Popular Festival Needs Support

It was sad news to hear the Working Waterfront Festival will become a biennial event. For 12 years, this unique attraction brought visibility to the commercial fishing industry and provided a the industry an opportunity to tell its story to the public. It has become a great economic boon for tourism and was listed as a Top 100 summer event. As a fan, I've seen this festival grow over the years.

The hardworking directors, committee people and volunteers poured their blood, sweat and tears into making the Working Waterfront Festival successful. The loyal sponsors also stayed dedicated to the cause. So, why the need to take a year off? Because the organizers can't do two projects at once. It's understandable that the same people who organize the festival are the same folks who are establishing the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, a proposed permanent home for telling the history of the local fishing industry. It's impossible to expect these people to stretch their lives to do both, the festival and the center! They hold down everyday jobs, like so many of us. So what are to do?

There's only one answer. The answer is YOU. Can you help the festival by contributing time to plan and work it? This attraction depends on community involvement. Can you lend a hand? If you decide to be part of the plans for the 2017 Working Waterfront Festival, let them know at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.