July 3, 2012 – The following was released by the Working Waterfront Festival. Festival organizers describe the event as follows: " Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The free festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England's commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen's contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kid's activities and more. It all takes place in New Bedford, MA, America's #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend of September."
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — July 3, 2012 —Commercial Marine Expo returned to New Bedford’s State Pier in mid-June attracting more than 200 industry exhibitors and thousands of visitors to the City. The first day of the show was capped off with an after-party, sponsored by Commercial Fisheries News magazine and BASE New England. Designed as a thank you to exhibitors, the party also provided a showcase for a number of cooperative research projects, and served as a fundraiser for New Bedford’s annual Working Waterfront Festival.
The Working Waterfront Festival is supported through a combination of grants from private and public foundations, in-kind donations, and corporate sponsorships from industry businesses. This year, the organization was facing a $10,000 shortfall due to cuts in foundation funding. The CME event raised $3,000 to help sustain their important work. The Working Waterfront Festival crew is extremely grateful to all who contributed to the event’s success.
Exhibitors and attendees were invited to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a variety of prizes including a free booth at the next CME Show. Local business donated a number of prizes. Many local restaurants and seafood companies donated food for the event. Kordia Provisions provided the catering with Perfect Pour providing the bar service. A portion of the bar receipts was also donated to the Festival.
“As soon as I heard that the Working Waterfront Festival had lost some of its critical funding, I knew we had to find a way to help,” says Ted Hugger, CME Show Director. “The festival is an important platform for promoting and celebrating the industry as a whole, as well as the good people who earn their living on the water.
“Not only were we able to raise $3,000 for the Working Waterfront Festival, our exhibitors had a terrific time at the party, enjoying locally-caught seafood,” Hugger explains. “At the same time, they were able to learn about many of the sustainability research projects that are underway to improve the industry. This was important and far-reaching exposure for researchers, as the exhibitors represented commercial marine companies from 25 states and six Canadian provinces.”
Jay Lanagan, President of Kordia Provisions, agreed. “The Commercial Marine Expo and the Working Waterfront Festival always have a huge impact on New Bedford businesses. Both events are very positive influences on the community, so we were happy to be a part of the fund-raising efforts.”
Prize and food donations were made by: Antonio’s Restaurant, Atlantic Cape Fisheries, Atlantic Red Crab, Davy’s Locker, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Highliner Events,
Kordia Provisions, Mariner Seafood, Mayor Scott Lang, Panera Bread, Waterfront Grille, Wicked Kickin’ Cheesecake, and the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.
The Working Waterfront Festival is a highly effective public relations tool for the industry, attracting approximately 15,000 attendees each year who come to New Bedford to learn about the commercial fishing industry. In addition Festival staff presents year-round programming including a free summer camp; a monthly film series; and weekly presentations for passengers on the American Cruise Lines and runs a community oral history project to preserve the history of the industry.
Visit the Working Waterfront Festival website.