Like clockwork, we like to get our 8 Great Things list out by the first of every month. But having watched the events of the last several weeks unfold, our monthly list seems unimportant. And for that reason, it’s June 3 and we’ve held back on releasing it. We’ve been thinking about how a publication that, by its very mission, is focused on the feel-good aspects of a region addresses the righteous anger and complexities arising out of the last weeks.
Let’s just put it right out there: we don’t know. But we’re talking about it. And we’re listening. If you have any ideas, please reach out in the comments or to [email protected].
In the meantime, here’s the list for you, in time to register for the first event on June 4.
1. “A Difficult and Necessary Conversation about the George Floyd Tragedy”
Bristol Community College creates a space for community discussion, led by Rob Delaleu, Director of Multicultural Affairs at the College. .June 4, 2020 from 4 to 5:30, via zoom. Free and open to the public. Registration is required.
2. Take in the Art
New Bedford Creative encourages us to interact with art and our surroundings by creating three self-guided Public Art Walking Tours in New Bedford, which can be enjoyed as a community while practicing social distancing. Download the PDF map here and get out there to enjoy over 50 works of art ranging from murals to sculpture. We’re so grateful to have this treasure map, especially this summer as we impatiently wait for museums to reopen.
3. Dinner and a Show!
If you caught our Facebook Live event with Lee Heald, director of AHA! New Bedford, you know that AHA! quickly pivoted to make its monthly celebration a virtual celebration. (If you missed it, see it here.) This month, they encourage us to pick up takeout with contactless takeout or delivery from a favorite local restaurant, bring it home and enjoy a wealth of virtual talks, exhibits, open mic poetry events celebrating June’s theme of Pride! It’s a digital block party on June 11 and you can check it all out here.
4. Clammed Up!
The United Way’s annual clambake fundraiser is reimagined and reconfigured to reflect the times. Clammed Up! will feature a signature cocktail by Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru, summer vibes by musician Matt Silva, four clambake with lobster pick-up options from Mike’s Restaurant, and an online auction filled with local getaways, seaside art, experiences and more. And it’s spread out over a week, to maximize enjoyment. You can find out more about the schedule of events here and purchase tickets starting at $60 here. Keep up with the festivities by following their event page on Facebook right here. June 12 at noon to June 18 at 9 pm.
5. Yoga in the Salty Air
Project Wheelhouse has been using summer Saturday yoga at Ned’s Point as one of their main sources of fundraising. We feature them in our June issue with a caveat that we weren’t sure what was happening this summer due to Covid-19. Well, they pushed back the summer opening and the sessions start on June 27 and run through October 10 on Saturdays from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m Follow the event on Facebook to confirm availability as the date gets closer.
6. Look Up from Your Small Screens!
From June 21 until August 1, 2020 daily after sunset, you can experience three large-scale video artwork murals which will be installed on three different buildings along Union Street in downtown New Bedford thanks to the Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA, the non-collecting contemporary art institute). You can also see Photo-kinetic Grid, a spectacular exhibit that can be seen through the UMass Dartmouth Star Store’s floor to ceiling windows with reflective silver mirrors embedded in welded chain link fencing emitting light and colorful rainbows generated by camera-projector cycles from June 20 through September 14. It’s all part of a city-wide, collaborative venture called “LIGHT 2020” will examine New Bedford’s legacy as the “city that lit the world” with a lens through renewable energy. How cool! See more here.
7. Our Favorite Walk Awaits
In March, before everything shut down, we decided that Allens Pond was our favorite walk on the South Coast (so far, we continue to do our research on this!). We were so disappointed that we couldn’t put it on our 8 Great Walks list in April but Mass Audubon had closed its trails. The trails are reopened and hundreds of acres of protected beach, fields, woodlands, pond, and marsh at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary are ready for us to return. We can’t wait! See more here. 786 E. Horseneck Road, Dartmouth.
8. Lighting the Way Tour: Historic Women of the South Coast
The Whaling Museum introduces us to thirty diverse and remarkable women in New Bedford’s history whose stories represent “grit, tenacity, and enduring commitment to their families, community and country.” We’re talking abolitionists, the richest woman in the country, artists, bold rule-breakers, teachers and social justice advocates. The women burst with personality. Enjoy a little history withy your fresh air with this self-guided walking trail. Download the app or a pdf of the map right here. Later this summer, the Museum will reveal outdoor public art in its Lighting the Way for All project. We can’t wait!
Keep up with things to do on the South Coast by signing up for our free monthly email newsletter right here.
Want more stories and photography? Subscribe to our quarterly print magazine right here.