My View of Life on the Dock
Don’t miss out on the Summer Bash!
Thursday, August 27th at Burnham’s Field join us for a morning of free entertainment as we wrap up the summer break! From 9:30AM – 12:00PM there will be sports, arts and crafts, a bounce house and obstacle course, and of course some pizza and ice cream.
We’d love to see you there!
Great staff- Great Regulars- Great Vibes- No Crying
We went down to Boston on Sunday to see the Great Elephant Migration. They are amazing. As you walk down Commonwealth Avenue, the size of these elephants can be seen from a block away. There are 100 elephants of all sizes. Even though it was a little rainy, there were lots of visitors admiring these elephants.
https://thegreatelephantmigration.org/pages/visit
Before Breakfast…
 Happy Tails to Remy and all of our other animals who found their forever homes last month!“He is doing wonderfully – healthy, growing bigger everyday, and just the sweetest and funniest little guy. We’re obsessed with him and he’s very spoiled for toys and adoring fans.” |
| ADORABLE ADOPTABLES |
| ADORABLE ADOPTABLES |
 MEET LIBERTYLiberty, an 8-month-old pup from Puerto Rico is a sweet but shy girl looking for a patient family willing to give her time and space to build confidence at her own pace. Liberty feels happiest around other dogs, who help her feel safe and confident. She loves to play, explore, and learn from her canine friends, so another dog in the home would be a wonderful fit! She’s still learning the basics, including leash walking, and will need gentle guidance as she adjusts. Because of her sensitive nature, Liberty would do best in a quiet home without young children. With patience, stability, and a furry friend by her side, this shy girl has so much potential to blossom! |  MEET STORMY GEORGIAMeet Stormy Georgia, a sweet and affectionate 2-year-old from Georgia. This lovable girl enjoys lounging in sunny windows, making biscuits on cozy blankets, and greeting everyone she meets. After raising a litter of kittens, Stormy is ready for a quieter life where she can relax and soak up all the love she deserves. Stormy is the perfect mix of independent and affectionate. She’s happy to do her own thing but also loves being near her people and would gladly spend her days lounging on the couch or following you around the house. A calm, loving home would be the perfect fit for this easygoing girl! |
| PAW-SOME NEWS |
 |
| NAME YOUR PRICE AND CLEAR THE SHELTER! August is Clear the Shelters Month, and we’re celebrating by helping more of our deserving animals find their forever homes! More than 30 adult, special needs, and extended-stay animals are included in our special August promotion, with “Name Your Price” adoption fees for select animals. That means you choose what you’d like to pay—and we’ll honor it! We’re also adding extra support to help these adoptions get off to the best possible start. All dogs included in the promotion will go home with a $200 training reimbursement plus six months of flea, tick, and heart worm prevention. And our special-needs kitty London will receive one year of insulin provided by the shelter, along with a $200 reimbursement toward veterinary care related to his diabetes. The animals featured here are just a few of the pets included in the promotion! Visit our website to see all of the “Name Your Price” animals and find their promotion details in their bios. Let’s make August the month these wonderful animals find the loving homes they’ve been waiting for! |
 |
| Not looking to adopt right now? Make a donation to help waive fees and add extras for these animals to find loving homes! |
 Meet Sky, a beautiful 1½-year-old girl with endless energy and a love for adventure! She would thrive with an active family who can keep up with her playful spirit through hikes, walks, games, and plenty of fun before settling in for cuddles. Sky would do best as the only dog in the home and would prefer a home without young children, as she can get a little mouthy when excited. With continued positive reinforcement and a loving family, Sky will make a loyal, fun-loving companion who’s always ready for the next adventure! WATCH SKYMEET SKY |
~ Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute ~
Please join us on Thursday, September 24th, as we welcome Mandë Holford, Ph.D., for our annual Byrnes Lecture!
Dr. Holford will highlight how venomous marine animals are inspiring the next generation of scientific and medical breakthroughs, and how these discoveries are changing the way we think about the connection between people and the natural world.
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Doors for this event open at 5:30pm, with the lecture beginning promptly at 6:00pm
Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA
Click here link in our bio for more information and to register! This is a free event.
This is GMGI’s Annual Byrnes Lecture, honoring longtime GMGI and community supporter John Byrnes. As a resident of Cape Ann for over 20 years, he was an integral part of the community, providing advice and generous philanthropic support to GMGI and many other organizations.
Sharing information from Gloucester Schools regarding bus routes for new school year:
Start your week with TWO awesome deals! 🙌🍕🦞
🦞 $13.99 + tax Lobster Roll
Served with chips & pickles!
🍕 Buy any 16” pizza and get a second 16” HALF PRICE!
Limit 2 per customer
Grab lunch, dinner, or both and make Monday a little better! 😋
📍 Surfside Subs / Killa Pizza — Long Beach, Gloucester
Excludes gluten free
Excludes online orders
MARITIME GLOUCESTER
COMMUNITY DAY
A day filled with local flavor. Local captains and crew will be making the rounds throughout the community, culminating in an evening race sure to wake up the harbor!
On Land: 10:00am to 4:00pm MARITIME GLOUCESTER
Museums and Exhibits Open
Come Sailing: 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Join our local Schooner Captains as they participate in a friendly competition putting their seamanship to the test over an “obstacle” course. Passengers will be given their own set of tasks to win the coveted Rum Bottle Award. Visiting schooners already arrived will join the event. The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners. Ticketed passengers and crew will be invited to a post challenge awards party.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details
4:00pm to 7:00pm Culture Splash check out more info at DiscoverGloucester.com
Community/Partner Events: 7:00pm to 9:30pm Harbor Loop Concert Series
check out more info at DiscoverGloucester.com
As visiting sails cross the breakwater, Gloucester Harbor comes alive again, harkening back to the golden days of our Fishing Fleet under sail. This day signals the annual pilgrimage of historic wooden vessels returning to Gloucester Harbor.
On Land: 10:00am to 3:00pm MARITIME GLOUCESTER
Museums and Exhibits Open- Schooner Deck tours – Schooner Floats at I4C2 10am-1pm
Come Sailing:10:00am to 5:00pm
The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details Various Departure Times
Historic Gloucester Harbor comes alive with canvas as traditional wooden vessels. With so many schooners in the harbor, here is your opportunity to be part of the action! A thrilling chance to greet visiting schooners as they come over the breakwater.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details
Community/Partner Events: 7:00pm to 10:00pm Chamber of Commerce Block Party
check out more info Here
The festival’s biggest spectator day, with 3 locations to engage with history and vessels, dozens of opportunities to get on board and view these majestic ships or sail on Gloucester Harbor. The pinnacle of the festivities revolve around Maritime Gloucester’s pier with demonstrations and family fun.
Check out the day’s schedule HERE
On Land: 10:00am to 4:00pm MARITIME HERITAGE DAY AT MARITIME GLOUCESTER
Museums and Exhibits Open, Schooner Deck Tours
Free to the public: schooner deck tours, music, food trucks, USS Constitution 1892 Marines, crafts for all ages, skills demonstrations, community vendors, & family activities.
$25 hourly schooner sails on Schooner Ardelle!
Get your MHD schedule and details HERE
12:00pm to 4:00pm SCHOONER DECK TOURS
Schooner Floats – I4C2, 65 Rogers St
Ocean Alliance – 32 Horton St, Rocky Neck
Thanks to generous support from our sponsors, we are again able to provide a visitor-based dockside experience that puts the public on schooners for deck tours. This is a free option for the public, but donations are always appreciated.
Come Sailing: 8:30am to 6:00pm PUBLIC SAILS
The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details
6:30pm to 10:30pm* FIREWORKS SAILS
Witnessing the fireworks over historic Gloucester Harbor is a magnificent sight. Seeing it above you from the deck of a schooner is a breathtaking experience you do not want to miss. These sell out quickly, so don’t delay.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details *sail times approximate, please check individual vessel tickets
Community/Partner Events: 6:30pm to 10:00pm Concert on Stacy Boulevard
Live Music and light effects More details at facebook.com/ConcertsOnTheBoulevard
7:00pm to 9:00pm Boat Parade of Lights
This annual event showcases a parade of local private boats and begins at dusk in the Annisquam River.
For more information: facebook.com/boatparadeoflights
9:15pm Fireworks Display over the Harbor time is approximate
RACE DAY! The capping day of events culminates in the gorgeous spectacle of the Parade of Schooners and the Offshore race for the Mayors’ Cup.
On Land: 10:00am to 4:00pm MARITIME GLOUCESTER
Museums and Exhibits Open 10:00am to 11:30am
Parade of Schooners
Schooners proceed from the Inner Harbor, past the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard and Stage Fort Park, to the race starting area off Eastern Point. Various non-profit and business organizations offer Parade of Schooners or Race viewing opportunities.
10:30am to 2:30pm Shuttle to Watch Races
Shuttle Bus to Eastern Point Light From St. Anthony’s Church, Farrington Ave to watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of Charge courtesy of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority. Thank you to the Holy Family Parish for allowing us to use their parking lot.
1:00 pm Schooner Races
Start of Mayor’s Races for the Esperanto Cup & the Columbia Trophy Off Eastern Point – the race course is decided the morning of the race by the Schooner Festival Committee at a meeting with the captains of the participating vessels.
Come Sailing: 9:00am to 12:00pm PARADE OF SCHOONERS
The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details
various departure times, check schooner schedule
MAYOR’S CUP RACE
The Mayor’s Cup, Esperanto Trophy, and many other awards are up for grabs in this thrilling off-shore race. The race course positions are decided the morning of the race by the Schooner Festival Committee at a meeting with the captains of the participating vessels.
The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details
Spending time with horses has a calming effect on the nervous system. The rhythm of their movement, the warmth of their presence, and the quiet of the barn or pasture all contribute to a sense of grounding.
For people dealing with stress, burnout, anxiety, or trauma, this can be incredibly restorative. Being outdoors, engaging the senses, and connecting with a large, gentle animal creates a safe space where the body can begin to unwind.
You don’t have to “do” anything complicated. Simply standing beside a horse, brushing them, or walking together can shift your entire state.
Horses are honest communicators. They won’t respond to force or inconsistency, but they will respond to clarity and calm leadership. This makes them powerful teachers when it comes to boundaries and trust.
Through guided equine wellness sessions, people learn how to:
These are skills that translate directly into everyday life—relationships, parenting, work, and personal wellbeing.
Book your session today by calling/texting 978-985-4592
Attention Beachgoers!
We hope you have enjoyed your summer at our beautiful beaches! While it’s not over yet, we are easing into the off season.
Starting today, August 24th, lifeguards will no longer be at Niles Beach and Plum Cove. All other beaches will be guarded through Labor Day.
Please remember to use safety when at the beach, and help keep them clean.
Thank you!
We chose Cala’s on Beach Street in Manchester for Margarita Monday. We had not been there in quite a while so it was a nice treat to return to another restaurant in the Serenitee group where you are unfailingly greeted pleasantly and served efficiently. I ordered the house margarita and it came with a rim which I usually do not prefer. The drink was tasty and refreshing. Jim ordered fried clams, a generous portion. I asked for a taco salad with beef and I have to say it’s now my favorite taco salad hands down. (Tacos Lupita a close second). We’ll be wrapping up the seasonal Margarita Monday series soon so if you have any suggestions on where to go please speak up!
~ todtheopendoor ~
Tickets for the third annual Thrift the Runway Fashion Show by The Open Door and its thrift store, Second Glance, are on sale now.
Thrift the Runway takes place Sunday, September 13 at The Cut, 155 Main Street, Gloucester.
Get tickets: https://thecutlive.com/pages/events/thrift-the-runway
Part fashion show, part community celebration, and all for a good cause, Thrift the Runway raises funds to support local hunger relief efforts while showcasing the creativity and generosity of our community.
Held during both Hunger Action Month and New York Fashion Week, Thrift the Runway proves that great style can make a real difference.
Every outfit featured in the show is created using clothing and accessories donated to Second Glance. This year’s event will feature more than 100 looks styled entirely from thrifted finds, modeled by volunteers from across the community.
“Thrift the Runway is a reminder of what this community makes possible when we come together,” said Julie LaFontaine, President & CEO of The Open Door. “Every donated jacket, dress or pair of shoes that crosses the stage began as an act of generosity that will help bring good food to local people and families. It reflects the heart of The Open Door’s mission.”
The event comes at a critical moment for local hunger-relief. Demand for food assistance continues to grow, with The Open Door seeing a 36% increase in requests for help last year following significant increases in the years before.
What makes Thrift the Runway unique is that nearly everything involved in the production has been donated by members of the community.
“Everything you see on stage, from the clothing to the stage décor, was donated to Second Glance by someone in our community,” said Susan Zwart, Director of Thrift Operations. “That is what makes Thrift the Runway so special. It’s made possible by a community that understands our mission and is excited to join in.”
For Kayla Mayo, who leads the fashion and styling efforts for the event, the show represents the perfect blend of sustainability and service.
“The whole show feels like magic to me”, said Kayla Mayo, The Open Door Thrift the Runway Fashion Lead. “We have volunteer models wearing entirely thrifted outfits walking across the stage in a fashion show to feed people. It’s a beautiful intersection of service and sustainability that is so central to Second Glance and The Open Door.”
A special highlight of this year’s event will be a finale featuring original upcycled looks created by students and alumni from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Designers Asia Kepka, Sabra George, Prachi Mahurkar, and Sylvie Djian transformed clothing, fabric, and jewelry sourced from Second Glance into streetwear-inspired designs created exclusively for the show.
“I can’t imagine a better cause to put my creativity into than feeding people and The Open Door does just that. There were times in my life when I went to bed hungry,” said Asia Kepka, who led the group of MassArt designers and also volunteered in the first two Thrift the Runway shows to style and design. “Each time I participate in designing and styling for the show, I learn something new and I feel like I’m part of a unique community.”
This year’s lineup of volunteer models includes a number of recognizable community leaders, including:
When you attend Thrift the Runway, you’re not just enjoying a fun night out. You’re helping ensure that local individuals and families have access to the food they need while celebrating the creativity, sustainability, and generosity that make our community so special. Learn more: FOODPANTRY.org
Twenty-five years ago, on August 5, 2001, my life changed forever.
The F/V Starbound, the fishing vessel I captained and co-owned, was struck and sunk at sea.
Three members of my crew never came home:
Thomas Frontiero.
James Sanfilippo.
Mark Doughty.
I survived.
For twenty-five years, I have carried those three men with me.
Today, Tom and Jimmy’s names are engraved on Gloucester’s Fishermen’s Cenotaph.
Mark’s name is not.
After all these years, I am asking the people of Gloucester to help me bring my last crewman home.
Why Mark was left off
For years, the explanation for Mark’s omission was that he was from Maine and that the Starbound was considered a Maine boat.
On the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, I asked the Gloucester Fishermen’s Cenotaph Committee to reconsider that decision.
They recently denied my request.
In their response, however, the Committee provided its eligibility criteria in writing. One of those criteria says that a fisherman can be included if he was lost while working aboard a Gloucester fishing or lobster vessel, regardless of his place of origin or residence.
That means Mark being from Maine is not necessarily the issue.
The real question is:
Was the F/V Starbound properly classified as simply a Maine boat twenty-five years ago?
I don’t believe the complete story was known when that decision was made.
I wasn’t only the captain. I was a co-owner.
This is the fact I have been trying to get the Committee to address.
I was not merely the captain of the Starbound. I was also a co-owner.
The vessel was owned by Atlantic Mariner, Inc., a corporation in which I was a shareholder. I now have the State of Maine’s 2001 Annual Report for Atlantic
Mariner, Inc., filed less than five months before the Starbound sank.
That official government document lists me among the shareholders:
Joseph A. Marcantonio
4 Finch Lane
Gloucester, Massachusetts
I was a Gloucester resident, a Gloucester fisherman, the captain of the Starbound, and an owner through my interest in the corporation that owned her.
I do not believe the people who made the original Cenotaph decision in 2001 knew that.
If they didn’t, I don’t blame them.
They may have seen a Maine corporation and a vessel operating from Maine when she was lost and understandably concluded that the Starbound was a Maine boat.
But that wasn’t the complete history of my vessel.
The Starbound worked from Gloucester
We participated in the migratory Atlantic herring fishery.
We followed the fish along the Northeast coast. As the herring moved from the waters around New York Harbor north toward the Canadian border, the boats moved with them.
That was the nature of our livelihood.
During those seasons, I regularly brought the Starbound to Gloucester and fished from here for extended periods. My crew lived aboard while we operated from this harbor.
Gloucester wasn’t somewhere the Starbound simply passed through.
She worked here.
Her crew lived here while fishing from here.
Her captain lived here.
And one of her owners lived here.
The fact that the fish had taken us to Maine when the Starbound was lost does not erase that history.
I’m not asking anyone to change the rules
I want to be very clear about this.
I am not asking anyone’s name to be removed from Gloucester’s Fishermen’s Memorial.
I don’t question the sacrifice of anyone honored there.
I am not asking the Cenotaph Committee to rewrite its rules.
And I am not asking them to make a special exception for Mark.
I am asking them to reconsider whether the Starbound was properly classified in the first place.
If the Committee looks at the ownership, captaincy and operational history of the vessel and determines that the Starbound qualifies as a Gloucester fishing vessel under its own criteria, then Mark needs no exception.
Under the Committee’s own rule, where he lived would no longer disqualify him.
I have asked the Committee to address that question.
I have also asked for the opportunity to stand before them personally and explain the history of my own vessel.
After twenty-five years, I don’t believe that’s too much to ask.
There is another part of this story that is harder for me to tell
I have spent a lot of time talking about rules, vessel ownership, corporate records and historical classifications.
Those things matter.
But they don’t explain why I am still fighting.
If people knew how much this breaks my heart, perhaps they would understand.
Most people don’t see the tears.
They don’t see the private moments when something takes me right back to that morning. They don’t know how many times over twenty-five years I have thought about the men who were with me or wondered whether there was something—anything—I could have done differently.
I survived the Starbound.
But surviving did not mean that morning ended for me.
I was the captain.
Those men were my crew.
I came home.
They didn’t.
That is something I have had to learn to live with for twenty-five years.
Long before the Starbound, I also knew what it meant to be the family waiting ashore. I was a boy when my own father, Captain Cosmo Marcantonio, was lost to the sea.
I have lived both sides of Gloucester’s fishing story.
I have been the child whose father didn’t come home.
And I have been the captain who came home without his crew.
There are wounds the passage of time softens but never completely closes.
This is one of them.
I want to finish this
I don’t want to spend the next chapter of my life fighting with a committee.
I don’t want anger.
I don’t want enemies.
I want finality.
I want to know that I did everything within my power for the three men who were under my command and never came home.
This renewed fight over Mark’s name has reopened something in me that I have spent twenty-five years trying to put to rest.
A name carved into stone will not erase what happened.
Nothing can.
But seeing Tom, Jimmy and Mark together would mean something very personal to me.
It would mean that Gloucester finally remembered the Starbound crew the way I have carried them all these years:
Together.
Three men.
One crew.
One tragedy.
Maybe then I could stand in front of those tablets, see all three names, and finally say something I have wanted to say for twenty-five years:
I brought you all home.
Gloucester, I’m asking for your help
I tried to handle this privately.
I respected the process.
Now I believe the community deserves to know the story and see the evidence for itself.
I’m not asking Gloucester to attack the Cenotaph Committee.
I’m asking Gloucester to help me convince them to take another look.
If you believe the documented Gloucester ownership and operational history of the Starbound deserve to be considered, please lend your voice to mine.
Ask the Committee to reconsider the original classification of the F/V Starbound.
Ask them to explain what constitutes a “Gloucester fishing vessel.”
Ask them to consider whether the people making the decision in 2001 knew that the vessel’s Gloucester captain was also one of her owners.
And ask them to give me the opportunity to stand before the full Committee and make my case.
I don’t want special treatment.
I want a fair hearing based upon the complete history of my vessel.
Twenty-five years ago, Tom, Jimmy and Mark went to sea together.
Only I came home.
Today, two of their names stand together on Gloucester’s Fishermen’s Memorial.
Please help me bring the third home.
Thomas Frontiero.
James Sanfilippo.
Mark Doughty.
For twenty-five years, I have carried their voices.
I am asking Gloucester to help carry them with me now.
It is time to finish the Starbound crew.
With gratitude,
Joseph A. Marcantonio
Captain and co-owner, F/V Starbound
Sole Survivor
BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS!!!
My nieces, great nieces and family came to Aunt Donna’s and Uncle Rick for a fun Saturday. Even though not a lot of sun, there is never a bad day at the beach.
Good Morning Gloucester 