Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

readying for Schooner Fest 2024…
photo :  trudy clemens

AUGUST 30, 2024 ~ TODTHEOPENDOOR

September is Hunger Action Month™, an annual, nationwide campaign by the Feeding America network to raise awareness and encourage action to reduce food insecurity.  

The Open Door served 957 MORE people and had 4,452 MORE household visits in the first six months of 2024 than the same period in 2023. That means more people are visiting the nonprofit, more often.  

Want to help raise hunger awareness and keep local people fed?  Learn more below about the opportunities on Cape Ann to participate: 

• Donate to support programs of The Open Door at FOODPANTRY.org. 
• Volunteer with The Open Door! Packing groceries, delivering meals, sorting food or sorting donations at Second Glance, and corporate engagement opportunities are just a few of the many roles available to volunteers. Learn more at FOODPANTRY.org/volunteer. 
• Wear orange. Orange is the color of hunger awareness. 
• Enjoy a sweet treat: 

Brothers Brew in Rockport will offer a vanilla donut frosted with orange sprinkles starting Sept. 8 for Hunger Action Month 

Cake Ann will offer special creamsicle and chocolate orange flavored cupcakes to help raise hunger awareness starting Sept. 1 

The Cut will offer a Hunger Action Month cocktail 

Holy Cow’s Gloucester location on Pleasant Street will serve an Orange Creamsicle flavored ice cream 

Turtle Alley will offer chocolate bars embossed with the word “LOVE” 

A portion of proceeds will support local hunger-relief programs of The Open Door! 

• Watch out for Hunger Action Month themed coasters at 1606 Restaurant & Oyster Bar, the Seaport Grille, and The Cut to donate! 
• See Gloucester City Hall and the Beauport Hotellit up with orange lights. 
• Get tickets for The Open Door Thrift the Runway Fashion Show by Second Glance, the thrift store of The Open Door at The Cut on Sunday, Sept. 8. Visit FOODPANTRY.org to learn more.  
• Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga will issue a proclamation naming September Hunger Action Month™ at the Thrift the Runway Fashion Show on Sunday, Sept.8.  
• The Gloucester City Council will also wear orange Hunger Action Month ™ t-shirts to help raise awareness at their Tuesday, Sept. 10 meeting.  
• SHOP and DONATE at Second Glance year-round. Revenue at the store raises funds for hunger-relief programs of The Open Door. Free referrals are also given to the community for those in need. 

Learn more about Hunger Action Month™ at FOODPANTRY.org.  

Since October 7, reports and stories of catastrophe and atrocities in Israel and Gaza  have dominated the news. A future of peace and cooperation could not seem more hopeless. But imagine this: in universities across Israel, Palestinian graduate students from across the border work with Israeli graduate students side by side, day after day, year after year to solve the most pressing scientific, environmental and medical problems. These long-term, intense co-working experiences foster enduring relationships of respect, trust, professional interdependence and yes, even friendship. These students are Fellows of a unique nonprofit program, Science Training Encouraging Peace, or STEP.

On September 22, the Annisquam Village Church and Ahavat Achim synagogue will host Dr. Allen Taylor and Kim Kronenberg, Co-Directors of STEP, for an afternoon of conversation about STEP and how it brings Israelis and Palestinians together, even in times of crisis and extreme divisiveness.  Meet STEP Fellows, and hear their experiences living through the current war and having the courage, beyond all expectations, to promote cooperation and advance science. The presentation will take place at 3PM At the Annisquam Village Church 820 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA. A reception will follow. 

Gloucester Fire quickly knocked down an early morning boat fire on Rocky Neck Avenue. (Photo Courtesy Gloucester Fire Department) 

GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith reports that the Gloucester Fire Department responded to and extinguished a boat fire early Thursday morning. 

On Thursday, at about 6:03 a.m., Gloucester Fire responded to Gloucester Marine Railways, 81 Rocky Neck Ave, for reports of a boat fire. 

The boat was docked at the time. 

Upon arrival, crews observed heavy smoke coming from a 50-foot vessel and immediately began an aggressive attack to limit the fire’s spread.  

The fire was knocked down at approximately 6:20 a.m. There were no reported injuries.  

A preliminary investigation suggests that the cause of the fire was electrical and remains under investigation by the Gloucester Fire Department.  

AUGUST 29, 2024 ~ THE CUT LIVE ~ 

80s Prom with Neon Wave – Neon Wave Band is New England’s number one 80s New Wave Tribute Band. The band dresses and sounds just like the popular 80s New Wave artists from top MTV videos. Wear your best 80s outfit or neon colors and get ready for a surprise during “Sunglasses at Night” that will have you glowing! Create new memories to unforgettable songs as you’re taken back to your favorite decade. Neon Wave brings an electrifying experience filled with high-energy talent and songs that you can dance to all night long! Get your tickets NOW! 

80S PROM TICKETS

WE HAVE NEW SUMMER HOURS: WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY | 4PM – 12AM

THE CUT | 177 Main Street | Gloucester, MA

Visit Our Website

Buy Tickets to a Show

Make a Reservation

40 foot elite boat ramps being shipped out to another customer!

Share a flight of tequila with a friend for $20 and sample four premium Volans tequilas.

blanco, reposado, extra anejo, and still strength

Know your preference? Enjoy a $10 glass!

Machaca

Tacos & Tequila

14 Rogers St

Gloucester, MA

Join us this Labor Day weekend! Or after September 20th. Reservation at Tock or visit www.sushisanglee.com

August 27, 2024 ~ Sawyer Free Library ~ 

Join the Sawyer Free Library for an evening of art, music, and community in support of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library on Thursday, September 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. It is free and open to all!

Set against the picturesque backdrop of the North Shore Arts Association, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Art Auction will showcase an impressive selection of works from both emerging local talents and established artists including Jeff Weaver, John Terelak, Robert Gruppé, Coco Berkman, and many more. Participating artists generously contribute half or all of the proceeds from their auctioned pieces to the building project to restore, expand, and modernize Gloucester’s historic library.

Walt Kolenda of Cape Ann Auction will lead the live auction, which kicks off at 7:15 pm. Don’t miss out on the silent auction, closing at 7:00 pm. Enjoy refreshments and light bites while live music sets the perfect ambiance for a night of creativity and philanthropy. 

Come, contribute, and be a part of something truly special!  This is more than just an art auction—it’s a unique chance to support this beloved vital community institution poised to make a lasting, transformative impact on downtown Gloucester for generations to come.  All proceeds from the auction benefit the Sawyer Free Library 2025 Capital Campaign. RSVP HERE.

ARTISTS interested in submitting their work for consideration for the juried auction, click HERE for details. This is a great opportunity for artists to exhibit and sell their work to new audiences and support their community!

RSVP HERE for this special evening. It is open to all to attend.

For those interested in learning more about or how to invest in the Library project, visit 2025 Sawyer Free Library 

RSVP HERE to 2025 Sawyer Free Library Benefit Art Auction and Reception  

Link to Gloucester Schooner Festival 2024 Schedule and Visitor Information Page https://www.maritimegloucester.org/sf-visitor-info

Check out this year’s schooners! See them at the Gloucester Schooner Festival Labor Day Weekend, and grab the full schedule of this year’s events here: https://buff.ly/3jBaDcu

Tickets are going fast for a chance to cheer on the “Captains Courageous” as they compete in pursuit of the coveted Esperanto Cup and the prized class trophies. This is a rare chance to be at the helm of history! Ticket information here

 On Saturday, August 24th, a Gloucester child was diagnosed with a serious infectious illness caused by Neisseria Meningitidis. The patient is being treated and is recovering.The bacteria that causes this illness can spread between persons of all ages if they are in close contact that involves an exchange of saliva (spit). This can happen through activities such as:

○        Coughing or sneezing,

○        kissing,

○        sharing cigarettes or lipstick,

○        sharing food or sharing eating or drinking utensils such as cups or water bottles,

○        sharing closed space (i.e., car or dorm room)

Working in collaboration with epidemiologists from the MA Department of Public Health and the child’s family, the Gloucester Health Department has notified all known facilities where the individual might have exposed others. These organizations have performed exposure tracing and directly contacted those exposed with guidance to contact their health care provider for preventative treatment which includes a short course of antibiotics to eliminate the germ. If you have not been notified, your child has not been exposed. Those in contact with individuals who have been exposed are not at risk.

Parents of exposed children and adults exposed to the infected child are advised to keep a close eye on their and their child’s health for the next three weeks and to contact their health care provider immediately if they experience the following symptoms.

○        sudden high fever,

○        a skin rash with fine red “freckles” or purple splotches that don’t go away when you push on them

○        mental confusion

○        headache, stiff neck

○        vomiting

Meningitis can be prevented through routine vaccinations. The Health Department, Gloucester Family Health Clinic, Pathways for Children, the Open Door and other community organizations are collaborating to offer free routine vaccinations for school age children tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 4 – 7 p.m. at Pathways for Children, 28 Emerson Ave., Gloucester. The Meningococcal vaccination will be offered as part of this clinic.

All children ages 11 through 12 years should receive a meningococcal vaccine followed by a booster dose at age 16 years. Vaccination is also recommended for all adolescents ages 13 through 18 years who did not receive a dose at age 11-12 years. Adults can benefit from this vaccination if they are immunocompromised or plan to travel to foreign countries. Click here for a video with Gloucester Pediatrician Jeffrey Stockman on the importance of meningococcal vaccination. Interview with Dr. Stockman