My View of Life on the Dock
It was a razor thin margin at the finish of the semi finals for the Junior Mens Seine Boat race competition last night (Saturday) but the Salty Seamen and the Apostles won the right to compete against last year’s winner Family Strokes at tomorrow’s finals. More photos tomorrow. Great work teams!
Steven Militello took the flag down in the second competitive round of the Saturday Greasy Pole competition. It was nearly a repeat of Friday night’s events as Ross Carlson (seen here) very nearly got the flag loose but it did not come down with him. This allowed Steven Militello to grab it for the win a few walkers later. More photos tomorrow.
Teams KAOS and The Merger won 2 spots in tomorrow’s final seine boat race for the Men’s title setting up a repeat of last year’s race with ZFG. Quickly posting to meet tonight’s deadline. More photos tomorrow.
The weather was beautiful and as always, the Greasy Pole and the atmosphere was fun.
Fade-out…
From our friends at the Gloucester Meetinghouse
Soupy, thick fog did not deter the Gloucester Police and Gloucester Fire teams from participating in their seine race for bragging rights today (Saturday). Under a light drizzle and under the watchful eye of their counterparts and racing officials, the race was off right on time. The GPD prevailed today and the Fire Department represented well.
One month away- mark your calendars! Countdown to Cape Ann Symphony’s very own Pops concert–a preeminent 400+ celebration– at Stage Fort Park is July 28, 2023. Classical and popular music for all in a spectacular setting!
For Gloucester’s Tablet Rock dedication in 1907, momentous Gloucester Day celebrations, and the city’s 300th, the natural open air ampitheatre of Stage Fort Park and its sweeping vistas beckoned and accomodated thousands for sheer casual delight, open and accessible to all. The Cape Ann Symphony Pops in the Park event echoes this history! On a smaller scale, the city hosts the popular free Antonio Gentile Bandstand Summer Concert Series at Stage Fort Park.
Heidi Dallin shares the details from Cape Ann Symphony:
Celebrate Gloucester’s 400+ at
POPS IN THE PARK
FREE ORCHESTRA CONCERT SET FOR JULY 28 at 8 PM
Cape Ann Symphony has partnered with the Gloucester 400+ to bring Cape Ann’s 70-member professional orchestra to Stage Fort Park for Pops in The Park, a special concert to celebrate Gloucester’s 400+, on Friday, July 28 at 8 PM.
“Over the last 6 months we’ve been raising the funds needed to put the symphony on stage and I am delighted to share that we just reached our goal. We are so appreciative of our corporate sponsors and all the individual donors who contributed to make this marquee event of the 400th celebration a reality! So, save the date of July 28th on your calendar and come join us at Pops in the Park, a glorious evening of symphonic music free to the public.”
Jodi Nedrow-Counihan, CAS board member and coordinator of the Pops event
Set against the majestic backdrop of Gloucester Harbor, this FREE outdoor all ages event will be a special evening of music. The program includes Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture; Anderson’s Selections from Irish Suite; Copland’s Hoedown; William’s Adventures on Earth; A Tribute to Henry Mancini; Tchaikovsky’s Finale of The 1812 Overture and the world premiere of Celebration Overture by acclaimed Gloucester composer Robert J Bradshaw.
“The Pops in the Park Concert on July 28th is a celebration not only of the 400+ years of Gloucester history but of the 70+ years of the Cape Ann Symphony” adds Nedrow-Counihan. The Cape Ann Symphony began in 1952 as a volunteer group of thirty or so individuals calling themselves the “Gloucester Civic Symphony Orchestra”. On July 10th, 1952 the symphony performed their inaugural concert in the Gloucester High School auditorium and wowed the audience of over 800 concertgoers with their performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony.
Today, the Cape Ann Symphony has evolved into an all-professional orchestra of more than 70 members from throughout the New England area with a performance level to rival any regional Symphony in the country. For more than 20 years Maestro Yoichi Udagawa has been the CAS Music Director and Conductor and his artistry and passion have made him an audience favorite. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s Pops in the Park Concert, a preeminent event to celebrate Gloucester’s 400+, is Friday, July 28, 2023 at 8:00 pm in Stage Fort Park, 24 Hough Avenue, Gloucester, MA. Admission to this outdoor concert on the harbor is FREE. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit pops.capeannsymphony.org
*“In 1623, 14 English fishermen set up the first European colony on Cape Ann here in what was then Fisherman’s Field and is now Stage Fort Park. These ramparts overlook the harbor, first built during the Revolutionary War, renewed for the War of 1812, the Civil War and the Spanish American War.”
Alas, those first settlers, sent across the ocean by the Dorchester Company, were unable to live off the sea and these rock-bound fields. They moved a few miles south to what is now Salem in 1626. Then, within a decade, there were enough permanent settlers on Cape Ann to incorporate the town of Gloucester. The first meetinghouse was built on the Town Green in 1642 near what is now the Grant Circle rotary of Route 128. The City set this land aside as a public park in 1898 and its Tablet Rock was dedicated by Henry Cabot Lodge in 1907.“
– David Rhinelander see Gloucester HarborWalk Stage Fort Park marker #42, 2011 photo on marker ©Sharon Lowe.
Reposting history I wrote about Stage Fort Plaque / Tablet Rock:
See also Stage Fort Park then/now photos in prior GMG post
James R. Pringle was designated to write the inscription for the bronze plaque. The execution of the design was by Eric Pape. “The nautical scheme of decorative framework and embellishment was the composite suggestion” of various committees dating as far back as the 1880s. Bronze tribute plaques embedded in Tablet Rock at Stage Fort Park detail the site’s history and were commissioned and unveiled at different times. The monumental and stunning Founders plaque from 1907 on Tablet Rock itself is in fantastic condition. Two DAR plaques were inlaid on the glacial outcroppings past half moon beach on the way to the cannons. The Fisherman’s Field (1934) which I attributed to Harriet Hyatt is so worn it’s nearly indecipherable, though that’s part of its charm**. The plaque compels close inspection, lingering and discovery. It’s a fun family activity for anyone who likes a challenge. For those who want help reading the content, I transcribed it back in 2010. Harriet Hyatt designed the Meeting House Plain plaque across from Cape Ann near Washington and Poplar. – 2015, 2027 **Update 2020: Cape Ann Museum acquired the original drawing for the plaque design in 2020!
Click here to enlarge: transcription of Fisherman’s Field tribute plaque Tablet Rock Stage Fort Park Gloucester MA
Gloucester’s future looks very bright when I take note of the number of participants in these junior level events during Fiesta. How gratifying it is for me who grew up in the midst of Title 9 JUST being adopted, so thank you all so very much for your hard work and efforts. It’s truly inspiring. Here’s some additional photos from last night’s race for the juniors:
It was a show of strength and determination from all 3 Womens teams in the final race Friday night. Defending Champion Backlash, Cape Ann PowOAR, and Rowgue showed us all what a great race looks like. The Rowgue team won the race in the Pinta with members Alexandra Rose, Jenny Davis, Yvette Luyten, Alassandra Russo, Melanie Catanzaro, Karen Conant, Whitney Buckley, Emily Silva, Jaimie Macdonald, Kristina Ribero, Monica Banks (last add due to injury), scuttler Mike Harmon and cos Kristen Burnham. Here’s a view of the event though they don’t do justice to the level of effort and excitement.
If there were to be a theme on Friday’s Greasy Pole Competition, I would have to say it might be “So Close and Yet So Far”. There were a number of near flag grabs last night but Colin Sweet brought the flag to the shore in the second competitive round. Nick Taormina pulled the flag loose but it did come off the pole and it was a stupendous competition by all participants! Here’s just a few from Friday night:
Good Morning Gloucester 