The 39th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival is back for another spectacular Labor Day weekend, beginning on Thursday, August 31, 2023. A weekend of heritage and maritime events culminates with the highly anticipated Mayor’s Cup Schooner Race on Sunday, September 3, 2023 off from Gloucester’s back shore. This beloved regional event, a program of Maritime Gloucester, has evolved into an annual pilgrimage for schooners and a cherished community-wide celebration of Gloucester Harbor’s rich maritime legacy.

Press Days:

Members of the press are cordially invited to schedule appointments prior to the Festival during the following times:

Thursday, August 31: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Friday, September 1: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Email for Press Inquiries: 

To schedule a time-slot for pre-Festival interviews, please contact Elizabeth Carey at ecarey@maritimegloucester.org. 

The Gloucester Schooner Festival is rooted in fishing traditions dating back hundreds of years.  Paying homage to Gloucester’s age of sail, the Gloucester Schooner Festival gathers schooners from up and down the Eastern seaboard to partake in thrilling races and showcase their elegance both on water and as dockside attractions. With more than 20 schooners gracing the event, attendees can witness these majestic vessels along Gloucester Harbor’s piers. A highlight of the weekend is Maritime Gloucester’s Maritime Heritage Day, a 3-location event that offers engaging hands-on, interactive activities for the whole family, while affording guests of the Festival opportunities to get on board, both dockside and under sail.

Featured Schooners:

Ernestina Morrisey, Massachusetts Flagship: Docked at the Maritime Gloucester Pier

Ardelle, Flagship of Maritime Gloucester: Docked at the Maritime Gloucester Pier

Thomas E. Lannon, Docked at Seven Seas Wharf

Adventure, National Historic Landmark, Docked at the I4C2 Schooner Docks

Denis Sullivan, World Ocean School, Docked at I4C2 Schooner Docks

This event, the pinnacle of the summer, is steeped in history and offers many activities and opportunities for enthusiasts to interact closely with these traditional wooden ships. Drawing thousands each year, the Gloucester Schooner Festival has solidified its place as a cherished Labor Day weekend tradition. We encourage you to share the word and join us in commemorating this wonderful maritime heritage celebration.

For detailed insights into the event’s history and schedule, kindly visit the official Gloucester Schooner Festival website at  www.maritimegloucester.org  

Dates: 
August 24 – September 24, 2023

Opening Reception: 
Sunday August 27, 4-6 PM

The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck,
6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA
Gallery Hours: 
Thursday-Sunday, Noon – 5 PM

ROCKY NECK ART COLONY (RNAC) presents Following Traditions, an exhibition 400+ years in the making. As its name suggests, Following Traditions connects the past to the present, the historic to the contemporary, the way things were to where they are. The exhibition features five local artists and considers their work within the context of Cape Ann’s significant artistic lineage. Participating artists are Nicholas Anthony Mancini, Jon Bolles, Amanda Hawkins, Will Suglia and Joe LoVasco, all of whom have deep personal or professional ties to the locale of the North Shore. 

The diversity of process, material and outcome across the work serves as a reminder of the artistic voices and muses that once found inspiration here in the nation’s oldest art colony:

Nicholas Anthony Mancini uses paint to create a space that is simultaneously referent to and removed from reality. His constructed spaces are not unlike those of Stuart Davis, in their play between surface and depth, offering glimpses of namable objects amongst painterly abstractions. Both artists find ways to play with and push the inherent flatness of painting, thereby creating a portal into another world. 

Jon Bolles situates his viewer in a very specific place and time. His visual notations of light are akin to Edward Hopper’s architectural paintings, where it may be argued that light is the true subject of the work. Bolles’ sensitivity to color and mark dramatize the highlights and shadows of his selected built environments, inviting the viewer to be immersed in a fleeting moment in time.

Amanda Hawkins’ plein air practice demands quick and bold brushwork, like that of Nell Bliane. 

Each brushstroke is alive, both referring to and diverging from its subject, but always working in unison to create form and depth. Hawkins, like Blaine, embraces the inherent abstraction of paint and sees it as a self-referent media. 

Will Suglia’s work entwines symbol and place. His visual narratives explore vignettes of people, places and objects transformed through material manipulation. This transformation from subject to consequent object is reminiscent of Marsden Hartley. Suglia, like Hartley, allows the artistic process to be seen, embedding a narrative into the final work. 

The driving motivation for Joe LoVasco’s work is a thorough investigation of form. LoVasco, like Milton Avery, has the rare ability to coalesce and harmonize wide-ranging shapes and forms. Whether looking at his two- or three-dimensional work, the viewer may find similar questions as when looking at an Avery painting: How did these shapes come to be?

Rocky Neck Art Colony has served as a microcosm of palpable creative energy for over 120 years and counting and continues to inspire. By bridging past and future, Following Traditions celebrates the here and now of Rocky Neck Art Colony. 

The Artists

Jon Bolles 
Amanda Hawkins (curator)
Joe LoVasco
Nicholas Anthony Mancini
Will Suglia

Events

Making Connections: The Historic and Contemporary Artists of Rocky Neck Art Colony
Sunday August 27th, 3:30p
Event to be held at the Cultural Center directly before opening reception

Nicholas Anthony Mancini Virtual Artist Talk 
Tuesday August 29th 7-8pm

Amanda Hawkins Virtual Artist Talk 
Tuesday September 12th 7-8pm

Will Suglia Virtual Artist Talk 
Thursday September 21st, 7-8pm 

###

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. On picturesque Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts, RNAC operates three exhibition  spaces, open to the public for free, The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson Street); The Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.), a partnership gallery and café; and Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave.), open seasonally in the former gallery of local artists Gordon and Judith Goetemann. Check the website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org, for hours, openings and special events. For more information, see the website or call 978-515-7004

Sunday August 20, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30

MOVIE NIGHT!

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

Piece                  Composer/Arranger

National Anthem  Henry Fillmore

Aces High   Ron Goodwin, arr. Larry Daehn

Music from Jurassic Park   John Williams, Arr. Jay Bocook

Raider’s March   John Williams

The Great Escape   Elmer Berstein, arr. Robert W. Smith

Blues Brothers Revue   Arr. Jay Bocook

Dam Busters March   Eric Coates, arr. W. J. Duthoit

Aladdin (Medley)   arr. Paul Jennings

The Longest Day   Paul Anka

Guardians of the Galaxy   arr. Michael Brown

My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic)   Celine Dion; Arr. Paul Murtha

Colonel Bogey   Kenneth Alford (pseudonym for Lieutenant F.L. Ricketts) 

Magnificent Seven   Elmer Bernstein, arr. Roy Phillippee

Pirates of the Caribbean   Klaus Badelt, arr. Ted Ricketts

Tenth Regiment   Robert Brown Hall

God Bless AmericaIrving Berlin/ Arr. John Edmondson

 INSIDE-OUTSIDE-IN

Opening Reception: August 17, 5-7 PM
Exhibition Dates: August 17 – September 10, 2023

Cove Gallery
37 Rocky Neck Ave., Gloucester, MA
Gallery Hours: 
Monday 9 AM – 2 PM; Thursday through Saturday noon -7 PM; Sunday noon – 5 PM

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) is pleased to present Inside-Outside-In at Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave). The show is curated by Sallie Strand and showcases the work of 5 well-known regional artists who respond to their Cape Ann surroundings in unique and specific ways. Artists include: Sallie Strand (painting), Kathleen Gerdon Archer (mixed media), Barbe Ennis (ceramic art), Joan Benotti (painting) and Gabrielle Rossmer (sculpture).

The show’s artists have a strong connection to the light, the ocean and the magic that are the North Shore. The curator states: “Treasures found by nourishing our senses with the beauty of our surroundings are embedded in our memories. These memories and ideas are then translated into art by shape, form, photograph, paint and assemblage.”

Visit during the gallery’s extended hours to see how each artist brings these deeply embedded memories into her art.

The public is invited to celebrate the artists and their work at an opening reception on August 17, from 5-7 PM. 

Exhibiting Artists: Sallie Strand SallieStrand.com, Kathleen Gerdon Archer www.kathleengerdonarcher.com, Barbe Ennis barbeennispottery.com, 

Joan Benotti joanbenotti.com and Gabrielle Rossmer gabriellerossmer.net

RNAC acknowledges the generosity of Mark Goetemann, son of the late Rocky Neck artists, Gordon and Judith Goetemann, for the use of the Cove Gallery space. Mark has donated the use of his parents’ former home and gallery space to RNAC to honor their legacy as artists, as inveterate supporters of artistic excellence, and to carry on their commitment to keeping Rocky Neck a haven for artists and art lovers.

###

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies, historical tours and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. On picturesque Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts, RNAC operates three exhibition spaces open to the public for free, The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson Street); The Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.), a partnership gallery and café; and Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave.), open seasonally. Check the website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org, for hours, openings and special events. For more information, see the website or call 978-515-7004

Sunday August 13, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

PIECE               COMPOSER          ARRANGER

National Anthem  Henry Fillmore

The Thunderer  John Philip Sousa

Also Sprach Zarathustra  Richard Strauss, Arr. Robert Longfield

Star Trek Through the Years  arr. John Moss

Fly Me to the Moon  Bart Howard, arr. Jeff Simmons

Mars (from The Planets) *Gustav Holtz, arr. Owens

Up! (selections from) arr. Michael Brown

Over the Rainbow  Harold Arlen, arr. Warren Barker

Soaring with John Williams  John Williams, arr. Robert W. Smith

Great Movie Adventures – Theme from ET  John Williams, arr. Michael Sweeney

Star Dust  Hoagy Carmichael, arr. Jack Bullock

How to Train Your Dragon   Sean O’Loughlin

Colors of the Wind  Alan Menken/Paul Lavender

Coronation March from Star Wars  John Williams, arr. James Burden

Dance of the Witches* John Wiliams, arr. Geoff Kingston

Mary Poppins – Highlights  Richard Sherman, arr. Alfred Reed

God Bless America   Irving Berlin/ Arr. John Edmondson

Bob McLeod will be sharing his remarkable 50+ year career and doing a demo at the Cultural Center At Rocky Neck on Monday, August 7 from 7-8 p.m. Register on Eventbrite, kids 16 and under are free!

https://RNAC-BobMcLeod-Comic-Artist.eventbrite.com?aff=oddtdtcreator

#rockyneckartcolony #comicbookart #discovergloucester

Artist reception August 17, 5:30-6:45

Annisquam Art Gallery, 32 Leonard Street, Gloucester, MA.

“Unscripted! Impressions & Interpretations of Daily Life will run from July 26 through September 3, Wednesday through Friday  
10-4, Saturday 10-1.  An artist reception will be held Thursday evening, August 17 from 5:30 to 6:45.

Works on view will include paintings of mixed media, collage, oil and more, all inspired by her life in Gloucester as well as her travels.

More information can be found on her website donnacaselden.com or by texting or calling 978.590.5548.

Summer Market @ Ocean Alliance on Rocky Neck in Gloucester
Thursday, August 3, 4-8pm

Up to 25 vendors

BBQ from Meat and Sweet Foods truck

Live music by:
“Cowboy Bob” (4-6) and
the Blue Honey Drops (6-8). 

The Ocean Alliance crew,

will be on hand with information for visitors to learn about about their whale research, marine conservation work, and the restoration project at the historic paint factory as well as well as featured products for sale. 

For an added water adventure, arrive at Ocean Alliance’s dock by Gloucester’s water taxi (free for event shuttles) or Harbormaster shuttle (fee)!

August 6, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30

WESTWARD HO!

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

Bob McLeod will be sharing his remarkable 50+ year career and doing a demo at the Cultural Center At Rocky Neck on Monday, August 7 from 7-8 p.m. Register on Eventbrite, kids 16 and under are free! YOU’LL BE AMAZED BY HIS TALENT!

https://RNAC-BobMcLeod-Comic-Artist.eventbrite.com?aff=oddtdtcreator

#rockyneckartcolony #comicbookart #discovergloucester

Tuesday, August 1, 5-9pm – Moonrise Market at The Emerson Inn in Rockport featuring about 20 local crafters, artisans and makers and live music from Sasquatch (5-6pm) and The Jantelles (6-9pm) and cash bar and boxed picnic meals available by the Inn. Plus a full Sturgeon Moon!! 

Tuesday, August 1, 5-9pm – Moonrise Market at The Emerson Inn in Rockport featuring about 20 local crafters, artisans and makers and live music from Sasquatch (5-6pm) and The Jantelles (6-9pm) and cash bar and boxed picnic meals available by the Inn. Plus a full Sturgeon Moon!! 

Thursday, August 3, 4-8pm – Summer Market @ Ocean Alliance on Rocky Neck in Gloucester. Close to 25 vendors, BBQ from Meat and Sweet Foods truck, and live music by  “Cowboy Bob” (4-6) and the Blue Honey Drops (6-8).  Plus,the Ocean Alliance crew will be on hand with information for visitors to learn about about their whale research, marine conservation work, and the restoration project at the historic paint factory as well as well as featured products for sale.  For an added water adventure, arrive at Ocean Alliance’s dock by Gloucester’s water taxi (free for event shuttles) or Harbormaster shuttle (fee)!

July 30, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30

DOWN BY THE SEA

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

David and Roger Curtis Special Retrospective at North Shore Arts!

Reception: 
Saturday, July 29, from 1:00PM to 3:00PM 

Gallery Talk: 
Given by Judith Curtis on Sunday, August 6 starting at 12noon. 

On View: July 23 – August 13, 2023 

North Shore Arts Association
11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930  

The North Shore Arts Association (NSAA) is thrilled to announce a special retrospective exhibition featuring “Roger and David Curtis: By Land and Sea” on display July 23 – August 13, 2023. Father and son, both Roger and David were legendary artists who were beloved members of the Cape Ann art scene. They each lived a dynamic life in the arts and served as instrumental instructors and leaders within the greater community. Masters of the brush, their work continues to inspire us today and will for generations to come. An opening reception will be hosted on Saturday, July 29^th from 1PM to 3PM. Free and open to the public, all are welcome! 

Roger Curtis (1910 – 2000), born in Gloucester, MA, became a pillar of the Gloucester arts community. He was a prolific painter of maritime scenes and seascapes and a longstanding resident of Gloucester, involved in the arts locally as both President and Treasurer of the North Shore Arts Association. Author and illustrator of the book “How to Paint Successful Seascapes”, Roger was always dedicated in his contributions to the arts at-large for both him and his close family. 

David Curtis (1950 – 2021), born in Brookline, MA, was introduced to painting at a young age by his father, Roger Curtis. Taught by his uncle Howard Curtis at Gloucester High School, this family-trained artist was propelled at a young age into the greater artist community. With his studies at the Boston Museum School as well as learning alongside esteemed painters such as Ken Gore and Robert Douglas Hunter, award-winning artist David Curtis earned a lasting reputation as a prominent figure within the greater North Shore arts community. 

Father and son bring a unique viewpoint to both subject and technique. David – a plein air painter and teacher – was inspired by vistas where wide open spaces, ephemeral clouds, and big skies gave him the opportunity to explore the rhythm of nature set out before him. Roger, on the other hand, born and raised in Gloucester, was more influenced by the powerful metaphor of a pounding ocean, roaring onto a rocky coastline under brooding skies. As a studio painter, Roger created these images from memory coupled with the classic fundamentals of good design. Seeing the work of these two Cape Ann artists beside one another enhances each individual style and is a joy for all interested in the arts.  

North Shore Arts Association is located at 11 Pirate’s Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930. For more information about events please call (978) 283-1857 or email arts@nsarts.org. Visiting hours are Monday – Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM; Sundays 12 – 4 PM. 

NSAA artist Patricia McCarthy Solo Show at Beauport Hotel: July 19 – August 1, 2023

Beauport Hotel,
55 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

North Shore Arts Association is delighted to announce a solo show by Patricia McCarthy is currently on view at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, MA, and is on display through August 1, 2023. She is a Cape Ann artist who was introduced to painting at an early age by her grandmother, an Irish artist, and she continued to paint throughout her professional career in healthcare. Over the past few years, she has been fortunate to have studied with renowned Gloucester artist David P. Curtis and Rockport artist, Caleb Stone. She paints both “en plein air” and in the studio primarily in oil in a more realistic style with soft natural color.  

Patricia currently resides on Cape Ann where the harbors, boats, building and landscapes provide inspiration and ready subjects for her paintings. Her paintings also include landscapes of Ireland, Sicily, Sardinia and England where she enjoys traveling and painting. Pat holds undergraduate degrees from Duke University in North Carolina and Emmanuel College in Boston, and a masters degree from Clark University, Worcester, MA. She is a juried artist member of the Rockport Art Association and Museum (Rockport, MA), North Shore Art Association (Gloucester, MA), Marblehead Art Association, (Marblehead, MA), Newburyport Art Association (Newburyport, MA), the Bryan Gallery (Jeffersonville, VT), the Artists’ Group of Charlestown (Boston, MA), National Association of Women Artists (NY and MA Chapters.)  

Reception on Thursday evening,
July 20^th from 5pm – 7pm

Madfish Wharf artists have once again collaborated to highlight this incredible gem at the end of Rocky Neck.   One of the cornerstones of this effort is the Mad Fish Gallery, 77-79 Rocky Neck Avenue, which is being run by artist Sallie Strand for the 3^rd year.   For the months of June-September, Sallie has curated a group of artists each month to exhibit and sell their work.  July’s artists include Anne Gilson, Martin Songer, Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco, and gallery director Sallie Strand.  The artists invite the public to join them at a reception on Thursday evening, July 20^th from 5-7 during Discover Gloucester’s Culture Splash.   Regular gallery hours are 12-5 Friday-Sunday and until 7PM on Thursdays.

This is a lively show that combines abstract work and jewelry inspired by many elements of our surroundings.   Gilson’s paintings and collage are, according to her artist statement, “an ongoing contemplation of place and home.”  In a former life, Gilson was associated with the well-loved publication Good Housekeeping, so it’s fitting that home is at the center of her work.  Strand is known for “activating the blank surface,” through the use of gestures, textures, patterns, scrapes, movements, and colors,” and one cannot help but find a bit of the former pastry chef in her work.

Sorger brings a design background to his works of “paint and dry pigment on paper to create gesture and brush stroke – even where they don’t exist.” Martin’s paintings challenge the viewer to find a delicate balance of “structure and imperfection.”

Ganim-DeFalco complements the painters with a diverse collection of functional jewelry – hair accessories, and elegant jewelry made from her indigenous collection of sea glass.  She is celebrating twenty years of making one-of-a-kind sea glass wearable art with the goal of sharing a piece of Cape Ann with everyone that owns her creations.   Ganim-DeFalco and Strand are also both part of the Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios Tour.

Visitors will find July 20^th to be an exciting night on Rocky Neck and Madfish Wharf with events being hosted all along the route.  For additional information, please visit DiscoverGloucester.com and RockyNeckArtColony.org.

77-79 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester MA 01930

Closing Reception: Sunday, August 13, 3-5 PM

Rocky Neck Art Colony is pleased to present Women Talking at Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave), curated by Mary Rhinelander and showcasing the work of seven dynamic women-identifying artists working in an array of media: Miranda Aisling (ceramics), Robin Colodzin (mixed media), Pam Courtleigh (assemblage sculpture), Cheryl Curran (jewelry), Leslie Lyman (photography), Mary Rhinelander (mixed media/painting) and Marika Whitaker (mixed media/installation). 

Although many of these artists have exhibited together and know their pieces speak to one another, the addition of a  few new artists have joined to expand the conversation. The artists hope visitors will listen and engage with the dialogue. Topics emanating from the work as expressed from a female perspective will include the celebration of REAL bodies, the gap between experience and language, consideration of traditional “women’s” work, exploration of power dynamics and concern about the environment. 

The public is invited to celebrate the artists and their work at an Opening Reception on July 7 from 5-7 PM.  A Closing Reception will be held August 13, 3-5 PM.

Exhibiting Artists: Miranda Aisling, Robin Colodzin, Pam Courtleigh, Cheryl Curran, Leslie Lyman, Mary Rhinelander and Marika Whitaker.

_____________________

RNAC acknowledges the generosity of Mark Goetemann, son of the late beloved Rocky Neck artists Gordon and Judith Goetemann, for the use of the Cove Gallery space. Mark has donated the use of his parents’ former home and gallery space to RNAC to honor their legacy as artists, as inveterate supporters of artistic excellence, and to carry on their commitment to keeping Rocky Neck a haven for artists and art lovers.

###

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies, historical tours, and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. On picturesque Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts, RNAC operates three exhibition spaces, open to the public for free: The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson Street); The Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.), a partnership gallery and café; and Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave.), open seasonally. Check the website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org, for hours, openings and special events. For more information, see the website or call 978-515-7004

My friend Bob McLeod will be sharing the artwork he’s created during his remarkable 50+ year career and doing a demo at the Cultural Center At Rocky Neck on Monday, August 7, from 7-8 p.m. Register on Eventbrite, kids 16 and under are free! His talent will amaze you!

https://RNAC-BobMcLeod-Comic-Artist.eventbrite.com?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thanks! Leslie

July 23, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30

TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

This week will be the Third Annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic concert, featuring music the younger members of the audience may recognize.  Similar to last year we will open with the National Anthem, followed by several selections from the Gloucester Student Band under the direction of Jamie Klopotoski. Both bands will jointly perform Baby Shark.

Our program is below.

July 16, 2023, 7:00 to 8:30
TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC

The best popcorn in Massachusetts is here!  Children are especially welcome.  Folding chairs and blankets are good. 

Bob Rick, Conductor and Music Director

This week will be the Third Annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic concert, featuring music the younger members of the audience may recognize.  Similar to last year we will open with the National Anthem, followed by several selections from the Gloucester Student Band under the direction of Jamie Klopotoski. Both bands will jointly perform Baby Shark.

Our program is below.

Join Maritime Gloucester as we commemorate Howard Blackburn Day!  On Saturday, July 15, resident celebrities will recite select chapters from Joe Garland’s Lone Voyager book followed by the premiere viewing of “Howard Blackburn: Gloucester’s Most Legendary Fisherman”, a new documentary by Kory Curcuru of 1623 Studios.  

(Coinciding with the Blackburn Challenge.) ??   Maritime Gloucester is honored to showcase the poignant account of Howard Blackburn.  Like countless Gloucester fishermen before and since, Howard Blackburn and Tom Welch were trawling for halibut on the Newfoundland banks in an open dory in 1883 when a sudden blizzard separated them from their mother ship. Alone on the empty North Atlantic, they battled towering waves and frozen spray to stay afloat. Welch soon succumbed to exposure, and Blackburn did the only thing he could:  He rowed for shore. He rowed five days without food or water, with his hands frozen to the oars, to reach the coast of Newfoundland. 

So begins Joe Garland’s extraordinary account of the hero fisherman of Gloucester. Incredibly, though Blackburn lost his fingers to his icy misadventure, he went on to set an astounding record for the swiftest solo sailing voyage across the Atlantic.

Affectionately presented by local celebrity readers and authenticated by Kory Curcuru in his new film, Joe Garland’s Lone Voyager is a haunting saga of survival at sea and a thrilled portrait of the world’s most fabled fishing port in the age of sail. 

Howard Blackburn Day Readings at Maritime Gloucester are made possible thanks to local celebrities who are giving of their time and talent to share this remarkable account.  Readers (in sequential order here):  Michael DeKoster, Julie LaFontaine, Sefatia Romeo-Theken, Ed Connolly, Mary Kay Taylor, Mayor Greg Verga, State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Bob Gillis, Ruth Pino, Senator Bruce Tarr and Lenny Linquata.   

Following the chapter readings, we will feature the dramatic and touching tale beautifully produced and portrayed in the premiere viewing of “Howard Blackburn: Gloucester’s Most Legendary Fisherman”, a new documentary by Kory Curcuru of 1623 Studios.  

We invite you to join us at Maritime Gloucester’s Gallery on Saturday, July 15 for some, or all of our scheduled programs.  

·       2-5:30pm  10-15 minute readings   

·       5:30-6pm  Light refreshments served 

·       6-7:30pm  Kory Curcuru’s premier documentary viewing