Month: July 2023

Hammond Castle Storytime and Bubble Party

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us every Wednesday morning in July & August for Bubbles & Books on our seaside lawn.

Doors open at 10 am. Stories start at 10:15 am. Feel free to bring a blanket for your little one to cuddle with while we enjoy Storytime on the ocean-facing lawn. Don’t forget the sunscreen! We’ll have thousands of bubbles, coloring, snacks and music too! We encourage little ones to dress up in their favorite crown, gown or anything else that makes them happy!

We recommend arriving at 15 minutes early to allow enough time for the walk from the parking lot down to the museum, then for the check in process and the walk to the lawn. There are many steps. Please note, strollers are not permitted in the museum.

We recommend arriving at 15 minutes early to allow enough time for the walk from the parking lot down to the museum, then for the check in process and the walk to the lawn. There are many steps. Please note, strollers are not permitted in the museum.

This ticket grants you access to the Bubbles & Books program which will be held on the ocean-facing lawn. If you wish to tour the museum at the conclusion of this program, ticket holders may purchase Self-Guided Tour tickets in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount.

Kids under 12: $5 / Adults $10. Reserve Your Tickets Here!

All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the museum.

Sawyer Free Library to host YA Author Taylor Tyng

~ Sawyer Free Library

Library to celebrate the launch of author’s newest book “Clara Poole and the Long Way Round” 

The Sawyer Free Library is excited to welcome author Taylor Tyng to speak about his new book for middle-grade readers (ages 8-12), Clara Poole and the Long Way Round, on Friday, July 21 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The free event will be at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. Register HERE.

Join us as we celebrate Tyng’s latest book for young readers. Mr. Lemoncello meets the Amazing Race, in this quirky high-octane balloon-racing middle-grade around-the-world adventure. Gorgeous prose and winning characters combine in this quirky, often-hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking, and thoroughly captivating middle-grade adventure series starter from an incredible new talent.

The Bookstore of Gloucester will be selling books at the event; Tyng will be signing books after the talk and Q&A. If you cannot be there in person, you can pre order a book to be signed by the author by calling the store at 978-281-1548. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“With plenty of heart and charm, Tyng’s fast-paced debut conjures excitement via a high-octane premise that’s tempered by laugh-out-loud humor and populated by idiosyncratic characters.” – Publisher’s Weekly

When an unintended flight over Michigan in her class science project—a lawn chair held aloft by balloons—brings her instant celebrity, Clara Poole is invited to be the spokesperson for a round-the-world adventure race. But when her overprotective father refuses, Clara forges his signature in a moment of defiance and runs away to Paris to take her place in the skies. If only she’d read the fine print first.

Partnered with a veteran aeronaut who wants nothing to do with her, Clara faces down ten treacherous stages in a race around the world—capturing flags in the perilous mountains of Nepal, being a guest of honor at a maybe-wedding in the Saharan desert, flying through rings of fire in Hong Kong—all while learning the ropes alongside a colorful cast of international competitors.

But there are more dangers ahead. Someone is trying to sabotage the competition. And surviving this race means Clara must come to terms with the tragedy that set her fleeing to the skies in the first place and accept that forgiving herself isn’t a process she has to undertake alone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Tyng has worked as a designer, animator, film editor, and software CEO. At 45, he started writing children’s novels, something Taylor never considered as a lifelong dyslexic. Now, all he wishes is that he began to sooner as he finds endless joy in writing for middle-grade readers, who are no longer children but not quite adults. His debut YA book was Sprout. Taylor lives in Massachusetts with his family. 

The event is free and open to the public at the Sawyer Free Library, located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. Register HERE. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org. 

Sawyer Free Library to Host Author Talk with William Schulz on Thursday, July 20

~ Sawyer Free Library

SAWYER FREE LIBRARY will welcome WILLIAM SCHULZ – international human rights leader and local author – for a discussion of his latest book, REVERSING THE RIVERS: A MEMOIR OF HISTORY, HOPE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS on Thursday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m. The free event will be at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. Register HERE.

From 1994 to 2006, William F. Schulz headed Amnesty International USA, during which he and the organization confronted some of the greatest challenges to human rights. Dr. Schulz led missions to Liberia, Tunisia, Northern Ireland, and Sudan. He also traveled tens of thousands of miles in the United States promoting human rights causes and was frequently quoted in the media. 

His latest book,Reversing the Rivers: A Memoir of History, Hope and Human Rights, from Penn Press, recounts his years as head of Amnesty International through poignant stories combined with amusing anecdotes and philosophical reflection. His memoir is an engaging account of how one human rights activist faced the day-to-day realities of struggling with human rights crises while answering, “How do you retain any hope at all in humanity?”

Currently, Dr. Schulz is a Senior Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of three other books on human rights, In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All (2001, Beacon Press); Tainted Legacy: 9/11 and the Ruin of Human Rights (2003, Nation Books); and The Coming Good Society: Why New Realities Demand New Rights (2021, Harvard University Press), co-authored with Sushma Raman. He is also the contributing editor of The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary (2007, University of Pennsylvania Press) and The Future of Human Rights: US Policy for a New Era (2008, University of Pennsylvania Press). And in 2002, The New York Review of Books shared, “William Schulz…has done more than anyone in the American human rights movement to make human rights issues known in the United States.”

From 2006-2010 Dr. Schulz was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, specializing in human rights, and served as a consultant to various foundations, including the MacArthur Foundation, UN Foundation, Humanity United, and the Kellogg Foundation. He was appointed Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Policy in 2008, where he taught for eight years, and in 2013 served as Pozen Visiting Professor of Human Rights at the University of Chicago. From 2010-20 Dr. Schulz served as an Affiliated Preaching and Public Ethics Professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School. He is President Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, which he led from 2010-16. 

An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, Dr. Schulz was President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations from 1985-93. He has served on the boards of People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Selection Committee, the Wellesley (College) Centers for Women, and many other organizations and currently sits on the board of the Center for Justice & Accountability.

Dr. Schulz is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Oberlin College, holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Meadville/Lombard Theological School (then at the University of Chicago) as well as eight honorary degrees. He lives with his wife, the Rev. Beth Graham, also a Unitarian Universalist minister, in Gloucester, MA.

Click HERE to register for this special evening with William Schulz on July 20 at 6:30 p.m. or go to the calendar page of sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500. Space is limited. The Sawyer Free Library is located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. 

“I know no better book on human rights than REVERSING THE RIVERS. Schulz conducts a master class in both brilliant writing and being human.” – Sebastian Junger, author of Freedom and The Perfect Storm 

Chamber Announces Schedule for Gloucester’s First Summer Block Party on Saturday, July 15

~ Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce

Gloucester’s Summer Block Parties have become a Cape Ann Classic, and the Greater Cape Ann Chamber is excited to be presenting three Block Parties this summer in partnership with the City of Gloucester. The first one will be Saturday, July 15th from 6 PM to 10 PM on Main Street. Party-goers will enjoy fun dining options, live outdoor entertainment and street performers for a family-friendly night on the town. The Block Parties offer local shopping, restaurants, food trucks and non-stop fun!

The following is the schedule of Music & Performers for the July 16 Block Party:

MUSIC

East End Stage (Stage Sponsor: BankGloucester)

  • 6:00-7:30 PM    Toni Ann Enes and Inge Berge
  • 7:30-9:00 PM    The Sea Dragons

Center Stage (Stage Sponsor: Cape Ann Savings Bank)

  • 6:00-8:00 PM      Bradley Royds with Eric Reardon
  • 8:00-10:00 PM    The Jantelles

West End Stage (Stage Sponsor: Institution for Savings)

  • 6:00-8:00 PM      Allen Estes    
  • 8:00-10:00 PM    Annette Dion

STREET PERFORMERS

Intersection – Hancock & Main

  • 6:15-7:00 PM The Red Trouser Show
  • 7:10-7:45 PM Cape Ann School of Dance
  • 8:00-8:45 PM The Red Trouser Show

* Also on the street will be Capt. Jack, Face Painting by Miss Wendy and Mary Poppins with her fun balloon art for the kids.

The Chamber wishes to acknowledge and thank the City of Gloucester, Supporting Partner, many business sponsors and main street merchants for their support in helping to make this year’s Block Parties possible. A listing of the sponsors is provided below:

The Second Block Party will be on Saturday, August 12th.  

The Third Block Party will be on Friday, September 1st.  

Additional information may be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gloucesterblockparty.

Sawyer Free Library presents Snakes of New England and Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team – Saturday, July 15

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is excited to welcome Rick Roth and the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team to Gloucester on Saturday, July 15 from 10:30 to 11:30a.m.

Come learn about, meet & handle (if you’d like!) many types of snakes, some of which are from our local area! Rick and his team share their knowledge and enthusiasm as they bring science to us in such a unique & fun way! 

This event will be held at Captain Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3, (8 Washington Street.) It is free and open to all to enjoy! For more information go to sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

This event is made possible in part by the Constance T. Rhinelander Fund

Club Castle

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us on Saturday, July 22nd and celebrate the golden age of the crooner and Vegas-stylings of the Rat Pack (Hello Friends Productions) in our Great Hall. Starring: Bobby Kerrigan, Thom Smoker, Tom Edmonds and Steve Faria. Featuring a live band, a special guest and favorites from Sinatra, Bobby Darrin, The Four Tops, Elvis and more!

Then, we’ll move the after-party to our tented lawn where the Club Castle Casino will offer Roulette, Texas Hold’em, Blackjack & Craps tables for your entertainment. Just remember, only funny money will be accepted at these tables! You never know—one of the gang may be at the table, throwing dice too! Hors d’oeuvres will be served during our after-party.

Doors: 7:15pm
Performance 8:00pm
After-Party Casino until 11pm.

Reserve your tickets at: https://bit.ly/TheRatPackCasino

This event is generously sponsored by Building Center.

YGSC: Community Garden Scavenger Hunt

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club Presents:  Community Garden Scavenger Hunt on Friday, July 14 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Join the Sawyer Free Library for an afternoon of garden bed exploring, scavenger hunting and a little bit of dirt-based science! In this hour long field trip to the Burnham Field Community Garden the Library’s friends at Backyard Growers will share some of the science behind growing and harvesting your own food.

This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders. Registration is required. Click HERE or go to SawyerFreeLibrary.org

And don’t forget to stop at SFL at 21 Main Street and check our new SEED LIBRARY partnership!

Gloucester Area Astronomy Club’s “Welcome to Amateur Astronomy” Night, at the Lanesville Community Center Friday July 14 @ 8:00

~ Michael Deneen

On Friday July 14 at 8:00 pm, we’ll have our first “Welcome to Amateur Astronomy Night” since Covid. Like everything we do, there is no cost. If you have ever wondered how to use that telescope in your closet, or what you can see with it, join us. If you have questions like “what are the different telescope designs,” or “how much does that thing cost,” or even “will it fit in my Subaru,” then this night is for you. We’ll tell you where we shop, what not to buy, how we find stuff in the sky, and what we never go out without.

You’ll see five short, fun, ten-minute presentations that address all these questions and more. Telescopes of all types and sizes will be set up inside for you to inspect after the talks, with their owners right there to answer your questions. Come join us, whether you’ve already got a scope and want to learn more, or if you’re just getting started, or if you’re just curious about amateur telescopes and astronomy. If skies are clear, we’ll set up a scope or two outside to show you how it all works. 

We’ll be live at the Lanesville Community Center, Friday July 14 at 8:00, with good things to eat and fun stuff to learn. There’s lots of free parking, and no dues or fees. I hope we’ll see you there. 

Sawyer Free Folk Showcase: PETE LINDBERG on Thursday, July 13 at 6pm

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Folk Showcase continues on Thursday, July 13 at 6:00 p.m. with PETER LINDBERG.

Having just returned from Nashville after ten years, Cape Ann-based critically acclaimed folk artist and storyteller songwriter Peter Lindberg will share his lyrical prowess and unique alt-country songwriting with us at the SFL at 21 Main Street!

The Library’s summer musical series spotlights local singer-songwriters. Performances are 6:00 to 7:00 pm on select Thursdays through September at the Library’s 21 Main Street location in downtown Gloucester. Each evening the featured artist performs a 45-minute set followed by a brief discussion about their musical career and approach to songwriting. The performances are free and open to all to enjoy.   For more information about the musicians, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org. 

You can hear more from Peter HERE.

Be sure to add to your calendar the following upcoming musical appearances by local singer songwriters at the Sawyer Free this summer:

Thursday, August 10: GEORGE CLEMENTS

Thursday, September 7: LIAM ANASTASIA-MURPHY

Gloucester Rotary Seeking Cape Ann Photos

~ trixy546

Attention Professional & Recreational Photographers!

The Gloucester Rotary will publish a 12-month Cape Ann photo calendar for 2024 as a fundraiser. All profits will go to the Gloucester Rotary’s many community and international activities.

In Order to publish a beautiful calendar, the Club is requesting high quality digital photos that reflect the natural beauty of Cape Ann throughout the year. As we will feature one photo per month, we need images from each season: winter, spring, summer and fall. Photographs from Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester will be accepted. Full details at https://gloucesterrotary.org/Stories/gloucester-rotary-2024-calendar-photo-requests.

Entry Deadline Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 12PM.