There are still seats available to participate in the Citizens Police Academy at the New Bedford Police Department beginning January 28.

The 10-week experience is designed to acquaint community residents with an overview of the training and practices law enforcement offers face daily when working at the New Bedford Police Dept.  Topics covered include First Aid, CPR, firearms, active shooter, Constitutional Law, Taser, defensive tactics, street gangs, and drugs.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for anyone interested in a career in Law Enforcement or those who simply want to learn more about the department,” says Capt. Rick Rezendes, who oversees the program.

The Academy meets every Tuesday from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Police H.Q. on Rockdale Ave. Participants must be 18 year of age and pass a background check.

For more information or to register for the program, contact Capt. Rezendes at 508-991-6300 x79561 or Ricard.Rezendes@newbedfordpd.com.

The City of New Bedford and Mayor Jon Mitchell are pleased to join with the Greater New Bedford Area Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee in welcoming the public to attend the “Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Remembrance Celebration.” The celebration will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church, 133 School Street in New Bedford.

“The city’s annual day of remembrance celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. King is a time for all of us to reflect on his message of peace, understanding and empathy, which unites all Americans,” said Mayor Mitchell.

Dr. King was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement which laid the foundation for the theory and practice of inclusion and diversity in American society and around the world. Though he was assassinated fifty-two years ago, in 1968, Dr. King’s dream lives on, touching the hearts and minds of people throughout the world.

The theme for New Bedford’s 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Remembrance Celebration is “Only Light Can Drive out Darkness.” This theme is derived from a longer text of a message from Dr. King in his book, Strength to Love. The greater message that hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that – referring to people and how they relate to one another.

The keynote speaker this year is Tahirah Amatul-Wadud. Ms. Amatul-Wadud runs a successful law practice in western Massachusetts with a focus on domestic relations and civil rights. In 2016, she was named Top Woman of Law in 2006 by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She is active in the Massachusetts Commission for the Status of Women and a mother of seven children.

Other program highlights include the SouthCoast Children’s Chorus (this will be their first appearance in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day program); musical selections by the Deliverance Gospel Choir; and the announcement of the 2020 Essay Contest Winners, which has been a special feature in the program over the past 13 years.

All are encouraged to attend the program. For more information, contact Marci Pina-Christian or the Department of Community Services at (508) 979-1464.

The Glass Horse Project, based out of New Bedford, MA, is set to open their fourth season, titled “Death and all His/Her/Their Friends,” with Eurydice, a retelling of the famed Orpheus myth, by Sarah Ruhl.

In the myth, Orpheus loses his bride, Eurydice, on their wedding day and creates the ballad as a form of expression. After many failed attempts of trying to find her, he braves the gates of hell and asks Hades if he can take her home. Hades agrees, with one minor stipulation: Orpheus cannot look back at Eurydice to make sure she’s following him. He must trust that she is, keep his eyes facing front, and only look back when he is sure they are safely out of the Underworld. All seems to be going according to plan until the anticipation and anxiety becomes too much for Orpheus. He looks back, breaking his deal with Hades. Eurydice rejoins the Underworld and Orpheus is not far behind her, having killed himself to be with her again. The myth has been debated by scholars as an allegory for patience, trust, the importance of music as a form of expression, and many other things, all the while, however, forgetting one major component of the story: Eurydice.

In Ruhl’s masterful retelling of the myth, the narrative frame is flipped to tell the tale from her perspective, ultimately allowing this often side-lined character to be the heroine with a newfound sense of agency. While in the Underworld, she meets a handful of interesting characters. No one more interesting, however, than her own father. The story interweaves movements and scenes in the Underworld and mortal world to blur the lines of time and space in order to ask questions about what it means to live a full life, to grieve, and the different ways that people confront loss and the courage it takes to move forward.

Co-Artistic Director of Glass Horse and Eurydice director, Taylor K. Corbett, adds, “as human beings, we always want to understand that which hurts us.” This is exactly what Glass Horse hopes to accomplish this season with Eurydice and the rest of their season. “Death, and all His/Her/Their Friends,” as a season, seeks to have audience members open themselves up to the same questions that philosophers and writers have been asking themselves since the beginning of time: what does it mean to truly live? Can we live a life without experiencing pain? Who or what is death: is it a mythical being, a state, or a collection of many things? What does it mean to “move on,” and how do we do it?

Glass Horse Artistic Director, Korey J. Pimental, adds: “Eurydice has us, as a company, pushing our boundaries by challenging us to see what is possible when creating theatre in a non-traditional space. I’m very excited for that. I’m also excited for audience members to come see the show and revel in Sarah Ruhl’s genius.”

The cast of Eurydice is comprised of: Maura Van Voris (Eurydice), David Adams Murphy (The Father), Dillon Medina (Orpheus), Korey J. Pimental (Man/Child), Jordan Daniel Smith (Loud Stone), Kerri Lamothe (Big Stone), Monica Hartford (Little Stone), and Megan M. Ruggiero (Eurydice Standby).

The production is designed by Taylor K. Corbett, with design assistance by stage manager Sev Marshall, and print and digital media assets by Brad Costa Design. Eurydice is being performed at Co-Creative Center on 137 Union Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. The production opens on Friday, January 24, 2020 and runs Saturday January 25, 2020, Friday, January 31, 2020 and closes on Saturday, February 1, 2020. All shows begin at 7:30 pm. House doors open at 7:00 pm. The show runs approximately 100 minutes, no intermission.

As an organization, Glass Horse has a two-part mission: to give young theatre professionals a place to practice their craft and to alleviate many of the barriers that prohibit people from experiencing the performing arts. As such, it operates entirely on a pay-what-you-can model: there is a suggested door donation of $10 general admission and $5 for students, children, and seniors. Seating is limited and those interested in attending are advised to email theglasshorseproject@gmail.com to reserve seats with their desired quantity and performance date.

For further information, review requests, or to attend the industry-only preview on January 15, 2020 please contact Korey J. Pimental, Artistic Director, at kjpimental@gmail.com.

“A peaceful protest dubbed “No More Blackouts” is being held by advocates of the New Bedford Fire Department at the Inauguration ceremony for the elected officials of New Bedford on Mon, Jan 6, 2020 at 6-9PM at The Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA. The protest is coming shortly after the second documented death of a New Bedford resident in a house fire in less than 3 months, where the nearest station that could have responded was blacked out.

The “No More Blackouts” protest is being held at the inauguration in response to the re-election of Mayor Jon Mitchell, whom after serving as mayor of New Bedford for 8 years has not found a solution to the blackouts that would result in fully staffing and keeping open all fire stations around the clock.

Though 12 hour blackouts were originally initiated by former Mayor Scott Lang as a short-term response to fiscal constraints, under Mitchell the blackouts have not only continued, but he also made the decision to extend them to 24 hours. This decision made to the dismay of many residents and the New Bedford IAFF Local 841.

“The daily “Blacking Out” of fire apparatus has been an on going not endorsed by the members of Local 841. It has been a budgetary managing tool forced in place by a failure to fund an already understaffed department.” wrote former Local 841 Union President, Tom Carreiro, following the fatal fire on Coffin Avenue, “The allocation and assigning of funding lies solely in the corner office of City Hall.”

This protest also has the full support of the New Bedford IAFF Local 841 per the current Union President, Billy Sylvia.

Please if you believe public safety to be a top priority and want to see the blackouts end, join the protest in solidarity and show support to the New Bedford Fire Department.” – Renée Langley, Organizer

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park will host a winter program series dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and listening to all people.

The Know Your Park Truth-Telling Series will take place January through April at the visitor center in historic downtown New Bedford. Everyone is invited to participate in these interactive events aimed at uncovering the truth about the New Bedford experience. Each program will be different. The first event will be on Saturday January 25 at 2:00 PM in the visitor center MakerSpace.

The Remember When? Urban Renewal Mapping Project will be an interactive opportunity for folks to share what they remember about New Bedford before the urban renewal projects of the late 1960s. Key players in the projects will be present to lend insight and memories to the experience.

The Housing Act of 1949 set in place a series of events that led to the demolition of neighborhoods across America. New Bedford was no exception and three major urban renewal projects displaced scores of families starting in 1967 as millions of Federal dollars poured into these massive endeavors.

Areas along the waterfront and west end were transformed. Many historic structures were destroyed while others were saved. As a result, new schools, city parks, highways, and a National Historic Landmark were created. The National Historical Park in downtown is largely the result of the changes that happened during this time.

Large maps of these areas created before the urban renewal projects began will be set out. Streets, homes, businesses, parks, and historic buildings that no longer exist are indicated on these old maps.

Visitors will be allowed to share their memories and mark places directly onto the maps that were significant to their lives. Everyone is invited to participate.

For more information about this and the rest of the series, visit the park’s website at: www.nps.gov/nebe.

City Celebrates! New Year’s Eve presented by Mayor Jon Mitchell and sponsored by Bristol County Savings Bank

• FREE Programming throughout Downtown New Bedford 5PM-8PM
• Fireworks on the waterfront by State Pier 8:30PM

Check out amazing street performers, stilt walkers, jugglers, fire-eaters, and…

• An Interfaith Service from 5-6pm in Seamen’s Bethel featuring harpist Eva MacFarlane 6:00-8:00PM
• A dynamic Toe Jam Puppet Band performance at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30PM at the YMCA!
• Living Art: Fortune Teller by Ten31 Productions and Lucky The Whaling City Witch card reading at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park 5:30-7:30PM
• New for 2019! Vinny’s Miracle Fish Puppet at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
• The Living Snow Globe at Wings Court from 5:30 to 7:30!
• The Snow King & Queen at the Zeiterion Penlar space from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
• Hot Chocolate with Miss New Bedford at the Zeiterion theatre starting at 5pm!

6:00-8:00PM

• Jedlie’s Magic Circus presents a Family Magic Workshop at the New Bedford Public Library 5:30 and 6:30PM
• Whaling City Sounds provides jazz music at the UMASS Dartmouth CVPA/Star Store 5:00-7:00PM
• New for 2019! D.D. Bastos & the Sons of Providence play at New Bedford Harbor Hotel 6:00-8:00PM
• Face Painting by Overhead Arts at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

In Wings Court & Custom House Square:

• DJ Anghelli will be spinning dance hits in Wings Court 5:00-8:00PM
• New for 2019! Check out Mr. Vinny’s Bubble Guys and Gals in Wings Court 5:30-7:30PM
• Overhead Arts performances with stilt walkers, and glow hoops (Purchase Street, Wing’s Court, Custom House Square)
• Cirque de Light will heat up the night with improvisational fire spinning and LED hoop performances from 5:00-8:00PM in Custom House Square

Old Time Fiddle Session and Southcoast Lessons will host the 3rd annual “New” Bedford take on an old Appalachian holiday at Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford on December 28th.

The event runs 12:00 to 4:30pm and shares a name and mission with a long-standing Old Time tradition of musical and social gatherings between Christmas and New Years. Dubbed “Breaking Up Christmas,” the event includes playing opportunities for musicians, children’s activities, workshops, dancing, crafting, comfort food vendors, giveaways, games, and a full schedule of performances by traditional fiddle acts, dancers, performance artists, and ukulele ensembles.

3 time Rochester fiddle champion Hank Poitras, flatfoot dance instructor and multi-instrumental Armand Aromin of Providence, and New Hampshire’s banjo picking, barn dance calling, roller-blading, hula hooping, stilt-walking Old Time Dave Talmadge serve as keepers of the tradition’s roots, while local ukulele ensemble The Mighty Uketones bring a new island flare to the performance stage.

“It’s our goal to bring people together as a community, just as this tradition has done for a very long time before us, with music, dance, and social participation as our primary connecting force,” says Old Time Fiddle Session founder Jeff Angeley. As such, interactive activities for children and adults are at the center of the day’s offerings. Some highlights of the social programming include a masquerade parade, flatfoot, barn, and contra dance instruction, instrument painting, a cookie contest, a cake walk, and a whole lot of open jamming.

Old Time Fiddle Session is committed to make the festival affordable for all who are interested. This years’ festival tickets are available at a name your own price donation rate. All donations go directly to funding of the festival and music and community programming featured therein. Online tickets are available at Eventbrite. In person tickets can be found at Southcoast Lessons and from our very generous sponsor, The Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth.

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About Old Time Fiddle Session & Southcoast Lessons
Old Time Fiddle Session and Community Gathering was founded in January of 2017. It’s mission is to provide traditional fiddle music programming for the South Coast of Massachusetts in an interactive, community-based format.

As a 2 time recipient of New Bedford Arts and Culture’s “Wicked Cool Places” grant, they’ve been providing free participatory dance, singing, & instrumental music series in 2019 and will be expanding those events in 2020.

On Friday, October 25th, Coastal Foodshed was awarded $8,500 from Wicked Cool Places, New Bedford’s creative place-making program, financed by the city’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund.

Celebrate food and art at the Indoor Farmers Market! Join Coastal Foodshed on Saturday, Dec 21st from 10a-2p at the First Unitarian Church for Gingerbread House making along with a Seafood Demonstration and live music. This Saturday kicks-off a series of monthly events (from December thru April), Palate to Palette: Art at the Farmers Market, aimed to transform the Indoor Farmers Market into an edible canvas. Customers will be to watch a live cooking demo featuring products they can purchase at the market, and sample products from each vendor’s booth.

Palate to Palette will also include a local artist and challenge them to build upon their own unique style of color and their impression of food from the market. Activities may include live sculpting, interactive art activities, artistic food display, etc. In addition to the food and art activities, there will be live music featuring local musicians.

Coastal Foodshed will collaborate with Rhonda Fazio, a New Bedford-based Artist, to connect with local artists and enhance the arts and culture activities at the market. The Palate to Palette event is an opportunity to transform a downtown space through inclusive, positive and fun events that use food as a bridge to connect art, history and culture. Coastal Foodshed invites Artists, Chefs, and Musicians who may be interested in collaborating to send an email of inquiry to rhonda@coastalfoodshed.org. Wicked Cool Places is a multi-cultural event and is open to everyone.

Coastal Foodshed manages the indoor weekly New Bedford Farmers Market from November to May (in addition to their outdoor markets May-October) and provides access to a variety of locally grown/produced items such as produce, meats, eggs, jams, honey, baked goods and artisan products.

For more information, visit coastalfoodshed.org. Environmental Alchemist, Rhonda M. Fazio specializes in the art of crafting food and fabric and is the owner of Dyer Maker Studio located in historic downtown New Bedford. A traveling classroom based in the South Coast, Ms. Fazio teaches the art and history of textile design to a new generation of up and coming entrepreneurs and has written a number of grants as a series of educational workshops aptly named: “Teaching through Textiles” for secondary schools. You can find Rhonda around the South Coast also teaching the “Art and Language” of food with the Coastal Food Shed.

The 2020 Fort Phoenix Polar Plunge is scheduled for New Year’s Day plunge at 10 A.M. at DCR’s Ft. Phoenix State Beach in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

Plunge details:

Registration
We ask that participants register for the plunge. This is so we have an accurate count of participants and additionally for event safety.

Where? Monday, December 30th between 4-6 pm at Days Health & Sports. New Years’s Day at Ft. Phoenix State Beach starting at 8:30 am. Plunge is FREE! Long-sleeve t-shirts are $25. The net proceeds benefit Fairhaven Dollars of Scholars, providing scholarships for high school students. The event honors the victims of domestic abuse.

Tips – The water will be cold at this time of year, so it’s best to be prepared for the Polar Plunge:
– Pack a towel and water shoes or sneakers
– Wear your swimsuit under your clothes
– Bring easy to get into warm clothes (and shoes) for after the Plunge
– For your own safety, never dive into the water
– Have fun! This year’s theme is Under The Sea

Selectman Charlie Murphy will start the countdown to the plunge at exactly 10 am.

Mayor Mitchell will hold neighborhood office hours for the month of December on Tuesday, December 10, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Vasco da Gama Restaurant, 85 Dartmouth Street.

Mayor Mitchell announced he would set aside time each month to hold office hours in city neighborhoods so that residents could meet with him outside of normal business hours and in their own neighborhood.

In his State of the City last year, the Mayor announced that a new format of office hours would be established, inviting residents to join him at local restaurants in different neighborhoods of the city. Food will be available at the office hours.

City residents are invited to attend the neighborhood office hours to meet with Mayor Mitchell directly and share their concerns and ideas, as well as a bite to eat. The sessions are open to all New Bedford residents, no advance appointments are required and meetings with the Mayor will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.