April 1st 5pm-8pmSchooner Festival Kick-Off Party& FundraiserGloucester House63 Rogers St, Gloucester5pm-8pmLight Buffet – Cash Bar – RafflesSilent Auction – Schooner Festival gearScotty Mac will be our MC!Gloucester Schooner Festival is the best weekend of the year. Help support our efforts in making it a reality!RSVP
Can’t make it on April 1st, but still want to support the Gloucester Schooner Festival?
COME CELEBRATE WITH US! Join Backyard Growers for a special ribbon-cutting to kick off the veggie-growing season in newly-expanded Burnham’s Field Community Garden!
This spring, we are welcoming 55 households to the garden, where they will grow their own fresh food in raised garden beds – a nearly 50 percent increase in capacity
Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce is generously hosting this ribbon-cutting on the same morning as our first Burnham’s Gardener Work Day and our annual Free Seed Swap & Giveaway which is open to the public. It’s going to be a great, vibrant morning down at Burnham’s Field in Gloucester! Join us!
Opening Day = Warm Fuzzies. This time of year I miss my days photographing at Fenway Park so much. It has been 9 long (and busy) years since I was last invited to stand on the hallowed field of Fenway Park and photograph the team as they prepared for Opening Day. That particular Opening Day also gave us a Ring Ceremony as we presented the 2013 World Champions… which obviously makes it that much more special. Also, on that particular day, Tom Brady was in attendance ….as was Pete Frates. A lot has changed since then. The starting line-up, for one, is very different. The ownership has changed a little bit. We’ve lost a few greats. And, as of recently, we’ve watched as MLB, along with the rest of the world, endured a pandemic. What hasn’t changed, for many, is the buzz and warm fuzzies that come along with Opening Day and what it symbolizes. Warm sunny days in an iconic ballpark (although today will be in the 40s)….with the promise of an exciting season….and the hopes of a long play-off run. 6 months of baseball. In the words of Joe Kelly, “Baseball isn’t boring.” #baseballisntboring #joekelly Let’s go, Red Sox.
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We ventured out to the Georgetown rookery to check on the Great Blue Herons and it appears they have begun to return to their nests once again! Another sure sign of spring. Though it was chilly and dreary on this visit, I saw about 7 herons in nests seemingly awaiting their partners.
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I moved here right after college graduation in 1993, but my parents are both from Gloucester. I started spending summers here working for Cape Ann Whale Watch during college though as well.
What is your favorite season In Gloucester?
Favorite season is definitely Summer! No question.
Do you have any secret outdoor spots in Gloucester where you go to “get away”
I often take a walk or drive (depending on the weather) and sitting with a view of Thacher’s Island to think, listen to music, read a book, or write for a bit. Note: my older son’s name is Thatcher.
What is your favorite pizza joint in Gloucester?
I love sweet sauce. So, I’d say Sebastian’s.
What is your favorite sub shop in Gloucester?
I’m not a huge sun shop Connoisseur, but if I were going to get a sandwich it’d be at Cafe Bischo.
Romantic dinner destination? Romantic dinner? What’s that? It has been a long time. I’m a “sit at the bar and have a good talk” kind of person though. So, I’d pick someplace with a darkish, quiet bar. Probably have to say Windward Grill in Essex.
What is your favorite bar in Gloucester?
So tough. So many great places depending on mood, who you are going with, etc. But, I’m a HUGE music fan…. So, I’ll go with Sunday night music at the Rhumb Line… or sitting at the bar at Tonno.
What is your favorite breakfast joint in Gloucester?
Breakfast at Mike Marker.
What is your favorite local event in Gloucester?
Favorite Local event? Bluefin Blowout hands down!!! However, it’s worth mention that the chamber did a phenomenal job with last summer’s Brew Fest at Stage Fort Park and I can’t wait for next summer’s event.
In the summer do you prefer the beach or to be on a boat?
Totally boat…. To the beach. Perfect days are a boat ride down the Annisquam to the backside of Cranes or Wingaersheek or to Jones Creek.
Who is your favorite local artist?
Paula Morgan. If you don’t know her… check her out!
Which is your favorite local beach?
Back side of Wingaersheek
Who has the best deck in Gloucester for dinner/drinks?
Yikes. I can’t pick one. Beauport, Minglewood, and Studio. Sorry.
Who has the best chowder in town? Beauport
What are some of your favorite local online websites/Instagram accounts?
Good Morning Gloucester. Obviously. I also follow Bluefin Blowout, Schooner Festival, Maritime Gloucester, and the Beauport properties…. And North shore Magazine. Also North Shore Moms.
Haddock or clam?
Haddock, I guess. I don’t eat a lot of chowder.
Can you mention an Unsung local hero?
I need two. Two power couples. Warren Waugh and Karen Hansen. Talk about generous and giving back. I can’t even begin to explain how often they step up! Then…. There’s Pat and Jim Dalpiaz. Seriously, not because I’m biased, but because… since they’ve moved here they have volunteered, stepped up, and helped out in countless ways. They also visit so many local establishments and constantly spread the word.
What is your favorite local band?
Ouch. Sorry. Again, need a few. Dan King, John Jerome, The Bordellos, and Over the Bridge. Love Millie and the Half Nelsons too.
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The car and house clocks are set forward. Compared to the old days I now use Microsoft word to prioritize the annual “to-do” list. Top category “Purchase”, followed by de-winterizing the head, engines, freshwater-system, followed by action items mapped to helm, deck, cockpit, salon, hull, engine room, electronics, zodiac, etc.
April will tease us, early-on the sun will pop-out, not a cloud in the sky, t-shirt weather, wish you were skiing, green buds everywhere, some will tear the shrink-wrap off their boat. Some know better. Thus begins the march of the penguins towards the boat yards. Soon Dave and Frank Rose at Rose’s Marine and Win Story at the Rocky Neck Railways will be screaming at everyone to move their cars. Marty retired, subsequently Donny, Frank, Rusty and Ed behind the parts-counter at Rose’s Marine will musingly yell out “The tourist are back!” Val at Brown’s Yacht Yard yells to yell.
Captains like Tommy Burns, Donny King, Dave Borge, Chris Brewer, Dave Williams, Brian Galvin, and many others have and will continue to be examples of our epoch waterfront legacy and think nothing of offering to support a fellow Captain by climbing into the bilge to aid with the arduous task of replacing, rebuilding, retooling transmissions, generators, winches, steering, struts, cutlass bearings, etc. Crew’s working together to save boat-owners thousand and sometimes 10’s of thousands of dollars doesn’t come cheap. Daily trips to Sebastian’s Pizza, Destino’s and the Liquor Locker is exhausting.
Long ago I bought a boat up on the hard in Marblehead. A teenager worked for the owner of the boat next to mine. Every weekend the owner of the boat would stop by momentarily and hand the teenager his “to-do” list together with lunch. One day I yelled out “Hello Cap” he replied, “My name is Tim”. OK Tim.
After several weekends one day Captain Tim was a no-show, later I returned from Red’s, a local sub shop, and handed the teenager lunch. Sitting on a plank under my boat the teenager and I avoided the hot sun. Unexpectedly, the teenager squeezed the alchemy of wet bread, mayonnaise, tuna fish, pickles, diced onions and tomatoes towards one side of his mouth creating a bulge as if he were experiencing an agonizing toothache. He garbled, “You know every weekend, I listen to you swearing from the bilge and see you covered with engine oil, sawdust, paint, cuts, and bruises. The owner of the boat you’re working on is a complete A-Hole. He doesn’t call, doesn’t stop-bye, doesn’t even bring you a bottle of water.” With a smile in my eye, I replied…. yep.
Bob Alves
Gloucester, MA
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Join us in welcoming Elizabeth Kensinger, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College, who will discuss memory. Kensinger is known for her research on emotion and memory over the human lifespan. She is the author of the book, “Emotional Memory across the Adult Lifespan” and the new “Why We Forget and How to Remember Better,” in which she and Dr. Andrew Budson offer insights on how to keep both a healthy brain and a strong memory.
If memory is a simple thing, why does it so often go awry? Why is forgetting so common? How can you be certain about something you remember – and be wrong about it? Why is it so difficult to remember people’s names? In “Why We Forget,” Dr. Andrew Budson and Dr. Elizabeth Kensinger address these questions and more, using their years of experience to guide readers into better memory.
This Author Talk is free admission, food and drinks are available for purchase. Light refreshments will be provided. Event will take place at the Beauport Hotel. RSVP via email Concierge@BeauportHotel.com.
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The Young Legends Ball Hockey Rink is really shaping up at Stage Fort Park! With lots of hard work and some new tile by MS3 Multi Sport Surface it looks fantastic.
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Good Morning Gloucester 