Author: Bridgette Mathews

Joe Pamisano shares a pic of the prep of getting the pole ready for tonight’s first greasy pole event beginning at 4:45 today down at Pavilion Beach.  Looks like a nice low tide and there will be plenty of room so come down and share the VIVA!!

Sharing some of Mayor Sefatia’s photos from last night’s Appreciation Dinner for the Fiesta Committee and their friends and families hosted by the Gloucester House Restaurant where Lenny Linquata and Dorothy Linquata served locally caught fresh fish.   Kicking off Gloucester’s promotion of fresh, locally caught fish, to restaurants and dealers.

Sharing some of my pics from Tuesday’s Mass and procession.

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Ella Tucker enjoying some confetti from last nights procession of St. Peter.  ​

Not sure why this makes me laugh 😀

Headed to Boston early yesterday morning to find a spot to watch the Parade of Sails which did not disappoint despite the early fog and 1 hour delay!   It took quite a while for the boats to reach my location on the Seaport but it was worth the wait.   The boats are docked in various points of Boston Harbor through Wednesday night and you can get information on the boats, their locations and visiting hours at the Sail Boston website.  Here’s just a sampling of my hundreds of pics.   (PS…Happy Father’s Day to all the GMG Dad’s today!)  Enjoy!

Eagle

Fire boats

Eagle

Eagle

Adventure & Roseway

Eagle

Roseway & Adventure

Thomas E. Lannon

Lannon sails

Thomas E. Lannon

Roseway

Bluenose

Lannon

Bluenose

Oriole

Oriole

Picton Castle

Jolie Brise

Picton Castle

Europa

Europe & American Eagle

Europa

Europa

Oostershelde

Oostershelde

Tree of Life

Oostershelde

Angelique

Angelique

Plane incoming

Hindu

Guayas

Guayas Crew

Guayas

Liberty Clipper & Fame

Oliver Hazard Perry

Oliver Hazard Perry

Picton Castle

Oliver Hazard Perry

Formidable

Union

Union

At port

Viva San Pietro!  Sista Felicia made a batch of her annual St. Peter’s Fiesta Sugar Cookies for her Cummares & family!  So beautiful!  (I’m sure they are yummy too, but no way am I eating mine!)  #sugarcookies #stpetersfiesta2017 #italiantradition #siciliantradition

A few pics of the Photographers from last night’s reception for the “Where is it?” exhibit in the Matz Gallery at the Sawyer Free Library.   It will be there until the end of June so stop in and see if you can figure out the locations

I took some not so great images of these awesome photos…definitely stop by and see in person!

The “Where is it?” reception at the Matz Gallery at the Sawyer Free Library is tonight from 4-6pm.   The exhibit will be on display for the month of June so stop down and try to figure out the location of each photograph!    Here’s a sneak peek of the photos on display  (which does not do any of them justice so go see for yourself!)

Here are the Photographers chosen to hang their work:

A few video clips below to share of a couple of my favorite Novena songs.

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Happy Flag Day!  #oldglory

A little history from the www.usflag.org website…

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as ‘Flag Birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’.

On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.

Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as ‘Flag Day’, and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.

Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.

In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children’s celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.

Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”

Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

The unofficial start of the Fiesta began with the first night of the Novena to St. Peter.  This year after 40 years of leading the Novena ladies in prayer and her dedication to the St. Peter’s Fiesta, Rosie Verga passed the torch on to Jeannie Linquata who, along with Caryn Ryder, Ann Sanfilippo, Faye Quinlan, Grace Cusamano and Nancy Millifoglie has been preparing the altar for the last 5 years with the most beautiful, creative altar designs.   This year’s Novena is dedicated to the 100th year of the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima where Our Lady appeared before the 3 small children and asked them to “Recite the rosary every day to obtain the peace for the world and the end of the war.” And then disappeared.  (Click here to read the full story of the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima).  

Maria Annunziato de Trappeto

Lady of Fatima from St. Ann’s Church

Padre Pio

“Life’s roughest storms, proves the strength of our Anchors”

Madonna Soccorso

Blessed Mother from Mother of Grace

Madonna del Lume Society

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Fun with dandelion seeds…some see a weed, I see a wish!

Spent some time this week up in Rockland, Maine and headed up to Port Clyde and Marshall Point Lighthouse to check it off my list.   When we got there it was cloudy and overcast and it didn’t look very promising for any kind of sunset, but we stuck around anyway because you really just never know what the skies will bring.  We never saw the sun but we saw the most amazing blue, purple, pink and orange skies about 10 minutes after the sun set.  What a gift!

Nothing like weak wifi and intermittent cell service to force you to back off “the grid” for a bit.   It’s been so nice to unplug a little and just hang out with my camera for a few days.   Beautiful scenes to photograph are all the therapy I need 😀

Grab your popcorn and tune in to watch the Tony Awards on Sunday night on CBS at 8pm where our own Gloucester girl Katy Geraghty will be performing as “Debbie” with the Tony award nominated Musical…Groundhog Day!!  So excited for Katy who’s doing great things and making Gloucester proud.   Break a leg Katy!!!

Click here to check out GMG Contributor Catherine’s recent post about Katy’s story and involvement in the Broadway Musical.

A few rowers seem to be racing the Schooner Lannon on the horizon the other day.

There was a huge turnout yesterday in both runners and spectators for the Twin Lobsters Half Marathon.   It was a gorgeous day for the 13.1 mile run starting at the High School going out around the backshore and back.   (A beautiful day for us spectators as well!)  I’d like to give a big shout out to my niece Jessica Mathews who ran her first big 13 mile race yesterday and totally rocked it with the help of some strategically stationed cheerleaders!!  For all that participated…great job!!

This ship was coming into the harbor this morning…couldn’t see the name but I hope they enjoy our beautiful city!