Save the date! Holiday Opening Reception on Saturday December 16th, 2023 from 1-4pm at Jane Deering Gallery
PAIGE FARRELL | New Ceramics.
Paige Farrell, wine sommelier with a notable presence on Cape Ann and Boston, has found a second passion hand-building clay into both object-d’art and functional work. A selection of her ceramics will be on view at the gallery for the final two weeks of December. Her beautiful creations would make treasured holiday gifts. Come explore single pieces and sets. Prices range from $15 – $375.
The potter at the wheel is sculpting clay into art.
– news from Jane Deering
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The Cape Ann YMCA presents Holiday Delights on December 15 at 7pm, December 16 at 2pm, and December 17 at 2pm at the Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard Street, Gloucester, MA.
Set in Gloucester, Holiday Delights is a festive mix of stories, songs and dance celebrating the special traditions of other cultures and families as seen through a young child’s magical journey on Christmas Eve to discover what is really important during the holiday season. The 2023 edition of Holiday Delights features the journey of a young girl who discovers the spirit and the joys of the holiday season as she faces the unhappy prospect of leaving her beloved hometown of Gloucester and moving with her family to a new home in Michigan. Her special Christmas Eve journey helps her to realize and appreciate the importance of her family and friends as well as her own special holiday traditions. During her Christmas Eve travels with Mrs. Claus and the elves, she celebrates Hanukkah, travels back in time to turn of the century Gloucester to see her Italian-Irish ancestors celebrate the holidays, and meets famous characters including Young Ebenezer Scrooge and his little sister Fan from Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol.
The 2023 production has a cast of over 40 actors age 5 to 15 from throughout the North Shore including Gloucester, Rockport, Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Beverly, Essex and Marblehead. Holiday Delights 2023 features MERMS student and Manchester resident Maya Khan as Mrs. Claus and Rockport’s Lyla O’Malley as the young girl she takes on the Christmas Eve journey. Gloucester’s Evalyn Copp and Lily Comeau are Peppermint and Mistletoe, Mrs. Claus’ loyal elf assistants. Essex 5th grader Sam Walsh and Gloucester 5th grader Quinn O’Neil are also featured in the production as the supervisors of Santa’s Workshop.
A Cape Ann holiday tradition Holiday Delights is conceived and directed by Gloucester native, award winning actress and Harvard University graduate Heidi Dallin, the YMCA of the North Shore Theatre Specialist. Since the production’s premiere in 2007 over 675 young people from Cape Ann and beyond have appeared in Holiday Delights through the years. The production staff includes: Music Director: Rin Wolter; Set, Costume and Prop Design: Sarah Vandewalle; Choreographer (and former cast member) TS Burnham; Lighting and Sound Design: True Sayess; and Stage Manager: Jenny Hersey. Holiday Delights Performances are December 15 at 7pm; December 16 at 2pm and December 17 at 2pm at the Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard Street, Gloucester, MA. For tickets, go to HolidayDelights2023
Holiday Delights 2023 Update Dec. 2023
2022 production
2023
The Holiday Delights Cast performed at the grand finale of Sen Bruce Tarr’s annual Toy Drive on Dec 7th at Cape Ann Savings Bank. Cape Ann YMCA Executive Director Erina McWilliam -Lopez spoke about all the holiday happenings at the CAY. “The cast sang (wearing our just delivered Holiday Delights 2023 T-Shirts) and were wonderful!” adds Heidi Dallin.
Hanukkah falls between December 7th-15th, 2023. Temple Ahavat’s community lighting ceremony to mark the beautiful Festival of Lights and hope will be held on December 12th this season.
I’m reposting a photo from last week that showed how the Lobster Trap Menorah looked in the morning snow, and at night; also public menorahs on Main Street Gloucester and Rockport. Swing by to see a new candle lit daily after sundown.
Photos: Menorahs on Main Street Gloucester and Main Street Rockport
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Magical routes are waiting for you! Another 100 or so homes were added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives map as of December 8, 2023.
photos caption: C. Ryan. Batch 4 selection of enchanting homes downtown, East Gloucester and West Gloucester down these roads in no particular order: Concord Street, Essex Avenue (Rt. 133), Washington Street, Beach Court, Gloucester Avenue, Middle Street, Fleetwood Drive, Prospect, East Main Street, Goose Cove Lane, Friend Court, Burnham Street, Perkins Street, Back Shore, High Popples Road, Highland Court, Mt. Pleasant Avenue. Plus a couple along Eastern Ave in Essex (Rt. 133) and Main Street, Rockport. (Pinch and zoom to enlarge photos and right click for info).
2023 Map Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives
More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
Photo & video caption: Scenes from the Dedication Ceremony and reveal for the new permanent public art commission on Stacy Boulevard, ‘Fish Baskets’, 4 bronze planters by sculptor Chris Williams. Landscape design by Ann Gilardi Johnson. Support for the project was spearheaded by Generous Gardeners, Gloucester DPW, the City & State, Gloucester 400+, and generous donors. Ann Gilardi Johnson and Chris Williams have the long color design goal in mind. After several years, the four bronze planters will naturally oxidize as a protective coating forms, covering the surface with a green patina. They are intended to age and complement the iconic and cherished copper-green of Gloucester’s Fisherman at the Wheel.
Video Clips
The Reveal (for one of the 4 bronzes)
with Mayor Verga and Antoinetta Calabrese
Photo before the ceremony – Green Aprons come on down!
Senator Tarr Welcomes crowd
Chris Williams
Susan passes mic to artist Chris Williams –modest remarks – dedication ceremony 12/9/2023
Susan Kelly | Ann Gilardi Johnson
Thank You
Mayor Theken Thank You Susan Kelly, Generous Gardeners, Mike Hale
12/9/2023 BEFORE AT Sunrise | After reveal
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12/9/2023 Beautiful day to visit downtown! PROGRAM BELOW
courtesy photos: from Middle Street Walk 2023. Activities in Trinity Church (Sawyer Free Library, Bell Ringers, Seasonal fair tables (bulbs, quilts and evergreen boughs)
MIDDLE STREET WALK PROGRAM of FAMILY ACTIVITIES AND TREATS HERE (photos below)
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Photos: Winter snowfall #2 on landmarks and rooftops in Gloucester 12/6/2023. Easy morning errand 🙂 Right click for caption / pinch and zoom for full res.
Antoinetta was checking on the Chris Williams installation–“Will you be there? Don’t forget December 9th! Saturday is the big reveal and dedication ceremony!” [Scheduled with the Middle Street program, right before the Lobster Trap Tree Lighting which is on Harbor Loop by Maritime Gloucester’s Deck the Docks!]
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December 5th and already there’s an abundance of merriment and creativity! Enjoy another 50 or so sparkling homes. The 2023 map has reached 100 homes with streets and turns still to explore.
photos caption: C. Ryan. Batch 3 selection of enchanting homes down these roads in no particular order: View from Rt. 128; Centennial; Cherry St. (just a couple); Cherry Hill Road; Eastern Ave; Elizabeth St. Frosty; Finch St. (just one–will circle back); Wolf Hill Road (and Glenmere); Grove Street; Harrison Ave.; Hartz (will circle back); Harvard St. (from Centennial); Lendall St. correction; Macomber inflatable characters way; Maplewood; Marsh St.; Washington St. up to Marsh
These additions (and a couple do-overs from other nights) were added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives map as of December 5, 2023. (Pinch and zoom to enlarge photos and right click for info).
2023 Map Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives
More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
More to come. Roads not taken, yet :)!: East Gloucester, Washington Street past Marsh St. to Rockport, Annisquam, Lanesville, Magnolia, Rt. 133, W. Gloucester, and return trips for new sparkling additions or repeat visits.
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Here’s the flyer, spread the cheer! The Cape Ann YMCA presents HOLIDAY DELIGHTS at Annisquam Village Hall December 15, 16, and 17th.
“The 2023 Holiday Delights cast is delighted to perform at Senator Bruce Tarr’s final stop on his toy drive at Cape Ann Savings Bank on Ladies Night downtown Gloucester Thursday Dec. 7 from 4:45 to 5:30.”
See the 2023 flyers below. Follow http://www.jambalayahorns.com to see the upcoming schedule for these joyous outdoor events (and/or cancellations as sometimes happens with the weather!) Gloucester Ladies Night Main Street! Mens Night! And several more: They’re bringing the party music of the season all around Cape Ann.
Check out Brassfed Nation https://brassfednation.com/ for the indoor brass blasts. The December gigs at Shalin Liu sold out fast. Hammond Castle has one. **Venmo tip jar donations by the QR code on the posters**.
15 secs Ladies Night 2022
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Gloucester blocks and streets are merry and bright! The magic grows daily with houses decorated simply, elaborately and everything in between. One design trend is a duo light scheme that’s solely red and green. Don’t you think that homes from batch 2 will surely be contenders for the Mad Merry Highlights Tour in 2023?
photo caption: C. Ryan. Batch 2 includes photo series of twinkling homes seen on Abbott Road, Eastern Avenue, Elizabeth Road, Harrison Avenue neighborhood, Harrison Avenue to Crestview Ter., Lupine, Reservoir Road neighborhood, Reynard Street, Spruce Street, and Starknaught Heights; plus 2 Gifs. These additions were added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives map as of December 1, 2023. (pinch and zoom to enlarge)
Gloucester’s lobster trap tree is built out in its temporary site on Harbor Loop, soon to be enlivened by buoys hand painted by children. The lighting ceremony is on Sat. Dec. 9, 2023.
First group of photos 2023 (click here) includes the pink house, the first house spotted sparkling for 2023. Alas, not more pink themes out there yet.
2023 Map Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives
For the 7th year in a row—and the 4th accompanied by a map with photos—enjoy snapshots of Gloucester’s decorated homes. More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
December 2nd, 2023 is busy all over Cape Ann! Activities in Rockport are scheduled all day (from 11-4) leading up to Rockport’s Tree Lighting Celebration in Dock Square. Literary Cape Ann’s 2023 Holiday Book & Author Fair at Brackett’s, next to Brother’s Brew, will be bustling 12-3.
Meet special guest Andre Dubus III along with 22 authors of fiction, memoir, cookbooks, mystery, sci-fi, children’s books, local culture…and many more books from The Bookstore in Gloucester!
SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Literary Cape Ann poster 2023
Dock Square singers for Rockport’s annual tree lighting meet up to practice at 2pm. See below.
caption: Literary Cape Ann poster 2023; photos Rockport, MA 2023; upcoming events Dec. 3 & 9th
more special seasonal events Upcoming in rockport Dec. 3 & Dec. 9
Rockport Public Library Sat. Dec 9th 10:30-11:30: Celebrating the History of Rockport’s Annual Tree Lighting on its 38th Anniversary. A conversation with Mike Costello, former Executive Director of Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Dorothy Ramsey Stoffa, Time Honored Emcee and Lyricist for “Christmas in Rockport” with Jean Woodbury, author The Tree in Dock Square.
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Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) announced the release of a new interactive map, MAPC’s Homes for Profit: Speculation and Investment, showcasing some of their multi year research specific to housing and investment in Greater Boston.
(You can zoom in to Gloucester and greater Cape Ann or all of the North Shore.)
Today, to mark the public release, MAPC hosted a panel featuring Angie Liou, Executive Dir. Asian Community Development Corp; Brian An, Dir. Public Policy Georgia Tech; Katie MCann, Rent Control Campaign Coordinator, City Life/Vida Urbana; and Tim Reardon, Chief of Data & Research, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, a newly established cabinet level area in Gov. Healy administration. Prior to taking that position, Reardon had led the data and research for MAPC.
Moderators announced at the outset that there were 168 participants on the Zoom meeting including elected city officials– Sue Moran, Falmouth; Steve Owens, Watertown; Rita Mendes, Brockton; and Liz Breadon Alston-Brighton, Boston City Council–, city staff from multiple towns too many to name, and partner/organizations.
Before introducing the panelists and moderator, MAPC’s Jessie Partridge Guerrero gave a quick overview about the report findings and how MAPC wanted to focus solely on the speculation challenge in this particular report. The panelists spoke briefly about their own areas of expertise and to a one confirmed “not surprised” regarding the report findings. As they engaged in a guided discussion centered on the report, the panelists’ approaches and experiences were not all the same, nor were the comments by attendees.
Closer to home, the city of Gloucester has worked with MAPC on several projects. Some dating back to 2011 involved research that is relevant to the housing discussions since 2017–a series I wrote about and shared on GMG. You may have participated in some of the meetings 10+ years ago held at City Hall. I’ll add in some of those links below and one to the MAPC zoom meeting today. I still have notes from all the feedback received when I served on some panels.
It’s great to see some of that MAPC data and mapping available to the public in a format similar to MEMA- MA power outage map.
resources from MAPC Zoom meeting 11/30/2023
Who Owns America? A Methodology for Identifying Landlords’ Ownership Scale and the Implications for Targeted Code Enforcement
Abstract Scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding who owns real estate in communities and resultant implications for targeted planning approaches. Yet, practitioners lack an efficient and comprehensive methodology to assess landlords’ ownership scale, namely how many properties they own in a given geographic area.
Generous art dealer announces a Special Exhibition in support of ‘400 Trees Gloucester’, a Gloucester 400+ program. The show features work by 26 artists. The Opening Reception is on Saturday December 2nd, 2023 from 1-4pm at Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, in Gloucester, Mass.
“Dear Friends of JDG, Come and celebrate the holidays with us as we support the planting of 400+ Trees throughout Gloucester.
Jane Deering
Press Release:
In support of 400 Trees Gloucester, Jane Deering Gallery is pleased to present Branching Out. Two weekends only: December 2nd & 3rd; December 9th & 10th. The gallery will donate 30% of its proceeds to the 400 Trees project, founded by Gloucester resident Peter Lawrence. The project has three stages:
Planting 400 Trees;
Locating the city’s oldest trees;
Learning about trees, done in collaboration with the Cape Ann Y, Sawyer Free Library and existing educational programs within Gloucester Public Schools.
26 participating artists: Aaron Fink, Adin Murray, Ann Conneman, Celia Eldridge, Coco Berkman, Elizabeth Awalt, Esther Pullman, Gabrielle Bazarghi, Geoffrey Bayliss, George Wingate, Hélène Falcon, James Paradis, Jesse Mireles, Juni Van Dyke, Karen Matthews, Katherine Richmond, Kristine Fisher, Laura Gettler, Liz Fletcher, Maria Malatesta, Michael Porter, Neeta Madahar, Paige Farrell, Ro Snell, Sue Willis, Tom Fels
Holiday refreshments on each day. Gallery hours: 1:00-4:00pm
Nov. 26, 2023 – in this 400+ anniversary year the Kent Circle tree lighting is lit
Added to Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives 2023 🙂 which is just getting going with a few early elves. 350+ homes were featured in 2022. Compare Kent Circle lighting through the years. Link to archive maps here.
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Good Morning Gloucester 
