2015 Working Waterfront Festival to Focus on Industry Objects

by Laura Orleans

One of many vessels on exhibit at the New Bedford Warerfront Festival will be the Ardelle, a Maine Pinky reproduction built by Harold Burnham of Essex, MA. The gaff-rigged Pinky type was popular in the early 1700's commercial fisheries. Dozens of vessels from 30' whaleboats to 100' offshore draggers will be at the wharfs for visitors to explore and in some cases sail aboard. Fishermen’s Voice photo

Press Release, New Bedford, MA—The nation’s number one commercial fishing port hosts the annual Working Waterfront Festival, a free, family-friendly celebration of commercial fishing culture. The 2015 event takes place on the working piers of New Bedford’s historic waterfront (Pier 3, State Pier, Steamship Pier) on Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th. More than simply a celebration, the Working Waterfront Festival is a unique opportunity for the public to get a firsthand look at the culture of fishing and for the commercial fishing community to tell its own story. The event presents all that goes into bringing seafood from the ocean to the table in a way that is hands-on, educational, and fun. We encourage you to listen and watch but also to taste, touch, and converse.

Festival hours are Saturday 11-6, Sunday 11-5 (whaleboat races Saturday 8-12). Festival is held rain or shine with most events under tents, free of charge, free parking. Full details available at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

This year’s theme will explore the objects of the industry: food, clothing, tools, gear, art, crafts, and more with our theme: Every Object Tells a Story.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Fishing Gear Fashion Show: Fishermen modeling gear from different fisheries and different eras provide an entertaining look at how workplace clothing has evolved over time.

• Nautical Tattoo Contest: Contestants will be judged on the artistry of their tattoo, their stage presence, and the story they tell.

• Schooner Adventure: Built in 1926, in Essex, Massachusetts, Schooner Adventure fished cod, haddock and halibut from Nantucket to Newfoundland, along the Grand Banks of the North Atlantic. Fully restored over a 25 year period, she is completing her first sailing season since the restoration was completed. She will be offering a paid charter sail on Saturday evening.

• Flume Tank: A 750 gallon model flume tank simulating ocean currents allows visitors to see how various types of fishing gear operates underwater.

• Man Overboard Demo: Watch a dockside demonstration of how fishermen on deck must act quickly to rescue a crew member who has fallen overboard.

• Life Raft Deployment: Commercial fishing one of the nation’s most dangerous jobs. Learn about the proper way to deploy a life raft in this participatory demonstration.

• Seafood Throwdown: Two chefs compete to create a winning dish using a surprise seafood ingredient. The event highlights underutilized seafood and local produce.

In addition to a dozen varied food vendors there will be hourly cooking demonstrations followed by tastings. Visitors are invited to learn the basics of preparing fresh seafood at home as well as ethnic approaches to seafood cooking and galley fare.

The Festival brings together a unique array of music, storytelling, and poetry. Performances include traditional sea chanteys and music reflecting the fishing industry’s ethnic diversity as well as songs, stories and poetry about commercial fishing and the sea. Often, the performers work in the industry or are from a fishing family.

The Kid’s Activity Tent located on Steamship Pier offers a boatload of make-and-take art activities. This area is staffed courtesy of the Art Education Program of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Contests offer a unique opportunity to watch those who work in the commercial fishing industry show off the skills of their trade.

A number of vessels will be available for dockside vessel tours giving visitors a unique opportunity to learn about different types of working vessels, talk with crew, see how the gear operates and get a sense of shipboard life.

WHALEBOAT RACES AND RIDES

In its heyday, the New Bedford waterfront was a hub of activity with whalers tied up at the piers and tradesmen working their craft in related fishing and boating activities such as one sees at the festival today. Crews from the boats sometimes passed their shore time in friendly competition by racing their ship’s whaleboats in the harbor. On Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon, the Buzzards Bay Rowing Club is honoring that old time tradition by hosting a one-mile whaleboat race.