Super special offers September 24 Holland America Cruise Ship and Trails&Sails

How exciting that  Holland America  and Trails and Sails are coming to Gloucester and Cape Ann this weekend! There are many special offers and events to help welcome visitors. This will be the second of three big cruise ships coming into port this month to Cruiseport Gloucester. It won’t leave Gloucester harbor till 11PM.  Last time I expected sight seeing, museum visits and shopping as reasons passengers disembarked. They did that. If you go by the clicker counter, 844 (give or take another hundred), plus 650 who pre-booked excursions, came ashore.

I was surprised by how many passengers from a seemingly all inclusive cruise opted to take a whale watch trip and dine out. They did that, too. I’ll report back fun facts, but today I wanted to post about the special offers and events.

Working TOGETHER to welcome everyone is a beautiful thing. Thanks to the organizers (with a big shout out to Jeanne Hennessey, Joe Ciolino, Kathie Gilson, Peter Webber, Lorre Anderson, Bob Ryan and Elizabeth Carey):

 

 

photo caption: Bob Ryan/CATA, Jeanne Hennessey, Paul Talbot at Cruiseport planning out logistics for Saturday September 24, 2016

CATA created a special map for continuous downtown trolley loops (“frequency is key”) and to Rocky Neck and Rockport. The special pass covers their bus routes. What an incredible deal! They are extending operations until 10PM.  A new addition: Beauport Ambulance Services will be offering a shuttle bus for an Essex/Manchester/Cruiseport route. Kathie Gilson prepared and made hundreds of copies of a lobster roll list (a big common request), special events, and the Gimme Sound music schedule. Kudos to the volunteers, organizations and businesses for their hard work and creativity.

And now for Gloucester downtown Special events and offers. You can click logos to follow links.

CATA public transportation	$3 all day hop on hop off passes for  special routes and all the regular routes
Cape Ann Museum; 27 Pleasant St, 978-283-0455, 10-5pm. Contemporary exhibits and renowned permanent American collection including Marsden Hartley, Fitz Henry Lane, Stuart Davis, Umberto Romano, Paul Manship, John Sloan, Katharine Weems, Viginia Lee Burton, Milton Avery, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer and many more.	Offering $2 discount on our regular admission (currently admission is $10 for adult and $8 for seniors so admission for cruise ships would be $8 and $6 respectively) plus special guided walking tour downtown that features New England architecture Trails & Sails 2016: Cape Ann Museum Evolution of Architecture in Gloucester 10AM
Hammond Castle 80 Hesperus Ave  978-283-2080	One of the most visited attractions in all of Massachusetts, historic Hammond Castle house museum is open 10-4. Guided tours are available  10:30, 12:30, 2:30
Beauport Sleeper McCann Historic House Museum 75 Easter Point Blvd (978)283-0800	Historic New England property Beauport Sleeper McCann is a National Historic Landmark.  Lonely planet selected it as one of the world’s best house museums. Beauport guided tours: on the hour every hour, first tour at 10AM and last tour at 4pm
GLOUCESTER CITY HALL 9 Dale Avenue	City Hall is usually closed on the weekends. Climb City Hall Tower and see the cruise ship in the harbor. Come inside to see the historic WPA murals and more. A group exhibition featuring local artists is on view next door at Sawyer Free Public Library. Cape Ann Museum is also next to City Hall. 12-3 open tours to climb the tower 1-3 Committee for the Arts lecture “Talking Walls of Gloucester” and guided tour for the murals
Gloucester HarborWalk	Award-winning, self-guided downtown walking tour that follows 42 trail markers about Gloucester history, culture and people. Two markers are at Cruiseport. Free smart phone mini tours can be downloaded. Recommended as best bets by New York Times, New York Magazine, Boston Magazine, Boston Globe, and AAA
Gloucester Stage	THE TOTALITARIANS 2pm and 7:30pm
This weekend, The Cape Ann Cinema & Stage will host 8 days of music-related movies and live performances with the third incarnation of a festival dubbed “Fall Into The Rhythm” (FITR).	Indie and feature cinema  2:30PM ::: A TOWN CALLED PANIC: DOUBLE PANIC 4:00PM ::: A TOWN CALLED PANIC: DOUBLE PANIC 8:00PM ::: LIVE MUSIC – AN EVENING WITH PATTY LARKIN
SARGENT HOUSE Museum 49 Middle St 978-281-2432	Special event Saturday! From 3-4PM Sargent House at the Falcon’s Nest of the Hive, Cape Ann Art Haven Art Center, 11 Pleasant Street, Gloucester come for the Sargent House Annual meeting and lecture: “Layers of Women’s Clothing,” An Illustrated Talk from Our Costume and Textile Collection. Followed at 4:15PM by small group costume/textile viewing and refreshments held at Sargent House Museum, 49 Middle Street.
CAPE POND ICE	See 300 pound block ice being made and sculptures being carved. Tours daily. Also group exhibition: Art at the Ice House 3 chances for FREE Historic Ice House tours 11-12 and 1-2 on Saturday and 11-12 on Sunday
MARITIME GLOUCESTER 23 Harbor Loop 978-281-0470 10-5pm	Discover maritime history.
Historic Rocky Neck	The Rocky Neck Art Colony features exhibitions, workshops, residencies and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. Long renowned for its luminous light, this harbor and coastal location has been a magnet for some of the most revered realist paintings in American art and a catalyst for the progressive ideas of artists from Stuart Davis, Marsden Hartley, Milton Avery, and Nell Blaine, among many others. Today Rocky Neck continues to attract artists and art lovers to a thriving creative community.Historic Rocky Neck Trail guided tour
Capt. Bill & Sons Whale Watch 24 Harbor Loop 978-283-6995	Whale Watch Saturday 9/24/16 9:00 & 2:00
7 Seas Whale Watch 63 Rogers St 88-283-1776	Whale Watch Saturday 9/24/16 8:30 & 1:30
Lannon Sails Seven Seas Wharf 63 Rogers St 978-281-6634	Schooner sails: 1-3 & 4:30-6PM Saturday 9/24/16
Gloucester Water Shuttle taxi and Cape Ann Harbor water tours 66 Harbor Loop 978-283-1979	Special water cruises plus shuttle to Rocky Neck
	Annual two weekends taking place in 30+ towns. 150 FREE special events
SPECIAL OFFERS FROM Gloucester (unless otherwise noted) RETAILERS AND RESTAURANTS:	Special offers as of September 22, 2016; additional specials may be available at other businesses. Ask merchants and restaurants for details.
DIVA, 161 Main St., Gloucester	12% off all purchases
Fireflies Boutique, 100 Main St., Gloucester	12% off all purchases
Harbor Goods/Life is Good, 119 Main St., Gloucester	20% off Gloucester tees
Harbor Loop Gifts/Building Center, 1 Harbor Loop (off Rogers Street, behind CVS pharmacy), Gloucester	10% off any purchase
Kids Unlimited, 123 Main St, Gloucester	Take an additional 10% off all summer & winter clearance, already 50%-80% off
Mark Adrian Shoes, 103 Main St., Gloucester	$10 off any purchase of $50 or more
Melody Phaneuf Paintings, 3 Centennial Avenue, Gloucester	Open house at Gallery/ Studio, with wine and cheese, and painting demonstrations. Also offering a 15% discount on art sales State Of The Art Gallery, 18 Pleasant St.: $100.00 off the purchase of any Phaneuf painting there
Premier Imprints, 48 Main St., Gloucester	20% off entire purchase
The Brass Monkey, 85 Main St., Gloucester	Stop by for a “TASTE OF NEW ENGLAND”.  Sample a wide variety of New England specialty foods and explore our two floors of unique gifts, antiquities, clothing, jewelry and much more.
Toodeloos! / Island Art; 142 Main St., Gloucester	10% off entire purchase
Trident Gallery;  189 Main St., Gloucester	free exhibition poster ($25 value) to first 50 visitors
Weathervane; 153 Main St., Gloucester	25% off sweats (excludes Cape Pond Ice)
Restaurant Tonno, 2 Main St., Gloucester	$1 oysters from 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Restaurant Lat 43, 25 Rogers St., Gloucester	pick-up $5 off coupon
Pauline’s Gifts, 512 Essex Avenue, Rt 133,Gloucester (978) 281-5558   Rockport: Sea Bags, 6 Dock Square, Rockport 10% discount on purchases over $50	20% discount off purchases

 

MUSIC
Gimme Sound calendar	Scroll down Gimme Sound for complete listing of live music offerings. Great music this weekend GMG post
Lanesville Music Festival & Dance Party, 8 Vulcan Street, Gloucester. This will be a fun-filled day and night for friends,neighbors, the Cape Ann community, featuring local talent, food, artisans and community partners, with activities for kids and beverages for adults, all supported by enthusiastic Lanesville volunteers.	Festival: non-stop music from 12-to 7:00PM. Admission is by donation.Evening dance party from 8:30PM to 11:00PM featuring King Brown Mattacks and Gates (KBMG). Admission is $10 at the door. Rain or Shine. For full performance schedule visit:www.facebook.com/LanesvilleCommunityCenter.

 

NEW TRANSPORTATION OPTION: Beauport Ambulance Services will be offering a shuttle bus for an Essex/Manchester/Cruiseport route. The cost will be $5.00 per passenger for an all-day pass, which they will be able to purchase from the driver.  Shuttles will depart from Cruiseport on the hour, beginning at 10 AM and concluding at 3 PM, with the last shuttle returning to Cruiseport by 4 PM.  The Essex shuttle stop will be at Woodman’s, 119 Main Street and the Manchester shuttle stop will be at the Library, 15 Union Street. The Chamber writes: “Please note that after 2 PM, passengers will not be able to access the Cruiseport building, due to a wedding taking place there.”

Amazing partnerships surround us; please share with your friends. Good Morning Gloucester, the Gloucester Daily Times, the Cape Ann Beacon, Cape Ann TV and other local media help tremendously in spreading the word for our creative art, businesses, and organizations.

 

Holland America Cruise ship Zuiderdam arrives September 9 2016