Tag: Things to do
Mark Your Calendars- First Downtown Gloucester Block Party Slated For Next Saturday July 16th
The Gloucester Downtown Block Party, a citywide food, family and arts event occurring three times throughout the summer in the oceanside community of Gloucester, on Cape Ann celebrates its fourth year with a new spin in the fashion of that other hipster seaside community – Portsmouth, NH.
Valerie Marcley, co-founder and coordinator of the tremendously successful Seaport Fringe Festival in Portsmouth has come on board as Event Coordinator of the Gloucester Downtown Block Party series, which has drawn thousands at each event, organized and powered historically through volunteer efforts alone. Valerie brings a fresh perspective and some new ideas to help broaden the already successful community event to attract and entertain festival goers of all ages.
New this year is the introduction of street minstrels to entertain seated diners when entertainment on the main stage is too far from your al fresco table, a large family zone with more inexpensive and free youth activities such as sidewalk chalk drawing, face painting, games and interactive theater, picnic tables, street food options for those not wishing to wait for a table on “restaurant row”, an Art Street area with works on display and adult street artists, an event-wide 50/50 raffle, and the inclusion of off-Main Street Vendors in the areas not filled by downtown retailers.
Stages at Hancock and Main, and Porter and Main will once again have people “dancing in the streets” with live music, dance performances and lessons, spectacle, comedy, and even a parade down to a waterfront dance party. As always, and perhaps even more this year, Main Street will be full of arts and music, friends and food for participants of all ages to get out and have fun.
The change in organization comes with the retirement and relocation of two of Gloucester Downtown Block Party founders, Janice Shea and Erika Hansen. Their departure from the wonderful summer series has resulted in a new set of local volunteers coming forward, under their invaluable guidance, to sustain and grow this local calendar highlight.
Lorre Anderson of the Black Swan, Mark McDonough of Serenitee Restaurant Group, and founder of Farmer’s Market and Cape Ann Time banks, Judith Brackley, accomplished writer, Jennifer Goulart Amero, Public Relations and Marketing Director for Serenitee Restaurants and Lucinda Seigel join Linn Parisi, destination marketing guru for Cape Ann and event visionary Janice Lufkin to lead events subcommittees including local artists and entertainers like Dawn Gadow of Art Haven, Peter and Vicki Van Ness of GimmeSound and Henry Allen of The Annie.
Festival dates are Saturday July 16, August 20 and September 17, 2011. Information on performing or volunteering at the Gloucester Block Parties through Val at glostablockpahty@gmail.com
For information and event schedules go to www.downtowngloucester.com
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Kate Seidman’s Brother Has A Show At The Annie July 8th at 8PM
Hi All,
My brother Gene is doing Provocation, his one-man show this Friday night July 8. Henry Allen has welcomed Gene into his new theater, The Annie. The show starts at 8 PM. You’re in for a treat…don’t miss it!
Love, Kate
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Today- Must Do Events Nights On The Neck- Cape Ann Farmer’s Market
Thursday, July 7 : NIGHTS ON THE NECK
Elynn Kroger Gallery, 15 Rocky Neck Ave
5 – 8 pm: Live music: Lisa Landry and Janet Young
Skye Fresh will demonstrate jewelry techniques and sales
Sailor Stan’s, 1 Wonson St.
5 – 9 pm: music and dinner
Imagine Gallery, 43 Rocky Neck Ave
5-7 pm: Rick Drost, accoustic guitar player and singer
7 – 8 pm: Moira Kelly on Harp
8-9 pm: Rick Drost, accoustic guitar player and singer
Rocky Neck Gallery, 53 Rocky Neck Ave
6 – 8 pm: The Quarry Men featuring Matt Natti on the Didgeridoo, Eli Natti on Upright bass and Jim Corcoran on the hand drums
Alma McLaughlin Antiques, 77 Rocky Neck Ave
5-8pm: Paco, Flamenco guitarist and Concertina player
Madfish Wharf,77 Rocky Neck Ave
6-7 pm: Moira Kelly, Traditional Irish Harpist
7-8:30 pm: outdoor concert, Bird Mancini : "A cosmopolitan fusion of blues-tinged rock, Latin-flavored Bossa Nova, country folk balladry, and woolly psychedelia!" Listen: www.birdmancini.com/
Schooner Adventure in The Marine Railways
5 – 9 pm: Sea Shanty Singers
For more detailed info on all events see EJ Khan’s Did You Know on GoodMorning Gloucester.
Cape Ann Farmer’s Market- 3-6:30PM at Stage Fort Park Click Pic Below for Directions
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Gloucester Area Astronomy Club To Meet July 8th
Gloucester Area Astronomy Club speaker and public stargazing at Halibut Point State Park, Friday, July 8 @ 8:00pm
This month’s presentation, at the visitor center: Sky & Telescope Editor-in-Chief Robert Naeye on The Origin of Everything, or How Things Got to Be the Way They Are Right Now.
How did we get from Point A (the Big Bang) to Point B (a complex civilization on a complex planet)? Join the members of the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club as Sky & Telescope editor Robert Naeye presents a whirlwind illustrated trip through this amazing scientific story. He will trace the critical transitions that led to our current existence, from the origin of the first stars and galaxies through the formation of the solar system, to the origin and evolution of life on Earth, to the emergence of intelligent beings capable of understanding where they came from.
Weather permitting, the club will have its telescopes set up for public stargazing after the talk. All are welcome.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Rockport Garden Club COASTAL GARDENS TOUR July 8th and 9th
Rockport Garden Club will feature thirteen gardens on this year’s tour, which will take place, rain or shine, on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many of these private gardens have never before been open to the public. While the gardens vary in size, location, composition, and plant materials, they share a common thread: each garden has had significant owner input in the design and execution. The tour includes several water gardens, an impressive collection of low-maintenance grasses and bamboo, unique garden sculptures, cottages gardens bursting with color from early spring through late autumn, dramatic use of local granite as hardscape, and a beautifully crafted garden overlooking the sea.
Each day a luncheon and a sale of original art works by local artists will be hosted at an expansive oceanside garden. Proceeds from the garden tour help to fund the planting and maintenance of Rockport’s twelve town gardens, various civic projects, and several scholarships.
Tickets for the garden tour are $25 each, and may be purchased in advance by calling 978-546-2896 or 978-546-6861 or by emailing tandrsanantonio@verizon.com. Tickets are also for sale at Toad Hall Book Store, 51 Main Street; La Provence, 6 Main Street, and Pier and Main Fine Gifts, 1 Main Street. On July 7, 8, and 9 tickets will be sold from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce Information Booth on Upper Broadway and at the Information Booth at Barletta Park, on the corner of Broadway and Top of T Wharf.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester, MA presents Chilean Photographer Rodrigo Gutiérrez in person on July 7th
Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester, MA presents Chilean Photographer Rodrigo Gutiérrez in person on July 7th at 7:00 PM.T
The Sawyer Free Library is proud to announce that photographer Rodrigo Gutiérrez of Chile will be presenting a talk about his acclaimed print collection entitled “Beauty Will Save the World: Picture a Story”. This premier event will take place at the Sawyer Free Library on Thursday, July 7 at 7:00 PM. The show opens on Tuesday, July 5, and continues through July 30, in the Matz Gallery at the library.
Mr. Gutiérrez will talk about how he discovered his passion for seeing the world through the lens; especially children from his travels around the world including the Himalayas, the United States , Europe and Gloucester . His expressive black and white portrayals portray children and the inner beauty that spills out of them even when their lives are spent “on the street”
This unique program will inspire not only artists but also those who appreciate a man who is a photographer by avocation but who captures the soul of humanity in his photographs. Mr. Gutiérrez leads a blended double life. Professionally he is a senior vice president in Latin America for Merrill Lynch, the global wealth-management company. He was educated as a lawyer in Chile and later earned a master’s degree from Tufts University ’s Fletcher School .
Mr. Gutiérrez took up photography when he decided words were not enough to express to family and friends what he saw in his travels. Inspired by the likes of Henri Cartier Bresson and Minor White, he studied with other leading photographers to develop mastery of composition and darkroom technique.
Please come and welcome Mr. Gutiérrez to the Library and to the community. For further information, please visit the libaray’s website at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
2011 Magnolia Library and Community Center’s 34th Annual Art Show July 8-10
Bobbi Lemay writes-
Good morning!
I would like to know if you could mention a wonderful upcoming community event on your website. It is for a great cause. As you probably know, The Magnolia Library and Community Center is a unique community-run center. It serves and is run by volunteers living in Gloucester . The show is our main fund raiser for the year. We would really appreciate it if you could mention it on your website. Here is some information on the event.
The 2011 Magnolia Library and Community Center’s 34th Annual Art Show and Sale will be held July 8-10. This professionally-judged show is an excellent opportunity to acquire special art at a great price. The over 250 works of framed and unframed art by North Shore artists and beyond includes oils, acrylics, watercolor, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Sale proceeds benefit the artists and the Magnolia Library and Community Center. The event kicks off on Friday July 8th with a champagne reception for artists and the public from 7-9pm. The show and sale continues Saturday & Sunday, July 9 & 10, from 10am-4pm. Artists wishing to participate and/or for more information can visit http://www.magnolialibrary.org.
Thank you and best regards,
Bobbi Lemay
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
2011 Cape Ann Farmer’s Market Starts Up This Thursday June 30th
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Things To Do- Discovery Adventures
Discovery Adventures offers guided sea kayaking tours and snorkeling on Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts, as well as summer programs for children. We also offer instructional courses and kayak rentals.
Check out the local conditions in Lanes Cove. Call the shop to book a trip 978-283-3320!
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Check Out Sarah Slifer and Her Ensemble Prance Around At The PEM June 30th
SPECIAL EVENTS
NEW! Summer Evening Parties
UNCONVENTIONAL GATHERINGS FOR CREATIVE MINDS
Pay at the door. Members and Salem residents, $8, nonmembers $10
Thursday, June 30, 2011 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Asian Garden
Soundscapes
Join us in the Asian Garden for performances by local sound artists James Forrest, Noel Snow, Scott Buchanan and Shawn Morrissey. Make your own sound art, listen to the latest DIY tracks from the RPM Challenge, hear what’s new from Dorkbot Boston and enjoy cocktails and a chef demo. Also, modern dancer Sarah Slifer and her ensemble respond to FreePort [No. 003], a haunting sound installation at PEM by Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Happy Birthday To The Schooner Lannon
The Family was honored to sail on the 14th Birthday Sail aboard the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon last night on her 14th Birthday. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- There is no more beautiful boat in Gloucester Harbor and going on an afternoon sail is a MUST DO activity for anyone- tourist or resident alike.
Do yourself a favor and book a sail here- Schooner.org
This will be a family collaboration post as The Bean and Snoop Maddie Mad both helped take pictures for the entry-
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
THE DOWNTOWN GLOUCESTER BLOCK PARTY SCHEDULE! – MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
The popular Downtown Gloucester Block Party series begins July 16 when Main Street transforms into a mall packed with entertainment, dancing, art and craftworks and assorted vendors. Diverse restaurants offer dining al fresco and food to go. The series celebrates Gloucester the third Saturday of each month, July through September.
The Block Party Committee is pleased to announce Valerie Marcley as the Artistic Director and Coordinator. Cape Ann’s Marcley produces New England’s only Fringe performance festival, the Seacoast Fringe Festival in Portsmouth, NH, and is a board member of the Manchineel Chutney Theatre. She worked in concert production with Boston jazz legend Fred Taylor; at the Opera House Theater, Stonington, Main; the USVI Theater of St. John and at WFNX-FM and WBZ-AM, Boston.
Marcley is indebted to the hard-working team that created the summer series three years ago. “Without their expertise, enthusiasm and dedication, we wouldn’t have such a dazzling and fun event as the Gloucester Block Party! It’s clear that they are avital spark to the future of our unique downtown. These folks had an ideal vision that continues for Gloucester.
“We are currently seeking performers, vendors and volunteers to help us have some ‘wicked fun’!’” Those who wish to take part in the event, please contact Val at: glostablockpahty@yahoo.com .
“The Downtown Gloucester Block Party is an opportunity for our restaurants and businesses to be creative and strut their stuff,” states Marcley. “We urge participants to get imaginative with specials, contests and eye-catching displays to showcase their businesses and entice clientele.
Each Downtown Gloucester Block Party starts at 6 pm July 16, August 20 and September 17 and is free of charge. Rain dates will be the following Sunday.
http://downtowngloucester.com/
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Chickity Check It! North Shore Kid Camp & Summer Program Guide
Hey Joey,
School let out on Friday for a lot of kids, and Summer started for a lot of families that afternoon. I just wanted to share our camp guide with parents that still may be looking for a summer program or camp for their child this summer, or are looking to fill any gaps that may have come up in their scheduled activities. A lot of programs and camps are full already, but there are plenty out there that still have openings…
North Shore Kid has developed THE tool for parents searching for the right camp or summer program for their child. The North Shore Kid 2011 Summer Program & Camp Guide is an easy-to-use, searchable, extensive resource online that includes:
- Featured camps
- Stories about camps and summer programs
- A proximity search that will list camps within a radius that you determine based on a zip code you enter.
- A category cloud that will list camps in that category when you click it.
Our guide includes many camps and summer programs from the North Shore of Massachusetts, Cape Ann, Boston and beyond. Our listings typically include information like a synopsis of the camp and its location (with a map on the click through). Additional information includes contact phone numbers & emails, website links, registration download links, facebook pages and twitter links. We have also put a lot of work into our tagging system in an eefrot to help parents focus or expand their searches based on program activities and philosophies. Listing range from focused sports camps to typical day camp settings to high tech computer summer programs to island camps!
Parents who are looking to save time and focus on the right program for their child should check it out here: http://www.northshorekid.com/camps
Enjoy,
~Bill O’Connor
North Shore Kid
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
What to do on a rainy Sunday in Gloucester?? A Walk in Ravenswood!
Karen Pischke writes-
Hope you enjoy!
What to do on a rainy Sunday in Gloucester?? A Walk in Ravenswood! Last Sunday was rainy and grey, making the woods in Ravenswood even more magical!
Candace White of the Trustees of Reservations was a wealth of knowledge, taking us back in time pointing out old cellar holes, stone walls, the story of ‘the hermit’ of the woods. Candace related the history of Gloucester Harbor and its transition from a farming community to a fishing community. Old stone walls marking homesteads, each allowed to cut 20 cord of wood to heat their home for the winter. You could almost smell the fires burning in the hearths and hear the sound of horses trotting, wheels rolling as carriages carried folks in their Sunday finest along the stately paths.
Senses were aroused by the smell of damp leaves, bark, and pine. A kaleidoscope of shades of green with moss, fern, and stands of oak. Mountain laurel in bloom, chickadee singing and bubbling brooks lent to a sense of a ‘walking meditation.’ Lady slippers reminded many of their childhood, it was a most memorable walk and FUN for the whole family! The Nature Center had the start of the trail is a great place to visit. And even GMG was there to represent! No matter the weather, there’s always something fun to do in Glosta!
Best, Karen http://www.dreamtimewellness.com/
Karen Pischke photos
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Things To Do- International Dory Races THIS MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!
We would love to see you all there.
Saturday we start things off with a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at 8AM at the Head of the Harbor Park followed by the International Dory Races at 10AM right there in the North Channel . Bring your friends and family and be a part of a great event this weekend!
IDRC Board
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Paul Korn Says “When are you going to see ‘Greasy Pole, the Musical!’? It is great. Everyone should see it.”
VIVA, Greasy Pole, the Musical!
I said to Joey this morning, “When are you going to see ‘Greasy Pole, the Musical!’? It is great. Everyone should see it.” Being Joey, he asked me to write my reactions, so here they are.
Enjoy one hour of heart and history, laughter, song, soul, food and faith. Everyone, local Gloucesterites, newcomers, visitors and tourists, should go see this wonderful production that is the premiere performance at The Annie. High praise and joyful appreciation go to the cast, crew, musicians, backers and audience last night that made the play a perfect opening event for the summer.
Even those of us who have enjoyed St. Peter’s Fiesta for many years in the past were treated to a deeper understanding of the role that “walkin’ the pole” has played in the history of our city. And the singing, including spontaneous participation by the audience, was exuberant and full, celebrating life, death, joy and sadness. Out-of-town friends who joined us in the fun last night now want to return to Gloucester to enjoy the real Festival and Walk.
Our special thanks go to Henry Allen, Keith Palazzola, Robert Newton and the fantastic band.
And Joey, try to make time to see this show. Bring the family!
Paul R. Korn
Paul is wearing a Michael Gerber designed TAA “LET THE GOOD TIMES SCROLL” T-shirts that are available at Temple Ahavat Achim.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Cape Ann Artisans Spring Open Studio Tour June 18-19
Cape Ann Artisans Spring Open Studio Tour
THIS WEEKEND! June 18-19
Cape Ann in Gloucester and Rockport, Massachusetts.
Cape Ann Artisans are ready for their Spring Open Studio Tour, June 18-19. All studios are open for the weekend.
Bring friends and family to visit the studios and meet the 14 Cape Ann Artisans. Make a day of it! Enjoy the extraordinary beauty of our coastline and sample our local seafood.
Sculpture, painting, textiles, jewelry, pottery, photography, mosaics…we have a selection of art that will be sure to please. Come join us!
June 18th and 19th 10am to 5pm daily
Visit the studios of our tour members and see where they work, what they’ve been producing, and how they think about art and the creative process! Treats are served at many studios and everyone is 
welcome!
More information, maps, brochures and a list of participating artists is available at www.capeannartisans.com.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Essex River Day Saturday June 18, 2011
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Things To Do- Underwood Faery Festival June 18th
We’ve gone a bunch of times and the girls love it
Faery Festival at Underwood Photography Essex, MA 01929 978-768-7472
Jacqueline Underwood’s Faery Portraits
Fairy Portraits by Jacqueline Underwood
Portrait Photography Event at Underwood Photography, Annual Faery Festival on the third Saturday in June
Good Morning Gloucester 