AHA! will be joining First Night as a FREE venue on December 31st from 5-9pm with a "Fire and Ice" celebration in downtown New Bedford. AHA! Program Director Lee Heald states that AHA! received over $90,000 in in-kind support in 2007 from local non-profit venues and businesses and that this evening is as a way of showing appreciation to the downtown community and partner venues.

This exciting night will include ice sculptures created in situ and Boston fire performers in the Wing Court Public Space off Purchase Street. A special performance of Boston's "el Arte Flamenco" will include fiery flamenco dance and music in the Bristol Building Hallway. Solstice will be holding a skate jam on Purchase Street between Union Street and William Street from 5-7pm. The festivities will also include crafts for children and adults including the making of luminaries, "flames of peace" (at Elaine's T-Shirts).   Local eateries such as No Problemo, the Green Bean, the Spicy Lime, Jimmy's Steamy Hot Dogs and AHA! partner venues on Purchase Street and William Street will be open from 5-9pm. The New Bedford Art Museum will be open and offer the artMOBILE Center for children's crafts. Storyteller Toby Dills will be stationed at the Visitor Center (33 William Street) from 6-8pm to regale the child in all of us stories for the New Year.

View Fire and Ice AHA! graphics by Mediumstudio:   http://www.ahanewbedford.org

All AHA! activities are FREE and open to the public. Year-round AHA! programming is funded in part by the Mass Cultural Council's John and Abigail Adams Arts Program, The Island Foundation, The City of New Bedford, the AHA! partners, individual supporters and in-kind marketing support from the Standard-Times and WBSM. For more information call 508-264-8859.

Directions: From I-195 E or W. Take Exit 15 (Rte. 18). Follow Rte 18 to 2nd traffic signal; take a right onto Union St. At the first traffic signal take a right onto Second Street and take your first left for parking in Custom House Square or continue on two blocks to the Elm Street garage. On-street parking also available for free after 6 pm.

AHA! (Art, History & Architecture)

AHA! presents 2nd Thursday year-round FREE nights of Art, History & Architecture programs in Downtown New Bedford with 37-venue partners.

Call us at 508-264-8859 or visit us at www.ahanewbedford.org.

The AHA! Project was formed in 1999 by a dedicated circle of cultural leaders, downtown businesses and individual artists. Since July of that year, the project has continuously presented its 2nd Thursday events. What originally included 14 venues now numbers 37 and spans eight galleries, three museums, The National Historical Park, City Hall and The Library, many of the downtown’s unique stores, restaurants and cafes as well as individual artist studios, a meditation center, several churches, The Bristol Building, The New Bedford Preservation Society and The UMass Dartmouth CVPA Star Store.  AHA!’s mission is to collectively promote downtown culture and work towards greater sustainability of the downtown cultural scene and partner organizations.

AHA!’s articles on http://newbedford360.com are part of an expanding effort to bring more attention to the wealth of cultural events and experiences happening in downtown New Bedford.

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