Month: June 2012

Video Interview- Meet Mike and Kathleen From Big Mike’s Bikes

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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Kathleen writes-

Wanted to let you know we’re opening our shop up this Monday, June 4. We’re located at 50 Maplewood Ave, Suite 3, next to 7/11 and the new McDonalds (we’re between Miguel’s and the car wash.) Our hours are going to be 10-7 Monday-Friday, with late Thursday hours until 9. Saturdays and Sundays we’ll be open 11-4, with extended hours for pre-registered rental customers to pick up and drop their bikes.
We have an awesome selection of used bicycles – road bikes, vintage cruisers, and mountain bikes, all of which have been tuned up and gone over with a fine-tooth comb – they all come with 30 day warranties. And from now until the end of June, if you buy a used bicycle from us, we’ll give you up to $10 in free accessories!
Big Mike also offers tune-ups for $45, and we are still offering mobile service for an additional $5 each way (so if you don’t have a big car or a bike rack, you can still get that bike fixed!) We do all manners of repairs, especially rehabs of those bikes in the cellar you’ve been ignoring for the last decade. They’re probably still good!
We’ve also got some great accessories here, from training wheels to grips to lights, locks, and helmets. We do rentals, as well! We have a fleet of hybrid/city bikes that are brand new, stylish, and locks and helmets are provided at no additional cost.
Hope to see you soon!
Kathleen
Big Mike’s Bikes
—
Specializing in used bicycle sales and service.
New and used parts and accessories.
978-222-3737
http://www.bigmikesbikes.org

A Tremendous Night: Aran Patrican Friendship Skate, June 1, 2012 From JD Perry

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

This past Friday night, June 1, six teams came in from a beautiful sunny day to play in one of three games with and against friends at the Dorothy Talbot rink.  But this was more than just getting together for what could be the final skate of the 2011-2012 hockey season.  Each player paid to play in a friendly competition so they could memorialize Aran Patrican, who passed away suddenly from a heart infection in January – two weeks following the birthday of Thomas, his one year old son.  The night was a wonderful experience and such a success that we raised $2,620 for the growth fund set up to benefit his son’s education, the Thomas Patrican Scholarship Fund (http://www.thomaspatricantrust.com/Donation_Information.html).

This event brought together those who knew Aran, a decorated officer with the Gloucester Police Department, having skated with and against him during his lifelong hockey career – from youth hockey, through GHS and various teams in the Gloucester Industrial Hockey League, summer leagues, on the ponds, pick-up games, etc. – and friends of his friends.  Some of the guys who skated had the distinct honor of also being coached by him.  Additionally, we had a strong, albeit small (only 2 this year), contingent of women hockey players.

The games were competitive, but especially focused on having a fun time.  This carried from the locker rooms to the on-ice action then afterwards at Espresso’s.  The level of camaraderie that exists within the hockey community is rivaled by few other groups.  This was in evidence all night long and has been expressed to me by everyone with whom I have spoken since.  Whether breaking down a play from one of the games, retelling any number of Aran-centric stories — writ large because his presence always made it so, laughing, or commiserating; the night was special.  Emotions ran the gamut when the discussion turned to reflection.  Being granted the opportunity to catch up and hang out with old friends and teammates is a luxury that tends to fall by the wayside as life continues on and we grow out of some circles while new responsibilities and commitments crowd them out, necessarily.  So it was in this spirit that the event, highlighted by the culmination of so many positive elements, drew sincere appreciation by those who participated.

Special thanks go out to every single person who contributed to this event.  A few individuals deserve to be recognized by name because they ensured that this first annual Aran Patrican Friendship Skate lived up to its potential – which it did in spades.  Rusty Harnish, aside from refereeing the first game, helped oversee coordination of the event with Paul "Vuda" Genovese, Barry Clifford, Jimmy Marr, and Rob Bouchie.  Kim Philbrook and Eric Russell donated their time and officiating expertise to the cause by refereeing for the night.  And, obviously, we couldn’t have done this without the teams involved:  Vuda and Barry (Old Timers) vs. Doc Cunningham and Doug Grimes (JP Truckers), Doc Twombly and Mike Hale (Monday Night Crew) vs. Bob Cooper and Frank Souza (Diggers), and Doc T. and Mike H. (MNC II) vs. Tony Frontiero, Jr. and Tony "The Legend" Frontiero (Road Kill).  And, also, for the Gloucester Police Department – though we had a limited number of players from the force this year, they provided Doc Twombly with a uniform that he hung below the scoreboard to represent the spirit of Aran.

We look forward to the second annual Aran Patrican Friendship Skate which will take place in about a year.  Planning this event for 2013 will be done with more lead time than we had this year so we will be able to include many of the individuals and teams that couldn’t attend this year. 

We will also be organizing a similar fund-raising event in August.  The Patrican Brothers Memorial Golf Invitational "Classic" will memorialize both Aran and Ryan Patrican to support the Thomas Patrican Scholarship Fund.  Details on this event to follow.

Aran Patrican Friendship Skate Organizers 2012
The Aran Patrican Friendship Skate 2012 organizers
Back row (L to R):  Rusty Harnish, JD Perry
Front row (L to R):  Jimmy Marr, Paul “Vuda” Genovese, Barry Clifford, Rob Bouchie
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Old Timers
Old Timers
Back row (L to R):  Jim Douglass, Carl Wall, Dominic Sanfilippo, Darren Marques, Sean Cranston, Fred Parisi, Jimmy Marr, Connor Cranston, Tim Marques, Jake Dube
Front row (L to R):  JD Perry, Barry Clifford, Paul “Vuda” Genovese, Bob Marshall,  Dirk Wierbicky, and not pictured Rob Bouchie
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JP Truckers
JP Truckers
Back row (L to R):  Darrell Seppala, Steve Cahill, Doug Grimes, Marc Cunningham, Chris O’Brien, Nick Novello
Front row (L to R):  Pete Sutera, Jack Russ, Dana MacDonald, Steve Militello and not pictured Steve MacDonald, Kevin Riley
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Doc Twombly's Monday Night Crew
Doc Twombly’s Monday Night Crew
Back row (L to R):  Sean Keefe, Tom Callahan, Tad White, Nick Parisi, Mike Hale, Nate "bubba" Levie, Andrew Marques, Dave Smyth
Front row (L to R):  Doc Twombly, Jeff Towne, Myriam Callahan, Chris Seely, Ben Levie, Pete Smyth, Tiffany Bichrest
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Diggers
Diggers
Back row (L to R):  Jerry Ciaramitaro, Brian Horne, Jason Thibodeau , Mike Muniz, Robie Mac Laughlin, Bob Cooper
Front row (L to R):  Frank Souza, Sean Lyons, Jim Muniz, John Collins and not pictured Kevin Fitzpatrick 
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Doc Twombly's Monday Night Crew II
Doc Twombly’s Monday Night Crew II
Back row (L to R):  Tad White, Tom Callahan, Chris Seely, Mike Hale, Dave Smyth, Andrew Kirkaldy, Andrew Marques, Tiffany Bichrest, Myriam Callahan, Nate "bubba" Levie
Front row (L to R):  Doc Twombly, Jeff Towne, Pete Smyth, Nick Parisi, Sean Keefe, Ben Levie
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Road Kill
Road Kill
Back row (L to R):  Chad Movalli, Dave Collins, Adam Brown, Jason Harrington, Tyler Philbrook, McKenzie Quinn, Steve Philbrook, Rob Parsons
Front row (L to R):  Anthony Cusamano, Tony Frontiero Jr, Tony Frontiero Sr
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Rusty Harnish
Rusty Harnish
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Eric Russell and Kim Philbrook
Eric Russell and Kim Philbrook
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Respected
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Aran Patrican and Braeden Perry, 2011 Stanley Cup Championship series
Aran Patrican, Braeden Perry during 2011 Stanley Cup Championship series

Click below for the slideshow of pictures from JD Perry-

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Community Photos June 8th, 2012

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Stormy Seas From Len Burgess

Life on the rocks. Gloucester’s eastern shore. The never ending storm.
–Len Burgess

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Good Harbor Beach Sign from George Burton

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Rain Rain Rain from Len Burgess

Pair of Mourning Doves waiting for the constant rain to end.
–Len Burgess

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Community Stuff June 8th, 2012

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 

Safe Summer Fun Kit program

Gloucester Y 001

Photo L – R ~ Rick Doucette, Executive Director of Teen and Camping Services, North Shore YMCA, Scott Hitchcock, Executive Director, Cape Ann YMCA and Gerald MacKillop, Jr., Public Relations Manager for Northeast Health System.

Gerald MacKillop shown donating "Safe Summer Fun Kit" to Rick Doucette and Scott Hitchcock. This is the fifth year of the program which provides a beach pail/shovel, beach ball, sun screen and information from the American Cancer Society’s Slip Slap Slop program to the youngest age group of YMCA summer campers.  Northeast Health System donated over 500 kits through the North Shore YMCA’s summer camps.  This project was partly funded by Northeast Community Bank.

MARSDEN HARTLEY (1878-1943)

Summer Outward Bound, Gloucester

Cape_Ann_Museum_Hartley_Summer_Outward_Bound_Gloucester

1931

Oil on board

17 ½” x 23 ½”

Collection of the Cape Ann Museum, gift of Robert L. and

Elizabeth French, 2009

This special exhibition of paintings and drawings of Dogtown Common by American modernist Marsden Hartley includes oil paintings and ink drawings from the Cape Ann Museum’s own holdings as well as from museum collections across the country, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Marsden Hartley (1877-1943) visited Cape Ann and Dogtown just a handful of times, between 1920 and1936, but carried a vision of the area with him throughout the rest of his life. When he arrived for the first time in 1920, Dogtown looked much as it had for the preceding century. Pasture lands and woodlots which had helped support a Colonial-era settlement were still visible. Quietness hung over the place which stood in sharp contrast to Cape Ann’s bustling harbor front and beach areas. For Marsden Hartley, Dogtown offered the chance for renewal through contact with the land. He wrote that the place looked “like a cross between Easter Island and Stonehenge—essentially druidic in its appearance.”

The Museum is publishing a color catalog with essays by Curator Martha Oaks, James F. O’Gorman and Peter Anastas to accompany the exhibition. Additionally, a generous selection of related programming will be offered, including walking tours into Dogtown, book discussions, children’s programs and more.

Gloucester At Dawn- 4:45AM 6/2/12 Good Harbor Beach

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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GHS DECA Plans To Sell Gloucester Soda–We Do A Taste Test With Former GHS DECA Student David Brooks

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

DECA advisor and business teacher at GHS Ann Grassetti contacted me yesterday to help get the word out about Gloucester Soda.  So I met with the future business leaders of Gloucester at Art Haven, we had a conversation and taste test.

Click here for the video-

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Minglewood Tavern Really Is Great

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

They are really hitting it on all cylinders with great specials every night of the week, a great drink menu, one of my favorites on a hot day is a cranberry margarita concoction that one of the best bartenders in town Brian Eastman makes-

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The wood fired pizzas are excellent-

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and the best salad in town the blackened chicken cobb, just bursting with flavor-

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Kid friendly too-

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Brian Eastman forwarded me this story about why we love crispy stuff in reference to my soggy French fry rant (Minglewood also has outstanding crispy on the outside/fluffy on the inside hand cut French fries)

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Why Humans Are Crazy for Crispy

Rain or Shine – The Show Will Go On

Posted on by God's Morning

Rain or Shine, Nights on the Neck will go on.  If it is raining, performers will be moved to The Center at 6 Wonson Street, so performers and audience can stay nice and dry.  Even if it is not raining, plan to stop by the Center when you arrive at Rocky Neck to pick up your Season’s Night on the Neck Schedule and Scavenger Hunt form.  A great grand prize will be awarded to a lucky winner at the end of the season, and you can’t win if you don’t play.

 

The Eastern Carpenter Bee

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

3 minute video featuring the Eastern Carpenter Bee. The music is the opening movement of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) is an important pollinator for many open-faced spring flowers including the blossoms of fruiting trees—crabapple, apple, pear, peach, plum, and wild cherry—as well as holly and brambles. X. virginica has an especially bad reputation with blueberry growers because they have strong mouthparts (capable of boring into wood), which will easily tear flowers with a deep corolla—blueberries and azaleas, for example. In the video you can see the bee probing into the sides of, and in some instances tearing, the petals to gather nectar from the blossoming Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica). The damage done to wood is usually minimal and cosmetic.

Carpenter Bees are regularly mistaken for bumblebees. Their shiny black abdomen most easily distinguishes them. Male and female carpenter bees can easily be differentiated at a glance. The male has a patch of yellowish-white cuticle at the top its head; the females face is entirely black.

Male Eastern Carpenter Bees are aggressively territorial. They will fly at you noisily and vigorously when in their territory, but it is all just show—they are incapable of stinging!


Why do they call this the Kenny Neal(s) Band?

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Why the (s)?  Watch the video and see how long it takes you to figure it out.  If you don’t get it after 20 seconds, have another cup of coffee . . .

Kenny will be at the Gloucester Blues Festival.  It won’t be long before the sun heats things up around here and you’ll be at the beach, Fiesta, whatever … where you might forget that you can save $12 by getting tickets ahead of time, so get tickets now and stop worrying.

If you don’t remember who’s playing, click here for our video introducing the performers.

Our local music scene is already hot with 10 live music choices tonight (more really, because Nights on the Neck alone has 6 live shows between 5 and 8:45 and we only list them once — see their full schedule here).

And let’s not forget Bradley Royds begins his Thursday Night Series at Giuseppe’s.

We’ve been getting new listings all week long so click here to see the new updated music lineup.

Thursday Night Blues Party @ The Rhumb Line to Host Mario Perrett with Ed Scheer on drums.

Posted on by Joanne

Thursday – 9:00 to 12:00 ~ Dave Sag’s Blues Party

 

 

Dave says,

We had so much fun last week with Ed Scheer on board that i’ve decided to have him back this week to play along side his old teammate Mr. Mario Perrett. Cutie-pie saxist, former Playgirl© pinup, teen idol and magnificent vocalizer, Mr. MP has what it takes to raise any bar. For years he was the sexaphonist in the Love Dogs as well as in Madhouse. It’s always a pleasure to have both these guys around. They play, they sing, they wear my shirts and steal most of my songs, too. Anybody seen my wallet?
We always manage to pull out all the stops as well as your leg and your finger. With gootar-king and milliner Mr. Greg t. and myself aboard, we’re hoping to have a rousing good time. So bring your dancing shoe and your stump and hobble waddle doodle all night long!
N.B. If you have any friends or enemies who might like these minor missives, just send their addresses along to me. Always looking to spread the joys of music!

MACtivate Group Fitness

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

The Manchester Athletic Club has got me from 187lbs 3 weeks ago to 177 today and my strength and endurance while doing my exercises has gone up considerably.

I’ll be in bikini shape in no time Smile

For more info- 978-526-8900

And Now for Something Completely Different

Posted on by capeannpainter

Learn the Crab Dance by the GMG Crew for Tonights First of the Year Nights on the Neck.

CLICK HERE FOR TONIGHTS SCHEDULE

I love EJ’s Nurses outfit, Donna’s Cat suit  and Kim Smiths Angel wings!

Joey enters the video at about the 33 sec. mark

McDonald’s in Gloucester being reborn!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Back at the end of April, I posted about the demolition of the McDonald’s on Maplewood Ave., in preparation for a complete rebuilding. This is the photo I posted at the time.

I took another photo at the end of May. The old building is completely gone, and the new one is coming up:

That was quick! I hope they are back up and in business soon.

She seemed displeased when I told her I had buffalo wings for dinner.

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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sent in by Kathleen from Big Mike’s Bikes

Specializing in used bicycle sales and service.
New and used parts and accessories.
978-222-3737
http://www.bigmikesbikes.org