Last Saturday (7/11/2026), we were invited to watch the Parade of Sail with about 60 vessels celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, from a 25th floor apartment on the Boston waterfront. Cape Ann was well represented by our local schooners and past participants in Gloucester’s annual Labor Day Schooner Festival. They included: Adventure, American Eagle, Ardelle, Bluenose II (Nova Scotia), Columbia, Denis Sullivan, Ernestina-Morrissey, Fame, Harvey Gamage, Isabella, Lewis H Story, Lynx, Malabar II, Pride of Baltimore II, Thomas E Lannon, Tyrone, and When and If. Here are some of the vessels we watched.
USS Constitution, a 305′ Frigate, led the Parade of about 60 vessels, issuing cannon salutes.US Coast Guard Eagle, a 295′ Barque and one of the 20 Tall Ships, was second in the all-day procession.Followed immediately by Gloucester’s Adventure, and New Bedford’s Ernestina-Morrissey.Esmeralda (Chile) and Dar Mlodziezy (Poland), being escortred in from the Outer Harbor by tugs.Esmeralda closer up. She is a 371′ Barquentine naval training ship, based in Valparaiso.Kalmar Nyckel is a replica of the armed merchant ship that founded New Sweden (Delaware).Naval cadets on the yardarms of BAE Gayas (Ecuador), a 257′ Barque, preparing to turn and dock.Gorch Fock (Germany), a 292′ Barque passing Logan Airport, entering the Inner Harbor.Sagres (Portugal), a 293′ Barque, passing schooner Bluenose II (Canada) in the Inner Harbor.
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On Tuesday, the skies were an odd color yellow. The Canadian Wildfire smoke descended from the Great Lakes to New England. The air quality is not good, and it looks creepy.
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A new initiative led by the American Craft Council
National Craft Open Studios Weekend is a first-of-its-kind, nationwide celebration that invites the public into the creative spaces of craft artists across the country. This two-day event will offer guests a rare glimpse into the processes, tools and inspiration that shape how handmade works are made, and provide artists critical support in their sales season.
On Cape Ann, there are four local artisans who will participate – potters Anni Melancon-Hughes, Dogtown Studio Pottery and Nina Goodick, Annisquam River Pottery (Gloucester) and re-cycled glass artist John Bassett (Rockport) and Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco, Cape Ann Designs (Gloucester) who works in sea glass. All of these makers have been or are currently part of the Cape Ann Artisans. Here on Cape Ann, all artists will be open 12-5 except Ganim-DeFalco’s Cape Ann Designs studio which will be open 1-6PM.
For those interested in attending on Cape Ann or throughout the Boston area, there is a map on the ACC website will direct visitors to the open studios.
National Craft Open Studios Weekend is presented by the American Craft Council and launches as part of Craft in America’s Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026.
About the American Craft Council:
The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national nonprofit fostering connection through the handmade. Building upon an 80+ year legacy of tradition and innovation as a membership-based nonprofit, ACC leverages the transformative possibilities of craft through storytelling, resources for artists and appreciators, and events. In partnership with organizations across the country, we mobilize our diverse craft ecosystem to create a world where objects matter, makers thrive, and craft connects.
WHEN:
July 18-19, 2026
All studios open 12-5 except Cape Ann Designs which is open 1-6PM.
WHERE:
Nationwide!
TICKETING INFORMATION:
Attendees can register for the weekend and see the map of participating artists at craftcouncil.org. Tickets are pay what you can, starting at $10.
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We can release our stress and receive positive vibrations together by singing and dancing so we can each feel the love and deep spiritual healing of kirtan music. Help me welcome to Cape Ann these profoundly talented musicians singing and playing their heart songs … kirtan style! A precious spiritual practice of chanting, dancing and story telling, maybe even a joke or two thrown in for good measure. We never know what will percolate up from Shubal’s heart and flow lovingly to be shared by all who are present to receive. Open to the public…. Limited tickets so be sure to get your tickets in advance. Tickets will also be available at the door if room permits. Floating Lotus has a beautiful and rather large open space and welcomes us also to enjoy shopping before or after. Feeling blessed and fortunate to host my dear friends Shubal and Jason….. A dream that is about to bloom ever so graciously into fruition. I am so happy to share this opportunity with our wonderful community here on Cape Ann. Thank you also to Justin, Karen (owners of Floating Lotus, and to my family for supplying us with some healthy snacks and of course some sweet treats! 🪷🙏🥰🕊️💫🌍May peace and love prevail.
Wendy Rose
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Artists in the city and beyond are invited to propose events, public art displays, and community programs that celebrate the culture of Gloucester. The Harbortown Cultural District has set aside $4,000 to fund these cultural programs within the walkable downtown district during the event. Applications opened on June 23 and are rolling through September 30 or until all the funds are distributed. For more details, eligibility requirements, and the online application form, please visit:
Tickets are now on sale for The Addams Family Musical, that will be performed by the Annisquam Village Players, one of the oldest community theatres in the country, Aug. 4-9, 2026, at the Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard St., Gloucester. Shows start at 7 p.m.
Directed by Terry Sands and Tracie Ewing, the show is based on the TheNew Yorker magazine, single-panel comic series by Charles Addams, which ran in the magazine from 1938 to his death in 1988.
The show takes place in the Addams’ crumbling old Central Park mansion, alive with dark shadows and generations of dearly departed ancestors who simply won’t depart. When teenage daughter, Wednesday, invites her new boyfriend and his painfully “normal” parents to dinner, what could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit.
As the boyfriend’s tidy, conventional family steps into the Addams’ gloriously morbid world, tensions rise faster than a ghost through the ceiling. Personality clashes spark chaos, dinner threatens disaster, and the evening takes a shocking turn when it becomes known that the young couple are engaged to be married.
Cue the mayhem.
Between the devotedly macabre and tango-dancing Morticia and Gomez Addams – along with their intense teenage children, an eccentric Uncle Fester, a 102-year-old grandmother (who may have outlived reason itself) and a hulking, chiseled butler, called Lurch, who speaks only in heartfelt grunts and groans – the stage is set for comic catastrophe. But in a good way!
And yet—through zombie ancestors, slapstick torture, and morbid humor — love finds a way. By the show’s end, both families discover that “normal” is relative… and that love conquers even the most haunted hearts.
For more information, visit online at AnnisquamVillagePlayers.com. Get your tickets today. It’s going to be a great show!
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Pat D’s Photos will be at the St. Paul’s Church Craft Fair on Washington Street Saturday July 18 from 9-3. Stop by (inside) and say hello! Show special: 2 nightlights for $50 …. a 10% discount. (*must purchase at least 2 for this pricing*). Our schedule at 44 Main St this week is a little wonky due to our trips to see Sail Boston. We’ll be open 11-3 Friday July 17 and 11-3 Sunday July 19 in addition to the St. Paul’s Craft Fair.
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Another big week of shows and fun and World Cup Soccer at The Cut!
Wednesday we have our first Speed Dating Event, hosted by Sips & Sparks! Discounted tickets are available now! Event check in is at 6:30pm, speed dating starts at 7pm.
We will also be opening a couple hours early on Wednesday for the Argentina vs England World Cup Semi Final game at 3pm.
Friday we’ve got the 7th installment of Dead to the Core’s residency at The Cut. If you haven’t caught one of these incredibly innovative and high-energy evenings of reimagined Grateful Dead music, you’re missing out! There are still some tickets available. Doors at 7pm. Show at 8pm.
Judes & The Hutch will be live in the restaurant from 7pm – 10pm. No Cover.
Saturday is Zane Christopher & The Alchemists – Expect a night of Indie Rock, Americana, stories, summer nostalgia, and the kind of songs that feel like driving with the windows down on the North Shore. Tickets are still available. Doors at 7pm. Show at 8pm.
DJ Vito will also be throwing it down in the restaurant starting at 9pm. No Cover.
World Cup Third Place Match will be on at 5pm Saturday as well!
SundaySessions kick off at noon. We will have 50 cent wings and FREE pool but no live music this week as the World Cup FINAL will be on at 3pm.
Then stay and dance with DVinci Soul! This All Ages dance party will feature your favorites from Barry White, Earth Wind & Fire, Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Tammi and more! There are still tickets available. Doors at 5pm. Show at 6pm.
BRAVO2 is serving their killer Detroit Style pizzas along with a full menu of other delicious salads, sides, and mains. Come on by and check them out! Updated hours are below. Their current hours are: Wed 5pm – 9pm (this week opening at 3pm for World Cup Semifinals) Thu 5pm – 9pm Fri 5pm – 10pm Sat 5pm – 10pm Sun 12pm – 9pm Closed Mon & Tue
Good Morning Gloucester 