JANUARY 27, 2025 ~ SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

Funding to support operations of expanded Sawyer Free Library  

For Immediate Release (January 27, 2024) Gloucester, MA – – The Sawyer Free Library has been awarded a $27,700 grant from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, through its Operating Grants for Organizations Program that provides multi-year, unrestricted operating grants to nonprofit organizations that enrich Massachusetts’ cultural life. This funding recognizes the Library’s commitment to high-quality cultural and educational resources and activities in the arts, humanities and sciences.

“Our Cape Ann residents deserve outstanding opportunities, and that’s exactly what the newly renovated and modernized state-of-the-art Sawyer Free Library will provide – for free to all,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). “This grant from the Mass Cultural Council is a crucial investment in our community, ensuring the Library remains a beacon of equal access and lifelong learning.”

“As the daughter of a school librarian, public libraries hold a special place in my heart,” said State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester). “The Sawyer Free Library fosters a love of reading, inspires learning, and cultivates connections among all the residents of Cape Ann. I am grateful to the Mass Cultural Council for their support at this exciting moment as the Library expands its resources, programs, and services to reach new audiences and build a lasting community.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Mass Cultural Council for recognizing the Sawyer Free Library’s public value,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Sawyer Free Library Board of Trustees. “For nearly 200 years, we have enriched lives, fostered creativity, and built connections. As we move into our newly renovated, expanded, and modernized space, this grant will help us broaden our reach, enhance our services, and continue building a brighter future for Gloucester.”

As the largest free public space in Gloucester, the Sawyer Free Library draws over 275,000 in-person and online visitors annually. Guided by its mission to cultivate community connections, power imaginations, inspire learning, and provide an inclusive, welcoming space for all, it hosts hundreds of free public programs each year. With a newly renovated and modernized building, the Library looks to increase monthly programs by 25% and community-focused events by 50%.

For Fiscal Year 2025, the Mass Cultural Council has adopted a $34 million spending plan, enabling the agency to award at least 2,500 grants totaling approximately $38 million to the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector. These funds primarily come from the Council’s $26.7 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Through initiatives such as the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment, the Council’s unrestricted organizational support grants help cultural organizations innovate, take on new challenges, and expand access for underserved audiences—improving quality of life, creating economic opportunity, and fostering greater cultural participation across Massachusetts.  

Mass Cultural Council funds reach every community in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to advance the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources.

Not that they’re charging 30 cents more per customer that dines in, but that they’re announcing it rather than just increasing their price by 30 cents which no one is going to balk at anyway.

This is such a terrible marketing idea.

That’s worse than charging 10 cents for a paper bag at a grocery store.

You just piss off the customer and point out a problem when no one would have even complained. Whoever made the decision to post the sign would be off my team so fast their head would spin.

We’re thrilled to announce a new coffee partnership with Motif Roasters!!! After an engaging “cupping” (☕️☕️☕️ tasting) hosted by head roaster Eoin Vincent, we’ve chosen two of our favorite Motif coffees to brew for our customers.

❤️☕️The Motif Morning Brew blends beans from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, with notes of coca, roasted nuts, and caramel. Word on the street is that dark roast is popular on Cape Ann, so we’ve also chosen Motif’s Dogtown, a rich Colombian dark roast. ❤️☕️

The Team at Salty’s 🥯🥯🥯
1 Whistlestop Mall, Rockport
Open Sat. & Sun. 8 am – 11 am or sell out.

local #coffee #motifroasters #bagels #capeann #rockport #gloucester #manchesterbythesea #essexma #goodmorninggloucester

JANUARY 29, 2025 ~ SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

On Tuesday, February 4, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., theSawyer Free Library will host a presentation and discussion about Planning for Medicare led by a representative of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. 

This informative presentation is geared toward individuals approaching medicare eligibility and for the community who may still be working and looking to transition. 

Topics covered include health insurance information outside of employer-sponsored coverage, such as an explanation of Medicare, the Medicare enrollment timeline, Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans and programs available to early retirees, and COBRA.

No registration required. For questions or more information, please email: moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

Contact me and I’ll put your personalized order together!

Fill out this contact form and I’ll get back to you

rockport harbor…
photo:  trudy clemens

Contact me and I’ll put your personalized order together!

Fill out this contact form and I’ll get back to you

Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 8! Join us for a day filled with shopping, delicious dining, and special event at your favorite restaurants and stores.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for your sweetheart or treating yourself, there’s something for everyone!

Stay tuned for all the exciting details–we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Participating Rockport Businesses:

• Addison Choate
• Brother’s Brew
• Carol Lee’s Cottage
• Delisi’s Red Skiff
• Denim Blanket Company
• Rusty and Ingrid Creative Company
• Sally Webster Inn
• Shore Thing Rockport
• Shore Thing Kids
• Susie’s Stories
• Tuck’s Candy Factory

FishinForLove #RockportMA #ShopLocal #SupportSmallBusiness

The new year is here, and it’s the perfect time to set your sights on a fresh start. Whether you’re decluttering your home, moving to a new space, or gearing up for a big project, Grove Street Self Storage is here to help you achieve your 2025 goals.

🌟 Here’s how we can make this year your most organized yet:

• Declutter for a Clearer Mind:Free up valuable space at home or in the office by storing items you don’t need every day.
• Support for Life Transitions: From moving to renovating, our storage units provide a safe and flexible solution for whatever life throws your way.
• Seasonal Storage Made Simple: Safely pack away your holiday décor, winter gear, and other seasonal items until you need them again.
• Boost Business Productivity:Small businesses can use storage for extra inventory, documents, or equipment to keep operations running smoothly. 

🍃 Start 2025 off right with a clean slate and peace of mind, knowing your belongings are safe and secure.

Call Now! (978) 879-4524

Oak To Ember:

incoming / introducing :

new S N A C K B A R menu

our new “happy hour” on specialty snacks. bar only, Monday through Friday, 4 till 530pm.
tasty bites with a price that’s nice.

“I’ve been in this job for just over three years—less than one percent of Gloucester’s history—and we’ve done incredible work,” said Verga. “I was born and raised here and I ran with a sense of duty to take the best of Gloucester, which is considerable, and make it better. Our record speaks for itself, but my work isn’t done. With the team we now have in place: our managers and our front line employees across every department—schools, public safety, public works, all of them—I’m successful because they’re talented and committed, and they know what they’re doing. Just as important, we all have a common goal: To make Gloucester a better place than it was yesterday and the best place it can be for all of our tomorrows.”

Having reached his 1,100th day in office earlier this month, Verga says he is most proud of how he spent funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, largely because the outcomes were based on input solicited from citizens around the city. Gloucester’s ARPA-related outlays directed millions to city structures, systems and services, parks and open spaces, schools, housing and community initiatives, in addition to hundreds of thousands into arts and culture, public health and economic development. A complete accounting of ARPA spending and Gloucester’s funding dashboard can be found by visiting https://arpa.gloucester-ma.gov/

In a third term, Mayor Verga identifies his biggest priority as breaking ground on Gloucester’s new wastewater treatment plant to remain on pace for a scheduled 2028 completion date. His other mission-critical goal is to maintain core services for businesses and residents as best as the city is able in a fiscal era that won’t include tens of millions of dollars in federal support. Verga is determined to “do more with less” and “ensure every dollar that comes in is put to its best use, doing the most good for the most people over the long term.”

Mayor Verga adds that he remains committed to strong support of coastal and cultural tourism, recreation and hospitality, performing and visual arts and marine-related construction and transportation, in addition to advancing seafood research and Gloucester’s fishing industry as the region adapts to a changing climate. 

“I’m not a career politician and I don’t plan on staying in this role forever, but I do believe we have more work to do to build on our successes,” said Verga. “The job of mayor is not a glamorous one by any means, but it’s immensely rewarding. It’s the best job I’ll ever have because we can make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives in big ways and small. I really do enjoy getting up every day to go to work and that’s a 24-7, seven-days-a-week commitment.”

Verga points to wide-ranging accomplishments during his first term and a half, including technology upgrades at City Hall and the Rose Baker Senior Center, making meetings of city boards, committees and commissions hybrid, interactive and recorded, and spearheading advancements that continue in parks and open spaces, schools, streets and sidewalks and in Gloucester’s attention to its carbon footprint. 

He also notes improvements to beach traffic mitigation, the courthouse and police station, the American Legion building, volunteer boards and the Affordable Housing Trust, which seeks to create entry-level housing for new residents and for the sons and daughters of Gloucester natives.

“We’ve welcomed new businesses, widened our tourism base and initiated a comprehensive wayfinding system for navigating the city,” said Verga. “Our new Harbor Plan is awaiting final state approval and will allow us to make important changes to our waterfront, resulting in economic development opportunities both on and offshore. You will continue to see improvements to our infrastructure, including roads and sidewalks and the underground utilities we often take for granted. You will benefit from an increasingly diversified economy, based on respectful use of our unique resources.” 

Mayor Verga will begin a ward-by-ward, State of the City update on January 30 at Gloucester High followed by the Rose Baker Senior Center (February 6), Beeman School (February 13) and West Parish School (February 20). Check the city website calendar for further details.