Good Morning Gloucester

Boston Globe:

Fenway Park will transform itself into a temporary pickleball mecca this summer in a mash-up of the newest and oldest national pastimes.

A dozen pickleball courts will be spread out along the outfield periphery of the historic baseball stadium for a few days during one of the lulls in the Red Sox’ home schedule, with court time available for rent to the general public and private companies. The dates, rates, and other details will be announced later this month.

Fenway Park and the San Francisco

Giants’ Oracle Park were

announced as the first two hosts of the inaugural Ballpark Festival

Series by the newly formed group

Pickleball4America, or P4A.

Patterns…

Chief Eric Smith reports that the Gloucester Fire Department, with significant assistance from mutual aid partners, extinguished a large brush on Saturday.

On Saturday, April 8, at approximately 12:12 p.m., Gloucester Fire received a report of smoke in the area of Hillside Court. First responders from Engine 3 arrived within five minutes. Upon arrival crews observed a large brush fire, requested Engine 1, and struck a second alarm.

Under the direction of incident commander Assistant Fire Chief Robert Rivas, Engines 2, 4, and 6, and Rescue 1 were called to the scene, and were assisted by the Rockport Fire (drone crew), Essex Fire Department, and DCR State Forestry Fire Control crews.

Crews worked aggressively to contain the fire, and were deployed to adjacent residential areas, including Colburn Street, Essex Street, North Kilby Street, Quarry Street, and Washington Street, to protect residents and property.

No injuries were reported. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation Forest Fire Control estimates 64 acres were burned.

“Brush fires can be extremely challenging, and I want to commend all the responders for containing the fire under dry conditions,” Chief Smith said.

A preliminary investigation determined that the home’s owner was conducting a permitted burn which grew out of control. The burn permit has been revoked. Gloucester crews will continue to monitor the area.

The Gloucester Fire Department wishes to thank the Gloucester Police Department for providing traffic control; the Rockport Fire Department, which supplied a drone to assist fire responders, and the Essex Fire Department; the Danvers, Ipswich, and Manchester-by-the-Sea Fire Departments for providing station coverage; and Beauport Ambulance for support at the scene.

Chief Smith and the Gloucester Fire Department also wish to share the City regulations regarding open burning and permit requirements:

• Open burning is allowed from Jan. 15 to May 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  Open burning is only allowed by permit, which may be obtained online at Gloucester’s Online Permitting Central; those without internet access may visit headquarters at 8 School St.
• The Department will determine daily whether open burning may be conducted safely. Status updates are available by calling 978-325-5306.
• Burning must be conducted at least 75 feet from all buildings.

Burning with a permit for the following materials is allowed:

• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from other than commercial or industrial land clearing operations.
• Materials normally associated with the pursuit of agriculture such as fruit tree prunings, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches for pruning purposes, and infected beehives for disease control.
• Trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing.
• Fungus-infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available.

Burning of the following materials is prohibited statewide:

• Brush, trees, cane, and driftwood from commercial and/or industrial land clearing operations.
• Grass, hay, leaves and stumps, and tires.
• Construction material and debris.

For more information about open burning and permits, please visit the Fire Department website.

Our adult children visited over Easter weekend so decided to take a little “staycation” so the siblings could enjoy a little time alone to talk about their parents. As I often recommend Cape Ann Marina Resort hotel to visitors, I thought it would be a good idea to try it for ourselves. It’s been several years since we stayed there and we were curious so I made the arrangements.

We knew several of the rooms had recently been re-done so I was extra curious. We did stay in one of the new rooms and they have really done a nice job updating them. The bold colors were a little surprising at first but soon I came to like the pops of color. The bathroom and shower (step in) are a good size and the motion detector light in the bathroom was a pleasant surprise. The views cannot be argued with. I smiled to myself in the early morning hours when I heard an engine and realized it was a boat and not a vehicle. The amenities include real coffee mugs and wine glasses; these I appreciate very much! Having a restaurant onsite is also a big bonus. Prices very reasonable, particularly for the off season. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you might consider this for your own staycation. Thank you Patrick for your kind attention and to all the staff for a great stay.

She’s a pretty one.

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But it’s not just limited to weekdays! Our delicious breakfast, pizza, subs, burgers, and more are also a great way to start or end your week! Dine-in, take-out, and delivery options now available through Doordash.com

Check out our website for our full menu and order now!
www.mymagcafe.com

“Sit down and rest…”