Author: Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

Cape Ann Symphony Annual Meeting 2019

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Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc.

Notice of Annual Meeting

Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 8:00 pm.

Gloucester House Restaurant

63 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA

CAPE ANN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, INC HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING.

 

The Annual Meeting of the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc. will be held at the Gloucester House Restaurant, 63 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA, on Wednesday, January 16, 2018, at 8:00pm. The purpose of this meeting is to hear reports of the past year’s activity by the Music Director, President, Treasurer, Manager and Board Officers. The meeting is also convened to elect Directors and Officers for the period from January 18, 2019 through January 19, 2020. The meeting will be preceded by a cocktail reception at 6:30pm (cash bar) and buffet dinner ($45/per person) at 7:00 pm. There will be musical entertainment throughout the evening.  It is not necessary to attend the reception in order to attend the Annual Meeting. For tickets or further information please contact Cape Ann Symphony via phone: 978-281-0543 or website: www.capeannsymphony.org.

WOWZER!!

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Head of the Harbor WOW factor sunset.

Not too shabby from the the state fish pier, either!

Plum violet – when red meets blue.

 

ESSEX NATIONAL HERITAGE COASTAL SCENIC BYWAY RIBBON CUTTING!

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Today marked the last of the ribbon cutting ceremonies for the exciting new kiosks (nine total) that have been installed by the Essex National Heritage all along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. Mayor Sefatia and Representative Ann Margaret Ferrante did the honors. The kiosk is located at Stage Fort Park near the visitor’s center. Despite the biting wind and freezing temperatures the event was well-attended. To learn more about the Coastal Byway, visit www.CoastalByway.org

Experience the Best of Coastal New England!

SIX DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN

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Penned in 1954 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé, “The Christmas Song” was written during a sweltering hot summer in an effort to keep cool! Read more here.

SUNBURST STARBURST OVER STAGE FORT PARK

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The sun appeared briefly through the clearing clouds during Monday night’s sunset. Taken from the Boulevard looking towards Stage Fort Park.

SEVEN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN

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2018 Marks the 200th Year Anniversary of Silent Night

“Silent Night,” arguably one of the most popular and beloved of Christmas carols, was written by a young priest, Father Joseph Mohr. He brought the lyrics to his town’s local schoolmaster and organist Xaver Franz Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve Mass at his parish church in Obendorf, Austria. The carol was first performed in 1818.

With over 30 million in sales, Bing Crosby’s “Silent Night” is the third best selling single of all time, after Crosby’s “White Christmas” (50 million) and Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” (33 million).

Read more here.

Chapel at Obendorf, Austria

GLOUCESTER’S ESSEX COASTAL SCENIC BYWAY KIOSK RIBBON CUTTING WEDNESDAY AT 10AM

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Don’t forget to attend the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Kiosk Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester TOMORROW!

Essex Heritage is pleased to announce the installation of 9 informational kiosks in communities along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. The Byway is a state-designated route linking 14 coastal cities and towns from Lynn to Salisbury. These kiosks are a part of a wayfinding signage project that has been ongoing for over a decade with the goal of supporting a tourism-based economic initiative by showcasing the region’s historic, cultural, and natural places.

The 90-mile Essex Coastal Scenic Byway guides visitors and residents through one of the country’s most picturesque and historically significant regions – Boston’s legendary North Shore. The route features mile after mile of breathtaking vistas, historic homes, access to world-class art and culture destinations, distinctive local businesses and visitor centers. To celebrate the installation of the kiosk in Gloucester, please take note of the event details below.

Everyone is welcome!

Date/Time: Wednesday, December 19th at 10:00am

Location: Gloucester Visitor Center, 24 Hough Avenue, Gloucester

FOR JOEY – Problem Solved – GLITTER-HURLING FART-BOMBING ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

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GLITTER-FART-BOMB VS. PACKAGE THIEF

DUELING SNOWY OWLS SOARING THROUGH THE DUNES

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On a recent hike looking for Redpolls and Snow Buntings, I encountered a pair of Snowy Owls intently battling over territory. Positioned low on a dune trail, half kneeling and partially hidden while photographing a Black-capped Chickadee, when a Snowy flew right in front of my path, twenty feet away. Rats! It all happened so quickly I didn’t capture even a moment. Suddenly out of nowhere a second Snowy appeared, hot on his trail. This one landed on the path I was traveling, not ten feet away. We both looked at each other in utter amazement but this time I had my movie camera turned on! He/she didn’t wait to see what I was doing and off he flew in the direction of the female Snowy. The two flew through the dunes, landing and taking off several times. I lost sight of the pair for a few moments when way, way out over the ocean the two were spied in an aerial duel.

I am going to try to post the close-up Snowy clip before Christmas. It’s been several weeks since that day and I have not seen either–hopefully they did not discourage one another from wintering over in the dunes and are still in the vicinity.

The sweet flock of Redpolls was found, but as with the owls, neither species has been seen since that beautiful day watching Snowies soar through the dunes. Will post the Redpoll photos later this week 🙂

watching the Snowies soaring through the dunes. Will post the Redpoll photos later this week 🙂

EIGHT DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN WITH MARY J. BLIGE “MY FAVORITE THINGS”

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Mary J. Blige’s tender version of this American classic is pitch perfect.

WINTER’S COLD MOON

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Waxing Cold Moon of December

Friday at day’s end Charlotte and I were walking along our favorite route when she pointed to the sky and said Moon, Moon. I wasn’t thinking to look for the Moon, but there it was, peaking through the clouds. This photo is for her 🙂

NINE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN WITH FLY AMERO

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“Jinglin’ in New England” with the talented Fly Amero!

TEN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN WITH “YOU AND ME”

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“You and Me” isn’t a Christmas carol but I include the song with my Christmas playlist each year because it’s so sweet and because of the story of how this demo by an unknown soul group that was recorded in 1970 became popular today–so much so that you may recognize the song from the movie Blue Valentine and an Oreo cookie commercial.

The forgotten demo of “You and Me,” recorded by Penny (Nannie Sharpe) and the Quarters (Penny’s three brothers), was discovered at a yard sale by a record collector who later gave the track to the Chicago reissue label Numero Group. Forty years after the demo was made, Ryan Gosling heard the song and recommended it to the director for the film Blue Valentine. Even at the time of the release of the film, the identity of Penny and the backup singers had yet to be discovered.

The sweetly irrepressible song has taken on a life of its own since its rediscovery and you can read the full story here, here and here.

ELEVEN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL COUNTDOWN WITH GUSTER

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CHRISTY JUCKETT SHARES LOBSTER TRAP TREE PHOTO

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Thanks so much to Christy for sharing her Lobster trap Tree photo!

GLOUCESTER STAGE COMPANY ANNOUNCES SLATE FOR 2019 SEASON

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Robert Walsh, Artistic Director | Christopher Griffith, Interim Managing Director

Gloucester Stage Company

40th ANNIVERSARY SEASON:

“The readiness is all”

 

Gloucester Stage Company Artistic Director Robert Walsh and Interim Managing Director Christopher Griffith, are proud to announce the 2019 slate for Gloucester Stage’s 40th Anniversary Season of professional theater on Boston’s Northshore.

“We are tremendously excited by our line-up of plays for this anniversary season! An absolute knockout will be Ben Butler, both funny and smart – I’m thrilled my colleague and friend Joe Discher is able to direct, following his off-Broadway premiere. Butler, a Gloucester resident and Union General, comes to life in this historic comedy – a true portrait for the Boston community. Additionally, we welcome back Paula Plum and Richard Snee, along with numerous artists who have contributed to Gloucester Stage in the past and will continue to define the future.  Through this lineup we are able to honor the late Neil Simon, introduce Karen Zacarias to our audiences, and invest in a unique partnership to impact Boston area schools by bringing Hamlet to life” shared Robert Walsh.

 

Griffith adds, “This theater has always been changing, through seasons, different buildings, market crashes, new plays, good years and bad years – we kept going. Reflecting on our 40th anniversary, there has been talk that we could never rival what we were, but we can – it’s happening now. There is a reinvigorated need to create at Gloucester Stage, beneath our feet and in our hands. We’re not going to just talk about what we’ve done in the past, but show our audiences what’s in-store for the future. I hope when you walk through our doors this season, you feel that vision coming to life.”

 

Season Opener: June 7 – June 30

Celebrating Neil Simon

Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon

Directed by Shana Gozansky

 

The romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park, award-winning playwright Neil Simon’s longest-running hit, and the tenth longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history opens Gloucester Stage’s 40thAnniversary season on June 7. The comedy opens as newlyweds Corie & Paul move into a top floor garret off Third Avenue in the east 40’s of Manhattan and follows the young couple as they quickly discover there’s more to marriage than meets the eye. Shana Gozansky makes her GSC debut directing Paula Plum, Richard Snee, McCaela Curran Donovan and Joe Short in this Neil Simon classic. Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park runs June 7 through June 30. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

 

 

Second: July 5 – July 28

Alfred Hitchcock’s

The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow,

Adapted from the John Buchan novel

Directed by Robert Walsh

 

A fast paced and witty mystery play, The 39 Steps follows Richard Hannay who feeling stricken with a boring life sets out for adventure. He quickly gets swept up in a murder/espionage story and must save the entire UK from peril. GSC Artistic Director Robert Walsh directs this imaginative stage adaptation of the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Lewis D.  Wheeler and Amanda Collins, last seen at GSC in the sellout To Kill a Mockingbird, return for this indomitably funny play. Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps runs from July 5 through July 28. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

           

Third: August 2 – August 25

Boston Area Premiere

Ben Butler by Richard Strand

Directed by Joe Discher (Director of the World Premiere and Off-Broadway Productions)

 

Richard Strand’s Ben Butler, a smart and funny discourse on race, protocol and our sense of humanity garnered high critical acclaim during its Off Broadway run in 2016. When an escaped slave shows up at Fort Monroe demanding sanctuary during the Civil War, Union General Benjamin Butler is faced with an impossible moral dilemma – follow the letter of the law, or make a game-changing move that could alter the course of US history? Benjamin Butler, a lawyer and former Governor of Massachusetts who championed the causes of labor and of naturalized citizens, spent his summers in the Bayview neighborhood of Gloucester (present-day Ames Estate). Joe Discher who helmed the show’s world premiere production in 2014 and the Off Broadway production in 2016, makes his GSC debut directingBen Butler. Richard Strand’s Ben Butler, runs from August 2 through August 25. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

 

 Fourth: August 30 – September 22

TBA

 

Extra effort is being put into curating the final piece of the 40th Season, and with special opportunities come the need for perfect timing. Gloucester Stage looks forward to announcing the fourth production in the first quarter of 2019.

 

 

Fifth: September 27 – October 20

Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias

 

Karen Zacarias’ comedy follows the high-powered lawyer Pablo, and his very pregnant wife doctoral candidate Tania, who have just purchased a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. Soon a disagreement between the neighbors over a longstanding fence line derails their plans of realizing the American Dream. Karen Zacarias’ Native Gardens runs from September 27 through October 20. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

 

Sixth: October 25 – November 17

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Directed by Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project 

 

Shakespeare’s classic tale of revenge comes to Gloucester Stage after two successful seasons of full-house student matinees. Responding to a need from Boston area schools to immerse students in classic literature, this performance has an adjusted schedule to impact over 2,000 middle and high school students. Hamlet’s story begins when he meets his father’s ghost, revealing that his brother, Claudius, has murdered him and taken Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, for his queen. Hamlet then begins his journey of revenge while struggling with self-doubt and facing challenges from all sides. Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project Christopher V. Edwards makes his GSC directing debut with William Shakespeare’s Hamlet running October 25 through November 17 at Gloucester Stage. Public performances are limited to weekends with student matinees weekdays. Specific show dates and times available online.

 

GLOUCESTER STAGE 2019 SEASON PERFORMANCE TIMES:

Wednesdays – Saturdays: 7:30 pm;

Saturdays – Sundays: 2:00 pm

 

PLACE:

Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

 

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: Single Ticket prices are $15 to $48 with discounts available for Preview Performances, Senior Citizens, Military Families, and College Students and those under 18 years of age. For detailed ticket information visit www.gloucesterstage.com

 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Season Packages start at $185 for 6 tickets to use for any show and include early access to seating, no online fees, and free ticket exchanges. This year also offers subscribers the ability to reserve their seats for the entire season with a Reserved Subscription. Interested patrons can save an additional 10% as an Early Bird Subscription by ordering before December 31st. Packages can be purchased or renewed by calling the Box Office at 978.281.4433 or by visitinggloucesterstage.com/subscribe

 

PAY WHAT YOU WISH: Gloucester Stage is committed to inclusion and diversity, including socio-economic status. Pay What You Wish performances are the first Saturday Matinee (2pm) of each production, allowing access to the arts for all. No one is turned away for lack of funds and donations can be made before or after the show.

 

CAPE ANN NIGHTS: Enriching our local community is key to our mission impact. Residents of Cape Ann can purchase $25 tickets at Preview Performances and every Wednesday of each production. Limit of 2 (two) per household. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office 978.281.4433, with a valid address.

 

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Gloucester Stage is a professional non-profit theater providing a unique, intimate experience as audiences are never more than five rows from the stage. Located in a century-old repurposed brick warehouse on the waterfront of Cape Ann, the organization is led by Artistic Director, Robert Walsh and Interim Managing Director Christopher Griffith. Entering the company’s 40th Season in 2019, GSC benefits from a loyal audience searching for intellectually stimulating and socially relevant stories.

For further information, call the Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433 or visitwww.gloucesterstage.com

2019 Season Photos:

 

Paula Plum, Actor Barefoot in the Park
Richard Snee, Actor Barefoot in the Park
Robert Walsh, Artistic Director Gloucester Stage  & Director  of The 39 Steps
Lewis D. Wheeler, Actor The 39 Steps
Amanda Collins, Actor, The 39 Steps

SNOWY OWL GOLDEN-EYED GOLDEN GIRL

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We startled each other! 

Happy Birthday to PROJECT SNOWSTORM

By Scott Weidensaul

On this day five years ago, my phone rang not long after breakfast. It was my friend and colleague Dave Brinker, a biologist with Maryland’s Natural Heritage program. He was calling because of something we’d both been watching with growing interest and amazement — the almost unprecedented invasion of snowy owls coming south into eastern North America, which was playing out across birding listserves, eBird and other information outlets.

The numbers were incredible. Just a week earlier, a birder in Newfoundland had reported counting nearly 300 snowies in one small area at Cape Race — 75 of them visible in a single sweep of his binoculars. White owls were showing up as far south as Jacksonville, Florida, and on the island of Bermuda.

“None of us are going to live long enough to see something like this again,” Dave said. He’d been talking with another mutual friend, owl bander Steve Huy, and they had some ideas — recruiting other banders to try to trap and band snowy owls to help track their movements, or maybe soliciting photographs from the public, which would allow us to age and sex many of the owls to get a sense of where the different age- and sex-classes were wintering.

That was plenty to think about, but not long after I hung up, the phone rang again. This time it was Andy McGann, who in 2007 was an intern on my saw-whet owl banding project, and in 2012 had worked for me again as a research technician while Dave and I tested a new type of automated telemetry system for small owls.

Andy was now working for Cellular Tracking Technologies, a company founded by golden eagle biologist Mike Lanzone to build next-generation GPS transmitters. Andy asked me if I’d been following the news about the snowy owl invasion. “Because, um, we have a transmitter here that was built for another project — but Mike said if you can find some funds, just enough to cover our costs, we’d love to put it on a snowy owl instead,” he said.

That was the beginning of Project SNOWstorm — and it snowballed (no pun intended) was stunning speed. By the evening of Dec. 7, 2013, I had spoken with a longtime supporter of our saw-whet work, the late Jim Macaleer of West Chester, Pa., who had agreed to underwrite not one but five transmitters. The next day, anonymous friends and fellow researchers had matched that gift with one of their own. We’d reached out to our good friend Norman Smith in Massachusetts, who has been studying snowy owls since 1981, who enthusiastically joined the effort. Along with Steve, another former research tech of mine, Drew Weber, brought web savvy and know-how. Jean-François Therrien, a French-Canadian researcher who did his Ph.D. on snowy owls in the Arctic and who now works here in Pennsylvania at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, jumped in with both feet. The proposal we submitted to the U.S. Bird Banding Lab for authorization to tag and track snowy owls was approved in record time, since the BBL was already looking for someone to do just that kind of project.

Less than two weeks later Dave, JF, Mike and I gathered along the  Maryland coast, where we trapped “Assateague,” a juvenile male and our first tagged owl. It’s been a wild five years ever since, as this project has grown in ways we never could have expected. For instance, we had a research project but no budget, so Dave suggested we try crowd-funding. I was frankly skeptical, but many of you quickly proved that it’s possible to launch and maintain an ambitious scientific project with small donations from the general public and birding/ornithological organizations. (Our institutional home, the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in central Pennsylvania, has been a huge supporter from the start, not least because all donations to SNOWstorm are thus tax-deductible in the U.S.)

READ MORE HERE