July New Bedford AHA Night: Free Events Lineup

This month's AHA! Night in New Bedford is a truckload of fun for kids, but adults are not forgotten with the theme "Kids Rule (Adults Too)."

Everything from a scavenger hunt to games and live music is on tap, and it is sponsored by the United Way of Greater New Bedford.

Kim Goddard, AHA's Executive Director, joined Townsquare Sunday to run down some of the activities scheduled for July 9.

Downtown Scavenger Hunt and Local History

The evening kicks off with a scavenger hunt sponsored by the Waterfront Historic Area League. It starts at the fountain in Custom House Square.

"WHALE is known for preserving many beautiful, old buildings downtown, so this is a wonderful way to engage families and young people around some of the special architecture and history of those buildings," Goddard said. "It's pretty cool! Winners will receive a prize plus a WHALE coloring book."

Sports, Summer Reading, and Free Museum Admission

Baseball rules at the Main Library building on Pleasant Street. Visitors can meet local athletes from New Bedford High School and talk with local author Jeffrey Young, author of Bridges Through Baseball: Baseball Stories That Connect Us All.

You can also win tickets to see the WooSox or Lowell Spinners, and families can sign up for the library's Summer Reading Program as well.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is offering free admission from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and visitors can enjoy a performance by the Toe Jam Puppet Band.

Cultural Workshops and Creative Kids Activities

Shimmer at 187 Union Street is offering a workshop from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on beads as cultural currency. The workshop highlights how these small objects tell larger stories of cultural exchange, migration, resilience, and heritage. "This is one of our AHA Moments on July 9," Goddard said. "We're going to learn a lot about how beads carried social, spiritual and economic meaning in communities all over the world."

Custom House Square will also offer programs by the New Bedford Light, New Bedford Military Museum, and a Bubble Blast sponsored by Little People's College. On Pleasant Street the New Bedford Art Museum is hosting an Art Night and Pizza Party for middle schoolers starting at 5 p.m.

The Star Store opens its doors once again to hold an art talk and window displays.

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Live Music and Local Performances Across the City

Of course, it wouldn't be AHA! Night without live music. Musician David Alves performs at Cork Wine and Tapas. Buttonwood Brass Band is an AHA! staple with jazz at the New Bedford Harbor Hotel, and Candida Rose honors Cape Verdean culture performing at Celia's Boutique on William Street.

For more information on times and venues, check out ahanewbedford.org.

If you would like your nonprofit organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.

See Inside the Boyhood Home of Fairhaven's Legendary Henry Huttleston Rogers

This small, unassuming Fairhaven house was the boyhood home of Fairhaven's greatest benefactor, Henry Huttleston Rogers, and was even the home that had the first telephone in Fairhaven history. The house recently sold for $335,000.

Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg

New Bedford's Ice Skating Rinks of the Past

New Bedford's Brooklawn, Buttonwood, and Victory Parks drew huge crowds to their ice skating rinks. Check out some vintage photos courtesy of Spinner Publications of what it was like on the ice in the Whaling City back in the day.

Gallery Credit: Barry Richard