A place where non-profit Cape Ann organizations can post press releases directly and then those press releases will be reposted to http://www.goodmorninggloucester.com . This is not an advertising space for businesses, fitness or wellness organizations, or music listings.
The web address will be http://www.capeanncommunity.com
To have your community organization news posted here, contact Joey C who will grant access for you to post directly.
Wellspring House hosted its annual Celesong fundraising event on Friday evening, May 1, 2026, at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, raising over $250,000 in support of its housing, education, job training, and career readiness programs across the North Shore. Nearly 300 guests gathered for an unforgettable evening of music, storytelling, and community, set against a breathtaking sunset over Rockport Harbor.
The night featured a Nashville-style songwriters’ round with nationally acclaimed artists Darrell Scott, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Marcus Hummon – three Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees whose music and storytelling moved the audience throughout the evening. Billy Costa returned as emcee, bringing his signature energy to a live auction that included an exclusive Tim McGraw at Fenway Park package and a custom guitar signed by the night’s featured artists.
“Celesong is a magical night for a powerful purpose,” said Melissa Dimond, President and Executive Director of Wellspring House. “The generosity of this community, and the beauty of the evening, was a powerful reminder of what we are building together and why it matters. Every dollar raised helps ensure we can keep removing barriers and creating pathways to opportunity for the more than 2,000 people who turn to Wellspring each year.”
The funds raised at Celesong 2026 will directly support Wellspring’s work across the North Shore. Wellspring serves residents in 20 cities and towns, with an emphasis on Gloucester, Lynn, Salem, Peabody, and Beverly. Combining workforce development with wraparound housing and stabilization supports, Wellspring helps adults and young people navigate the challenges to completing training, securing viable employment, and earning wages that better align with the true cost of living. As housing, childcare, transportation, and other everyday expenses continue to outpace wages, Wellspring provides longer-term advising, coaching, and resource navigation designed to drive lasting economic mobility – because at Wellspring, every person has a story worth telling, and worth investing in.
“The Celesong event for Wellspring is a winning night for all of us – and the real winners are the families who receive much-needed assistance from the amazing work Wellspring does,” said featured artist Darrell Scott. “It is community helping community – good people helping good people.”
Wellspring House extends its deepest gratitude to the event’s sponsors, board members, volunteers, and guests whose generous support made the evening possible.
To learn more about Wellspring House or to make a gift in support of its work, visit wellspringhouse.org.
Darrell Scott, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Marcus Hummon perform at the Shalin Liu Performance Center during Wellspring House’s benefit Celesong 2026
Backyard Growers is on the hunt for a new Farmers Market Manager for the Backyard Growcery, downtown Gloucester’s farmers market managed by Backyard Growers. The Manager oversees the operations of the Growcery at Burnham’s Field from July 8 – September 30. This role ensures the market is welcoming, well-run, and impactful, with a variety of vendors and offerings.
Responsbilities include:
🍅 on-site market logistics
🥕 managing vendor, customer & partner relationships
🥬 food access programming
🌽 marketing coordination
This role is seasonal and part-time.
As part of the Gloucester Education Foundation and Gloucester Public Schools’ 2026 “Spring into the Arts”, preschool and K-5 artwork is now on display at the Sawyer Free Library. The work will be up in the Matz Gallery and on the second floor through May 14, when the public is invited to a reception from 5-7pm at the library. On May 15, middle and high school work will go up in the Matz Gallery and be on display until May 29. Don’t miss this special exhibition of Gloucester student artists and their creativity, skill, and imagination! Kudos to GPS arts teachers and their partners for the spectacular work they have helped students create this school year.
Stock your garden with beautiful vegetable seedlings at Backyard Growers’ annual Community Seedling Sale. All seedlings are grown by our friends at Cedar Rock Gardens in West Gloucester. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work cultivating equitable access to the resources, space & knowledge people need to grow their own food in our community.
Plus, this year’s event will feature an early season pop-up Backyard Growcery, downtown Gloucester’s farmers market. In addition to seedlings, attendees can shop fresh, high-quality produce from local farmers, enjoy prepared foods and live music, join kids’ activities, enter exciting raffles, and celebrate growing food together in community.
Vendors include:
Milky Way Apothecary’s medicinal plants
Garden of Wings pollinator kits
Between Sandwiches
See you at Burnham’s!
Join us this week, through Friday afternoon, as we welcome school-aged children, ages 12 and under, for free with a reserved ticket.
Guests will also be able to view our fourth annual Eric Pape fine art exhibition at the Hammond Castle Museum, featuring a significant collection of pen and ink illustrations by Eric Pape (1870 to 1938).
Flexible Arrival Times for Self-Guided Tours: Experience Hammond Castle Museum at your own pace with our flexible arrival times for Self-Guided Tours! Your ticket grants you entry anytime within the Morning or Afternoon session times, based upon your selection, ensuring you can arrive stress-free and enjoy your visit to the fullest.
Morning Session: 9:00 am – 11:45 am
Afternoon Session: 11:45 am – 2:30 pm
Please note: the last entrance into the Museum is at 2:45 pm sharp. The Museum and Grounds close promptly at 3:30 pm. We recommend planning at least 60 minutes to explore the grounds and interior galleries of the Museum.
Evening program:
5:30 pm–6:00 pm Networking
6:00 pm–6:45 pm Presentation
6:50 pm–7:30 pm Exhibit Tours
Light refreshments will be served.
Join us for a special Presentation and Exhibition Preview introducing our two new Spring and Summer exhibitions: Inside the Faraday Cage: The Science of Things That Aren’t So and A Tale of Two Pianos.
Be among the first to experience these new installations ahead of their public opening. Curatorial Director John Leysath will present on Hammond’s 1951 Faraday cage experiments, while Assistant Curator Donovan Lafontaine offers an introduction to the piano exhibition.
Inside the Faraday Cage features a life-size, non-working replica of the experimental apparatus, inviting guests to step inside and explore Hammond’s investigations into ESP alongside physician and parapsychologist Andrija Puharich and psychic medium Eileen Garrett.
Museum Members and VIP guests enjoy complimentary admission.
A $15 fee applies to the general public. Reservations are required. Space is limited.
Starting a veggie garden for the very first time? Join us in this workshop to learn the basics to set you up for success.
Together, we’ll explore:
🥕 how to pick a location for your vegetable garden
🍅 what to sow directly in your garden vs what to plant as a seedling
🥬 how to handle seedlings
🍓 how to read a seed packet and plant seeds
🌽 how and when to water your garden
🥦 when to harvest and when to remove a plant
and more!
🎟️ Tickets are free for Backyard Growers Program Gardeners (e.g. those who grow food with us in our Community Garden, Backyard Garden, or GrowBag Garden Programs.)
🎟️ General admission tickets are $20. Proceeds from general admissions tickets to our spring gardening workshops are essential to support our work throughout the year connecting communities with equitable access to the resources, knowledge, and space to grow their own food.
If you are a SNAP EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare cardholder, you are eligible for a 50% discount on General Admission to our workshops, thanks to Massachusetts Card to Culture. Please use the following discount codes:
If you’ve been thinking about joining Wellspring House for CELESONG on Friday, May 1, now is the time to act.
This unforgettable evening at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport features Darrell Scott, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Marcus Hummon — three extraordinary songwriters sharing the stories and songs that have made them legendary.
Celesong is not just a concert. It is an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience that fills the room with warmth, energy, and the kind of magic that only happens when artists share the stories behind the songs.
Tickets are nearly gone, and this is truly a night you will not want to miss.
Every ticket also supports Wellspring’s work helping families and adults across the North Shore build stability, opportunity, and brighter futures.
Get your tickets today before they sell out at wellspringhouse.org
What: Celesong 2026 to benefit Wellspring House
When: Friday, May 1, 2026
Time: Concert at 6:45 – 9:00 PM | Doors open at 6:15 PM
Where: Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA
Tickets: Purchase tickets today at wellspringhouse.org
Looking for a unique and engaging summer program? GMGI’s Summer STEM programming is now accepting registrations!
Our Summer STEM programs are one-week courses designed to give students hands-on science experience in a biotechnology laboratory.
We are thrilled to announce that this year, we are partnering with Maritime Gloucester for our new program, From Harbor to Helix: Training in Environmental DNA. During this one-week course, students will dive into authentic marine science by collecting environmental samples using hands-on sampling techniques. Back in the lab, students will analyze their samples using industry-standard biotechnology methods, including micropipetting, DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, PCR, and DNA metabarcoding. This immersive experience connects fieldwork to cutting-edge molecular biology, giving students a firsthand look at how scientists study biodiversity and marine ecosystems from sample to sequence.
The course is taught by Gloucester Biotechnology Academy and Maritime Gloucester staff, and does not require any previous science or lab experience. Each student will have ample guidance and support in these real-world investigations.
Registration is open to rising 9th graders through seniors who graduated in 2026 who are interested in real-world science and learning in a hands-on environment.
Want to learn more? Please visit our website or contact Hannah Lister for more information.
UPCOMING CONTAINER GARDENING WORKSHOPS 
These workshops cover key considerations and benefits, container sizing, container-friendly plant and seed varieties, soil health and care & more.
Choose a date:
Saturday 4/11 9:30-11am at Backyard Growers HQ OR Thursday 5/14 5:30-7pm at Cape Ann Lanes
FREE for Backyard Growers Program Gardeners. $20 general admission. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work creating equitable access to the resources, space & knowledge people need to grow their own food in our community.
Interested in a container garden with Backyard Growers? Learn more about our GrowBag Garden Program, which provides income-eligible household with three containers, container-friendly seeds and seedlings, organic soil, and more.
Cape Ann Community 