A behind-the-scenes sneak peek of G400+ Events Manager, Isabel Pett, making the ball for the ‘Countdown to 2023’ ball drop! Join the Gloucester 400+ tomorrow evening (Saturday Dec 31) at City Hall at 6:30pm!
More on this at the Gloucester Daily Times: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/gloucester-gets-set-to-drop-the-zorb-to-ring-in-its-400-year/article_f48b9a9a-87c9-11ed-817d-33e5e4b997d7.html
To usher in the quadricentennial year, on Dec. 31, Gloucester 400+ will put on a “ball drop” bash at City Hall, taking place as the clock turns to midnight in the city’s namesake of Gloucester, England and in Dorset, England, which four centuries ago sent out the band of English fisherman who would build a settlement here.
“Countdown to 2023!” will take place Saturday, Dec. 31, at 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Gloucester City Hall, with hot chocolate and cookies being served, and noisemakers supplied for all. Mayor Greg Verga and 400+ tri-Chair Bob Gillis will be counting to the stroke of midnight in the United Kingdom (at 7 p.m. here). The event is free and open to all comers.
Ring in 2023 on Cape Ann with a fun night of dancing through the decades in our castle’s Great Hall with DJ Dmus. Plus, enjoy fire spinning performances by Fireborn Performance Arts and keep an eye out for “Neil Young” – he’s rumored to be on the guest list! Heavy Hors D’Oeuvres by Creative Catering will be served all night!
Grab your friends and keep it local at Club Castle’s debut event! 70s, 80s & 90s inspired attire are encouraged.
Doors open at 9:00pm and celebration goes to 1:00am.
21 & Over. Cash bar. Free parking.
General Admission: $125. Tickets available at: bit.ly/ClubCastleNYE
Only one VIP Table left! Call 978-283-2080 to reserve your table today!
EVERYONE IS INVITED TO
SFL@21MAIN STREET OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, December 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Come discover the Sawyer Free Library‘s new space and learn about all its services, both in person and digital.
Swing by to say hello to your favorite librarians and meet a few new ones.
There will be a scavenger hunt for kids, local history display and more for all to enjoy. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served too!
If you have any questions, please call us at 978-325-5500 or visit www.sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Join the Fun!!
On Wednesday, December 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., the Sawyer Free Library is pleased to invite you to explore early-American history during an online afternoon conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning historian Nicole Eustace as she discusses her 2022 award winning book Covered With Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America. This is a virtual event, for link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
On the eve of a major treaty conference between Iroquois leaders and European colonists in the distant summer of 1722, two white fur traders attacked an Indigenous hunter and left him for dead near Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Though virtually forgotten today, this act of brutality set into motion a remarkable series of criminal investigations and cross-cultural negotiations that challenged the definition of justice in early America.
In Covered with Night, Dr. Eustace reconstructs the crime and its aftermath, bringing us into the overlapping worlds of white colonists and Indigenous peoples in this formative period. As she shows, the murder of the Indigenous man set the entire mid-Atlantic on edge, with many believing war was imminent. Isolated killings often flared into colonial wars in North America, and colonists now anticipated a vengeful Indigenous uprising. Frantic efforts to resolve the case ignited a dramatic, far-reaching debate between Native American forms of justice—centered on community, forgiveness, and reparations—and an ideology of harsh reprisal, unique to the colonies and based on British law, which called for the killers’ swift execution. As Eustace powerfully contends, the colonial obsession with “civility” belied the reality that the Iroquois, far from being the barbarians of the white imagination, acted under a mantle of sophistication and humanity as they tried to make the land- and power-hungry colonials understand their ways.
About the Author: Nicole Eustace is a professor of history at New York University. A historian of the early modern Atlantic and the early United States, she specializes in the history of emotion. She is author of Pulitzer-Prize winning Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America, as well as Passion Is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution and of 1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism as well as coeditor of Warring for America: Cultural Contests in the Era of 1812.
This virtual event is Wednesday, December 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. For the link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org. If you have questions, please contact moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5562.
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation welcomes the Cape Ann Big Band and guest vocalists in a magical evening of holiday music in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church) on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets on Sunday, December 18th at 7:00pm.
This fantastic Big Band concert was just added to our schedule by popular demand!
Get into the spirit of the season with “A Big Band Holiday.” Their other holiday engagements are sold out, so don’t miss this very special opportunity!
Concertgoers of all ages will feel the joy of the season in this program featuring the signature sound of the Cape Ann Big Band that includes holiday favorites, hits from the golden era of big band swing, and a visit from the chief elf himself, Santa Claus.
The band will be joined by several guest vocalists well known to Cape Ann audiences. Joining in the musical celebration of the holidays will be Alexandra Grace, Emily Grace, Rhiannon Hurst, Scott Parisi, John Rockwell, Nathan Seavey, and the “TrebleHurst” trio. This unforgettable program will also feature a reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” by Santa Claus.
This is an open seating event so come early! Doors will open at 6:15pm. General Admission $25, Students with ID $5, under 12 free. Tickets available at the door (unless we sell out!) or in advance on our website. Parking is available on Meetinghouse green and nearby. For persons with physical challenges there is an elevator available at the 10 Church Street side entrance.
Musicians of the Old Post Road in the Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church)
The Musicians of the Old Post Road will present their 6th holiday concert in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30pm called “A Moravian Christmas.’
Founded by Artistic Directors Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan, the ensemble takes its name from its acclaimed concert series, originally entitled Old Post Road Historic Concerts.
“Musicians of the Old Post Road is a cleverly conceived and impeccably presented group of artists who render a great service in the realm of period performance. Through their scholarship, programming, and enthusiasm, they shine a light on a corner of the repertoire that is too often neglected.”
— Classical Voice of New England
Immerse yourself in beautiful music for the season by a unique 18th-century community. Experience modern-day premieres of works penned by America’s Moravian immigrants along with selections by Johann Joachim Quantz, Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (fifth son of J.S. Bach) that they carefully imported and preserved. The ensemble performs on period instruments and will be joined by soprano Jessica Petrus and mezzo-soprano Hilary Anne Walker.
If you crave a respite from the hustle and bustle of holiday madness, give yourself and your friends the gift of exquisite chamber music by candlelight for Christmas in the warmth and Federal period elegance of Gloucester’s last-surviving Meetinghouse, built in 1806 for the first Universalist Society in America.
Preferred Seating $45, General $30, Students $10, Under 12 free
The Meetinghouse is located at 50 Middle Street, set back on the green. The accessible side entrance with a lift is located at 10 Church Street. Parking is available on the green and on nearby streets and lots. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance on our website: http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
Join us for LADIES NIGHT IN: The Holiday Edition on Thursday, December 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
The Sawyer Free Library is creating a Romance Book Club and the first book we are reading is The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown. The fun festive evening will be complete with cocoa, cookies, a holiday book discussion and perhaps a few knitting projects.
Those interested should register HERE and come by SFL@21 Main Street to pick up a copy of the book!
For more information or if you have questions, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-325-5501.
Each year, the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library recognize outstanding volunteers for their efforts and dedication to the Library. As a part of the Sawyer Free Library’s Annual Meeting, the Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award was presented to lifelong Gloucester resident Rebecca Aliberte. She was honored with the community award for her leadership, tireless dedication to the Friends of the Sawyer Free Library, and countless hours volunteering in the Library’s children’s room.
“Volunteers are essential to the work of our Library, and so every year, we seek to celebrate one of our most exceptional volunteers. This year we have chosen to honor the wonderful Rebecca Aliberte,” said Assistant Library Director Beth Pocock in presenting the award.
Rebecca has volunteered in the Library’s children’s room for over ten years. On any given day, one might find her doing various tasks to help ease the load of the library staff from cutting out crafts to organizing books story time. In addition, Rebecca served as the President of the Friends of the Sawyer Free Library for three years. Under Rebecca’s leadership, the all volunteer group, made significant contributions to enhance the Sawyer Free Library, including purchasing equipment and funding a wide variety of library programs for all ages.
The annual volunteer award was established in 2016 by the Library’s Board of Trustees and named after Mary Weissblum, who served the Library tirelessly over four decades.
For more information about volunteering at the Sawyer Free Library, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or come in and say hello at its new downtown location at 21 Main Street in Gloucester.
Rebecca Aliberte being honored by the Sawyer Free Library with the 2022 Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award.
Cape Ann Community 