Year: 2011

That until about 1942, the Lanesville Community Center building was the Ahola Dairy Barn?  The Lanesville Community Center was founded in 1954 by a forward thinking group of neighbors who purchased the old dairy barn to use as a gathering place for the residents of Lanesville, and it remains a prized possession of the community. Consisting of a main building sitting on 2.7 acres of recreational green space and managed by a board of directors, its purpose is to assist, encourage, promote, and undertake such activities as will contribute towards the educational advancement of adults and children in the community in the areas of art, local history, agriculture, and emergency preparedness, and advance the social, recreational, physical, moral, spiritual, and cultural lives of its citizens. The Center has been the site of many a pig roast and clam bake, political meeting and square dance, as well as a haunted house at Halloween.  Historian, Barbara Erkkila who wrote Hammers on Stone: A History of Cape Ann Granite and A History of Lane’s Cove, was the past secretary of the LCC and tracked all events held there for a period of about 40 years.  The records are now in the archives at the Cape Ann Museum. 

The Center is in the final stages of some pretty major improvements, funded by a $15,800 CDBG Grant from HUD through the City of Gloucester, and supplemented by a 60th Anniversary Capital Campaign.  They have installed 2 new handicap accessible baths and a new kitchen area, and are currently finishing the new concrete slab with radiant heat floors.  Pictured are volunteers Dave and Randy Young, Butch Roth and Jim Flint.  Butch Roth created the stars in the floor, which will become memorial stars, the first being for Helen Jacobson who passed this winter at the age of 92.  $1,000 in memorials was raised in her name.  Jim Flint (you remember Jim from the Sacred Heart Church), has been the President of the LCC for four years, and expects that Phase 1 of the work will be completed by May 1.  The Center will then be available to rent (at very reasonable rates) for weddings, parties, funerals, meetings, etc.  The Center is also used for ward meetings and is the voting location for Ward 4-2, and is free for community service events.  Art in Lanesville in August and the Lanesville Music Festival in September are also held at the Center.

The LCC is always looking for volunteers, so if you live in the area and want to help, or if you are interested in renting the space for a function or meeting, visit their website at http://www.lanesvillecommunitycenter.org/ for contact and rental info, and check out the video of Jim in the buff!

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Out of the sad and forlorn mist, the sun rose in all its glory and magnificence this morning.  Wishing everyone abundant blessings this Easter Day, including chocolate bunnies that are not hollow.  These are some photos and a video of the Annisquam Village Church sunrise service at Squam Rock.  It was quite magnificent and magical.  The bagpipe added a special touch, and the purple beam of light captured by the camera coming from the rising sun was amazing.  Did you know that the color used in the sanctuary for most of Lent is purple, red violet, or dark violet? These colors symbolize both the pain and suffering leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the suffering of humanity and the world under sin.  But purple is also the color of royalty, and so anticipates through the suffering and death of Jesus the coming resurrection and hope of newness that will be celebrated in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  At one point, a flock of 5 herons circled in the sky above the congregation.  Pure magic.

Due to the overcast This Easter Sunday There won’t be an official Sunrise.

Here’s Last Years Easter Sunday Sunrise.

That Mass was first celebrated in Lanesville in 1850, and that services were held for several years in Village Hall?   The Sacred Heart Church was erected between Lanesville and Bay View in 1876.  Rev. Thomas Barry, officiating also at Rockport, had charge of the church for several years.  Sunday school was organized in 1855. Mary Eva Phillips (1913 – 2010) was active in the Catholic Church, a member of the Carmelite order and a Eucharistic minister at the Sacred Heart Church in Lanesville. 

The Church was decommissioned in 2005 and purchased by Geoffrey Richon.  In 2006, Jim Flint was visiting from Seattle with some friends living in Salem and saw an ad for a church for sale.  He had been searching for a church to buy in Seattle.  Instead he found and fell in love with the Sacred Heart Church and purchased it from Richon in 2006.  These are some before and after photos of the Sacred Heart Church (the front of the Church as it used to look, the back of the church now with Jim in the photo, the back of the church as it used to look, one of the stained glass windows as it still remains, a very old photo of the alter and another shortly before decommissioning, the view now looking toward the kitchen window where the alter used to be, and the reverse view looking away from where the alter was – in this shot you can see some of Les Bartlett’s scroll quarry photos on exhibit; the last photo is of two pieces of wood that Jim uncovered during renovations behind the old stairs.  This to me was the coolest part.  The pieces of wood are written on with pencil.  The larger one says: “Joseph P. Hart 1877, Lanesville, Mass. Carpenter & Joiner (Dec. 14) Verry cold and windy day.  No snow on the ground.  I am building the stairs today. Yours _____ (can’t make that word out), J.P. Hart”.  The smaller piece of wood simply says: “J.P. Hart Lanesville Decr. 14, 1877”.  I just love this old message in a bottle kind of thing where someone long gone has left behind a part of him or herself to be discovered at some unknown future date.  I’ve tried, unsuccessfully so far to find out anything about our carpenter, Joseph P. Hart. 

Jim Flint has continued the community spirit of the structure by hosting monthly potluck and game (scrabble, cards, etc.) nights to allow the community to enjoy the majestic and beautiful space he has so lovingly created.  Jim says that when he is sitting outside at the front of the house on Washington Street/127, he still occasionally catches people crossing themselves as they drive by.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Pathways for Children, located at 29 Emerson Avenue in Gloucester, is offering a free parent workshop, Caring for Ourselves~ Caring for Others on May 9^th from 6:00 – 8:00PM.  Nationally recognized parent educator, Dr. Lonnie Carton, author of “No is a Love Word”, will teach techniques to reduce stress & improve health through yoga.  We are all able to best care for children when we remember to care for ourselves!  Dinner and a copy of “No is a Love Word” are included.  Please join us for this special evening.  Preregistration is required.  Please contact Amy Larsen @978.281.2400 x 120, alarsen@pw4c.org or sign up at the Pathways reception desk.

Pathways for Children welcomes you to join us in Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Longan Room, Gloucester on Tuesday, April 26^th from 6:30 to 8:00PM to learn techniques to calm any new baby’s cries and help your baby sleep longer with best-selling author & pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block method.  To register or for more information contact Amy Larsen @978.281.2400 x 120 or alarsen@pw4c.org.

Date: Tuesday Evenings 5 Sessions from April 26^th to May 24th

Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Event: Safe Boating in Cape Ann Waters

Place: Essex Shipbuidling Museum ( 66 Main Street , Essex , MA )

            Waterline Center

Safe Boating in Cape Ann Waters at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum
Essex Shipbuilding Museum will offer a 5 session Safe Boating course from April 26th to May 24, on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8 PM. The course will be taught by Gardi Winchester II of Gloucester and will cover topics such as emergency preparedness, line handling and knots, and navigational hazards, all in the context of the waters of the Cape Ann area.

For more information or to register please visit our website: www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org
or email: education@essexshipbuildingmuseum.org.

Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum

978-768-7541 http://www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org

WAAAAAAAA! Unintentional Bird!

The Montreal Announcers whinng about an Unitenional Bird?

Where are they when a Few of their Fans BOO the National anthem of the USA!

I’ve been guilty of a few unintentional Birds myself. And to those who have received them, I’m truly sorry.

GO B’s!!