Month: September 2024

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High and Dry…

Eating more Massachusetts grown oysters during September not only offers oyster lovers the opportunity to enjoy oysters at their peak but will also support the grower’s organization. MAA is a non-profit trade association that represents the interests of oyster farmers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Currently, there are over 400 licensed growers in Massachusetts farming more than 1,300 acres producing shellfish with a reported value of over $31 million. 

The fresh and briny taste of oysters represents more than just good food, but a healthy economy and environment. Shucktember is a fund-raising effort for the MAA that benefits from the sales of Massachusetts-grown oysters during the month of September. By supporting the MAA, you are supporting the growth and support of oyster farms from Cape Ann to Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod to  Martha’s Vineyard and all points between! By ordering Massachusetts-farmed oysters during September, you help keep our seafood local and support the 2,000 jobs that are made possible by the oyster farming industry. 

The MAA’s Shucktember fund-raiser relies on the voluntary participation of oyster growers, dealers, and restaurants. Participants are encouraged to contribute 1 cent per oyster that they sell during the month of September. The funds from Shucktember will support the MAA’s initiatives to address problems that impact the oyster farming industry and its community members in Massachusetts. According to the MAA President, Seth Garfield, “We’re not only moving into the time of year when Massachusetts oysters are at peak condition but purchases of Massachusetts oysters during Shucktember provides customers with the added benefit of supporting Massachusetts oyster growers through our growers voluntarily contributing a portion of their sales to the MAA”. 

As the frenetic activity of the summer months slows down, show your support by buying and ordering oysters from our partner farms, businesses, and restaurants. Eating more Massachusetts farmed oysters during Shucktember is a delicious way to support MAA’s work on behalf of the Commonwealth’s shellfish growers. Created by MAA, Shucktember was inspired  by Ben Lloyd, of Pangea Shellfish and Massachusetts Aquaculture Association member, we hope to gain your support and make this year our most successful year to date! 

Fast Facts:

• In 2023, over 50 million oysters were produced in the state annually generating more than $31 million in farm sales. 
• The harvesting, sales, and supply chain of oysters supports over 2,000 jobs in the Commonwealth – including the support of businesses in local communities. 
• Oysters are the third most valuable seafood in Massachusetts. 
• The MAA represents 25% of the industry. The MAA works with State and Federal regulators of the seafood industry to keep our water clean, support our growers in times of hardship, and ensure Massachusetts restaurants are serving local oysters. 
• Oysters also provide significant environmental benefit with one adult oysters capable of filtering 50 gallons of water a day. Oyster reefs can “shore-up” the coastline and attenuate waves to decrease storm surges.
• Over the past 5 years, the MAA has helped with Covid-19 related business issues, addressed and supported the implementation of new regulations from the Federal government, and became a partner of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). 
• The MAA works with the DMF to address local issues, guide growers through the grant and permitting application process, and expand the presence of aquaculture in Massachusetts
  • This includes acting as an advocate by working with elected Massachusetts officials to address water quality issues in Buzzards Bay that directly impacts 5 shellfish farms. 

Shucktember is made possible through the support of several farm businesses that include:

Barnstable Seafarms – Barnstable

Billingsgate Shellfish – Wellfleet

Cottage City Oysters – Oak Bluffs

Cotuit Oysters – Cotuit

Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms – Gosnold

Ichabod Flat Oysters – Plymouth

Island Creek Oysters – Duxbury

Merry Oysters – Duxbury 

Padanaram Oysters – Dartmouth 

Pangea Shellfish Company – Boston

Plymouth Rock Oysters – Plymouth

Sandy Neck Oysters – Barnstable

Saquish Oysters – Saquish 

Signature Oysters – Katama

Sweetheart Creek – Yarmouth 

Ward Aquafarms – Falmouth

*The list of participants in Shucktember 2024 is still growing, for more information about MAA  please visit MAAquaculture.org.

Online order at Tock or visit www.sushisanglee.com

In-dining, take out, Delivery.

Every summer, the crew at Felix’s Farm on Lowes Lane (next to Dairy Queen) in Ipswich plants a big and beautiful sunflower field with paths and animals for people to enjoy. And every year, Paul comes up with a new theme for your walkaround. This year’s theme is GRATEFUL. Sage reminders along the path include quotes about gratefulness and it’s a good reminder.

We purchased online tickets (very reasonable) and visited one afternoon this week. We were greeted by Paul’s dad who gave us the intro spiel and then welcomed by Paul. There were other families, couples, and seniors like ourselves in attendance so it’s appropriate for any age range. There are farm animals, camping and yoga activities also available there. It’s a short ride, the tickets are VERY reasonable and there’s more to do than you might expect. But the season is short so make your plans soon!

September 4, 2024 ~ Sawyer Free Library ~ 

Join the Sawyer Free Library on Tuesday, September 10 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm for a moving virtual chat with New York Times bestselling author Garrett Graft, an expert at capturing the human drama. Graff will speak about his body of work with particular focus on his oral histories, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 and When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day. Graff’s work, filled with impressive detail, captures a human drama and history like no other. 

This is a virtual event; for the link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org. If you have questions contact moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium.

Capturing the Human Drama Through History with Author Garrett Graff

Need to fatten these baby’s up for Thanksgiving. Not much meat on them bones…

Boatyard…

CAM Green’s bucolic campus to host expanded Museum programming & six exhibitions from Oct. 2024 to Spring 2026

Free admission, timed tickets & expanded hours aimed to draw more visitors to campus with three historic buildings and contemporary gallery, beginning Oct. 11

Umberto Romano (1905-1982). Still Life, undated.  Oil on canvas.  Gift of The Umberto Romano and
Clorinda Romano Foundation, 2016 [Accession # 2016.087.025]

LINK TO IMAGES (& captions):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3ia0zjqvcvbweioszbcww/AC5nkA4_WPmD6CG8Wlo6Bss?rlkey=2noe6usego3f38vunakst47z4&dl=0

GLOUCESTER, MASS. (September 2024) – The Cape Ann Museum’s CAM Green campus, will soon host a robust offering of exhibitions and programs starting in mid- October and extending throughout 2025.  This shift to year-round access, programs and exhibitions at CAM Green will include expanded weekly hours, free admission, and timed ticketing to welcome more visitors to experience the space while the Museum’s Downtown campus on Pleasant Street closes for extensive renovations.

Beginning Oct. 11 through Spring 2026, CAM Green will become the Museum’s main base of operations.  Admission to CAM Green, which opened in September 2020 and is located off Poplar Street in Gloucester, is always free. To accommodate more visitors with parking and gallery access, timed entry tickets are required and will be available by registering on the Cape Ann Museum website. Museum Hours at CAM Green will be expanded to Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Throughout the pandemic and now as we renovate the Downtown Campus, CAM Green has been a sanctuary, a respite, and a vibrant location for our programming, exhibitions, and a venue for outdoor public art such as the contemporary art wetu celebrating Indigenous history on Cape Ann,” said Museum Director Oliver Barker. “There is a flexibility and vitality to the CAM Green campus which pulls together a large green open space, three historic buildings and a contemporary gallery as part of the Janet & William Ellery James Center”.  Barker further shared that, “…for nearly 150 years, the Cape Ann Museum has created opportunities for people to explore, build community, be challenged, and inspired through discovery and learning. The Museum is excited to continue this commitment and engage the community at CAM Green.”

Next year, in addition to spearheading the organization of now signature community offerings such as Gloucester’s So Salty (Jan. 25-26, 2025); Gloucester Juneteeth Festival (June 14, 2025); and Brazilian Independence Celebrations (Aug. 24, 2025) the Museum will utilize the CAM Green campus for other signature events such as Indigenous Heritage Day (July 19, 2025) and an Outdoor Cape Ann Student exhibition (April 12- June 29, 2025). 

Within the James Center at CAM Green, the Museum will launch a series of mission driven exhibitions celebrating the art, history and culture of Cape Ann as a singularly unique place.  Details of the exhibitions planned from October 2024 through Spring 2026 are outlined below.

2024 exhibit at the James Center:           

Umberto Romano

October 11 – December 29, 2024

While Cape Ann’s art colony of the mid-20th century was best known for the traditional seascapes and landscapes created by artists such as Emile Gruppé, Frederick Mulhaupt and W. Lester Stevens, there was a group of more progressive men and women working in the area at the time and foremost among them for nearly 20 years was Umberto Romano (1905-1982).

A painter, printmaker and sculptor, Romano came to Gloucester in 1932 to paint.  He was soon conducting classes on Rocky Neck and in 1938 he opened the Romano School of Art on Ledge Road in East Gloucester.  Romano’s style shifted continuously throughout his career but his passion for exploring the human condition is a thread that runs throughout his work.  The Cape Ann Museum is fortunate to have an extensive collection of his works on canvas and on paper, as well as archival materials, all of which will be the focus of this special exhibition.  Romano’s skill as a teacher was renowned and will be honored through a robust offering of studio classes for all ages in painting and drawing during the course of the exhibition.

2025 exhibits at the James Center:                                                    Portrait of a Sculptor:  Walker Hancock & Michael Lafferty. 
January 11 – March 30, 2025 

Walker Hancock was one of the premier American sculptors of the 20^th century and a highly engaged and respected member of the Cape Ann community.  Michael Lafferty is a skilled photographer who spent hours photographing Hancock in his Lanesville studio, creating a series of intimate portraits of the sculptor at work.  This exhibit will combine the work of Lafferty and Hancock.

Breath of Life:  The Circle of Fisk Organ.  
April 12 – June 29, 2025

Music has been—and continues to be—an important part of life on Cape Ann.  This display will explore the intersection of music and art by focusing on Gloucester based C. B. Fisk Organ makers and some of the artists who worked with them over the decades to create and manufacture organs for institutions around the world. 

Under Sail:  The World of Photographer Ernest L. Blatchford. 
July 12 – September 28, 2025

Gloucester’s great age of fishing under sail was captured in stunning photographs by Ernest L. Blatchford (1871-1947) during the late 1890s and early 1900s.  As the long-time manager of the New England Fish Company on Duncan’s Point, Blatchford had a front row seat to Gloucester’s busy working waterfront while his involvement in the Cape Ann Camera Club allowed him to hone his skills as a photographer. Blatchford’s images will be accompanied by select objects from the Museum’s maritime collection, including some of our finest models of Gloucester’s famed fishing schooners.  

Hammers on Stone – The Granite Industry & Cape Ann. 
October 11 – December 28, 2025

From 1830 to 1930, the granite quarrying industry had a profound impact on Cape Ann’s economy, providing jobs, generating revenue and helping to lay the foundations upon which this nation grew.  The industry also exerted strong influences on Cape Ann’s cultural scene resultant from immigrants flooding into the community to work stone.  Objects and archival materials from the Museum’s granite-related collection will spotlight this important industry and its enduring legacy.

A contemporary art exhibition, Cape Ann Now!, is also being planned for early 2026.

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The Cape Ann Museum, founded in 1875, exists to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum’s Downtown campus is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming thousands of local, national, and international visitors annually to its exhibitions, programs and community led events. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the fisheries and granite industries, four historic structures, a Library & Archives and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. In Summer 2021, the Museum opened the 12,000 square foot Janet & William Ellery James Center at the Cape Ann Museum Green. This campus is located on the site at the intersection of Washington and Poplar Streets in Gloucester and will be open year-round beginning in October 2024.  

The Cape Ann Museum’s Downtown campus is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. General admission is $15.00 adults, $12.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors, and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. Cape Ann residents can visit for free on the first Friday (from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and second Saturday (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) of each month. More information can be found on www.capeannmuseum.org or please call (978)283-0455 x110.

SCHOONER ADVENTURE – THE FLAGSHIP OF GLOUCESTER

Join us as we celebrate 98 years of Adventure!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, FROM 4 – 7PM

Enjoy delicious lobster rolls, nibbles & libations during this special 3 hour sail

Tickets $98

Proceeds go towards the 2025 vessel preservation efforts. Join us as stewards of this National Historic Landmark. To purchase tickets for this and all sailing events . . .

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

978-281-8079 info@schooner-adventure.org

23 Harbor Loop Gloucester, MA

Machaca will be closed for just a few days. Saturday September 7th – Tuesday, September 10th. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Open Wednesday, September 11th at 4:30pm.

Machaca

Tacos & Tequila

14 Rogers St, Gloucester, MA

Another beautiful day done. Love where you live.

The amazing David Calvo submits the following information. Reach out to him if you are interested: (Spoon making is tomorrow!)

I hoping you can submit this to GMG for my upcoming workshops this fall. I have a poster and two videos The spoon making is for this Saturday and the second video is for my fall workshops. 

Warm Regards,

David Calvo

www.davidcalvo.com

235 East Main St. Gloucester, MA 01930

Tel. 978-283-0231