{"id":7228,"date":"2024-03-14T13:23:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T17:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fairhaventours.com\/?page_id=7228"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:25:30","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:25:30","slug":"fairhaven-office-of-tourism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fairhaventours.com\/fairhaven-office-of-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Fairhaven Office of Tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"
This page outlines the history and activities of the Fairhaven, MA, Office of Tourism from its inception in 1995 to the present.<\/span><\/p>\n Town Meeting approves the funding of an Office of Tourism through the collection of Hotel Room Occupancy Tax.<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n After much work by the volunteer Fairhaven Tourism Committee, Article 13 of the Special Town Meeting of May 6, 1995<\/strong> was passed to begin collecting Hotel Room Occupancy tax in Fairhaven and to deposit the funds into an account that \u201cmay be expended for the establishment and maintenance of an office of Tourism including, but not limited to, the purchase or leasing or real or personal property, equipment and supplies, and the hiring of part time and\/or full time personnel, and the conducting of promotional activities and publishing [of] promotional materials.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In March of 1996<\/strong>, with funds then in the Tourism account, the Select Board advertised the position of Director of Tourism. There were seven applicants and the Select Board chose four candidates to be interviewed. On April 16, 1996<\/strong>, the Select Board hired Christopher J. Richard for the position. He has served continuously since that time. Prior to his hiring Mr. Richard had worked as a graphic designer, writer, editor and photographer for Hathaway Publishing Company, owners of a weekly newspaper chain, and had been employed by local printing companies, where he had produced advertising materials, brochures, posters, and publications. He was caretaker of Fairhaven\u2019s historical Coggeshall Memorial House, and had served as co-chair of the Town of Fairhaven Poverty Point Historic District Study Committee. He was president of the Fairhaven Historical Society and a director and officer of the Fairhaven Improvement Association.<\/span><\/p>\n Within a very short time of being hired, Mr. Richard learned that a storefront location was available for rent, which would make a good starting location for a town Visitors Center.<\/span><\/p>\n The first full year<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n For the first full year of the Office of Tourism (FY97), the Select Board was authorized by Town Meeting to spend up to $50,000.00 for the Office of Tourism. (More than $88,000.00 was collected in Room Tax for the period.)<\/span><\/p>\n In July of 1996<\/strong>, less than three months after the establishment of the Office of Tourism, a lease agreement was signed by Executive Secretary Jeffrey Osuch to rent the small storefront at 23 Center St. to use as a Visitors Center. The center was stocked with brochures promoting Fairhaven and surrounding attractions. In its first year, visitors from 31 states and 11 foreign countries signed the guest book.<\/span><\/p>\n The Director of Tourism took over guiding many of the historical walking tours from Natalie S. Hemingway, who had created the tours in 1995 as a member of the volunteer Tourism Committee. The first tours were of Poverty Point, the Fort Phoenix area, Riverside Cemetery, and Fairhaven center, which had only been offered on a limited basis. Mr. Richard created a new \u201cHenry H. Rogers Walking Tour,\u201d which was offered free of charge to the public once a week in the summer. The Office of Tourism also provided guided tours to visiting groups, school classes,\u00a0 and commercial tour operators by special arrangement.<\/span><\/p>\n Mr. Richard created a 20-page guide book to provide information about the town, as well as a brochure on Henry H. Rogers, two printed calendars of events, and a four-page Fairhaven restaurant guide. Advertisements promoting the town were produced and placed in publications such as Bristol County Convention and Visitors Bureau\u2019s Americana Trails<\/em> guide, The Traveler<\/em> newspaper. Best Read Guide<\/em>, and Gateway to Cape Cod<\/em>. An advertisement and a story were also placed in New England Group Tours Magazine<\/em> which is a leading publication for tour group operators throughout the country. In addition, many press releases and photos about Fairhaven and special events were distributed to newspapers and magazines. <\/span><\/p>\n Fairhaven events were listed in the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism calendar-of-events for 1997 and other publications. A weekly newspaper column, \u201cNotes from the Visitors Center,\u201d was published in the weekly newspaper The Advocate.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A logo for the Office of Tourism was designed by Mr. Richard. \u201cA Small Town With a Big History\u201d was adopted as the primary advertising slogan to promote the town.<\/span><\/p>\n As of March 1, 1997, the Director of Tourism position was increased from 19 hours a week to full time.<\/span><\/p>\n The early years<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Through the years, the Office of Tourism created new events and programs with the intention of drawing visitors to Fairhaven and to provide activities to both visitors and residents. Here are highlights of the Office of Tourism activities.<\/span><\/p>\n After doing extensive historical research, additional brochures were created to tell the stories of the Delano family, Manjiro Nakahama, Capt. Joshua Slocum, the historic Poverty Point neighborhood, Fort Phoenix, Joseph Bates Jr., and Riverside Cemetery.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1997<\/strong>: The Office of Tourism began the July 4th American History Costume Parade<\/strong> and the Fort Phoenix Independence Day Ceremony<\/strong>. It was the first 4th of July celebration to be held in town since 1963 and the first to be sponsored by the Town of Fairhaven itself.<\/span><\/p>\n 1998<\/strong>: With permission of the Historical Commission, the Office of Tourism encouraged the North Fairhaven Improvement Association to begin opening up the historic Old Stone Schoolhouse to the public two afternoons a week during the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n 1998<\/strong>: the first Old-Time Holiday<\/strong> was organized by the Office of Tourism in conjunction with more than 30 non-profit groups, school groups, and churches. Held on the second weekend in December, the event featured activities in several locations, particularly in the historical center if town, with craft fairs, music, food, carol singing, etc. At first, the event was named the Very Victorian Holiday with some of the participants dressing in period clothing. After a few years the name was changed to the more general Old-Time Holiday. It continues to be held annually to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n 1999<\/strong>: A group of Office of Tourism volunteers was recruited to be stationed at Fort Phoenix on some afternoons during the summer. The Fort Phoenix Guides<\/strong> soon begin to dress in colonial costume and play the roles of people in the Revolutionary War era. The group grows as others volunteer.<\/span><\/p>\n 1999<\/strong>: In June, a new \u201cFort Phoenix Minuteman Tour<\/strong>\u201d was begun on Friday mornings in the summer. Presented by Mr. Richard, dressed in Revolutionary War clothing, the tour also featured a musket firing demonstration by Charles Cromwell, and later by Frank Mathieu. These tours continued every summer until the script was redeveloped as a different program in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n 2001<\/strong>: The Fairhaven Visitors Center<\/strong> relocated from 23 Center Street to a considerably larger leased space at 43 Center St.<\/span><\/p>\n 2003<\/strong>: The Office of Tourism became the second Town entity to go online in 2003 when Mr. Richard set up three free web pages on \u201cHometown AOL\u201d to promote Fairhaven. (The Millicent Library had created a website in 1995.) Town Hall would not start the Town of Fairhaven website until 2007. The AOL pages were later replaced by free web pages created through Google’s Blogger.com. This was used until the end of 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n 2003<\/strong>: The Fort Phoenix Guides group adopted the name Fairhaven Village Militia<\/strong>. At the suggestion of member Ellsworth Sylvaria, the militia holds an overnight historical encampment at Fort Phoenix on the 225th anniversary of the British raid on the harbor during the American Revolution. At sunset the five fort cannons are fired. The popular event was repeated annually each fall under the auspices of the Office of Tourism. Later a second encampment in the spring was added. Eventually the Fairhaven Village Militia was incorporated as a private non-profit organization, independent of the Office of Tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n