Good Morning Gloucester

PRESS RELEASE, June 28, 2019, announcing:

Music on Meetinghouse Green IV, Summer Festival 2019

 A free outdoor summer music festival at 6:00PM on Friday evenings in July and August.  We dedicate this fourth season in honor of Linzee Coolidge and the late Beth Coolidge for their vision and generosity to the Cape Ann community.

 Description:

Please join us for the 4^th season of this free outdoor concert series, hosted by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation in front of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church.  This unique summer music festival features a different musical ensemble at 6:00PM each Friday evening in July and August and benefits our North Shore non-profit partners via free-will offerings from the audience.  The whole community is invited to enjoy this ‘mini-Tanglewood’ experience under the shade trees on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Streets.  Bring lawn chairs, blankets and your favorite libation to enjoy the music and delicious food available from local vendors.  Your voluntary contributions support the work of 8 terrific partner organizations that work so hard to improve the lives of our fellow citizens on Cape Ann.

 Schedule:

Date                Music                                      Beneficiary                                          Food

July 5               John Baboian Ensemble          Pathways for Children                         Causeway

July 12             Livin’ on Luck                          Backyard Growers                               Classic Cooks

July 19             Hye Fusion                              The Open Door                                    Markouk

July 26             The Goddesses                       Art Haven                                            Willow Rest

August 2          What Time Is It Mr. Fox?         Maritime Gloucester                           CommonCrow

August 9          Cape Ann Big Band                 HAWC                                                  Jalapenos

August 16        Willie Alexander                     The Grace Center                                Willow Rest

August 23        Deb Hardy Band                      Gloucester Education Foundation       Jalapenos

September 6    Alvin Foster                             Gloucester Meetinghouse                  Causeway

 Sponsors:

Thanks to their amazing generosity, the series’ expenses are pre-paid and all free-will donations from the audience go to our non-profit community partners!

Hero                Scobie Ward

Platinum          J.J. & Jackie Bell, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Harry & Mary Hintlian

Gold                 John & Janis Bell, BOMCO, Michael & Mary Ann Bresnan

Silver               Anonymous, Gib & Sarah Carey, JoeAnn Hart & Gordon Baird, Charles Nazarian,

                        John & Sandra Ronan

Bronze             Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, Bill & Rose Hausman

 Location, Time and More Info:

The Green in front of the Gloucester Meetinghouse is located at the intersection of Church and Middle Streets.  The program starts at 6:00PM and concludes at 8:30PM.  Please consult www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org  for more information about the performers, non-profits and food vendors.  Please note, events are held indoors in the downstairs social hall in case of bad weather-we never cancel!

Additional information

Quilt to be Raffled to Benefit the Meetinghouse:

Lanesville textile artist Doris Prouty has created and donated a beautiful quilt that will be raffled to benefit the present work on the Meetinghouse.

 Building History and the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation:

Completed in 1806 for the first Universalist Church in America, the grand Federal Style, 600-seat Meetinghouse with a 110’ lantern steeple and Paul Revere Bell is a jewel in the heart of the Historic District.   Now well into its third century serving the people of Cape Ann, its history is steeped in the establishment of religious freedom in Massachusetts and the Constitutional separation of church and state.  Home of the present-day Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church and host to The Grace Center, the building is alive with activities like concerts, family-friendly entertainment, events, symposia and civic celebrations.

 The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit modeled upon the Old North Foundation in relation to Boston’s famous Old North Church.  Its mission is to preserve the landmark building as a welcoming civic hub, premiere entertainment venue, and family-friendly community action center.  The ongoing preservation of the building seeks to combine the highest standard of restoration and energy conservation techniques.

Thanks to support from state, municipal and philanthropic grants plus gifts from private individuals the Meetinghouse is accessible to persons with disabilities,  is protected by a fire-sprinkler & monitoring system augmented by extensive fire-proof thermal insulation, and has achieved a ‘net-zero’ building carbon footprint with the help of Reforest the Tropics  and its climate-change initiative TownGreen/2025. 

 More info at: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org