Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

Manchester train platform Sunday night 9 pm

Latitude 43 and Alchemy Bistro proudly announces the first annual Gloucester Education Foundation Gala Art Auction at Latitude 43 on Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 6-11pm.
The auction, hosted by Senator Bruce Tarr will go “live” at 9pm and is the season finale to the Alchemy of Art Gallery series, which has promoted local art and helped fund arts in Gloucester Public School District.  Each month a different artist has been featured in the gallery, promoted by the restaurant, had a formal opening and enjoyed 90% of proceeds from the sale of their art through Alchemy with the other 10% going to GEF.  Year one artists included Baraka Berger, Nubar Alexanian, Pattie Sullivan and EJ LeFavour, Christopher Wood and several other talented painters and photographers.
The series has been a wonderful opportunity to help up and coming artist, to host some better know local creatives and to foster arts in youth through the donation to arts in schools through the GEF.  The year-end gala auction further extends that support with 100% of the sale of art by series participants going to GEF.  The live auction will also include four hand painted doors by Gloucester High School students as part of a local artist homage.  Among these are fabulous representations of the works of local masters Winslow Homer, Charles Olson, Edward Hopper and Virginia Lee Burton. 
Works to be auctioned are currently on display at Alchemy Bistro and will be there until December 3rd, when they move to Latitude 43 for main event.
In addition to the auction items, Latitude 43 will offer 10% of dinner proceeds in the dining room to GEF, and the Gloucester Education Foundation has arranged a 50/50 raffle and some terrific student made art gifts for sale for those wanting to come out and support the GEF without participating in the art auction.
The evening will surely be a great way to start the holiday season, a fun place to catch up with parents and faculty, an easy way to support education in our schools and a fun night for all.
Reservations are a good idea, as the night will surely be a busy one.  978-281-0223.
Alchemy would like to extend our Request for Artists and invite local artists who are interested in potentially showing their art at Alchemy to contact us and we will send out our “Guidelines for Consideration” package. Artists to be showcased in 2011 will be contacted by Alchemy. For more information please contact Matt Rose at mattalchemy@gmail.com or at Alchemy at 978-281-3997. 

Inside Sources Mark Ring tells me our boy Tony Gross is back on The Waterways Board.

Natalie Schoonover, Ipswich, 9yrs, Jenna Lake, Magnolia, 8yrs with their coach Alisa Contreras of the Cape Ann Skating Figure Skating Club waiting to compete and the Silver Streaks Skating Club (Peabody, MA) Basic Skills Competition on Sunday November 20, 2011.  They both skated beautifully.

For more info regarding Cape Ann Figure Skating Club see: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-Ann-Skating-Club/150068585048452 or our web site: http://cafsc.org/

Shep writes-

Good Morning, another sign at I-4,C-2. Folks are gonna think I’m the sign painter. Just on my 5AM jogging route. Good stuff, though …

I’m all for making love but I’d like to be able to eat as well, and that usually goes hand in hand with making money.

Shep always handy with the camera at just the right moments, even carrying it around when he goes for his 5am jog.  how fortuitous.

here’s joe’s site-

http://www.ironseaphotography.com/

Hi Joey, I’m THRILLED to report that the Gloucester High School student whose computer was taken last Friday now has his computer back! It was returned to the student’s mother on Monday night.

The student and his family send their gratitude to everyone who helped this story go "viral" all over Cape Ann, and especially to the Gloucester Police Department for helping to facilitate the return of the computer.

Within less than 24 hours from the time that GMG was first contacted, and also from the time that word was put out on Facebook, the family learned that the return of the computer would happen later in the day.

My incredible gratitude goes out to all of the amazing folks from Cape Ann and the wonderful business owners who helped to spread the story, especially to you, Joey, for posting this story and to all of your wonderful readers.

I’d like to send special thanks — more gratitude than there is language to express here — to some folks from Gloucester who posted on Facebook:

Her Honor Mayor Carolyn Kirk Pastor Anne Deneen from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lanesville Jo-Ann Castano from ArtsGloucester and Castano Design Associates Henry Allen from The Cape Ann and Henry Allen TheaterWorks Brenda Malloy from Imagine Gallery on Rocky Neck Walt Kolenda from Auction Wally Kevin Doc Burgess from Amvets Post 32 and his posts on Facebook via Karma Surfers Annisquam Herb Farm, and Tracy O’Neil from O’Neil Fitness and Personal Training

I’d also like to extend gratitude to Julie Upton from ACI-Cape Ann and Anita Pandolfe Ruchman from A Tender Place: Body Mind Spirit Therapies, both of Rockport.

Because the story went viral in such a short time, there are many, many folks who helped to spread the word… readers of GMG,and folks whom I don’t know and can’t "see" on Facebook. So I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of those folks as well.

As reported yesterday in GMG,this student’s computer is a lifeline to him. Because of vision and learning problems, he would not be able to read or write without it.

As Walt Kolenda put it on Facebook, "Awesome job everyone." It took everyone’s efforts to help this student get his computer back. This is one of those stories that highlights how special our community is: everyone coming together to help one of our own.

Many many thanks…

Sincerely, Judith Ring

http://www.goodmorninggloucester.com

The O’Maley school is starting an intramural wrestling program. This program will be for middle school students only and is open to both male and female athletes.  This program will be mentored by aMassachusetts high school wrestling official and is designed to teach students the basics of wrestling as a competitive sport. It is also to provide a base for students interested in pursuing wrestling at the varsity level. A club program at the high school level has been started and the middle school program will act as a feeder program for the high school. Practice will be held at the Fuller School cafeteria starting @ 5 PM on Tuesday November 29^th  . (All students must be dropped off and picked up and there is no afterschool bus provided.) If interested please pick up a permission form at the O’Maley School main office or contact Kirk Benson @978-283-9298 or benson62@verizon.net. Any interested high school student should contact Kim Patience or Coach Kurt Lichtenwald at Gloucester High School.

Vintage Rockport from Robert Ambrogi is a collection of old Rockport Postcards and such.

Check it out here

Hello

I currently have an aged car decal of The Man at the Wheel.  It is starting to come off, and I’d like to replace it.  It was given to me by a cousin who was a life long Gloucester resident before retiring to Florida.  I am interested in replacing it as Gloucester is a large part of my heritage.  My grandfather was a life long reisdent.  Two of my uncles were life long residents – one a Gloucester police officer and the other a Postal Service employee.

If you could direct me to a source for purchasing replacement Man at the Wheel decals, I would be most appreciative.  Thanks in advance.

Richard Blatchford

Mount Airy, MD

This past weekend Cape Ann Youth Hockey and the city of Gloucester hosted over 400 hockey players and their families from Westmount, Quebec. There were sixteen games played over the course of the past three days by boys and girls ranging from 5 to 14 years of age at the newly remodeled Dorothy Talbot Rink.
The Cape Ann/ Westmount Friendship Tournament was started back in 1987 by Sal Grasso of Gloucester, Mike Deegan and Pete Wallace of Westmount when Sal paid for a bus out of his own pocket and took a crew of Gloucester kids 6 hours north to play some hockey. The trek was a huge success as most players billeted with host families and formed bonds that continue to this day. When Sal passed in 2006 the Tournament was aptly named The Sal Grasso Friendship Tournament.
I never did have the opportunity to meet Coach Sal but in speaking with some of his players I was told that he was a big man with a big burly voice that was only overshadowed by his big heart. I was told of numerous random acts of kindness. Like taking the entire team out for Chinese food after a game or when a player needed a new piece of equipment it somehow found its way into their bag. By all accounts Mr. Grasso was one of those remarkable people that if you are truly lucky, you will get to meet one in your lifetime.
As a testament of Mr. Grasso, Mr. Deegan and Mr. Wallace’s vision; this year’s tournament saw the sons and daughters of those first players compete against each other 24 years later.
Cape Ann Youth Hockey would like to thank all of this year’s host families for opening up their homes so our guest’s players whose parents could not attend, Mayor Kirk for allowing us the usage of City Hall to hold our banquet and show off our beautiful city, Jeanine Harris and Rosalie Nicastro for walking us through the steps to host at City hall, Mike Hale and Mark Cole for their work in adjusting the rink schedule, Cape Ann Figure Skating Club for allowing us to inconvenience them, all the local establishments for their generous food donations, Nicole Curcuru, Jenn Costanzo, Kristin Michel, Lisa and Mike English, Rob Anderson, Jamie Marshall and the countless others that donated their time in making this season’s tournament a spectacular event.
On Behalf of all of Cape Ann Youth Hockey Nation,
Thank You,
Pete Scola
President
CAYH

Judith Ring writes-

A Gloucester High School sophomore who has visual and learning problems had his computer taken from Gloucester High on Friday. The student is completely reliant on the computer to read and write and is, quite literally, lost without it. His parents are offering a reward, no questions asked. His mom, Karen Barth, has written the following appeal:

Our son’s HP laptop computer in a black computer bag was taken from Gloucester high school on Friday. Our son has visual and learning problems and his computer is loaded with special software. He is completely dependent on it for reading and writing. Without it he cannot do his school work. We are offering a $500 reward for the return of the computer or information leading to its return. No questions will be asked and we guarantee that no action will be taken against any student if the computer is safely returned to the school office.
Thanks for any help you can give us with this.
Please be in touch with Karen Barth at karenbarth@earthlink.net or call 917-575-2930

Thanks,

Judith Ring,

a loyal reader