Month: May 2026

Rockport Farmers Market 2026 Kickoff and Fundraiser!

Posted on by James Eves

Feather & Wedge in Rockport is generously hosting a Rockport Farmers Market 2026 Kickoff and Fundraiser! Join us Saturday June 6th at F&W (5 Main st Rockport) for yummy appetizers made with ingredients from our vendors and a cash bar which will include a special drink the “Farmer’s Whim” cocktail which will change every week thru the market season using ingredients from our vendors! 

Tickets are $35 there are two sessions 12:30-1:45 and 2:00-3:15.

click here is the link to buy tickets.

2026 Spring  Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios| Experience Art Wear it’s Made

Posted on by James Eves

Cape Ann Artisans Prepare for June Open Studios
Experience Art Where It’s Made!

Gloucester and Rockport, MA.
Spring Tour: Sat & Sun, June 6-7.   10AM-5PM 

The Cape Ann Artisans have laid the groundwork for the Spring Open Studios to be held Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7.  The 2026 brochures are now completed with a suggested route for visitors to drive around Cape Ann over the two-day period.    

With several artisans on sabbatical, the tour includes a manageable twelve studios affording visitors more time with each artisan. Open Studios offer the unique opportunity to see the workings of each maker in an intimate, working environment.  Many of the studios are found in Cape Ann neighborhoods where relatively few people would normally venture.  

Here’s a sampling of what to expect as you follow the map or choose your own route:

Along the Annisquam River, visit with Nina Goodick to see her endearing collection of pottery reflecting her passion for family and community and Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco with a vast selection of sea glass wearable art and garden steppingstones.  Approaching Annisquam, head up Holly Street to find John Abisamra’s tantalizing fine art photographs of nature in all its forms.   Just around the corner, you will find Tina Frassica’s colorful quilts in her studio known as the Art Hatchery.   Take a turn into Annisquam and see Katrina Abbott’s hand-built pottery and hand printed textiles.

Enroute to downtown Rockport, near Pigeon Cove you will find Sara Wright’s Handwoven and Knit Accessories and a demo of her work on the loom.  As you continue toward town, visit with new Artisan, John Bassett in his barn studio featuring exquisite wall pieces of eco-friendly glass  formed using a kiln, glass cutter and wet saw.  John writes in a recent post, “Most of my shapes come from bottles saved by friends and recycled.”

Pam Stratton’s Mosaic studio is just above downtown Rockport.  Here you will find mosaic wall pieces, sculpture, jewelry, and garden art.  Check out her ever-evolving mosaic “tree” and new mosaic QR code.   Leaving Rockport along South Street, turn off to see Rob Diebboll’s oil and watercolor paintings in his delightful studio and beautifully tended gardens.

Following 127A along the coast, you will find yourself in East Gloucester to visit with Cindy Efinger, Jane Keddy, and Kathryn Roberts.   Cindy’s studio is full of surprises – the latest will literally turn your head.  Check out her new living mixed media block sculptures.  Jane, another new artisan will delight you with her textile prints and mixed media. Jane uses natural dyes and fiber reactive dyes working in various techniques including Shibori.  

Just around the corner off of Eastern Avenue, you will find Kathryn Roberts.  Kathryn’s watercolors are a true reflection of all that is treasured on Cape Ann.  In her latest blog, Kathryn shares, “My strong connections to this special place have inspired and challenged me to capture the rugged beauty of its coastline, which began as a child while spending summers at the beach and picnics at Stage Fort Park… I enjoy bringing joy, hope and creating connections with my viewers.”

Brochures are available at the Cape Ann Chamber, via Discover Gloucester, the visitors’ centers, the 128-north kiosk, hotels, inns, and major tourist attractions around Cape Ann.   You can also download the brochure and map from the Cape Ann Artisans website.   While visiting artisans in their studios, you can participate in the grocery gift card drawing and also receive complementary copies of North Shore Magazine and New England Home on a first come, first serve basis.

The full list of Artisans and the new tour route are shown below.  New members are marked with an asterisk.  Read more about each artist in the “From the Studio” blog.

  1. Nina Goodick:  Functional Pottery
  2. Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco: Sea Glass Wearable Art, Garden Stones & Sculpture
  3. John Abisamra: Fine Art Photography
  4. Tina Frassica:  Quilting
  5. Katrina Abbott: Pottery and Textiles
  6. Sara Wright: Handwoven and Knit Accessories
  7. John Bassett: Eco-Friendly recycled glass art*
  8. Pam Stratton: Mosaics, Mixed Media, Eco Printed silk scarves, Jewelry, Sculpture
  9. Rob Diebboll: Oil and Water Color Painting
  10. Kathryn Roberts:  Watercolor Painting
  11. Cindy Efinger: Mosaic and Sculpture
  12. Jane Keddy: Textiles, Prints, and Mixed Media*

Old Sloop Presents The Black Feathers w/ Nora Meier to open ~ Saturday May 30th @ 7:30pm

Posted on by Joanne

The concert page is at

The Black Feathers – Nora Meier opens

Here is a video of The Black Feathers covering the Portishead song Glory

Box: https://youtu.be/KCMQKYSZwk4

Wellspring House Dedicates Colorful New Landmark Honoring 30-Year Partnership with Brookwood School

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 ~ Wellspring House ~ 

WELLSPRING HOUSE dedicated a vibrant, handcrafted bench on the grounds of its headquarters at 302 Essex Avenue in Gloucester, marking more than thirty years of partnership with BROOKWOOD SCHOOL in Manchester. The bench, a whimsical, colorful work of functional art designed by artist Claudia Paraschiv and built by The Cornerstone Creative, was inspired by student artwork created during the 2024 celebration of the partnership’s 30th anniversary. It was officially unveiled during Brookwood’s annual first-grade spring planting visit last Wednesday, when students and families gathered at Wellspring to tend gardens, connect with the community, and carry forward a tradition that has shaped young lives for a generation.

The bench is dedicated in honor of three Brookwood educators, whose vision and dedication built the partnership from the ground up: Sarah Dawe, Pam Hawes, and Jeff Wilfahrt. Over more than three decades, they wove Wellspring’s values into the fabric of first-grade learning, crafting year-long curricula, organizing meaningful visits, and nurturing in hundreds of young students the understanding that small acts of generosity can bring great joy.

Wellspring’s mission is to inspire families and adults on the North Shore to achieve employment and financial security through stable housing, education, job training, and career readiness. Across the region, too many parents and young adults are doing everything right and still struggling to get ahead – facing rising housing costs, grocery bills, childcare needs, and constant financial uncertainty. Wellspring meets that reality with coordinated, compassionate support. The new bench, installed overlooking the wildflower garden that Brookwood’s young gardeners have helped cultivate season after season, reflects that same spirit: a space that is genuinely welcoming and restorative for every person who visits – families seeking stability, students arriving to take High Schol Equivalency exams, and individuals working to build more secure futures.

“Wellspring House is deeply grateful for this enduring partnership with Brookwood School,” shared Melissa Dimond, Wellspring’s President and Executive Director. “For more than thirty years, Brookwood’s students have brought their creativity, generosity, and care to everything they do here – tending our gardens, contributing to our community, and helping make this a place where people feel truly welcome. This bench is a celebration of that spirit, and a reminder of what is possible when a community decides to show up for one another.”

The Wellspring House–Brookwood School partnership is one of the longest-running community service collaborations on the North Shore, and one of the most hands-on. For more than twenty years, Brookwood’s first-grade classes have visited Wellspring each spring and fall to plant bulbs and flowers, cultivating the wildflower beds that now frame the new bench. Beyond the gardens, students have decorated holiday stockings for children in Wellspring’s family shelter, assembled “leaving baskets” for individuals transitioning into stable housing, and donated toys, art supplies, and holiday meals, each act of generosity carefully shaped by teachers into something children could carry with them long after first grade ended.

“For more than thirty years, Wellspring House has helped our students understand that service is not something separate from learning — it is learning. Generations of Brookwood students have arrived at Wellspring to plant, create, give, and connect, but they have also left with something lasting themselves: empathy, perspective, and a deeper understanding of community. We are profoundly grateful for this enduring partnership and for all that Wellspring has given to our students and families over the years,” said Jon Bartlett, Head of Schools, Brookwood School.

The bench was designed by Claudia Paraschiv of Studioful Design in Salem, MA, a woman-owned social enterprise rooted in participatory design, the belief that the most meaningful spaces are shaped by the people who will inhabit them, making it a natural fit for a project born directly from the imaginations of Brookwood’s students. Through a hands-on workshop, students were invited to draw and share memories of Wellspring House and reflect on what gives them a feeling of home. “The result was the creation of four symbols: a house for Wellspring’s mission, a tulip for the bulbs the children planted, a butterfly for the pollinators, and a heart for love and community,” Claudia shared.

The bench was brought to life by The Cornerstone Creative, a Gloucester-based nonprofit that uses woodworking and craftsmanship as a vehicle for youth mentorship. That both collaborators work at the intersection of making and community is no coincidence: it reflects exactly the values that have defined the Wellspring–Brookwood partnership for thirty years.

Wellspring House fosters and enhances its grounds with a wild mix of trees and perennials, creating colorful, inviting spaces to rest, relax, and restore. The new bench is the newest expression of that commitment – a place to sit, to breathe, and to feel, however briefly, that the world is a generous place.

Visit wellspringhouse.org to learn more about the range of meaningful ways to engage directly with the North Shore community through Wellspring. From hands-on outdoor work to sharing professional expertise to supporting families during the holidays, each opportunity is well-organized, personally rewarding, and connected to the more than 2,000 individuals and families Wellspring serves each year throughout the North Shore and beyond.

Brookwood’s Lindsay Murphy, Sarah Dawe, Jane O’Connor, Jeff Wilfahrt and Pam Hawes with Wellspring’s Melissa Dimond

Wellspring House Dedicates Colorful New Landmark Honoring 30-Year Partnership with Brookwood School

Surfside Subs TUESDAY LOBSTER ROLL SPECIAL 5/19🚨

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Treat yourself today! 🦞
Our delicious Lobster Roll is just $13.99 + tax and served with chips & pickles! 😍

PLUS our BONUS PIZZA SPECIALS 🍕
🔥 Buy any 18” Pizza & get an 18” Cheese Pizza for ONLY $5
🔥 Buy any 16” Pizza & get a 16” Cheese Pizza for ONLY $5
🔥 16” Pizzas HALF PRICE

📍Perfect day for lunch or dinner!

*Excludes gluten free crusts
*Pizza specials cannot be combined
*Excludes online orders

Osprey Nest Update

Posted on by Pat D

I haven’t posted anything about our LobstaLand osprey pair Annie and Squam yet this season as I am a little bit behind on almost everything! We are pleased to see there are currently 3 eggs in the nest due to hatch at the end of the month. Watching the Essex Greenbelt osprey cam is a particularly fun way to spend time. I appreciate the efforts to keep us updated through blog posts by David Rimmer. Check it out at this link. Here are some screenshots showing Annie on the nest and also Squam sitting as relief. Squam apparently is doing some nest rearranging. I hope Annie approves!

We got this $64 Hummingbird feeder/livecam and it may be the best money we ever spent! Check out the quality of the video from this morning-

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Link on Amazon- https://amzn.to/4nB7cBZ

This video came to me at work because it send you little clips with timestamps when birds come to it!

Here are the features-

  • Live Birdwatching, Anytime, Anywhere: Watch birds visit your bird feeder with camera in real-time with 2K HD video streaming straight to your phone. Whether you’re at home or away, never miss a moment as birds stop by, bringing nature closer than ever. You can even use it as an additional security camera.
  • AI Bird Recognition with Free Trial: Identify 10,000+ bird species with AI-powered recognition. Enjoy a one-month free trial, then continue with a monthly or annual subscription for up to $5 per month.
  • Solar-Powered for Hassle-Free Use: Designed for long-lasting, sustainable birdwatching, HEAPETS smart bird feeder runs on a built-in solar panel, reducing the need for frequent charging. Enjoy year-round operation without worrying about power interruptions. (Wired power is also possible).
  • Smart Motion Alerts & “Bird’s Here” Notifications: Never miss a feathered visitor! Instant app notifications let you know when birds arrive, so you can tune in live or check recorded footage later.
  • Easy Setup & Multi-Mount Installation: No complicated installation needed! Mount it on a tree, pole, or wall in minutes. The spill-proof seed container keeps feeding clean and hassle-free, so you can enjoy birdwatching without extra maintenance.
  • Weatherproof & Built to Last: Designed to withstand all seasons, HEAPETS is rainproof, snow-resistant, and heat-tolerant. Whether it’s sunny or stormy, your bird feeder camera keeps working, ensuring a reliable birdwatching experience year-round.
  • Share Moments with Family & Friends: Save and share your best birdwatching clips with an unlimited number of people. Two users can tune in live at the same time, so you and a loved one can experience real-time bird visits together.

Rocky Neck Cultural Center presents: Rhythm and Rhyme

Posted on by James Eves

The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA

May 22 – June 28, 2026

Opening Reception: Sunday, May 24, 2026, 4-6pm

Gallery Hours: Thursday – Sunday, Noon – 5pm

GLOUCESTER, MA — ROCKY NECK ART COLONY (RNAC) announces the opening of Rhythm and Rhyme, a juried exhibition showcasing work inspired by music or musical lyrics. The structural pattern of music, including melody, harmony, tempo, and texture, has long been a muse for the visual arts. A song’s lyric quality may also evoke powerful imagery and stir the imagination. The works in this exhibit represent the full range of musical inspiration, from highly literal responses to deeply emotional.

Please join us at the Opening Reception of Rhythm and Rhyme on Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 4-6pm. Experience the collection, meet the artists, and enjoy an afternoon of refreshments and lively conversation.

The Artists

Willie Alexander, Stephen Bates, Marcy Bergeron, David Curcio, Leslie Davison, Dennis Flavin, Gordon Goetemann, Paul Cary Goldberg, Seth Goldfine, Don Gorvett, Don Gropman, Elliott Kaufman, Alison Landoni, Helene Levin, Eileen Mueller, Joan Mullen, R. Ellis Orrall, Iku Oseki, Howard Pohl, Marion Powers, Jon Sarkin, Suzanne Ulrich, Juni Van Dyke and James Wickey.

Save the date: The Journey of a Song, music and musings with Dan King and Dave Mattacks, Saturday, June 6, 2026. 

Details to follow.

###

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. On picturesque Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts, RNAC operates three exhibition spaces, open to the public for free, The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson Street); The Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.), a partnership gallery and café; and Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave.), open seasonally in the former gallery of local artists Gordon and Judith Goetemann. Check the website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org, for hours, openings and special events. For more information, see the website or call 978-515-7004.

Cape Ann Animal Aid Pet of The Week

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Meet Jenny! This lovely lady is a local girl, having been surrendered to us early April – though no fault of her own, simply due to her previous family moving and unable to take her with them. Since being under our care, we noticed she has a head tilt, with close monitoring and x-rays we were unable to find out what had caused it. But it doesn’t seem to be affecting her at all – She remains her sweet and gentle self. Jenny is considered special needs because she is FIV+ meaning her immune system is weakened. But with regular vet visits and an indoor lifestyle she has many more years to curl up by your side. She doesn’t seem to mind much, not caring for dogs barking or other cats, she would do well in any home. Adopt today!

Jenny’s fee has been waived in hopes to help her find her forever home!

Apply for Jenny at: capeannanimalaid.org/catapp

BreedSiamese/Mix 
Age6 years 1 month 20 days 
GenderFemale 
SizeMedium 
ColorBeige/Seal 
Spayed/Neutered 
DeclawedNo 
HousetrainedYes 

______________________________________
Cape Ann Animal Aid

Christopher Cutler Rich Animal Shelter
4 Paws Lane
Gloucester, MA 01930

(978) 283-6055

www.CapeAnnAnimalAid.org

www.facebook.com/CapeAnnAnimalAid

Women in Fishing Project

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Share Your Story & Get a $50 Gift Card

Women Connected to the Commercial Fishing Industry

Are you a woman connected to the commercial fishing industry? I’m starting an interview project focused on understanding the vital role women play in commercial fishing.

Who can participate?

You may be eligible if you:

• Women 18 years or older

• Work directly in the commercial fishing industry (on F/V, processing, sales,

administration, etc.)

• OR are connected through a family member (for example, a spouse or parent who

works in commercial fishing)

What does participation involve?

• A one-on-one interview (60 minutes)

• Conducted in person at a time and place that works for you

• Questions about your experiences and perspectives related to the fishing industry

Compensation

Participants will receive a $50 grocery store gift card as a thank-you for their time.

Why participate?

Help bring visibility to the vital role women play in fishing communities. Your story will

contribute to a deeper public understanding of where food comes from—and the people who make it possible.

Confidentiality

All information you provide will be kept confidential. Your name and identifying details will not be shared in any publications or reports.

Interested?

Click this link!