Museum reopens with fun and fanfare

By Joao Ferreira, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD -- KOBO, the King Of the Blue Ocean, works as the perfect bait for the transformed New Bedford Whaling Museum.

When the "new" New Bedford Whaling Museum opens its new doors this afternoon, the blue whale skeleton is the first and most spectacular part of an entirely new experience.

"The whale will be central to the exhibit," Executive Director Anne Brengle said. "We felt very strongly it was time to introduce the whale and its natural history."

Apart from viewing the spectacular 66-foot rare, juvenile, blue whale skeleton and a 33-foot humpback whale skeleton, visitors can listen to the sound of life in the sea and learn about the migratory paths of whales in the new interactive, hands-on Jacobs Family Gallery.

The gallery -- which includes a relief sculpture of an actual North Atlantic right whale -- will also teach about whale biology and conservation issues.

"The blue whale was hunted almost to its extinction," said Mrs. Brengle. "That's an important thing for people to understand."

She said all of it is part of the Whaling Museum's new philosophy.

"This new wing of the museum is not symbolic of what the museum wants to be in the future," said Mrs. Brengle. "It is symbolic of what the museum really is.

"This really marks the beginning of the 21st century for this museum," she said.

The Whaling Museum underwent an $11-million renovation and expansion over the last months. What visitors will see this afternoon is the result of those efforts.

The two-day grand opening celebration kicks off tonight at 5 p.m. and marks the beginning of the city's annual Summerfest celebration.

"We felt very strongly we wanted to do this during the Summerfest event," said Mrs. Brengle. "Everybody is very, very excited."

Yesterday, construction workers scrambled to prepare the new 2½- story lobby on the corner of William Street and Johnny Cake Hill for the grand opening. Behind tapered windows, they cleaned, painted, and hammered away with last-minute details.

"Everybody is running on excitement at this point," said Mrs. Brengle. "There are always last-minute touches and much cleaning to be done."

The new and improved Whaling Museum includes a state-of-the-art, changing exhibit gallery that currently hosts the acclaimed exhibition, "A Window on the Azores," and an interactive, full-scale reproduction of the forward section of a whaleship.

The full-scale forecastle provides a real feel of what life was like for the crew on board a 19th century whaleship. The historically accurate model features crew's quarters visitors can explore.

"We've expanded our museum store and added a protected observation area for year-round viewing of New Bedford Harbor and Buzzards Bay," said Mrs. Brengle. "We've also installed air conditioning and climate control systems."

Today's celebrations start at 4:45 p.m. with traditional Cape Verdean music by the B'leza Acoustic Band. Official grand opening ceremonies are at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., the Nuvukmiut Dancers from Barrow, Alaska, will perform.

At 7 p.m. visitors can join the Summerfest parade to State Pier, featuring musicians and a giant blue whale puppet representing KOBO.

The puppet was created by a unique collaboration of three area businesses: Miracle Fish Puppet Theater, Masse Machine Shop and Third Realm Productions, and their respective principals, Vinny Lovegrove, Jim Masse and Bette Low.

Celebrations continue Saturday with Alaskan and American Indian dancers and children's activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Whaling Museum.

People who buy the Summerfest button for $5 will be able to visit the museum free of charge during the weekend.

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