AHA! Night 2-8-2026

Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Town Square Sunday. I'm your host Jim Phillips. This program highlights the many non-profit agencies in Greater New Bedford and the work they do to improve the quality of life here on the South Coast. After a one-month hiatus, AHA Night returns to Downtown New Bedford. AHA of course stands for Art, History, and Architecture and those celebrations have been happening on the second Thursday of the month for more than 25 years. AHA Night is happening on February 12th this month to be exact. Kim Goddard is the very busy director of AHA and she joins us this morning. Kim, how are you? I'm great. Good morning. We're talking about February and we're talking about a month where it's generally cold and it's generally inclement to some degree and this year we've got added piles of snow everywhere. So it's kind of an indoor thing. Sure, yeah. So how would you describe what makes the February AHA Night special? It's special because as you pointed out it's a little more inside. Yeah. But you have these really special intimate experiences that you can have throughout downtown before or after you visit a restaurant or a pub. But yeah, it makes for some cozy times but it's also we've got some exciting things planned so a lot to take in. So what's the theme for February's AHA Night, Kim? I am New Bedford and this is something we started last year. We run it both in February and March and we call it our storytelling series and it was really just about encouraging all of our partners downtown who like to participate to think about storytelling in different ways whether it's spoken word, through art, in an exhibit, poetry, music, song. We want to make very clear here that if you visit ahanewbedford.org you can find a complete schedule, probably still being added to as we approach the 12th, but a complete schedule times and venues. We just couldn't touch on all of them during this interview of course. So we want to direct you to ahanewbedford.org. That's where you'll find information if you're thinking of going to AHA Night. That's where you want to be to check out the times and places for these events because there are a lot of events. We won't get to all of them here but clearly there are a lot of events. It's true and just to add to that I'll say that you get a printed program on the day of, the night of, and we have programs at the National Park, the Library, the Art Museum, and then wherever the AHA Welcome Desk is located and that night in February 12th it will be at the Ziterion. Okay well that's where we'll start our discussion here. You are building a partnership with the Ziterion. I guess there's always been a kind of a partnership with the Z at least in February but now it's reopened. It's brand new for the most part and a lot of wonderful things happening there on February 12th. So tell us about the partnership and what's happening. Sure and as you pointed out you know the Z has been a partner participating in AHA Nights forever and even when they were renovating they would pop up downtown but when you know we got word that they were getting ready to reopen we started conversations about how could we do something fun together and so on February 12th the whole building all four floors will be open and free to the public and we're activating each space each area with something to enjoy. So there's going to be you know you walk in the building there's going to be things going on in the lobby you go upstairs you go downstairs there'll be a lot of fun. One of the features or really probably a couple of features at AHA Night at the Z is our sister school Dartmouth and also Nativity Prep right around the corner. That's right yeah so the youth from both of those schools are actually going to partake in an open mic session down in the speakeasy. Everyone's invited to to come and step up to the mic if they like that night but we're going to kick things off with youth from both of those schools but in addition they'll be represented in some of the spaces outside of the speakeasy doing activities and interactive experiences with the public. In particular I'll call out our sister school because several of their students will be there in presenting as the seventh graders and they're presenting this project where they take on a character of an influential woman artist and they're there with the artwork that they created inspired by that artist. They have a little bit of a monologue that they've created anyway it's meant to inspire the public to also sort of do their version so they'll have that opportunity for the public and families to do but you'll get to experience some of that firsthand. All right two important schools private schools our sister's school and the nativity prep all contributing to our area here educating young men at nativity middle school youngsters and the same is true at our sister school. And the speakeasy you mentioned there'll be a spoken word at the speakeasy that is a new attraction at the Citerion and one I think that's going to catch on. Yeah it's a great space and we're really fortunate that we're going to have the jazz jam duo of Blair Taylor and Manny Escobar will be there to kind of facilitate the night have some music and invite also anyone who wants to jam with them up on stage. They will also be joined by Malim Defunky Professor he's going to play with them and then carry on once the open mic session concludes he'll carry on as part of his WOMTRONICA team and become the DJ so from 8 to 10 there'll be a good kind of relaxing vibes to listen to music and with the cash bar there you know it's a good place to hang out. Well that of course fits right in with the music after dark segment. That's right. For AHA night so tell us a little bit about music after dark I know that some of this is repetitive some of these folks perform every month. Sure. But tell us a little bit about it. Yeah so AHA after dark is about recognizing that some of the folks downtown are programming a little later in the evening so just calling that out letting people know that there's something really fun going on much past that eight o'clock hour that sometimes has been associated with sort of the conclusion of an AHA night. Play Arcade will have karaoke and the Poor Farm will have Neil McCarthy and you never know who's going to join Neil. Sure. So there's always a great trio and more performing. As you pointed out and we both just said the Speakeasy will be activated with WOMTRONICA and then the National Club will have a DJ. Ang Keep will be playing at the National Club as well. Very good. You're listening to Town Square Sunday. I'm Jim Phillips my guest is Kim Goddard AHA director. AHA this month is February 12th and most of the attractions I think just about every attraction is indoors and that's good to that's good to know. Now look again we can't touch on every venue every event so AHA New Bedford.org is the place to go see what's on the list. You may be captivated by one you may be captivated by five things but they're all within easy walking distance in downtown New Bedford. They have some interesting talks and presentations planned as well Kim if you could highlight a few of those that would be. Sure yeah so our partners have put on some great things for that night and the Whaling Museum I'll just mention that to start they have an exhibit an experiential exhibit that they're inviting the public into and they're basically activating different areas or what they're calling vestibules throughout the museum and it's going to be this combination of costumed historical figures some contemporary artists out there and just sort of helping the public explore how the maritime revolutionary and ecological histories continue to shape our understanding of our area and of culture and the like. So they've got a whole evening of experiences planned both sort of historical and contemporary and even you know before he starts DJing at the National Club Ange the photographer will be there to to take portraits. Okay so the number one thing there's a lot of things happening and it's all free yeah let's not get hung up on how much this is going to cost you it's all free every venue is free so keep that in mind if you are if you go to the Whaling Museum and bring your family walk right in. That's right free admission. Yep at the New Bedford Art Museum downtown there's a a lot of things happening there but one of them is a preview of the New Bedford Film Festival which happens in April. That's right. And Mr. Diaghiar, Ethan Diaghiar I believe is his name we've had him on in the past he has been there to talk about the film festival why it's important and you know give a little talk about what may happen this year that's at 8 p.m. but obviously the art museum is another one of the major venues right? Sure they will also be you know have free admission and have a program earlier prior to Ethan sharing the sneak peek of the film festival there'll be some activities there for families to enjoy and to connect into a new exhibit that they have opening that night but to your point about the festival it's their third year it's really exciting to have New Bedford have its own film festival it attracts talent from all around the world actually not just local and as you pointed out it'll be debuting again in April actually on AHA night it kicks off great and but what's what's special about February is that he'll give us a sneak peek of some of the selections that are coming. All right so that's happening at the New Bedford Art Museum on AHA night February 12th. Lots of crafts and art as well on the 12th there's a there's crafts and art are a part of this you may not enjoy crafts but there are many many people who do so take give us a little highlight about the crafts and art. Sure well it's you know February 12th just a few days before Valentine's Day so if folks are looking for you know creating something for their special someone there's several organizations and businesses downtown that are creating that opportunity so you've got the drawing room or there you can make a handmade valentine and even have a local artist help and give you some feedback on that help you along. There's also the New Bedford Community Health Center where you can make a valentine themed bookmark but also learn about kind of all of the wonderful things that they offer families through the health center and sort of non-valentine crafts will be happening as well at the library there will be hand printed butterflies or hand print made butterflies I should say and you can make a pine cone bird feeder at Pilgrim United Church. Okay so I mean it's there's a lot of things a lot of different things happening whether it's music, art, crafts, lectures, presentations, the Zyterian, the best part about the Zyterian I think is you get to see the work that's been done. Sure. You've got wonderful presentations there that evening speakeasy but you get to go in and see a little bit. That's right full open house and wonderful project that you know 37 million dollars I think we talked before we started recording here that you know you can't raise that money on a whim you've got to have some solid plans and they did they attracted enough investors and yes there was a local contribution which raised a little controversy but not much and it's here for the public to enjoy so it's a wonderful project and it is open to all on AHA night February 12th. Kim is there this coming year I know usually the themes are pretty much the same as we go through the year do you often review those themes or do you kind of sit down and say hey maybe we should be doing something else tell us about how that review goes. Sure yeah we we connect with our partners and they certainly give us feedback too about what works and and what maybe could be better and when we looked back at 2025 we actually felt everyone felt pretty good about the themes that it resonated with the public it worked well to program around and certainly from a marketing sense that you know it it helps us sort of package it all up and get it out there so people can kind of get sort of a general idea about the kinds of things that they'll get to experience. 27 years 28 years what is it? Yeah well yeah so it's going on 27. 27 years for AHA and still going strong and person one of the people behind it is Kim Goddard who we have here today he has a small but hard-working staff and they put it together yeah a lot of volunteer we we couldn't do it without the volunteers that's for sure. Kim has been my guest Kim Goddard the person in charge of AHA AHA night in New Bedford AHA night is free and is held throughout downtown New Bedford again please visit their website ahanewbedford.org to learn more times venues any changes that may happen any additions that they're going to make it's all there on the website Kim thanks for coming in it's always a pleasure thanks Jim we'll see you next month all right stay tuned Town Square Sunday we're back in just a moment.