the traditional effort of locating specific addresses where shots were fired. By narrowing down to a specific location, valuable time is saved thereby improving the effectiveness of our response and our ability to deliver on our mission of protecting life, said New Bedford Police Chief, David A. Provencher.

The Dock-U-Mentaries Film Series continues Friday, June 15th at 7 PM with Wild Caught: The Life and Struggles of an American Fishing Town a feature-length documentary that explores the lives of small-scale commercial fishermen living in Snead’s Ferry, North Carolina. Film makers Matt and Cornelia Barr will lead a post film discussion. 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 PM 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.

For over 300 years the fishermen have made a precarious living catching shrimp, clams and fin-fish; now, the forces of globalization, imports, rising fuel prices and explosive coastal growth are threatening this hard-fought and deeply ingrained way of life. They don’t do it for the money—they fish because they have to, because they love the freedom. They are some of the last true independent spirits left in America, and their struggles to keep afloat in Snead’s Ferry is symbolic of what is going on around the country, and around the planet.

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 on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September, this year on September 29 and 30. www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

Wild Caught: The Life and Struggles of an American Fishing Town Trailer

Please join us for our 3rd Annual Gentlemen’s Round Table Breakfast on June 7th. We will start promptly at 8:15am and conclude at 9:30am. The Gentlemen’s Round Table Breakfast will take place in the Roosevelt Middle School cafeteria. Please register online.

Our breakfast is designed to introduce 7th grade male students to the idea of fostering relationships with men in the world of work, and the notion of beginning to plan for a future career. We are always in need of professional men who would be willing to come and sit with our students over lunch on Fridays. The purpose of the breakfast is for men to relate their own personal narratives regarding their current professions. Dr. Stephen Russell, former Superintendent of Dartmouth Public Schools and current Superintendent of Salem Public Schools will speak and introduce keynote speaker Diarny Fernandes a senior at Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School, who will be entering the School of Engineering at Umass Dartmouth

Roosevelt Middle School
119 Fredrick Street
New Bedford, MA 02744

About Gentlemen’s Round Table
All Gentlemen have taken the following pledge: “As a member of the Gentlemen’s Round Table I freely accept and take a pledge of Non-Violence for our school. This means that I will be responsible for not getting involved in fights, arguments or any type of action that might provoke a negative response from another individual (s). I will with respect toward others try to resolve the problem without taking sides and I will try my best to resolve arguments as not to impose a negative attitude on my daily encounters with others. I will treat everyone I encounter with respect and dignity regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. I will not participate in name-calling or bullying. I will seek the help of fellow members to assist me in fulfilling my pledge. This is my pledge as a Gentleman.”

Mission: Our goal is to connect young men (middle school students) to be prepared for further education, build personal character, train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, develop personal fitness, make healthy choices and be inspired to lead lives of humility, with a dedication to serving others.

Vision: The Gentlemen’s Round Table creates a community of people who support young men in their quest to stand together and serve others while developing their own interpersonal and leadership skills.

Visit the Gentlemen’s Round Table website for more details on the program.

New Bedford was once called the city that “lit up the world”.  As a whaling port, New Bedford was one of the most important harbors in the world as a leading industry for refined whale oil and candles which were manufactured from these marine mammals. Whale oil and candles produced in New Bedford brought light to countries across the globe during the 19th century, making New Bedford one of the richest cities in the world.

Whaling is a thing of the past, but the waterfront still remains an essential fixture of our economy because of the fact that America’s oldest industry still operates in our harbor; the fishing industry.  September 29th and 30th, 2012 will mark the 9th annual Working Waterfront Festival which celebrates commercial fishing.  New Bedford is America’s largest commercial fishing port and the annual festival has attracted attention from people across the country, especially after having been named a “Top 20 Travel Event” by the National Geographic’s Traveler magazine in 2011.

The Working Waterfront Festival celebrates the men and women who bring in seafood catches from the North Atlantic right to the market, and it celebrates this long lasting industry as a whole through a great variety of activities and events.  Some of these scheduled events are expected for a festival, such as nautical themed musical performances and cooking demonstrations featuring… you guessed it, seafood specialties.

While food and music may be rather traditional to any festival, there are many aspects of the Working Waterfront Festival that make it stand out.  Activities such as fish net mending competitions and survival suit races allow for up close and personal interactions with the fishing industry.  Additionally, there are many on the water activities that are both exciting and educational, such as tug boat demonstrations and harbor tours.

The Working Waterfront Festival is great for families as it teaches people of all ages about the many aspects of an industry that has helped to feed Americans for hundreds of years.  There is also an ongoing Kid’s Area that will be set up with nautical crafts.  In addition to being educational for kids, Working Waterfront offers many learning opportunities for people of all ages with numerous authors will be making appearances to share various books about the sea and fishing.  Both Saturday and Sunday will also feature a “Docku-u-mentaries” film tent.

The festival kicks off on Saturday September 29th at 11 AM and ends the day at 6 PM.  Festivities will resume on Sunday at 11 AM to 5 PM.  The Working Waterfront Festival takes place at Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 3, the Steamship Pier.  For a full list of both days’ activities and scheduling, go to http://www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org/schedule/

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Scallop shucking contest.

Net mending contest.

Great learning experience for the kids!

The Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford.

Live entertainment.

Live entertainment.

The Ethnic Arts Area showcases traditional crafts.

The Ethnic Arts Area showcases traditional crafts.

The Ethnic Arts Area showcases traditional crafts.

The Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford.

The Working Waterfront Festival was featured on Traveler Magazine.

Net mending contest.

Whaling City Cross Fit, or WCCF is the first full-time CrossFit training facility in New Bedford and the SouthCoast. They CrossFit training for all fitness levels and ages.  No matter what your current fitness level or previous fitness experience, whether Grandma or student, athlete or couch potato, WCCF is endeavoring to raise your fitness.

Husband and Wife team, Erik and Tess Hedblom, opened Whaling City CrossFit in April 2012.  “Erik had been wanting to get into the fitness business for a long time,” recalls Tess, “and when we discovered CrossFit, he knew he had found what he’d been searching for.”  Not long after beginning the CrossFit program himself, Erik became a Level 1 Trainer and Tess his first student.  Now, as a trainer team, they are very passionate about helping others change their lives with CrossFit.

What is this CrossFit program that seems to be spreading across the globe?  According to CrossFit HQ’s website (crossfit.com), the CrossFit program “delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.

The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.”

Currently, there are over 3,500 CrossFit affiliates operating “small box” gyms worldwide, with new ones popping up every day.  “CrossFit ‘boxes’ are completely different from traditional gyms,” Erik says.  “There are no machines where you can leisurely read the tabloids while getting your workout in.  In CrossFit, we teach functional movements; movements that, done correctly, can improve your ability to do anything, from getting out of a chair to climbing Mt. Everest.”  Types of exercises found in CrossFit includes running, rowing, biking, gymnastics, weightlifting, and kettlebells.

The story of Snow White is one that needs no introduction.  Since the Grimm brothers first collected this German fairy tale in 1812, it has been retold in many ways, with all sorts of unique twists.  For most, the story of Snow White calls to mind the 1937 Disney classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (the first full-length animated feature in history).  Of course, the 1937 Disney Snow White which features a singing damsel in distress who is saved by a charming group of dwarves along with a dashing prince who brings her back to life with his kiss is a bit antiquated.  Thus, it is no real surprise that Hollywood felt compelled to alter the plot once again with Snow White and the Huntsman… we are living in a post feminist society after all.

Snow White and the Huntsman casts Kristen Stewart as the lead in this “epic adventure” film.  Stewart’s performance of Snow White certainly presents more of a strong female character than the Disney original (and for that matter, a stronger character than Bella in the Twilight series).  Stewart’s Snow White is more of a Joan of Arc type of gal, bringing men together for her cause after enduring years of imprisonment under the cruelty of her evil stepmother, who is played by Charlize Theron.  Unsurprisingly, I would say Theron’s performance was by far the best in the film.  Throughout many adaptations of Snow White, audiences have seen the vain queen as a jealous witch with no real mission except to ruin pretty little Snow White’s life.  Theron gives the audiences a bit more of a psychological thrill in this role; showing how beauty can lead to power, and power can lead to madness.

As previously mentioned, this movie was marketed as an “epic adventure” film, and it strove to deliver that.  As such, I would say it fell flat at times.  There were lulls in the plot that bored me, and despite the quest to create a Snow White with a stronger will, there was a lack of depth to sustain any believability in my mind.  I would say that even Chris Hemsworth as the hardened and depressed Huntsman had more of an emotional spectrum than Snow White.  I had also been anticipating a bit more romance in this story, but there wasn’t much chemistry to be found.

Nevertheless, the film had its redeemable qualities.  First and foremost was the cinematography and special effects, which Universal Studios did not spare a penny on.  Snow White and the Huntsman came with the incredible price tag of $170 million, and it really shows on the big screen.  Visually, the movie was quite attractive and there was an element of darkness that is very fitting for a Grimm Brothers tale.  While Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves presented a squeaky clean, G rated version of the story, it is important to remember that most fairy tales were a bit frightening originally.

Those of you considering seeing this PG-13 adaptation are probably wondering how close it follows the original fairy tale.  Well, I won’t spoil anything for you but I will note that there is plenty of magic involved and many of the characters we know and love from various adaptations appear as well, but in a reinvented form of course.  This is probably evident, since you may recall that while the Huntsman allows Snow White to get away in most versions, he does not stay by her side thereafter.  Additionally, in no version does Snow White pull together an army to tear her stepmother from the throne.  These twists kept the plot somewhat interesting but I wouldn’t say the creativity was all that impressive.

To wrap it up, I found Snow White and the Huntsman to be mediocre.  I wouldn’t entirely dissuade you from seeing it; it had many aspects that might appeal to fantasy lovers, both male and female alike.  It also had some great action scenes, especially towards the end.  But overall this movie fell flat in its attempt to instill life in an antiquated fairy tale.

In May New Bedford Guide held it’s second photo contest sponsored by South Coast Architecture.  The theme of the contest was “Old Dartmouth Architecture.”  Dozens of amateur and professional photographers submitted 63 photos with the hope of winning the cover photo on New Bedford Guide’s Facebook page and $200. There is one overall winner for the Southcoast, MA ($200 and New Bedford Guide Facebook cover photo) and also winners for Dartmouth Guide and Fairhaven Guide photo covers. The full gallery with all submissions can be seen on the Facebook contest gallery.

Check out the first contest we threw in April where photographers submitted 157 photos. Our next contest will start the week of Monday, 4 June, so stay tuned! If you are a photographer you should become a member of our Southcoast, MA Photographers Group on Facebook.

Here are New Bedford Guide’s top picks for Fairhaven, Dartmouth and the South Coast, and the winners of the contest.

South Coast MA Best 6 Photos (New Bedford Guide Facebook Cover)

Winning Photo: Photo Impressions by Victor

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Centre Street in Downtown New Bedford

North Water Street in New Bedford

Old House in Dartmouth

Butler's Flat lighthouse in New Bedford

Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford

White's Old Mill in Acushnet

Fairhaven Best 5 Photos (Fairhaven Guide Facebook Cover)

Winning Photo: Kevin Faria

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Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven

Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven

Millicent Library in Fairhaven

First Congregational Church in Fairhaven

Millicent Library in Fairhaven

Dartmouth Best 5 Photos (Dartmouth Guide Facebook Cover)

Winning Photo: David Lima

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Old House in Dartmouth

Comet Roller Coaster at Lincoln Park

Saint Mary's Church in South Dartmouth

Comet Roller Coaster at Lincoln Park in Dartmouth

Old House in Dartmouth