Stay tuned for the release of today’s podcast for the story: the Ralph-cast podcast.

186 main street..great gifts

Donna Ardizzoni / Circle Consulting Group 978-526-9222

Allen Estes is a gifted singer-songwriter whose time has come!   

Click Here To Check Out Allan Estes Kickstarter                    

His music is cinematic and speaks to relationships, the world at large and specifically to the magical area he calls home, Gloucester, Massachusetts.

“Our Humble Queen of the Harbor” was written in memory of Kay Ellis (pictured bottom middle)

A portion of the funds for this CD will be donated to the Kay Ellis Memorial Scholarship. The song, “Humble Queen of the Harbor,” was written in memory of Kay Ellis, who, with her husband Tom, built the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon 1997. There have been many years of, as Tom puts it, “sailing in circles in Gloucester Harbor,” and many music sails that Allen has been a part of. The music sails were Kay’s idea! Kay’s passing in 2016 left a big hole in the waterfront community.  Several months after her passing, the scholarship fund in her name was established to benefit students of the Tourism and Hospitality fields. An annual ‘Sunset Sail and Party on the Dock’ has raised funds for the scholarship and since then 6 scholarships of $3000 each have been awarded to date.

Allen’s music is instantly memorable, the kind of music that stays with you, the kind you can’t get out of your head. Allen says, “These new songs deserve to be out in the world, and hopefully you will share our vision.” We hope you will get involved and support this new record project! Rewards range from a “Sincere Thank You” to a House Concert with many levels of support in between, including a private lesson with Allen for those budding singer-songwriters- wouldn’t that make a great gift!

Recording at Q Division Studios

It was one hundred years ago today that the war known as The Great War, World War I, ended. This war had taken a great toll on the world, and it was no different for Gloucester. Not only did the war rage, but so did the Spanish Flu Pandemic. The headlines every single day told of another loss to war or disease.  So I am certain this headline from Nov 7 1918 was a very welcome sight.

And, a few days later on Nov 11 1918, the Gloucester Daily Times published this:

And, although the 100th anniversary of this profound event may go somewhat unnoticed, the staff at Sawyer Free Library are (as always) right on top of things, offering this display of war related items and various media. One of my Facebook friends shared a link to an audio recording from the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. It’s short and definitely worth a listen.

But perhaps the greatest headline of all was this one. One year later, Armistice Day was first recognized. It later became Veterans Day as the country found itself involved in other wars and acknowledged those who served. Thank you to our veterans and active military today and in the past.

Now in its 7th year, the community-wide fundraiser will focus on new and consigned apparel and equipment for skiing, snowboarding, hockey, and ice skating

The annual Ski, Skate & Board Consignment Event, hosted by the Friends of Cutler Elementary in Hamilton, MA, will take place on Saturday, November 17th and Sunday, November 18th. In the 7th year of the fundraiser, the Ski, Skate & Board committee is excited to continue to focus the event on quality, reasonably priced equipment and apparel for skiing, snowboarding, hockey and ice skating. The community-wide fundraiser provides an opportunity for north shore families outfitting their families for the season to purchase new and used equipment and apparel and consign items they no longer need.  The event, being held at the Cutler School in Hamilton, is planned for Saturday, November 17th from 9am – 2pm and Sunday, November 18th from 11am – 1pm. Most items are 50% off on Sunday. The event is open to the public and offers great deals on equipment and apparel for both children and adults. Plymouth Ski & Sports, Hardy Ski Emporium and Wenham Sports Stop will be there with NEW equipment including HUNDREDS of skis, boots and skates. Even if your family does not ski, skate or board, the event is a great opportunity to stock up on needed winter apparel at great prices. And, there will be pop-up boutiques featuring retailers at great prices, such as Skida Headwear & Accessories, Cirque Mountain Apparel hats and Craft Apparel. Back for their third year, Velofix, a mobile ski tuning service, will be on site so you can get your gear tuned up for the season! This event is made available for the community in part due to the support of our sponsors including Active Healing,  Institution for Savings, Salem 5, Treat Cakes and Confections,  McClain Group – Engel & Volkers Real Estate, Velofix, Cape Anne Figure Skating Club, Hamilton House of Pizza, and Tread Tabata.

“Now in our 7th year, we are excited to continue to offer a great opportunity for the community to consign or purchase equipment and apparel for skiing, snowboarding, hockey and ice skating.  We’re happy this event has grown to be an annual ‘must attend’ for many in the community with a common interest in outdoor, family activities,” says Ski, Skate & Board Coordinator, Jeannine Ryan.

“With no other sale like this in the area, the consignment event is a much needed resource for the community to earn money and find homes for previously used equipment and apparel as well as stock up for the upcoming season. We’re happy to be able to offer quality apparel and equipment at reasonable prices that meet the needs of the community,” says Ski, Skate & Board Coordinator, Dabney Smith.

People interested in consigning items can visit www.skiskateandboard.com for more information. Consignors will receive 70% of sales.  Donations are also welcome. Proceeds from the event benefits the Friends of Cutler. Drop off hours for consignors and people wishing to donate items are Tuesday, 11/13 6 – 8 pm, Thursday, 11/15, 9am -12pm and 6  -8 pm, and Friday, 11/16, 10am – 2pm.

The event can also be followed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SkiSkateBoardConsignmentEvent/

Event Details

Who: Friends of Cutler Elementary

What: Ski, Skate & Board Consignment Event

Where: Cutler Elementary, 237 Asbury Street, Hamilton, MA

When: Saturday, November 17th and Sunday, November 18th

About the Friends of Cutler

Proceeds from the Ski, Skate & Board Event benefit The Friends of Cutler, a non-profit 501 (c)3 organization that supports The Cutler School by providing enhanced cultural enrichment programs, technology, and field trips, among other things, to create a more diverse and hands-on education experience.