While Vickie was complaining yesterday about people who wait until the last minute to announce their live music lineup, and then forget to tell us at gimmesound.com, which, BTW, is the ONLY complete live music listing for Gloucester & Cape Ann in ANY MEDIUM — meaning that if you’re not listed, you’re not getting the word out, which it’s your own fault ’cause it’s free … anyhow I digress.

While she was getting gimmesound up to date, I was at a meeting with Peter Jenner, who happens to be Chair of the School of Hospitality Management at Endicott College, and he invited me to a reception at their new digs at 33 Commercial St. later in the day where Endicott’s arts profs & deans were going to hobnob with people from Gloucester’s arts scene, the whole shebang being dubbed Arts Endicott meets Arts Gloucester — in a word: OUTREACH.

While I was there, I posted a live photo from the event (see here).  I met some interesting people, saw people I knew, drank wine, ate hors d’oeuvres, listened to a short, concise and interesting presentation and saw a dance performance — all very well put together.  But here’s what really struck me.  These people are truly interested in immersing themselves into Gloucester’s culture.  They see the entire city — and everyone in it — as their partners.  This is far more significant than the fact Endicott is offering degree programs in Gloucester (see this post), which is pretty big in and of itself.

So if you didn’t go last night (I almost didn’t) I recommend that you contact somebody at Endicott that is teaching in the field you work in every day and tell them what you do.  This isn’t only for people in the arts — it’s everything — literally.  Check out their website here.

As I said in this post, “Becoming a college town is likely to be the best thing that has happened to Gloucester this century.”  And I’m not exaggerating.