Big New Bedford Festival is BACK!

A New Family Tradition Continues…

Memories… sometimes they’re the only things we have to hold onto. As an adult, you look back and think about your childhood memories, both the good and the bad. But there are specific memories that always bring a smile to your face. Personally, my favorite memories are the summers I would spend with my family. Once school let out, I’d look forward to spending as many summer days as I could, just being a kid.

Every summer, at Buttonwood Park, I’d look forward to going to the Whaling City Festival. I remember holding onto my dad’s hand, as he took me to the park, along with my mom and my sisters.

The lights of the carnival, the sound of laughter and joyous howls from people on the rides, the smell of food coming from food row, the vendors lined up on the grass… they’re all still there when I close my eyes, and so comes the smile… the same one that I had as a little boy looking up at my father and being thankful that he brought me there.

Like many other families back then, we couldn’t afford the big amusement parks or lofty travel expenses. So, as it was for many other local folks, visiting the Whaling City Festival WAS my vacation, it was my Six Flags… my Disney. It was a family tradition that I wanted to hold onto, and pass on to my children.

When the Whaling City Festival decided to discontinue its run as an annual event, we at the New Bedford Police Union were saddened by the news, as were so many within the Greater New Bedford community. The festival was a time honored event, and citizens and friends looked forward to going every year.

When the union was approached in 2014 with the idea of hosting the carnival portion of a similar festival at Buttonwood Park, we quickly agreed. Although we had just finished sponsoring our own circus show in the south end of New Bedford, We wanted to make sure that the children of our community and surrounding areas had an event to go to.

Last year, I, along with New Bedford Police Union President Hank Turgeon and Vice President James Estrella, thought it would be a great idea to try to bring a festival back to Buttonwood Park. So that’s exactly what we did!

As police officers, we wanted to schedule the carnival, circus and vendors as a way of giving back to our community and city. We’d finally found a way to provide families with an affordable event at which they could enjoy themselves, spend time together and make their own memories like we had.

Please join us July 8th, 9th, and 10th, at Buttonwood Park for the New Bedford Police Unions’ 2016 Family Fun Festival. This year, the Zerbini Family Circus will be performing five shows over the course of the weekend, and bringing a real circus under the Big Top to New Bedford’s Buttonwood Park Zoo. Amusement rides and games will provided by Fiesta Shows.

There will also be a wrestling show performance by Showcase Pro Wrestling and a guest appearance by a former WWF/WWE superstar! Plus, there’ll be arts and crafts vendors, retail vendors and food vendors. It’s sure to be fun for the whole family!