Greetings.
My big news from the past month is that I have begun to promote the new Huttleston Marketplace, a weekly bazaar of arts, crafts, antiques & collectibles, and more, which will be held on the lawn of the Visitors Center on Saturdays starting in mid-June. And vendors are starting to sign up!
The marketplace will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Saturday from June 16 to September 1, including the day of the Homecoming Day Fair, June 30. During the marketplace the Fairhaven Historical Society will have volunteers on hand to open the museum upstairs in the Academy Building. (Get in touch with a Historical Society member if you are interested in volunteering for that.) And on Homecoming Saturday, there will be tours at Fairhaven High School.
There will be several categories of vendors allowed at Huttleston Marketplace. They are A) Arts, crafts, photography; B) antiques, vintage collectibles; C) used books; D) whole, fresh farm produce, plants; E) local prepared foods. There are guidelines for each category to insure the quality of the products sold. (Crafts must be handmade, etc.) Because Fairhaven’s Sunday Farmers Market will no longer be held, it’s possible that some of the farmers will move to the Huttleston Marketplace on Saturdays. Vendors have the option of setting up on specific weeks at $20/week or they can sign up for the whole 12-week season for $150. It’s a very reasonable cost for a booth space in such an attractive and high visibility location.
Since I began promoting the marketplace with emails, on social media, and in the local press, the response has been positive. Already, a few vendors are signed up. When I get a few more, I’ll start mentioning names. If you know of anyone who might want to set up a booth, have them get in touch with me using the contact information at the end of this column. Or they can visit the website at https://fairhaventours.com/huttleston-marketplace/ and download the vendor guidelines and application form. There’s not really a deadline for applying, but the earlier I know, the more publicity the vendors get.
In January I also finalized a date for a lecture to be presented by the Fairhaven Historical Society. On Friday, March 16, I’ll be talking about Fairhaven’s Pilgrim, John Cooke, at the Town Hall auditorium. The 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing is coming up in 2020, and the Historical Society wants to get a jump on the celebration by promoting the one original Pilgrim to settle in the “Old Dartmouth” territory. Cooke lived in what’s now North Fairhaven until his death in 1695, at which time he had been the last surviving male passenger of the Mayflower’s 1620 voyage. (Who was the last female Pilgrim? Come to the lecture to find out.)
In other news, I’ve begun going through the 28-page Visitors Guide book and marking changes that will be made for the next printing in the spring. A few things need to be taken out of the book. The Church of the Good Shepherd has closed, for example, and there’s no more Farmers Market on Sundays. There are changes — the Old Stone Schoolhouse will not have regular open hours this summer. And other things will be added — National Night Out, the Huttleston Marketplace, perhaps the opening of the museum at the boyhood home of Joseph Bates Jr. As we get closer to spring, I will check to see if there are any changes to the fees for parking at West Island Town Beach and the boat landings. Each year I try to have the most up-to-date information to hand out to people who are visiting town or who are making plans to visit.
Speaking of plans, we’re going to be the meeting place of Marine Corps League of Massachusetts in June. The group will be meeting at the Seaport Inn and is scheduling other activities in town. We’re also going to be getting a visit from the Vintage Motor Car Club of America during its week-long Heritage Tour of the area. They will be arriving in their vintage cars to explore the town’s history. That’s also in June. And, to add yet another group in June, it’s a pretty good bet the Delano Kindred, Inc. will hold its annual meeting here. The Delanos have met here before in 1998 and 2012, since Fairhaven was the home of one of the major lines of the family — in fact, the line that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt belonged to. It’s great to see all of these groups making plans to come to Fairhaven.
There will be other, smaller groups visiting town, too. Some will take guided walking tours with me or with Bob Foster. Others will explore on their own. Generally there are several school groups that take field trips to Fort Phoenix, too. I expect soon I’ll be hearing from the Old Hammondtown School in Mattapoisett, the Acushnet Elementary School, and others in the area. Lately the schools have been seeing the Pirates and Privateers Presentation at the fort. Groups of home-schooled children come to see that as well. Besides being educational, it’s a very fun program for everyone, including me.
As this month goes on, I’ll also start working on the summertime Monday Morning Fun schedule. I can’t believe this will be the fourth year the Office of Tourism holds these July and August programs. Where does time go?
Speaking of time, it’s time to wrap up the column for this month. As always, please feel free to pass along your comments or suggestions. You can contact me via email at FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov, by calling 508-979-4085, or by stopping by the Visitors Center, 141 Main Street. The hours of the Office of Tourism are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a half-hour break around noon. There are some reserved parking spaces in the high school lot closest to the Academy Building.
