The Gloucester Area Astronomy Club, Gloucester Lyceum and the Sawyer Free Library are teaming up again this Spring to bring you “Exploring the Night Sky,” a series of all-new presentations on Amateur Astronomy! The talks will be held in the Friend room, and are scheduled on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 on March 5 and 19, and April 2, 23 and 30.

This Saturday, March 5 at 1:00, we’re pleased to bring you Astronomy Magazine staff writer Glenn Chaple with a presentation on enjoying astronomy with small telescopes. You don’t need a thousand-dollar monster to see a whole lot of what the universe has to offer, and Glenn will show you how it’s done. Glenn will have on hand a number of inexpensive telescopes for you to check out and ask questions about, and you will be amazed at what’s visible without breaking the bank.

Come see and hear how to take full advantage of Cape Ann’s gorgeous night skies. The talks are free, and so is the parking. See you there!

More details on the Astronomy Club are available on their website, http://gaac.us, the club Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/GAACpage, and on Twitter, @GAACster.

Judy Menicocci (l) and Florence Martin (r) are artist being honored at the Rose Baker Senior Center for the month of March.

Juni Van Dyke has named Judy Menicocci and Florence Martin the March Rose Baker Artists of the Month. Juni is the instructor and coordinator of the Rose Baker Art Program and each month she selects one or two artists from the program to be honored with a show of their work in the lobby of the Senior Center. The show opens the first week in March and can be viewed weekdays from 9am to 4pm until the end of March.

If you ask Judy Menicocci about her art, she will say “Art has always been my escape.” As a child, she was constantly drawing and creating. Later as a busy young mother, her creative outlet was sewing.

Judy’s current passion is watercolor and acrylic. These are new interests for her and as she says, “At 70 years old, I have finally found myself!” In the show, you will see accomplished renderings of Judy’s favorite subjects: the sea and its iconic imagery — lighthouses, rocks, houses nestled by the shore, — as well as her love of gardens and of the spring season that brings them forth.

Florence Martin’s love of drawing and painting also began in childhood and stayed with her through the years. In the back of her mind she was always thinking, “When I retire, I’ll take up art!”

Florence’s profession, a beauty consultant in a hairstyling salon, provided her an outlet for artistic creativity during her working years. Now that she is retired, she is participating in her very first art class. In the class, she is redirecting her creativity into watercolor and drawing. On view in the exhibition are lovely examples of subjects close to her heart: flowers, the four seasons, and Gloucester’s waterfront. Her first attempt at portraiture resulted in an accomplished portrait of a beloved grandson. The portrait is now permanently on view in the room behind the exhibition.

Looking to spice up your garden this year without breaking the bank? Have some extra seed packets lying around? Then the Backyard Growers Annual Seed Swap is for you!

For the meager price of your seed leftovers, you can walk away with a plethora of new seeds beyond your wildest garden dreams! You probably didn’t want all 35 of those tomato seeds anyway…swap the rest!

The idea is simple: bins for each type of vegetable will be arranged and labeled. Simply drop your seed offering into the correct bin (labelled seeds please!), then start browsing. If you find some seeds you like, pour as many as you will use into provided envelopes (Don’t forget to label them! Your future self will thank you!).

Also available will be guides and demos for starting your seeds indoors (a must for tomatoes, eggplant and peppers).

Seed swap will be held TONIGHT Thursday 2/25 from 6-8 at 269 Main Street, just two doors down from Alexandra’s Bread!

Check out the event on Facebook:https: //www.facebook.com/events/1279398988743947/

Hi Joey,

This Sunday, February 28, there is a wonderful opportunity for parents to bring their kids out for an afternoon of folk dancing and singing to live fiddle, guitar and accordion music.

The fun will be happening from 2:00 to 5:00 at the Gloucester UU Church. The entrance is at 10 Church Street and families are welcome to come and go throughout the afternoon.

As always, thanks!

Rose Sheehan

Ever dreamed of visiting the wonders of the Azores? Join us this Thursday night at the Azorean Restaurant in Gloucester from 5:00 – 6:30 PM for an informational meeting about this fantastic upcoming trip!  This is a FREE info session.  RSVP for the meeting here.

Also this week….

Join us this Friday Morning, February 26 at 7:30 AM for the Economic Outlook Breakfast!

We are happy to announce that Rick Lord, President & CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Inc.,will be the keynote speaker for our Economic Outlook Breakfast. Rick will speak about his perspective on our regional and statewide prospects for the coming year, including his insights on GE’s decision to relocate to Boston.

Tickets are $30 and includes a light breakfast catered by Inspired Cooking by Laurie Lufkin.
Register Here for the Economic Outlook Breakfast.

Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce’s annual celebration culminating with an evening of entertainment and singing by the Cape Ann Divas, accompanied by Mari Martin Band

We have 17 pre-registrations for the upcoming March 3rd Blood Drive. Can you help us get to 35?
March 3rd we’ll be helping the American Red Cross with a community blood drive from 2 to 7 pm at the Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish Hall.
http://www.redcrossblood.org/rcbmo…/…/chooseDonationTime.jsp