A fabulous opportunity for folks here in town that is slow to fill up. This course gives everyone a free chromebook and a hotspot with a year’s worth of internet FOR FREE if they complete the class.

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Hammond Castle

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Reblogged from the Hammon Castle FaceBook Page.  Very impressive numbers for this great Castle.

During our 2025 season, we issued 93,000 admission tickets at Hammond Castle Museum. Families created memories together, students discovered new ideas, and guests of all ages found moments of joy, inspiration, and connection. Whether your visit sparked curiosity, offered a sense of wonder, or became a cherished tradition, we are grateful that the Museum was part of your year.

We look forward to sharing all that we have planned for the 2026 season in the coming weeks!

Reduce Arthritis Pain!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 BY ANGEL WINGS WELLNESS

Achy hands, feet or knees? Reduce arthritis pain with Angel Butter CBD Topical! CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory reducing inflammation in joints and muscles. Come down to Angel Wings Wellness for a FREE SAMPLE of Angel Butter Topical. One per person please. Friday and Saturday 11-4 or call for a private appointment for a free wellness consultation with a certified CBD consultant. 978-985-4592

12 Rogers Street – Gloucester Visit us online  Glosta GroovesStop by and check out our Home Grown Tie Dye! And Get A Free “Glosta Grooves” Sticka! Friday, Saturday 11-4 or call for appointment for a Free Wellness Consultation 978-985-4592

From John Abisamra

Posted on by Pat D

From John:

“Viva San Pietro!”…In reviewing my photos on a rainy day, I came across this. One of the highlights of 2025 for me was to attend the St Peter’s procession. It is such an amazing and colorful procession with the men dressed in white outfits with green and red ribbons while carrying the statutes and confetti flying everywhere. Here the one man is pointing in the direction of a bystander whom they will stop in front of and pay their respects. They will shout out “Viva San Pietro” and the crowd will follow in unison. I love living in Gloucester and appreciate all the colorful celebrations. Enjoy!

Ten Pound Island: A Journey Through History, Mystery, & Art

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 ~ SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

Join the Sawyer Free Library on Thursday, January 22 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm for an unforgettable evening as speaker and historian Richard Carlson brings to life the rich and storied past of Ten Pound Island, one of Rocky Neck’s most iconic and intriguing landmarks. His engaging presentation promises a journey through centuries of history, mystery, and artistic inspiration.

Ten Pound Island has been a central figure in the area’s story since well before Samuel de Champlain charted the coast in 1606. Rich will explore the island’s many chapters—from its early days as a fish hatchery, to its role as a Coast Guard airfield during Prohibition, to its enduring legacy as home to the beloved Ten Pound Island Light.

This lively talk will also dive into the island’s more enigmatic moments. Expect tales of sea monster sightings, the infamous Great Rat Flood, and the ways in which artists have been captivated by the island’s beauty over the years.

Whether you’re a history buff, maritime folklore lover, or simply curious about Gloucester’s hidden gems, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Register for this special event at sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Join us in celebrating the fish city’s recognizably salty character with the 5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty, a festival sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum in partnership with Discover Gloucester.

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

This annual event brings over 2,000 people to the downtown area each January to shop at local stores, enjoy family friendly activities, visit the Museum Courtyard, and find each of the ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses.

Gloucester’s So Salty will take place on Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25, 2026 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm!

Activities and Performances

Ice Sculptures, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

While the downtown Museum is temporarily closed for renovations, we welcome you to visit us at the CAM Tent in the Museum’s Courtyard to grab a Brochure map of the weekend’s activities and find all the ice sculptures downtown (Hint, three are right by the tent in the Courtyard!).

Sea Shanties, Saturday, January 24, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Sea Shanties performed by Three Sheets to the Wind. Free and open to the public. Unitarian Universalist Church of Gloucester, Middle Street, Gloucester.

Sawyer Free Library, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Meet Mayor Lundberg who will be reading Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton, at 1:00 p.m. and enjoy free children’s activities and crafts on Saturday with Open Door and Pathways of Gloucester. Free and Open to the Public.

Sawyer Free Library: All events are open to all ages, families and community members!

  • Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. on the Second Floor (Children’s Department): Frozen Fun with Elsa: Elsa’s Frozen Ice & Snow show brings stories and the science of ice together for a fun morning of learning for children!
  • Saturday 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on the Main Floor (Reading Lounge): Live Music Trio featuring a variety of wintertime fun including Gershwin, Disney, some folk tunes, and classics
  • Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. on the Main Floor (Reading Lounge): Mayor Lundberg reads Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
  • Saturday 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. on the Ground Floor (Community Room): Get Salty with fellow Community Partners! The Open Door hosts Crispy Chickpeas (includes samples!!!) and Pathways for Children offers Salt Art Snowflakes (colored salt and glue of pre-cut snowflake shapes).

Businesses Downtown

Check individual locations for days and times including listings for Special Offers as well as Family Friendly Activities!

  • The Bookstore of GloucesterFestive window display, 10% off select Salty books, and special ‘salty’ candles for sale courtesy of A Tale of Two Candles! Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. & Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 61 Main St.
  • Floating Lotus All weekend: 10% Off storewide. Join us for a Drumming Class: Primal Roots Drumming on Sunday, Jan 25th, 1:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the store. (Bring your own drum or rent one! For tickets visit: www.floatinglotus.net/products/primal-roots-drum. 169 Main Street.
  • Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library Sawyer SATURDAY: Free events and activities! 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Frozen Fun with Elsa: Elsa’s Frozen Ice & Snow show brings stories and the science of ice together for a fun morning of learning for children! 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on the Main Floor: Live Music Trio featuring a variety of wintertime fun including Gershwin, Disney, folk tunes, and classics, 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Mayor Lundberg reads Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Get Salty with crafts by The Open Door and Pathways for Children. 2 Dale Avenue.
  • Dogtown BooksCreate your own Salty poetry, expressions or silly phrases on our front window! Saturdayand Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 132 Main St.
  • Fireflies Boutique Stop in for piece of Saltwater Taffy, free, at Fireflies Boutique. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, 100 Main St.
  • Cape Ann Olive Oil 20% off on all salts and salt related products. Saturday & Sunday, 10-:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 57 Main St.
  • Design of Mine, a local boutique, 40% Off storewide Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 33 Main St.
  • Sweats of Gloucester 20% off storewide Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., 85 Main Street.
  • Saluti and The Salted Cod After you find all the ice sculptures, come to Saluti, Gloucester’s new wine bar, located at the end of Main Street and enjoy a $5 mug of mulled wine or spiked cider! Good all weekend, 12:00 p.m. to closing. 272 Main Street. Offer also available at the Salted Cod on Rocky Neck (53 Rocky Neck Ave.)
  • Pop Gallery will be serving up Sales & Ales, warming libations and featuring some fun new looks as well as a Gloucester-So-Salty Raffle prize. Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., 67 Main St.
  • Local Colors Come paint salt dough fish, while supplies last; see and shop work by local artists too! Saturday & Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., 121 Main St.
  • Design of Mine 40% Off storewide, All Weekend. 33 Main St.
  • Happy Tails Shoppe 10% Off All Dog & Cat Treats. Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., 186 Main St.
  • Masshole & Co Pet Provisions Special:Doggie “Pawgaritas” – $1 with any purchase! A cucumber-based drink topped with whipped cream that pups can’t resist. Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., 137 Main St.
  • Mark Adrian Shoes Icy, salty streets getting you down? Stay safe, dry, warm and fabulous in new winter boots! Lots on sale! Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., 103 Main St.
  • Gloucester Apparel and Pat Ds Photos Buy-3, Get-One-Free Hat Sale! Includes Fleece Lined Caps. Pat D’s Photos: All notecards $3 each and large banner flags discounted to $25. Plus – free Salted Caramels 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. each day. 44A Main St., in between the Cave and Caffe Sicilia.
  • The Dress Code Stop by The Dress Code to warm up and enjoy 20% Off winter coats! Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 159 Main St.
  • Joe’s Fresh Fish Prints Come check out Fish Printing Demonstrations from 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., 6 Main St.
  • Castaways Vintage Café $2 Salted Caramel lattes!! Saturday & Sunday, 6:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., 65 Main St.
  • Sample This Winter Sale! Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., 123 Main St.
  • Cape Ann Lanes/Laneside Pub & Brewery Special Offer! Buy-1, Get-one-free hot cocoa in our Winter Wonderland Beer Garden OR 10% off bowling and food after 4:00 p.m. Offer good all weekend! 53 Gloucester Ave.

Pre-Salty! GLO-ARTs – Make Your Own Ice Sculpture, A Children’s Program

Join Sawyer Free Library and Gloucester Center for the Arts (GloArts) to make a collaborative ice sculpture for the 5th Annual Gloucester So Salty Festival! We’ll be making elements for the collaborative ice sculpture using food coloring, natural plants, and more. We’ll also talk about how to assemble our final sculpture. Once the elements freeze, you’re invited to come back on Friday, January 23 from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. to help put out our ice sculpture art installation outside the library! Patrons ages 11-19 (grades 6-12) are welcome to participate in this event. Space is limited, so registration is required.

Saturday, January 17, 1:30—3:30 p.m.

Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Program

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY PROGRAM IN THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE ON MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2026

GLOUCESTER, MA: The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, in collaboration with the Gloucester Racial Justice Team, will present a program to explore the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal is to use our history to guide us in light of today’s social, economic, and political challenges.  The featured speaker will be Professor Jamie Wilson, historian from Salem State University and author of a book about Dr. King. The free program will take place on Monday, January 19 at 2:00 p.m. in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, on the green at 50 Middle Street.  For more information please visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

Professor Wilson is the author of Martin Luther King. Jr.: A Life in American History. New York: Bloomsbury, 2023.  He will discuss the obstacles faced by Dr. King and the struggle for racial equality in both the north and the south after the landmark Supreme Court decisions that banned segregated schools but left many discriminatory practices intact across many industries such as housing and employment.

All are invited to the UU Church Social Hall (downstairs) where Professor Wilson will speak, followed by a video excerpt from a 1967 interview of MLK, Jr. by Sander Vanocur of NBC News.  Participants will then be divided into discussion groups led by trained facilitators. Each group will tackle issues that are relevant to the struggles for human dignity and security that Reverend King championed.  Parking is available on the green in front of the Meetinghouse.  Please enter the Social Hall via the side door at #10 Church Street or the side door from the Gould Court parking area.  Light refreshments will be served.

Organizers of this event include Jerry Ackerman and Karen N. Bell, co-chairs of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Events Committee, and Michea McCaffrey, Chair of the Gloucester Racial Justice Team. A special sponsor of the event is the Beverly & Addison Gilbert Hospitals, a member of Beth Israel Lahey Health.  This annual MLK Day program in Gloucester is part of the Meetinghouse Tenth Anniversary series.

Dorothy P. Martins, known as “Dottie” to family and friends, was born on July 4, 1929, in Gloucester, MA, and passed away peacefully on December 8, 2025, in Covington, LA.

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Dottie was a loving mom, wife, teacher, and a familiar face in the Gloucester community, where she was involved with groups like the Gloucester Housing Authority. People admired her for her strength and determination. 

Even as a young woman, Dottie showed real grit and dedication. During the Korean War, she stepped up to serve her country, working for General Douglas MacArthur. Her commitment during that time was just one example of the duty and patriotism that guided her throughout her life. 

After coming home to Gloucester from her military service, Dottie started a long and rewarding career in education. For over 30 years, she taught kindergarten in the Gloucester schools, touching the lives of countless children with her caring and belief in their potential. Many former students still remember the positive impact she had on them. 

Dottie was preceded in death by her husband, Manuel F. Martins, her partner in both family and work until he passed away in 1991. She leaves behind her daughter, Stephanie M. Ingraham of Santa Barbara, CA; her son, Stephen W. Martins of Covington, LA; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. 

Outside of work and family, Dottie loved life and kept busy with painting, drawing, knitting, and volunteering. Friends valued her for her wisdom, sense of humor, and loyal friendship. 

Dottie’s life was a great example of curiosity, perseverance, and faith. She handled tough times with grace and was always thankful for the good things that came her way. She’ll be deeply missed by her family, friends, and everyone who was lucky enough to know her. 

A celebration of Dottie’s life will be held in the spring of 2026 in her hometown of Gloucester, MA

Another Day Done

Posted on by Nichole S.

My new view will never get old, but this time of year I watch the assorted boats and fishing vessels head out early and come back in late with a different level of respect. The harbor is rarely completely still and the state fish pier is always awake.

Lunch At Stones Pub

Posted on by Pat D

As you may have heard, Stones Pub on Main Street is open every day now for lunch starting at 11:30. We joined Joey there to check it out. We enjoyed some of the ever-present popcorn as we looked over the menu. I had Carolina Wings which were on the specials menu and Jim had the fig panini which were excellent. We topped off the meal with a piece of wonderful carrot cake. A great lunch in a comfortable warm atmosphere. We will return!