Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

GLOUCESTER, MA – Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken today announced that 2020 beach parking stickers will be required for resident access into Stage Fort Park and beach lots as of Saturday, August 1.

Since the beginning of the season, and through July 31, resident parking has been available with a 2019 beach parking sticker or license and motor vehicle registration showing a Gloucester address.

Beach sticker applications are available for download on the City’s website by clicking on the “Beach Info” link on the home page and then “Beach Sticker Application.” Applications are also available outside the Warren Street entrance at Gloucester City Hall.

Completed applications should be mailed to Gloucester City Hall, PO Box 61, Gloucester, MA 01931 or deposited in one of the drop boxes at the Warren Street entrance at Gloucester City Hall.

Beach parking stickers will not be available for same day purchase.   However, stickers are now available for in-person pick-up by 2 p.m. the next afternoon.  Residents who prefer next day pick up must note that on their application.  Applications received with no note will be processed and the beach parking sticker will be mailed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the instructions carefully and be sure to include all supporting documentation.  Any missing documentation could result in delay of processing.  Any questions regarding sticker eligibility or application status can be made by emailing bsticker@gloucester-ma.gov or calling 978-281-9708. All sticker purchases are final.  No refunds will be issued.

The MIAA Board of Directors votes unanimously that Fall sports, those approved for participation by DESE, EEA & local school district, will start no earlier than Sept. 14, 2020 with preseason tryouts/practices. Additional guidance from DESE & EEA should be available in early Aug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CChTrIFnArT/?igshid=vjib6f8qoa5c

An incredible day for whalewatchers; however, a not so good day to be a sand eel! What an awe-inspiring afternoon we had today watching 5 adult humpback whales blow bubble nets and open mouth feed! As Mystery, Sprinkles, Echo’s 2014 calf, Bounce and Milkweed were busy feeding; Bounce and Milkweed’s calves were playing at the surface. The calves were practicing blowing bubbles of their own then swimming though the middle of them; as well as, tail breaching, full breaching and flipper slapping!

415 Main St
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930
(978) 283-5110
www.seethewhales.com

I hope when/if baseball, hockey, football starts that the commentators focus on the sports instead of COVID

This is the fifth book authored by TIA President Emeritus Paul St. Germain. As a local historian he has detailed the rich history of this unique New England treasure and the efforts to preserve both its structures and natural history. He begins a thousand years ago when Indians summered there, moves to its discovery by famous explorers Samuel de Champlain and Captain John Smith in the seventeenth century, then to the fishermen, shipwrecks, and piracy around the island. From1835 to 1935, three lighthouses were built, all with fascinating stories of the keepers and their families. The island was opened to the public for the first time in 180 years in 2019 thanks to the efforts of the Thacher Island Association and Mass Audubon Society. This is the first book written about the complete history of Straitsmouth Island.

$25.00 includes shipping                

Go to the Thacher Island web site at www.thacherisland.org/product/saving-straitsmouth-island/  to order.