Tag: Good Morning Gloucester

Manchester by the Shop – Surfari

Posted on by Lowell Peabody
26 Central Street
Christian del Rosario

As a start to a series highlighting local shops in Manchester, Christian del Rosario at Surfari agreed to be the first victim!

I have wondered for some time, how is it a surf shop can survive in New England, let alone Manchester by the Sea.  What I have been learning is the incredible appeal of SUP or Stand Up Paddle boarding.  As Christian says paddle boards have become the bicycles of water enthusiasts who can purchase racing models, cruising models and boards built for beginners. Manchester with it’s relatively flat waters, islands to visit and proximity to lakes has been perfect. The chances to exercise, explore hard to reach places, enjoy touring and for some explore yoga on a board and even fish are all around Manchester. Taken to the extreme there are organized races and SUP has even started to appear in rivers running rapids!

The surf market is also strong in the area and Christian says that the season is getting underway now. Storm waves that surfers pray for are stronger in the winter months and the season really extends from October to April.

Surfari sells surf boards, paddle boards, shoes, clothing, beach wear, water sport accessories, sunglasses and gifts. Many items are perfect as boating accessories as well.  Boards can be rented and lessons can be scheduled. They have sun shirts (AKA “Rash guards” for those on boards), and other sun protection items. They also have cold weather equipment for those surfers braving the ocean at this time of year.

In addition to lessons and working with the Manchester Parks and Recreation department, Surfari provides programs for adults and children from May to October. Anyone, not just Manchester residents, can participate in these programs so there are many ways to learn and enjoy SUP boarding.

Christian, his wife Nicole and two daughters have returned to Christian’s home town of Manchester after 13 years away. He has specialized in surfing and paddle boards and most recently was in Nantucket where he sold boards and provided lessons. Opening a retail store in Manchester looked like a great opportunity to expand from selling boards to clothing, accessories and all the other items they now sell.

Surfari is located at 26 Central Street in Manchester. Their website is http://www.standuppaddlesurfari.com . Stop in and say “Hi” to Christian and Nicole.

Festival of the Trees Manchester November 29th

Posted on by Lowell Peabody

A newly formed group made up of downtown merchants in Manchester have formed the Manchester Mercantile. In order to promote the Christmas season, create a festive atmosphere and plant the seed to think locally when shopping, they are organizing the first Festival of the Trees hoping to make this an annual event.

The plan is to decorate 24 8 foot tall Evergreens on the Town Hall Common. Groups (Hornet sports teams, a Middle School art class or make up a group) will be provided a tree and a string of white lights. The rest of the decorations are left to the imagination of the groups and individuals decorating.

Trees will be set up for decorating which will take place between November 29th and December 7th. The number of trees is limited so people are encouraged to sign up early.

For specific guidelines and sign-up sheets contact Nicole DelRosario at Surfari (978) 704-9051 or email info@supsafari.com.

Essex – A Front Rolls Through

Posted on by Lowell Peabody

About 3:45 on Friday, a front rolled through the area providing menacing clouds, incredible spots of sunlight and snow showers in the sky that melted before they hit the ground. Just incredible! Glad to live on Cape Ann and be able to see capture a few scenes like these.  Click the images for larger view

Southern Avenue
Hog Island from Farnham’s
Conomo Road
View of Essex River from Conomo Road
View Across Essex River
View Down River towards Crane Beach and Wingarsheek

Sun Sets in Peabody (not “on”)

Posted on by Lowell Peabody

Not to panic, I was a passenger on this journey down Route 128 / I-95 . Traveling on the way to Reading for the Manchester Essex field hockey game and I got to watch a changing sky almost all the way.

Manchester Essex Field Hockey wins Semi Final!

Posted on by Lowell Peabody

Playing on a neutral field at Reading High School, the Manchester Essex Hornets took on the Ipswich Tigers in  MIAA State Field Hockey Tournament Semi-Finals. In a hard fought first half the Tigers broke through first for a 1-0 lead but before halftime  the Hornets were able to score the equalizer. In the second half both teams continued playing great defense and getting/allowing few scoring opportunities. The Hornets held a decided edge in penalty corners but had a tough time converting for scores.  Manchester Essex did get a few more chances and managed to make one count for the 2-1 lead.  The Hornets worked hard to preserve the win despite a strong finishing Ipswich attack. The Hornets move on to the finals of the State Tournament where they will face the perennial powerhouse Watertown. Game will be played at North Andover High School Saturday November 9th at 11:00.

Click on pictures for larger image.

Poll- Should Dogs Be Alowed Off Leash On Gloucester Beaches From Sepember 16th To April 30th?

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

In light of the petition to allow dogs off leash on Gloucester public beaches how do you feel about the subject?

Below the poll is the petition and where you can go to sign it.

Toby and I discuss it in this week’s podcast. You can listen to it by clicking on the icon here-

Please note: we have just been informed that the City of Gloucester will not accept the online petition. We therefore are asking that people take the time to sign paper petitions which are available in Gloucester at the following locations:

Animal Krackers

Petco

Last Stop Variety

Paws at Play

North Shore Veterinary Hospital

Cape Ann Veterinary Hospital

The undersigned hereby petition the City Council as follows and request changes to the beach ordinance 4-16a.
Currently it reads:

Sec. 4-16a. Dogs prohibited on beaches at certain times.

Dogs shall be prohibited from public beaches from May 1 to September 15, annually. Dogs shall be allowed on public beaches from September 16 to April 30, annually, and shall be under the control of the owner or keeper.
(Ord. No. 95-1998, § I, 7-7-1998; Ord. of 7-23-2002, § I)
We hearby petition to amend ordinance 4-16a to include:
Dogs may be permitted, during the above mentioned dates, on City of Gloucester beaches, off-leash and for the purpose of exercise.
A. The dog must be under visual and voice control by owner/guardian at all times.
B. All dogs must wear a collar with current tags.
C. All dogs must have current vaccinations and licenses.
D. As a condition of admission to beach areas, the owner/guardian of such dog shall use a suitable container or instrument to remove dog feces and shall dispose of it in waste containers provided for that purpose.
E. Aggressive dogs are not permitted. Owners are legally responsible for any injury caused by their dogs.
F. Dogs shall not be left unattended.
G. Female dogs in heat are not permitted.

H. Use of the beach by the dog shall constitute implied consent of the dog’s owner/guardian to all regulations and shall constitute a waiver of liability to the City of Gloucester and an agreement to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Gloucester, its officials and employees for any injury or damage caused by a dog.

Read The Gloucester Daily Times Editorial Here-

November 5, 2013

Editorial: City’s dog restraint laws need fresh and thorough review

Gloucester Daily Times

Good Morning Gloucester 2013 City of Gloucester Election Poll and Voting Info

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

voting

Comments on this post are disabled. This is strictly a poll and any comments endorsing one candidate or another on this post will not be posted.

Your votes in our poll are however, greatly appreciated

It will be interesting to see how closely the GMG results track the actual Election results.

vote

Elections

List of candidates for the November 5th 2013 Municpal Election:
Candidate list
Specimen Ballots Wards 1 thru 5

The deadline to register to vote for this election is October 16th at 8:00 PM.
Specimen Ballots:

2013 Municpal Election Specimen Ballots Wards 1 thru 5

dontcomplain

Halloween at City Hall From Beth Costanzo

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Halloween Bash at City Hall Last Night!
The Adventures of Scuba Jack and Kids Unlimited hosted the Halloween Party last night at City Hall.
Hundreds of goblins and ghouls had an amazing time being entertained by the haunting tunes of Leo Francis!  Also, Charlie the Balloon Man created amazing balloon sculptures for all who attended!  Many prizes and treats were given out all evening!!
Thank You!
Beth Costanzo
The Adventures of Scuba Jack

City Hall Halloween Party 040City Hall Halloween Party 043City Hall Halloween Party 060City Hall Halloween Party 076

Huge Thanks To The Captains Of Wicked Tuna- Dave Carraro and Dave Marciano

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I’m not sure people around here outside of the restaurateurs and shop owners realize the impact that these guys have had on local business.

These hard working fishermen and real life men of character have captured the hearts of America from their legions of fans who watch Wicked Tuna.

I can’t begin to tell you how many people I run into from all over the country that come in and ask where they can see The Hard Merchandise or Tuna.com.  They love the show and they come to Gloucester to stay for vacation, eat at our restaurants and shop in our shops.  But it doesn’t end there.  They stay at our hotels, they book charters and when their charters are filled up they pass off those charters on to other local charter boat Captains. 

I hear it over and over and over again and these people are coming from all over the country.

So when you see these guys around town, give ‘em a pat on the back and say thanks for representing our City and making us proud.

image

Captain Dave Carraro Check out The Tuna.com Site Book a charter and Buy Some Gear

image

Dave Marciano Check Out The Hard Merchandise Site- Book a Charter and Grab Some Gear

image

Any Knitters Out There Want To Knit Me A Sweater In Trade For One Of The New Heavy Weight Super Soft Fleece Double Lined Hood GMG Hoodies?

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I’d like a lg mens merino wool sweater in the style above minus the Charlie Brown pattern color heather grey or charcoal.  Any knitters up for it?  Your picture on the blog and the yarn shop that wants to donate the yarn will get my time posting about the process.

Here’s where I saw the pattern but you might have a classic crew neck sweater pattern we could look at too.

October 2, 2013 Good Morning Gloucester City of Gloucester Election Poll

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Comments on this post are disabled.  This is strictly a poll and any comments endorsing one candidate or another on this post will not be posted.

Your votes in our poll are however, greatly appreciated

Sunday Morning 9/29/13 4:20AM Bait Barrel Blunder

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Enjoy Your Coffee This Morning Knowing Someone Somewhere Had It Way Shittier Than You.

A Fork Falls Off The Forktruck Sending Herring Across The Floor

Don’t believe on-line reviews unless you know the reviewer personally — or it’s GMG

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

SocialMediaYou’ve probably guessed that this was happening right?  Companies who want good reviews create fake ones on Yelp, Citysearch, Yahoo, Google, Kayak — even Facebook & Twitter.  Well you’re right. It’s called astroturfing.  It’s gotten so big that you can now hire companies to write and post fake reviews for your product or service.  You can even get them to write fake bad reviews about your competitors.

There’s a very interesting article in today’s New York Times about a crackdown on astroturfing that exposes several companies, including Main Street Host, which is one of those companies people hire to write fake reviews.  Main Street Host even went so far as to condemn astroturfing on one of their own blogs, while at the same time they wrote their own fake reviews about their own services, prompting this line from the New York Times article, “Faking reviews often begins with faked reviews of the company faking the reviews.”  You just can’t make this stuff up!

So, if you want to know the truth, stick with GMG.  No fake reviews here.

Oh, By The Way, Some Time Last Month Good Morning Gloucester Passed 40 Million Views-

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Best Team In The Business- Only Getting Better

Great work guys.

image

Not only do we have the best contributors, we have the best online community of positive people who just love our area to death.

Keep writing in to encourage your favorite GMG contributors to keep on creating interesting content. (Your comments are what let them know that you appreciate the effort).

Jeeze, what’s the next milestone?  I remember the first day we broke 1000 views and I thought that was about the coolest thing ever.  Now if we have less than 50,000 in one day I start to question where we could improve!

Monsters in this space.  Absolute Monsters.

Video: Sunset Sail Aboard the Gorgeous Schooner Thomas E. Lannon

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Many thanks to Captains Tom and Heath Ellis, Kay Ellis, Bob and Kathryn Ryan, and Paul Giacalone for hosting the 4th Annual Good Morning Gloucester Sunset Cruise aboard the elegant Schooner Thomas E. Lannon. Old friends and new enjoyed the beautiful harbor views, the superb cocktails and aged rum provided by Bob and Kathryn Ryan, and Cuban cigars from Paul Giacalone. We almost didn’t have Joey aboard as a lobster boat came in late, but the Ellis’s Zodiac provided last minute transport to the schooner.

I had never filmed on a schooner, or any boat for that matter, and it was So Much Fun.  I cannot wait to try it again!! Admittedly, I’ve only been on a boat less than half a dozen times (excluding the ferry to and from Martha’s Vineyard) and think I have been missing out on way too much. Thanks again Joey, Tom, Kay, Heath, Bob, Kathryn, Paul, and Ship’s Crew for a great night of fun and beauty aboard the gorgeous Schooner Lannon!

Kathryn Ryan ©Kim Smith 2013Kathryn Ryan

View from the Lannon ©Kim Smith 2013View from the Schooner Lannon

If Dr Leif Baklund At Harbor Cove Dental Isn’t Your Dentist You Ought To Have Your Head Examined

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Heated/Massage State of The Art Dentist Chairs- Pain Free Dentistry, Convenient Downtown Location With Off Street Parking-Rockin Good Music Piped Through The Joint- Super Friendly Staff.

Harbor Cove Dental Has It ALL.

Complete 100% Absolute No Brainer.  Like why in heaven’s name would you go anywhere else?  Would you rather get drilled out by 1970’s technology? 

DSC09929DSC09930DSC09932DSC09935DSC09938DSC09939DSC09941DSC09942

OK, We’ve Finally Narrowed Down Our Premium Ladies Super Soft Lightweight Feminine Cut T Shirts

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I owe the idea to FOB Linda Colman who has been begging for years relentlessly for us to bring out a feminine cut V Neck super soft T Shirt.

After months of research and trying many many brands we’ve got it narrowed down and we’re going to offer them in V as well as scoop neck styles- both feminine cut, both crazyyyy soft- like you wanna wear it to bed but then never take it off soft.  Like I guarantee it’s gonna be your favorite t shirt soft.

GMG Logo over the left boob.

gmglogohires200x200

The scoop neck ones fit true to size but the V Neck ones you need to order a size up (Felicia describes it best in the video)

James Eves from Cape Ann Giclee video who youo should be following on twitter here- @eves3

Alicia DeWolfe modeling The Scoop Neck

DSC09922

Sista Felicia and Amandacakes modeling the V-Neck

DSC09923

I just need help deciding the colors

I’m definitely ordering Black and the Dark Gray.  But I just need help determining the third color.  Once we narrow down the colors to offer I’ll put them on the All Things Gloucester Site for sale- http://gmg.storenvy.com/

I’m taking specific color size combinations in the Dry Fit shirts through Thursday and then whatever the orders are will be what I order from the distributor for the first printing.  After that there won’t be any guarantees for stock in certain color/size combinations. it’ll be what is listed on the site for availability is what there will be after that.

image

The white has been a popular color.

So we’ll poll it to see what you guys think.  (Linda Colman gets five votes based on how many times she begged me to carry these)

Live Blogging: The Hat of the Century

Posted on by Craig Kimberley

“Howdy Patna!” Yep, the hats are in, and on a scale of 1-10.. Ummm a 15! It’s simply the best quality eva! And if ya missed out, you will be kicking yourself in da keister when you start seeing them around town! Tell ya what, I’ll Roshambue ya for my all black one!