Starting immediately, the City of New Bedford will begin collecting downtown trash earlier on the second Thursday of every month preceding AHA! activities. Please put out your trash for pick up by 2PM on AHA! days only.

Upcoming AHA! Nights

• April 12
• May 10
• June 14
• July 12
• August 9

Please continue to observe the City requirements for containing and setting out your trash. Be sure to use barrels and not set out trash earlier than allowed. Enforcement officers do canvas downtown and will cite property owners for trash and nuisance violations. Help us keep our downtown litter free!

More details on trash pick up in New Bedford can be found here.

At the end of Janurary, 2012, New Bedford Guide launched a FREE community event calendar. The calendar and example ads can be seen at http://www.newbedfordguide.com/calendar. The calendar quickly became one of the most popular calendars in New Bedford and Southeastern Massachusetts with hundreds of events being uploaded monthly from dozens of organizations and individuals.

Starting today, New Bedford Guide is offering full-sized leaderboard advertising per month. This will allow the calendar to be sponsored and remain FREE for those wishing to add individual events to the calendar. This banner advertising allows event promoters to feature an event to 10s of thousands of local area residents actively seeking events. It’s also a great option for businesses trying to build their brand or promote a product/service.

Advertising is $500 per month (less than $17 per day) and is on a first come, first serve basis. There is only one leaderboard ad per month or 12 spots available per year.

What a leaderboard ad includes:

• A leaderboard banner for the full calendar month (does not include production of banner. We can produce a banner at an additional cost).
• Event created on New Bedford Guide’s Facebook Fanpage (as of 3 April, 2012 our page reaches 66,958 people in Massachusetts).
• At least two New Bedford Guide Facebook posts promoting your event.

Interested in purchasing you ad spot? Contact us at info@newbedfordguide.com to reserve your spot. As always, the calendar system is FREE for businesses to ad their events to the calendar. Full details on gaining access to the calendar here. We also offer banner advertising throughout NewBedfordGuide.com, social media consulting and other marketing services. For more information contact us at info@newbedfordguide.com.

Downtown New Bedford, Inc. will be holding its 21st Annual Spring Social at the New Bedford Art Museum at 608 Pleasant Street from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Executive Director Diane Arsenault says that “we are very fortunate to have this wonderful setting to host our annual event.” The New Bedford Art Museum has just undergone an extensive renovation and is re-opening with an exciting new exhibit that will be part of the great atmosphere at the Spring Social. The Exhibit is titled: Great Expectations: NBAM 2.0 The Next Generation of Art in New Bedford.

Board Chairman Kevin T. Pelland stated, “this Social is a popular annual event that is always well attended and offers arts, food and beverage, music, and the opportunity to extend our thanks to our award recipients for all they do for our community”. In addition to mixing, mingling and art, Downtown New Bedford, Inc. will be recognizing Chas. S. Ashley & Sons with the Business of the Year Award, Peter DeWalt, President of Reynolds DeWalt with the Community Investment Award and this year’s Cultural Arts Recognition Award, will be presented to Superintendent Jennifer Nersesian for the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

Spring Social tickets are $50 each, $35 of which is tax deductible. Downtown New Bedford, Inc. is a non-profit (501)(C)3 community organization. Tickets may be purchased from the DNB office at 105 William Street, 2nd Floor, on-line through our web-site www.downtownnb.org and from Board Members. For tickets or information call 508-990-2777 Email: dnb@downtownnb.org .

Have you ever wondered how whaling came to be a vital worldwide business? And why did New Bedford become the richest and busiest port for whaling? Find out on Saturday, April 7, when New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park offers the next session in its free Exploration Series. This Saturday, April 7, Mike Dyer, Maritime Curator of New Bedford Whaling Museum will offer a special guided tour of this world-renowned museum. The tour will start at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s visitor center at 33 William Street, one block from the museum, at 9:45 am.

The Exploration Series is an opportunity for the public to delve into New Bedford’s fascinating history and its people. The sessions take place on select Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 PM and on select Saturday mornings from 10:00-11:30 AM, with most sessions taking place adjacent to the national park visitor center, 33 William Street, New Bedford. All sessions are free of charge, and the public is welcome to attend one, some, or all of the events.

The committee of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Greater New Bedford will hold a fundraiser on Friday, May 4th from 6 pm to midnight at United Fisherman’s Club in New Bedford. The cost of admission is $30 for adults and $15 for children under the age of 12. For more information on the fundraiser, please call Linda at (508)863-2814.

Proceeds will benefit in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Greater New Bedford on June 22nd at the Paul Walsh Field at New Bedford High School. Funds raised through Relay For Life support the American Cancer Society’s mission to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer. More than 90 Relay For Life events are planned in Massachusetts this year. For more information, or to find a Relay location near you, call your American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit relayforlife.org.

Join Ruth and Abby, the 1850s ladies, as they create traditional crocheted fish using modern day recycled materials. Look for them in the New Bedford Whaling National Park visitor center at 33 William Street, downtown New Bedford, on AHA! night, Thursday, April 12, from 6:30-8:30 PM. As always, admission is free.

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established by Congress in 1996 to help preserve and interpret America’s nineteenth century whaling industry. The park, which encompasses a 13-block National Historic Landmark District, is the only National Park Service area addressing the history of the whaling industry and its influence on the economic, social, and environmental history of the United States. The National Park visitor center is located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. It is open seven days a week, from 9 AM-5 PM, and offers information, exhibits, and a free orientation movie every hour on the hour from 10 AM-3 PM. The visitor center is wheelchair-accessible, and is free of charge. For more information, call the visitor center at 508-996-4095, go to www.nps.gov, or visit the park’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NBWNHP.

Easter weekend is a great time to get the kids out of the house for an Easter Egg Hunt! This year there are several cities hosting Easter Egg Hunts and other events to include New Bedford, Fairhaven, Wareham and Mattapoisett. Know of an Easter weekend event that we missed? Post a comment or e-mail us at info@newbedfordguide.com and we will add it.

Easter Events on Saturday, April 7th, 2012

8 – 11 am –  The Mattapoisett Friends of the Elderly Annual Easter Pie Sale
Where: Former Seaport and Ice Cream & Coffee Shop (Mattapoisett)
Details: The Mattapoisett Friends of the Elderly are holding their Annual Easter Pie Sale. All sale goods are homemade (and yummy). An Easter Basket Drawing – a beautiful basket filled with seasonal goodies and cheer – has been added this year. It is on display at the Mattapoisett Council on Aging. The drawing will be held at the end of the pie sale at 11:00 am. You need not be present to win.

9 – 11:30 am – Pancakes & Photos with the Easter Bunny
Where: YMCA- Gleason Family (Wareham) – 33 Charge Pond RD, Wareham MA, 02571 – 508-993-3361
Details: Come and enjoy a hearty pancake breakfast and have your photo taken with the Easter Bunny. There will als be an Egg hunt and crafts. Children $8 includes photo, adults $8.

9 am – NFIA Easter Egg Hunt
Where: Livesey Park, Glenhaven Avenue, Fairhaven MA, 02719
Details: Children search for candy eggs and specially numbered wooden eggs that are redeemed for prizes. There will also be prize drawings and a visit from the Easter Bunny. Sponsored by the North Fairhaven Improvement Association. Event is free.

9 am –  Doughnuts with the Easter Bunny at the Zoo
Where: Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn St., New Bedford, MA 02740
Details: $8/person; Non-Members: $11/person; Children under 1 are free. Enjoy a delicious doughnut and visit with the Easter Bunny.  Zoo admission, one ride ticket, and a small gift for each child are included in program price.

10 am – Plumb Mall Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration
Where: Plumb Corner Mall
Details: The Plumb Corner Mall will be celebrating their annual Easter egg hunt. This year they will be offering an Easter egg hunt, crafts, face painting, pictures with the Easter bunny, cookie decorating and much more!

12:30 pm – YMCA New Bedford Easter Egg Hunt
Where: YMCA New Bedford, 25 South Water St., New Bedford MA, 02739 – 508-997-0734
Details: Hundreds of Eggs… great Prizes! $5 per child.

1 pm –  Milk and Cookies with the Easter Bunny at the Zoo
Where: Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn St., New Bedford, MA 02740
Details: Zoo members: $8/person; Non-Members: $11/person; Children under 1 are free. Snack on milk and cookies as you visit with the Easter Bunny. Zoo admission, one ride ticket, and a small gift for each child are included in program price. Participants must pre-register and pay in advance by calling (508) 991-4556 x 14.

1 pm –  Mattapoisett Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt
Where: At Veteran’s Park at the Lighthouse, Veteran’s Park, Mattapoisett MA, 02739
Details: At Veteran’s Park at the Lighthouse. Meet the Easter Bunny! The hunt will be done in sections for different ages groups. This is a FREE Community Event! Please bring your used eyeglasses for donation to the “Lions Eye Research Project.”

1 pm –  BBA Easter egg hunt and more
Where: Burgo Basketball Association, 101 Slocum Road, Dartmouth MA 02747
Details: Bounce house, face painting, games, snacks, prizes, DJ Suarez, hundreds of eggs and of course feel free to take a picture with the Easter Bunny!

These events and hundreds of other events are available on our events calendar.

On Wednesday, April 4^th at 5:30 p.m. at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, the City of New Bedford will hold a kickoff and information session for Mayor Mitchell’s Summer Jobs Initiative.  The event will give New Bedford youth and their parents the opportunity learn about the array of job and enrichment opportunities available for city youth.

This is the first year that the three major publically and privately funded summer youth employment programs will be coordinated as a single initiative sponsored by the Mayor’s Office.

The Mayor’s Summer Jobs Initiative consists of three programs:

• The City of New Bedford Seasonal Training and Employment Program (STEP) at the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Beaches
• The New Directions’ Summer Jobs Program
• The Summer Youth Enrichment Program (formerly the Stipend Program) organized by the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board.

These programs are funded through a variety of sources including the City of New Bedford, federal Community Development Block Grant, Workforce Investment Act funding, the Commonwealth’s YouthWorks program, and private and corporate donations.

Each component program of the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Initiative has distinct eligibility criteria, hiring and placement procedures, and programmatic foci, but all share the goal of providing New Bedford youth with a constructive outlet for their time and energy, real work experience, and a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a successful working person. The minimum age is 14 for some programs and 16 for others.

Mayor Mitchell hopes to engage as many New Bedford youth as possible with meaningful employment and enrichment opportunities.

“Teen unemployment is at an all-time high in New Bedford,” said Mayor Mitchell. “Fully 70 percent of the city’s teens were unemployed last summer. Teens with time on their hands in the heat of the summer isn’t good for them or for the community. Not being able to find a job hinders their ability to contribute to the local economy, and constrains their future employment prospects. No one wins.”

The Mayor’s Summer Jobs Initiative will employ a multi-faceted approach to maximize opportunities for youth summer employment.  The Initiative includes a robust employer engagement effort in partnership with the Workforce Investment Board, New Directions and The New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce; job readiness training; a mix of traditional employment, educational enrichment activities, and community service; and a thoughtful and deliberate approach to matching youth to the program slot or private or public job that best suits their skills and interests.

The April 4th kickoff event will lay out the details of the Initiative and describe the various eligibility and application requirements, program elements, and expectations.

“We know it can be confusing for teens and their parents to navigate these various programs,” said Mayor Mitchell. “We hope that by coordinating these efforts from the beginning and offering a single event and point of contact for information about the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Initiative, we can eliminate some of the confusion.”

The Ocean Explorium will be the beneficiary of Fundraising Night at Texas Roadhouse on Tuesday, April 3, from 4 until 10 pm.  Ten percent of participating food purchases, including take-out, will be donated to the Ocean Explorium.

Participating diners must present a special invitation flyer, which can be downloaded from the Ocean Explorium website (www.oceanexplorium.org) and displayed on a cell phone or other device.  This flyer is also available at the Ocean Explorium Gift Shop.

Ocean Explorium staff and volunteers will be on hand, greeting diners and offering a variety of fun raffles.  Among items to be raffled are a family membership to the Ocean Explorium, dinner for two at Texas Roadhouse, hand-made afghan, hand-crafted jewelry, gift baskets, and more.  Raffle tickets cost $1 each or $5 for six.

Marlena Martins, Marketing Manager of the Texas Roadhouse in North Dartmouth, enjoys working with non-profit groups to boost their visibility and fundraising efforts.  “Texas Roadhouse participated in the Ocean Explorium’s annual Fish Bowl bowling tournament, and we are happy to welcome them here for Fundraising Night.  Texas Roadhouse appeals to a broad range of the public, and we love to promote local organizations.  The Ocean Explorium is a fantastic resource for families in the area and we look forward to introducing our patrons to them.”

Abbey Spargo, education programs coordinator for the Ocean Explorium, considers the Fundraising Night at Texas Roadhouse a win-win.  “This is a great opportunity to go out into the public and to introduce ourselves in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.  We hope to see lots of friends and family on Tuesday night, and to meet lots of new folks who will become friends of the Ocean Explorium.”

The Ocean Explorium is located at 174 Union Street in downtown New Bedford and is handicap accessible via the rear entrance.  Call 508.994.5400 for after-hours access.

For further information, contact Abbey Spargo at aspargo@oceanexplorium.org or 508.994.5400, or visit the Ocean Explorium website at www.oceanexplorium.org.

Earlier this week I invited New Bedford School Superintendent Dr. Mary Lou Francis to begin a conversation about her role in the New Bedford Public School Department.

Dr. Francis has since expressed an interest in engaging in that conversation, and I am hopeful that a constructive dialogue will follow.

I want to take this opportunity to recognize the Superintendent’s personal commitment and work ethic.  Dr. Francis assumed her current position under difficult circumstances, and, without question, has worked tirelessly.  I believe she cares very deeply about our schools.

New Bedford schools are at a critical point in their history.  Given the precariousness of the Department’s position relative to state overseers, citizens of New Bedford should know that I will not proceed down any path which might jeopardize the ability of New Bedford to satisfy state deadlines and other requirements, and avoid a state takeover.

That is why I contacted state officials earlier today and asked them to extend all deadlines associated with the approval of the district turnaround plan to accommodate a continued dialogue with the Superintendent.

I am awaiting their official response, but am hopeful that the state will accommodate our need in this circumstance.  Students, parents, teachers, and Dr. Francis herself, are owed a respectful and positive resolution in this matter.