Month: July 2013

Representing! GMG Happy FOBs

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Ellen Santos writes-

Best Hat Ever!!

Hi Joey,
The hat got here just in time (almost) for my husband Reggie’s birthday.  He was surprised and thrilled with it and wore it to Salisbury Beach today.  Reggie is a Gloucester native and we both follow your blog daily.  Thanks for keeping us in touch.
Ellen Santos

Reggie's New Hat 2

Dee Noble writes-

Love our new Stonewashed hats

Hi Joey! We LOVE our new beautiful blue stonewashed hats! We are rocking the beach in this AWESOME GMG swag! Better place an order for more…..They are going to go like hot cakes….

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Kevin Berrigan writes-

Thank You!

New hat got here today! Thanks so much for sending it right out!! Can’t wait to have it become a permanent fixture on the top of my head and show it off proudly wherever my travels take me!!

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Send in your GMG Swag photos and Represent with the rest of the GMG FOBs!

What’s that you don’t have one yet??? Then order one up and get on the team.

To order GMG Dry Fit Short and Long Sleeve Shirts, Super Crazy Soft Feminine Cut V Neck or Scoop Neck T Shirts.

http://gmg.storenvy.com/

If you don’t see a shirt in a style/size/color  combination you like, you can send in a request and I’ll do my best to make it happen-

http://gmg.storenvy.com/contact

GLOUCESTER STAGE NEW PLAY READING SERIES KICKS OFF MONDAY

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

GLOUCESTER STAGE NEW PLAY READING SERIES KICKS OFF WITH THE RAINMAKER

Iconic Play with Local Connection

The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash
Monday, July 29, 8 PM

This play reading celebrates the 100th anniversary of distinguished American writer N. Richard Nash’s birth. The iconic play, The Rainmaker was written about the drought leading into the dust bowl. The evening includes a casual reception and conversation with Gloucester resident Amanda Nash, daughter of the playwright, following the reading.

The Rainmaker cast includes many Gloucester Stage favorites:

The reading is directed by Barlow Adamson who shared the GSC stage with Richard Snee and Steven Barkhimer in the Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquests Trilogy from 2010 through 2012. Johnny Lee Davenport starred in 2012’s Master Harold… and the Boys and returns later in the GSC’s 2013 season to star in Driving Miss Daisy with Lindsay Crouse. The Rainmaker takes place during the time of a paralyzing drought in the West. A plain girl whose father and two brothers are worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about the drought and their dying cattle. The brothers try every possible scheme to marry her off, but without success and there any sign of relief from the dry heat. Suddenly from out of nowhere appears a picaresque, sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch. Claiming to be a “rainmaker,” the man promises to bring rain, for $100. It’s a silly idea, but the rainmaker is so refreshing and persistent that the family finally consents, banging on big brass drums to rattle the sky. Meanwhile the rainmaker also turns his magic on the girl, and persuades her that she has a very real beauty of her own. She believes it, just as her father believes the fellow can actually bring rain. Rain does come, and so does love.

All readings are at 8 PM.
Suggested Donation for Each Reading is $20. Seating is general admission.
Readings held at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA
For reservations and further information,
contact Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433
or visit www.gloucesterstage.org

Community Photos 7/26/13

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
Annisquam – Rainbow & Sunset from Elinor Teele

Hi Joey , Had a great time at Halibut Point picking blueberries with the grandkids , enough to make a pie!

Best, Kathy Slifer

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Check Out These Two Sexy Broads Representing at The Castle Manor Inn!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Anna Pelosi from Dracut, Ma. and our Buddy Susan LaRosa Represent!

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Fish on Fridays

Posted on by Marty Luster

The Fish on Fridays series is a collaboration between Gloucester photographers Kathy Chapman and Marty Luster. Look for various aspects of Gloucester’s centuries-old fishing industry highlighted here on Fridays.

Today starring:

StripedBass

Here is a striper caught off the Cardinal Cushing Villa in Magnolia by Captain Paul Moralli, aboard Cat. Latitude 43 in Gloucester purchased it from Intershell.

The fish was pan seared, skin-on, with bacon, snap peas, corn risotto & crispy fried leeks. This tasty dish was prepared by Chef Mike O’Brien at Lat 43 where it is available in season as a dinner special.

SearedStripedBass Lat43
LatMenu

Photos © Kathy Chapman 2013
kathychapman.com

Video © Marty Luster 2013
slicesoflifeimages.wordpress.com
matchedpairs.wordpress.com

Annisquam Sea Fair

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

The Annisquam Sea Fair will be held on July 27, 2013
Sea Fair- 166th year – Saturday, July 27th–10:00 AM–3: 00 PM
A community-wide celebration
Village Center – Food, Books, Art, Flowers, Plants, T Shirts and the Ship’s Galley
School Yard – Kids’ Games, White Elephant Tables
Village Hall – “The Waxworks” – Annisquam answer to Madame Tussand’s Waxworks.
The Bridge – “Dinner on the Bridge” – open seating – 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM.     Tickets   can be purchased at the Annisquam Exchange
Lighting Of Lobster Cove – 9:00 PM

December 24, 2012 Annisquam Lighthouse

Marsh as Metaphor

Posted on by God's Morning

Rocky Neck Gallery’s Summer Artists Series: Marsh as Metaphor –

New paintings by Brenda Cirioni.

Wednesday, July 24 – Tuesday, August 13, 2013

barbara cirioni 

Marsh: Pool

mixed media on panel

24 x 24

$1600.

Rocky Neck Gallery is pleased to announce the fourth show of the Summer Artist Series featuring artist Brenda Cirioni and her exhibit Marsh as Metaphor.  This dramatic new show opens Wednesday, July 24 and runs for three weeks until August 13.  Meet Brenda Cirioni and learn about her intriguing creative process at an artist’s reception on Saturday, July 27 from 5-7 PM.  

Cirioni’s paintings, consisting of mixed media on panel, are energetic, thought provoking and beautiful depictions of nature.  This new series is inspired by her family home burning to the ground when she was sixteen.  While touching upon utter destruction, her paintings are celebratory, bursting with color and regeneration. 

In this series she explores the tension between nature and the elements.  Her work is about the power of transformation within nature and within us.  Cirioni paints the background composition, then draws, splatters and drips with acrylic ink and paint creating a surface rich with texture, color and movement.  She enlarges on the composition with torn paper scraps, feathers, fiber and other debris.  Her method of layering and juxtaposing disparate materials draws attention to the multiplicities and mysteries of nature and life.

Please join us and meet Brenda Cirioni on Saturday, July 27th from 5-7 PM for a reception.  Hear her talk about her work and process around 6 PM.  Delicious refreshments will be served.  Rocky Neck Gallery is located on 53 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester.  The hours are: Sunday – Wednesday: 11 AM – 6 PM, Thursday – Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM.  Free parking is available.

 

Holy Canoli Batman!! Sista Felicia’s Cookbook Now Kickstarter Staff Pick!!!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Check It!!!! http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/food?ref=sidebar

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Beautiful Message for Felicia From FOB Hannah Kimberley

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

In helping Felicia with her Kickstarter Program to raise money to publish her first cookbook, Good Morning Gloucester FOB Hannah Scialdone Kimberley sent the following release to the National Italian American Foundation ~

Hi, my name is Hannah Scialdone Kimberley, and I am a resident of Gloucester, MA. I grew up with my grandparents in Virginia, who inspired so much Italian American pride in our family. One of the greatest gifts my grandfather gave us was the publication of his 1987 cookbook, A Neapolitan Peasant’s Cookbook, which not only left us with a wonderful collection of recipes, but also educated others and us about what it means to come from Italian Heritage and live in America. What started as a gift to his family, my grandfather’s book gained local and national recognition. In fact, his book was selected as one of 17 books on the National Italian American Foundation’s reading list during a conference at the Smithsonian Institution on life in an Italian village.

My grandparents have passed on, but their traditions remain with me. I now live in Gloucester with my family, and I came across a story so similar to my grandfather’s, that I am compelled to bring it to your attention. A local woman in our town, Felicia Ciaramitaro, has written a cookbook that includes recipes passed down for generations. Like my grandfather, she met with her family members and learned their recipes – often stopping them half way through the cooking process to actually measure how much a relative’s “handful” amounted to so that she could record precise measurements for their previously unrecorded recipes. Without my grandfather, our family recipes and traditions would have been lost. I am betting the same goes for the Ciaramitaro family.

While I am not related to the Ciaramitaro family, I believe that Italian cultural preservation is more important now than it ever has been for the national Italian American Community. In the face of atrocious stereotypes created by programs such as “The Jersey Shore” and “Housewives of New Jersey,” it is up to us to keep our culture not only alive, but also maintain it in a positive public light. From her Kickstarter Page Sista Felicia’s Kitchen and her write-up in our local blog, Good Morning Gloucester, it seems that all Ms. Ciaramitaro needs is more publicity and support to keep yet another positive Italian American tradition alive for all of us.

I am asking that you highlight her story on your Facebook Page and/or website, so that your fans might know more about “a unique & colorful cookbook that will bring to life lost recipes & traditions from Ms. Ciaramitaro’s Sicilian kitchen to yours.” These recipes are Felicia Ciaramitaro’s “Gifts of Gold,” which she has written for us all.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, and for all that you do for keeping Italian American culture and heritage alive and well in our country.

Best, Hannah Scialdone Kimberley

Gloucester, MA

BEAUTIFUL LETTER Hannah! Thank you for sharing!

Please if you are reading this, take Hannah’s advice and “highlight her story on your Facebook Page and/or website, so that your fans might know more about “a unique & colorful cookbook that will bring to life lost recipes & traditions from Ms. Ciaramitaro’s Sicilian kitchen to yours.” These recipes are Felicia Ciaramitaro’s  “Gifts of Gold,” which she has written for us all.”

Amanda, Felicia, Pat Ciaramitaro.

Amanda, Felicia, and Pat

Mimosa Tree

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Wednesday I visited an extraordinary garden in Marblehead. Amongst the many specimens of unusual trees that are not widely grown in our region, which are growing in this sheltering tree-garden, was one of my very favorites, the stunning Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin f. rosea). Although the Mimosa Tree is not indigenous (it is native to southwestern and eastern Asia), the blossoms are a rich source of nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and several species of swallowtails.

Mimosa Tree ©Kim Smith 2013

Mimosa Tree ~ Albizia julibrissin f. rosea

James Eves and BJ Mohan ~ Stonewashed Versus Mesh?

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

I like them both–what do you think?

James Eaves BJ Mohan ©Kim Smith 2013James Eves and BJ Mohan

Rolling Stone’s Guitar God Plays Shalin Liu on August 2nd

Posted on by Vickie & Peter
Kaki King

http://youtu.be/AwkyDyyFrIc

KAKI KING

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Kaki King is a true iconoclast, a visionary musician/artist whose singular work rightly stands out amongst the easily formatted.  Over her decade-long career thus far, the Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer has recorded five extraordinarily diverse and distinctive LPs, performed with such icons as Foo Fighters, Timbaland, and The Mountain Goats, contributed to a variety of film and TV soundtracks (spanning Golden Globe-nominated work on Sean Penn’s Into The Wild to scoring – and appearing in as guitar-playing hand double – the acclaimed 2007 drama, August Rush), and played to ever-growing audiences on innumerable world tours.  Each twist and veer marked the turning of a page, another step forward on a truly exceptional musical path.  Beginning with 2002’s Everybody Loves You – to date, her only fully acoustic guitar recording.  Best known for her percussive, virtuosic take on string instruments, Brooklyn-based guitarist-composer Kaki King has expanded and reconceived the role of the solo instrumental artist, constantly kicking at the boundaries of what is expected. For her solo performance, she brings a collection of several rare instruments, including a harp guitar, a dojo, a hybrid between a guitar and koto that King made herself, and, of course, her custom Ovation Adamas guitar.

“Her command of the guitar creates a unique listening experience that explores every raw emotion.”
-Paste Magazine

“Guitarist Kaki King’s rightful place is among kings of the strings.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Kaki King has never been just a guitarist. While her immaculately picked guitar remains the centerpiece, she creates immersive, organic and cinematic compositions.”
–Relix

Rockport Music Shalin Liu Performance Center
Friday, August 2 @ 8pm

British Choir sings Concert Monday July 29 @ St. John’s Episcopal Church

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

The Choir of St. Mary’s Church from Maldon, in the County of Essex, in the United Kingdom, will sing a concert program of British classics including music of Britten, Stanford and William Byrd on Monday, July 29, at 7 p.m. at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, 48 Middle St Gloucester. There is free parking at 33 Washington St. The public is welcome, there will be a free will offering. 978.283.1708

The Choir of St Mary’s, Maldon, is a mixed choir of adults and children which leads the worship Sunday by Sunday. The ethos of the choir is rooted in the rich tradition of Anglican Choral music but also draws heavily on continental experience, singing music from the sixteenth century to the present day. Formed, in its present guise, in January 2008, the choir has gained an enviable reputation both in the UK and around the world. They are now recognised as one of the best choirs in the Diocese of Chelmsford and receive frequent invitations to sing at special services and concerts in Chelmsford Cathedral and in parishes throughout Essex.

The choir’s first CD, A Maldon Christmas, was issued in 2009 and a second is currently in preparation. The choir gives an annual liturgical performance of Bach’s St John Passion on Good Friday, accompanied by professional original instrument ensemble, Spiritato. This moving event, complete with homily by the Bishop of Chelmsford, sees the church packed to capacity, with standing room only.

Touring is an important part of the choir’s schedule. Besides touring in the UK, they have sung in Germany and several times in Italy. This is the choir’s first trip across the Atlantic and they are delighted to be visiting their sister town of Malden, Mass., to which, along with the Parish of St Paul, they are extremely grateful for the kind hospitality they have received.

15+ Things to do on a RAINY DAY & a classic video

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Visiting Gloucester?  Have friends in from out of town?  You’re probably complaining to yourself that the weather isn’t cooperating, right?  Not to worry!  There’s lots to do in Gloucester and Cape Ann when the weather is lousy.  Just be glad you’re not on Cape Cod, where there really isn’t much to do except go to the beach.

Just to see what he’d say I asked a friend, who grew up in Gloucester and now lives in NYC (owns a bar and writes for a New York Time Blog) why would New Yorkers come here instead of Cape Cod.  Here’s the mini rant he wrote back:

Gloucester is a place for culture now, just like it was in the 1800s and 1900s. Contemporary culture is actually at its best here, maybe more so than any Mass city other than Boston and Cambridge.  Where else can you buy fresh caught fish, see a great play, hear Henri Smith play a bar or watch the Met opera in 3D, attend a reading by a national author, eat lobster in the rough or a 3-star style meal, hike, jump quarries, dive off rocks into the ocean (there are no rocks on Cape Cod), mountain bike, drink a $2 beer in barroom full of fisherman, see the most beautiful boats in the world, go to a world class museum, etc etc. 

You nailed it Ray!  Below the video, we’ve listed another 15 things you can do on a rainy day.  Just be glad you don’t live in England, where you wouldn’t expect the sun.  As John Lennon put it in the Beatles classic, “I Am the Walrus”:

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun.
If the sun don’t come, you get a tan
From standing in the English rain.

SEE 15 RAINY DAY IDEAS BELOW VIDEO:

Glazed – Paint Your Own Pottery & Glass Fusing
184 Washington St
Gloucester MA 01930
Phone    978-283-5751

Cape Ann Lanes
53 Gloucester Avenue
Gloucester, MA 01930-2256
(978) 283-9753

Cape Ann Art Haven
 180B Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-283-3888

Gloucester Cinema
74 Essex Avenue (Rte. 133)
Gloucester, MA 01930
(978) 283-9188

Cape Ann Museum
27 Pleasant Street
Gloucester, MA

Maritime Gloucester
23 Harbor Loop
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-281-0470

Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House
75 Eastern Point Boulevard
Gloucester, Mass. 01930
Tours on the hour. Last tour at 4:00 p.m.

Cape Ann Foodie Tours
617-902-8291

Cape Pond Ice – Ice House Tour
104 Commercial Street
Fort Point Wharf
Gloucester, MA
978-283-0174

Ryan & Wood Distilleries
15 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA
978-281-2282

Sargent House Museum
49 Middle Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
(978) 281-2432

Rocky Neck Art Colony
Rocky Neck
Gloucester, MA

Cape Ann Community Cinema
21 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-309-8448

Shop Locally!

Live Music – At over a dozen locations

SATURDAY at the Rockport Farmers Market!

Posted on by S.D. Kelly

BN7kmniCIAEz3hAExciting times coming up this Saturday! We have the Cape Ann Waldorf School joining us to offer a fun, food-related activity for kids. And we also have Alek Razdan, who is just an amazing musician, playing a set or two for market-goers. Wally’s Blackburn Bistro will be on hand with coffee to jump start your morning (or afternoon), and Sea Biscuit Bakery is back with their amazing bread and granola. And those are just a few of the amazingly delicious items on offer this week! Don’t forget to pick up fresh produce from Mike of First Light Farms. He manages to bring beautiful produce week after week, no matter the growing conditions. We’re so happy that Mike, along with our other hard-working vendor — all of whom offer delicious, high quality items — are a part of the Rockport Farmers Market!

p.s. After selling out the first week they went on sale, reusable Rockport Farmers Market totes are back! Pick up yours this weekend at the market and fill it with good things to eat…


 Vendors

Seaview Farm

Prides Osteria

Sullivan’s Sugarhouse

Ma’s Tomato Marmalade

First Light Farms

Home Grower’s Wheelbarrow

Rockport Festivals Market booth

Batter Up Bakery

Sea Biscuit Bakery

Wally’s Blackburn Bistro

 

Musician

Alek Razdan

 

Children’s Activity

Cape Ann Waldorf School

August Theatre Camp for Kids at the YMCA

Posted on by Matthew Green

 

If your little ones couldn’t make it to the July theatre camp, there’s another once coming up!  They’ll have fun and discover their own creativity and talent for theater!august ymca kids theatre– Matthew Green

 

Sail GHS Summer Sailing Clinics

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Hi Joey,

I’m sure you have seen the kids on the Sail GHS Team out in the harbor having a great time racing in all weather throughout the year.  During the summer months, they are offering Summer Sailing Clinics in their

new, C 420 sailboats and even in their newly acquired Laser!  Level II Sailing Coach, Guy Fiero is at the helm and with assistance from his very, dedicated team of volunteers.  This is the biggest bargain for sailing on Cape Ann at  ONLY $85 per week, Monday through Friday 8 – 11:30am.  Five days a week and still time in the afternoon to hit the beach!  Kids with some sailing experience ages 10 and up are welcome.  Classes meet at Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center and there is no need to pre-register!  Just bring yourself, your friends, and your life jackets if you have them.  Sailors should arrive promptly at 8:00 am as space is limited.  Discounts available. 

All proceeds from this ongoing fundraiser go to Sail GHS, a non-profit organization to help defray operating costs and provide the youth of Cape Ann and beyond with this wonderful sailing opportunity!

Please contact sailghs@yahoo.com or Guy Fiero at 978-290-7894 with any questions.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Becca Campbell

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You’ve been Hearing About It For 2 Years- Sista Felicia’s Cookbook Kickstarter is Finally Live!!!!!!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Click here to check it out and reserve yours

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Check out the video and reserve your copy today!!!

A unique & colorful cookbook that will bring to life lost recipes & traditions from my Sicilian kitchen to yours. My Gifts of Gold!

Funds raised through Kickstarter will allow me to realize the first step in my dream of publishing a series of four cookbooks that includes recipes and stories I learned growing up in a Sicilian family. When I became a mother of twins, I was compelled to collect the stories and the recipes I felt were being left behind because I wanted my children to be raised with all the same traditions and rich cultural heritage I had experienced.

What started out as a gift for my children quickly evolved into a hardcover 250 plus page restoration of Sicilian culture and foods. Through my cooking videos onGoodMorningGloucester.org and Media Program Network (MPN), a demand has developed for a text copy version of all my recipes so they may be shared with others within my community and beyond.

My first book is ready for print; it is written, is loaded with photographs, and awaits funding. Monies raised will pay for current  expenses related to editing, book design and layout, photography, and publication.

With your help, Kickstarter will enable me to bring my passion for all things Sicilian to your kitchen to share with your loved ones. This book embodies my commitment to ensure the past is not lost but is forever saved for future generations.