New Year’s Rockport Eve is Just a Few Days Away!

NEW YEAR’S ROCKPORT EVE will entertain you with clowns, cowboys, magicians, musicians – classical, pop, jazz, Dixieland, folk, country, gospel swing and rock and roll – ventriloquists, dance, drama, puppets, and MUCH, MUCH MORE! And, we have planned a spectacular midnight event that will be a truly memorable welcome to the beginning of a new year.

Our buttons ($15 adults, $6 children 12 & under, 3 & under, free–no button needed) are now available. Buttons can be purchased at the following locations:

In Rockport:

John Tarr Store, Main St.

Smith hardware & Lumber at the Lumber Desk, 3 Station Square

Toad Hall Bookstore, Main St.

In Gloucester:

Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, Commercial St.

House of Raven, Main St.

Gloucester Music, Main St.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: Can I buy buttons on the 31st?

Buttons also sold on December 31st at Spiran Hall (our headquarters) on the corner of Broadway & School Street from noon ’til 11pm.

Many of our inns, B&B’s, and motels will be open and we suggest you make your reservations early. Click on the Food/Lodging link for a list of Rockport Inns with links to many of their web sites courtesy of rockportusa.com.

As a non-profit organization, we are continually engaged in fundraising. Besides tax-free donations (which we would welcome – make checks payable to NYRE, Inc.), we are offering items for sale. Please click on the Store button on the site navigation to order NYRE souvenirs.

Click image for Schedule
Click image for Schedule

FREE Acoustic Music Festival in Rockport on Sunday

David Cutler, Rockport’s acoustic music impresario (yes, I used that word), has been putting together this event for 33 years! While it’s usually held in Rockport’s beautiful Millbrook Meadow, this year the event is being held at the Rockport Legion Band’s bandstand on Back Beach. This is a great time to hang out in lovely Rockport and hear some good local music while enjoying food from Claire Franklin of New Year’s Rockport Eve. For more on that, read on. And click HERE to head over to the Rockport Acoustic Music Festival to discover the lineup and other information.

Here’s a letter from Claire, who is coming off of a really tough year and is looking for volunteers for the weekend. Claire puts on a huge event, Rockport New Year’s Eve, every single year (this weekend’s food tent sales serve as a fundraiser for the New Year’s Eve event). It is a major effort and everyone loves this event, so if you can help her out that would be great. We’re going to be in Maine this weekend and will miss all the action, but I wish I could be there alongside Claire. Everyone at the Acoustic Music Festival is in happy mood, listening to music while eating Claire’s hot dogs, hamburgers and more, so working in the food booth is a great way to be part of the event. You can contact Claire at her email address: claire.nyre@comcast.net to sign up for a volunteer slot or contribute in some other way.

From Claire:

Hello Everyone,

As most of you know, I lost my husband to lung cancer last January right after New Year’s Eve.  It has been a long road back to once again try to do the things I always have done in the past without him along side me.  Starting with this coming weekend’s Rockport’s 33rd Annual Rockport Acoustic Music Festival.  Each summer New Year’s Rockport Eve supplies the Food Tent for the festival.  We are again this year!

New Year’s Rockport Eve is looking for volunteers to help serve & cook on Sunday, August 12th from noon to 6pm.  Also, I would love a few helpers to set up from 10am – 12 noon and clean up from 6 – 7 pm.  This event has moved from Millbrook Meadow to the Legion at Back Beach this year.

Every fundraiser that I put on throughout the year requires that I beg people to help me.  I love putting on the New Year’s Eve program for the town of Rockport, but the begging for help is getting a bit harder.  Please come forward to volunteer to benefit such a wonderful event that I would love to continue year after year.  It takes about $34,000.00 to put on this event and button sales does not support this.  Fund raising is a must!  If you can just do one hour, I will take it or two or three.  Just answer this email and volunteer and please pass this on to everyone on your email list.

I am always looking for Baked goods to sell, also.  Brownies, cookies etc. that can be bagged and sold for 50 cents.

Thanks,

Claire

The End is Near

The end of 2010, that is.  Even though I’m spending Christmas far from Cape Ann, I’m dreaming of a White Christmas in New England, and of course already planning for the last night of 2010 at New Year’s Rockport Eve, the annual party (including a ball drop in Dock Square) in downtown Rockport.  Claire Franklin, the one-woman whirlwind who founded and organizes the event, works hard all year to bring all of us this event, offering entertainment of all kinds – magicians, puppet shows, and every genre of music you can think of.

Click the link for more information and the Schedule of Events.  The video is of the band BeatleTracks playing at last year’s New Year’s Rockport Eve.