NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — 7 March 2012 – The Working Waterfront Festival is pleased to announce our annual design contest. Artists 16 years and older are invited to submit a creative design for the 2012 Festival. Designs will be used for the Festival t-shirt, poster and program guide. Designs should convey festival’s emphasis on the commercial fishing industry, the working port and the 2012 theme. The winning entry will receive a $100 cash prize. Entries must be emailed by or postmarked no later than Monday, May 7th. The winning entry and designer will be announced at Commercial Marine Expo on June 13th. Interested artists/designers are encouraged to visit the festival web site to learn more about the event and to download an application: www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org. Applications may also be received by contacting the festival office at 508-993-8894 or info@workingwaterfrontfestival.org.
The theme of the 2012 event slated for September 29th & 30th is Fishtales: Fact, Fiction and Narrative Tradition in Commercial Fishing Culture. Festival programming will explore enduring myths, local legends, and fact and fiction in contemporary fisheries issues. Storytellers and singers will present traditional and contemporary tales and ballads of the sea. Industry raconteurs will share stories of Close Calls, Unusual Catches and Workplace Pranks. Novelists whose work is set in fishing communities as well as authors of non-fiction works that explore issues of relevance to the industry and the marine environment will read from their works. Occupational demonstrators will use fishing gear and other industry objects to relate real life stories and explore commonly held myths. Fisheries scientists and fishermen engaged in cooperative research will share their findings. Film screenings will focus on portrayals of the fishing industry in popular culture and the media as well as short documentaries and at sea footage shot by fishermen. Foodways programming will highlight stories from galley cooks and fishermen’s wives and consider elements of fact and fiction surrounding seafood consumption. Fishtales, an on-site oral history station, will collect and record commercial fishing stories from fishing community members as part of our ongoing community oral history project.
The Working Waterfront Festival is an award winning, family friendly event celebrating the history and culture of New England's commercial fishing industry. The free festival presents all that goes into bringing seafood from the ocean to the table in a way that is hands-on, educational and fun and features: live music, children’s activities, cooking demonstrations, vessel and harbor tours, fisherman’s contests, author readings, film screenings, local seafood, festival bookstore, maritime artisans marketplace & more. Navigate to the Festival at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org
Working Waterfront Festival
PH: 508-993-8894
P.O. Box 6553
New Bedford, MA 02742
Navigate to us on the web at: www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org
2012 Festival Dates: September 29 & 30