The Silent Auction portion of the 36th Annual Love Greater Cape Ann Fundraising Auction is now open to ALL! Simply go to https://onecau.se/lovegca to register and start bidding! Bidding will be open until 6:55 PM on Thursday, September 28.
You do not need to be at the Live Auction event to bid on and win Silent Auction items!
Check out all the great Silent Auction items at https://onecau.se/lovegca. There are some sweet deals to be had! You can also set your maximum bid for any item to give yourself a better chance of coming out on top! Bid today!! Bid often!!
Enjoy a FREE SCREENING of The Perfect Storm, thanks to our sponsor Gloucester Cinema on Thursday, September 28th at 6:00pm!
Before the movie, the Gloucester400+ is proud to present a special project produced by our friend, Tim Grafft. Tim Grafft, the former Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Film Office, worked on The Perfect Storm in 1999. He recently shot footage of the Gloucester locations used in the film to show how they look today in a short tribute movie.
TICKETS FOR THIS SCREENING ARE FREE AND FIRST COME FIRST SERVE AT GLOUCESTER CINEMA!
The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to announce the highly anticipated groundbreaking celebration for its historic renovation, modernization, and expansion project, a momentous event marking the commencement of an ambitious project that will transform the heart of the community.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library groundbreaking celebration will occur on Friday, September 29, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester, taking place rain or shine in the tented parking lot.
The community is invited to attend this exciting local history-making event as we symbolically break ground and set the foundation for the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. All ages are welcome. The festive afternoon will include a speaking program with local elected officials and Library leaders, the first ceremonial shovel hitting the ground, and refreshments and music for everyone to enjoy.
“I am truly excited about this groundbreaking and what it means for our community. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will be an asset for every resident of Gloucester and beyond,” said Mayor Greg Verga. “This is a fantastic way to round out our 400th anniversary as we look forward to the next century. “
“For nearly a decade, the Sawyer Free Library has been planning to transform our historic facility into a reimagined space that better meets the community’s needs. Now as we prepare to officially break ground on this wonderful public project, you can feel the excitement,” said Mern Sibley, president of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “The Sawyer Free Library 2025 will be a source of pride worthy of our heritage and future – reflecting the essence of the city and where technology, community engagement, and a commitment to learning come together.” Adding, “We are grateful for the tremendous engagement, support, and investment from everyone who have helped us reach this historic milestone and continue to work with us to bring the City of Gloucester the 21st-century Library it so needs and deserves.”
“We are so proud to reach this milestone, celebrate the kick off of this transformative project with our community and begin the next chapter of the Sawyer Free Library’s history,” said Jenny Benedict, the Library’s Director. “The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will be a welcoming and comfortable community space for all people to connect with our community’s storied past, enrich their current lives and feel empowered to face an ever-changing future. Its new community spaces amplify opportunities for involving people, as we have for more than 140 years, in public forums that foster a spirit of community and participation.”
“Sawyer Free Library is one of Cape Ann’s treasured gems, and this groundbreaking represents both a monumental milestone and a cause for celebration,” said John Brennan, president of the Sawyer Library Foundation. “But this community’s work isn’t done. The philanthropic capital campaign is still $11 million dollars away from fully funding this project, so anyone who is able should do their best to contribute whatever they can to help remake our beloved institution.”
The visionary design, created collaboratively by a team comprised of Oudens Ello Architecture and Dore + Whittier Architecture, Construction Management Firm W.T. Rich and Library project leaders, along with the vital input of the citizens of Gloucester, integrates three distinct structures with complete interior renovations of the Library’s existing 1976 and 1913 buildings and a new 14,000 sq. ft. addition. The architecture of the Library will seamlessly blend the old and the new, creating a structure that harmoniously combines tradition with innovation.
As a LEED Gold building with advanced sustainability features, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will also serve as a leading example of actions that can be taken in designing and operating a building to protect climate and nature based on design principles that put people first. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is the first of its kind on Cape Ann–a next generation public building with an all-electric heating and cooling system powered by renewable clean energy generated onsite. The renovated and expanded Library will optimize natural resources and light, ensure excellent air quality, prioritize public safety, and promote accessibility for all community members.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will offer current and emerging public technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and new dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. It will feature a digital maker space, audio and video recording studios, a 100-seat community room with state-of-the-science media presentation equipment, a research center for Gloucester history, a dedicated teen room, a beautiful expanded children’s room with an early literacy center for toddlers, study rooms for individual and group study, a 16-seat conference room, and much more. With its modern and sustainable design, the Library will provide an inspiring environment for library patrons, staff, the community, and beyond.
The Sawyer Free Library is committed to securing the funds for the $29 million transformational project and, to date, has over $17.5 million committed, including approximately $10.3 million in grants from the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Project (MPLCP) and Green Library Incentives. The Sawyer Library Foundation will continue to seek funding through individual and corporate donors, federal, state, and municipal government grants, and nonprofit foundations. To learn how you can donate or get involved, visit www.sawyerfree2025.org.
The 2025 Sawyer Free will be constructed by W.T. Rich Company of Beverly, MA. Scheduled to begin in mid-October, the project is expected to take eighteen months and be completed in mid 2025. The Library is currently operating at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
For more information about the 2025 Sawyer Free Library project and the groundbreaking ceremony, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978.325.5500.
The Sawyer Free 2025 campaign is grateful for the tremendous engagement and investment at every level from all parts of the community but we still need the community’s help. To learn how you can be a part of making the new Sawyer Free Library a reality, visit www.sawyerfree2025.org.
The Indigenous Heritage Film Festival is a week-long celebration of the Indigenous history and cultural contributions of Cape Ann’s earliest inhabitants. Indigenous Peoples have lived here since the last ice age – approximately 10,000 years ago! While much of the evidence of their lives has been lost, descendants and artifacts remain to tell stories with ageless voices that will carry on long into the future.
This event will be an inclusive educational film festival that honors Indigenous Peoples’ experiences and contributions on and beyond Cape Ann as part of the Gloucester 400+ celebration. We hope this festival engages, entertains and educates attendees of all ages.
Free to the public and hosted at Stage Fort Park, this 2-day extravaganza will showcase the rich and diverse cultural history of Gloucester. The weekend’s festivities will include performances from local singer-songwriters, cultural dance performances, including those by the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, a collaborative community art project, and booths representative of our cultural communities.
Join us for our biannual night of Psychic Readings and Spirit Exploration!
Our guest list of well-known psychic readers, mediums, and spiritual consultants includes: Bruce Hoskins, Red Hoskins, Amanda McElhaney, Michelle Guillemette Trahan, and Tauney Kennedy.
Fifteen-minute Individual Readings: $30 (Only offered as walk-in, first come/first serve, and based entirely on availability.)
*All prices include a $5 Museum Fee. Museum Fee waived for all Hammond Castle Museum Members.
Click Here to visit our Calendar of Events to learn more about each of our guest psychics and mediums and specific reading types available.
Ticket holders who wish to tour Hammond Castle Museum prior to 3pm on the day of the program may purchase Self-Guided Tour tickets in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount with proof of purchase.
Join us for a fun night of psychic readings and spirit exploration as we welcome back our team of psychics and spiritual intuitives!
Life happens. The Open Door can help! Tickets are available NOW for The Open Door Autumn Breakfast on WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11 from 7:30 to 9:00 A.M. at the Beauport Hotel (55 Commercial Street, Gloucester MA). CLICK HERE to purchase tickets today. Limited spots available.
Each year, The Open Door Autumn Breakfast kicks off the holiday giving season and raises funds for Holiday Meal baskets (and beyond). Each basket provides local people with all the ingredients they will need to make a special meal, and Holiday Baskets are available for BOTH Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.
Autumn Breakfast also honors outstanding volunteers and community partners who have gone above and beyond to connect local people to good food. Learn more at FOODPANTRY.org
Curious about Gloucester Biotechnology Academy? Stop by this Thursday, September 21st from 3p to 5p and learn more about our innovative, hands-on program!
Tour our state-of-the-art laboratories, speak with Academy instructors, learn about the two-semester curriculum, and hear about the application process. Interested community members, prospective students, curious family members…all are welcome!
Where: 55 Blackburn Center, Gloucester
When: 9/21 from 3p to 5p
The Academy is a 10-month certificate program that trains high school graduates for careers in biotech and the life sciences. Applications are currently being accepted for the Class of 2024’s second cohort, which begins in November.
The Sawyer Free Libraryis 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, September 15 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. The free event will be at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
Make your own hot air balloons as you listen to the fun and engaging author read from his new middle-grade nove! It is Mr. Lemoncello meets the Amazing Race, in this quirky high-octane balloon-racing middle-grade around-the-world adventure.
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.
This program is suitable for grades 4th-8th. Click HERE to register. Registration required as space is limited. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org
Join theSawyer Free Library for a fun LEGO-filled community eventTHIS Saturday, September 16, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm at 20 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, right across from the Sawyer Free Library temporary location.
Build your own library-inspired LEGO creation with the help of a certified LEGO Master from the LEGO Discovery Center Boston. Check out the specially commissioned LEGO model replica of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. Have fun creating with LEGOs along with face painting, prizes, music, and more!
All are invited to this FREE community celebration of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s upcoming community groundbreaking which is taking place on Friday, September 29th!
For more information on the LEGO event or the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Groundbreaking visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org
The SawyerFree2025.org campaign depends on the generosity of supporters like you.
We still need your help. Make the new Sawyer Free Library a reality- donate now!
Cape Ann Community 