Month: May 2023

Gloucester City Hall Closed Due to Small Fire Overnight

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Mayor Greg Verga and Fire Chief Eric Smith report that the Gloucester Fire Department responded to a small fire in City Hall on Wednesday night.
City Hall is closed today. All other city buildings remain open, including the City Hall Annex.
On Wednesday, May 3, at about 11:30 p.m., Gloucester dispatchers received a call from the City’s alarm contractor that a general alarm had been struck at City Hall, 9 Dale Ave.
First-responding crews reached City Hall within minutes. They reported smoke and fire conditions coming from a basement office, bringing multiple additional crews to the scene for critical support.
The fire was reported knocked down by about 11:43 p.m. Fire crews cleared the scene at about 2:06 a.m. Thursday.
No injuries were reported.
No cause has been determined. The investigation by the Gloucester Fire Department, Gloucester Police Department, and the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office remains active and ongoing.
City crews are assessing fire damage in the basement, and possible smoke damage in the remainder of the building.
“The swift response by the Fire Department prevented what could have been a devastating fire,” Mayor Verga said. “Our City departments will be working throughout the day to reopen City Hall as quickly as possible.”
Departments located in City Hall — Archives, City Assessor, City Auditor, City Clerk, Legal Department, Payroll, Personnel, Purchasing, Treasurer-Collector, and the Mayor’s Office – are closed to the public today. Those who wish to conduct business with these departments are asked to contact them by email, or by using appropriate online services through the City website.
More information will be released as it becomes available.

Video: Josh Kariores from Delaney’s Pizza meatball challenge hype video –

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Thursday evening at 6PM the place to be is going to be the St Peter’s club when they are opening their doors to the public for the 1st Ever Meatball Challenge. The first 100 people to donate $10 that night at the door will be able to try a meatball from 10 of Gloucester’s finer chefs. These people will be entered to win a door prize and will be able to vote for their favorite meatball!

I expect a great crowd. The bar will be open and we will be livestreaming the event!

Look for the other contestant’s hype videos.

Sclafani’s – Tonno – Oak To Ember – Minglewood Harborside – Delaney’s – Topside Bistro- Zina Saputo – Richie Baressi – Causeway – Charlie’s Place

Meatball Challenge Ticket Info- ONLY ONE TICKET PER PERSON AND THE PERSON MUST BE PRESENT TO PURCHASE A TICKET!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! Tickets Go on Sale at 5PM at The St Peter’s Club Tomorrow for The Meatball Challenge. ONLY ONE TICKET PER PERSON AND THE PERSON MUST BE PRESENT TO PURCHASE A TICKET! We expect a lot of people so we won’t be pre- selling and we won’t be holding tickets for people. The bar will be open so get there and get your ticket Thursday after 5PM.

Video: Anthony Saputo On Behalf Of Zina Saputo meatball challenge hype video

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Thursday evening at 6PM the place to be is going to be the St Peter’s club when they are opening their doors to the public for the 1st Ever Meatball Challenge. The first 100 people to donate $10 that night at the door will be able to try a meatball from 10 of Gloucester’s finer chefs. These people will be entered to win a door prize and will be able to vote for their favorite meatball!

I expect a great crowd. The bar will be open and we will be livestreaming the event!

Look for the other contestant’s hype videos.

Sclafani’s – Tonno – Oak To Ember – Minglewood Harborside – Delaney’s – Topside Bistro- Zina Saputo – Richie Baressi – Causeway – Charlie’s Place

Video: Causeway Restaurant (rightfully busy) meatball challenge hype video

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Thursday evening at 6PM the place to be is going to be the St Peter’s club when they are opening their doors to the public for the 1st Ever Meatball Challenge. The first 100 people to donate $10 that night at the door will be able to try a meatball from 10 of Gloucester’s finer chefs. These people will be entered to win a door prize and will be able to vote for their favorite meatball!

I expect a great crowd. The bar will be open and we will be livestreaming the event!

Look for the other contestant’s hype videos.

Sclafani’s – Tonno – Oak To Ember – Minglewood Harborside – Delaney’s – Topside Bistro- Zina Saputo – Richie Baressi – Causeway – Charlie’s Place

‘Here Comes the Sun’ Concert at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport – Saturday, May 13, 7:00 pm

Posted on by James Eves

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport (UUSR) will host a concert featuring Headlands, with  special guest Scarlett Evans Berge.The concert will be held  Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm at 4 Cleaves Street in Rockport.  Doors open at 6:30pm. 

HEADLANDS, with Amy Rich, John Rockwell, Eric Wilson, George Englis and Kevin Levesque, plays Americana music, exploring the finest elements of rock, blue grass, folk and country. With exciting three-part vocals, they put their stamp on  every musical genre they choose.  A staple of the Cape Ann community music scene, Headlands’  local following  are drawn in by their pitch-perfect harmonies and engaging performances. 

Scarlett Evans Berge is a student at O’Maley Innovation Middle School in Gloucester. She plays piano in her school’s extra-curricular Jazz Band, Innovators, and is involved in school and local theater productions. She recently sang jazz favorites with the Carlos Menezes Quartet and is slated to sing with the Cape Ann Big Band later this spring.

A suggested donation is $20 per person; kids 12 and under are free. All are welcome.  Funds raised will support renewable energy initiatives for the congregation, including a solar panel installation that will generate 161% of the building’s electricity needs.  Ben Mayer of SunBug Solar will be available to answer questions about installing solar panels on your home, business, or congregation before the concert and during intermission. Refreshments will also be for sale.

Fly Me to the Moon, Gloucester Meetinghouse

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

From our friends at the Gloucester Meetinghouse.

FLY ME TO THE MOON-IMAGES FROM THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE WITH NARRATION AND LIVE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT

On Sunday, May 21, at 3:30 p.m., the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation presents a unique program featuring stunning images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, with narration by noted broadcaster Dana Hersey, and live improvised accompaniment by organ maestro Peter Krasinski. Descriptions of the space images were written by Rob Newton, creator of the Cape Ann Cinema. The program opens with the hilarious 1902 silent movie, “Trip to the Moon,” by French director Georges Me̒liès, and is considered to be one of the first science fiction films. The event will be held at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, corner of Middle and Church Streets, and projected on a large screen in the darkened room.  The Foundation specializes in offering family-friendly programs that are not available anywhere else for the entertainment and good of the whole Cape Ann Community.

Launched on December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope, has been sending breathtaking images from deep space that reveal our own solar system beyond Mars, observe new stars as they form from clouds of dust, and determine whether planets in other solar systems may have atmospheres. The most powerful telescope ever built, the Webb, with its 21-foot structure of gold plated mirrors, has been showing us what the universe looked like with light from more than 13 billion years ago.

The program will be narrated by broadcaster Dana Hersey, popular local TV38 host of The Movie Loft and Ask the Manager. Hersey, honored by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2021, has provided introductions to classic movies for the series The Film Detective.

Master theater organist Peter Krasinski will provide live accompaniment to the Webb images and is a favorite with local audiences for his improvisations for silent movies.

Rob Newton, owner of the Cape Ann Cinema and space enthusiast, has researched the Webb images and provided descriptions for each.

Tickets are available online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org or at the door. General seating $25; students with ID $5; children under 12 free.

ABOUT THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION
Founded in 2015, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is dedicated to preserving the landmark building as a civic hub, entertainment venue, and community center. In addition to its work to preserve the historic 1806 Meetinghouse, the GMF is currently raising funds to restore Meetinghouse Green. The GMF has received a $130,000 grant from the Community Preservation Act and a $2,000 grant from the Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program. Other grant applications are pending. Construction that will restore the original elms and landscaping features is scheduled to begin in early fall 2023.

For more information, a full schedule of upcoming concerts and events, and to sign up for the GMF newsletter, visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.

We thank the sponsors of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s 2022-2023 Autumn, Winter, Spring Concert and Event Series:
GUARANTOR: H. Woody Brock, Patricia Roach & Robert Martin, Scobie Ward
PLATINUM: Anonymous, Peter Calkins & Susan Casey, Linzee Coolidge
GOLD: J.J. & Jackie Bell, John & Janis Bell, Karen Bell, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Susan Gray, Andrew Spindler & Hiram Butler
SILVER: JoeAnn Hart & Gordon Baird, Charles Nazarian, Patricia Poore
BRONZE: Beth Graham & William Schulz, Sandra & John Ronan, Holly Tanguay, Sarah Willwerth-Dyer and Michael Dyer
SPECIAL THANKS: Massachusetts Cultural Council, Essex County Community Foundation

 

 

 

Fireside Chat Series – Katherine Sherbrooke MONDAY, MAY 8, 2023 AT 6 PM

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Beauport Hotel Gloucester

Join us in welcoming Katherine Sherbrooke, author of “Leaving Coy’s Hill” and “Fill the Sky.” Sherbrooke is the winner of a 2017 Independent Press Award and finalist for the Mary Sarton Award for Contemporary Fiction and the Foreword Indies Book of the Year. Sherbrooke was a Fireside Chat speaker at Beauport in 2022 with her last book, “Leaving Coy’s Hill.” We are delighted to welcome her back with her new book “The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly.”

“The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly” is a story about the bonds of chosen family, the cost of fame and the enduring strength of love. It will keep you guessing until the last page!

This Author Talk is free admission, food and drinks are available for purchase. Light refreshments will be provided. Event will take place at the Beauport Hotel. RSVP via email Concierge@BeauportHotel.com.

Progress at Stage Fort

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Link to post by Catharine in 2019 for old photos of area https://goodmorninggloucester.com/2019/10/16/sam-novello-asks-gmg-what-happened-to-the-cannons-at-stage-fort-park/

Students from French Guianese school

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

See more information on this group https://www.mvtimes.com/2023/05/01/charter-school-makes-connections-french-guianese-school/

Eyes Everywhere

Posted on by Nichole S.

I’m so thankful for the fact that there are eyes everywhere “on the island.” Finn is nearly 14 and is more often off fishing than not. This morning he woke up at 5:00 a.m. and took off on his bike to make a few casts before school. As is often the case, it wasn’t too long before someone sent a photo of him in search of fish. I love how much he loves to fish. And, I love that people are always looking out for him and keeping eyes on him. “Finn sightings” set my mind at ease.