Month: November 2023

This Saturday: Support The Open Door Thanksgiving Food Drive

~ todtheopendoor

The Open Door Thanksgiving Food Drive is this Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Donate and help stock the shelves at The Open Door to feed local people through the holidays and beyond. Participating locations include:   

  • Market Basket at 101 Gloucester Crossing Road, Gloucester MA 
  • Stop & Shop at 6 Thatcher Road, Gloucester MA 
  • Shaw’s at 127 Eastern Avenue, Gloucester MA 
  • Shaw’s at 146 High Street, Ipswich MA 
  • Crosby’s Marketplace at 3 Summer Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea MA 
  • Market Basket at 231 Newburyport Turnpike, Rowley MA 
  • NEW THIS YEAR: Clothing Donation Drive at Second Glance at 2 Pond Road, Gloucester MA. No appointment needed, November 18 only.  Clothing donations at Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door, help raise revenue for local hunger-relief programs 

“The Thanksgiving Food Drive is more than just a collection of food. It’s an act of kindness given by a community that cares,” President and CEO Julie LaFontaine said. “Donating an extra couple boxes of your favorite breakfast cereal, pancake mix, or a can of coffee is one tangible way to establish traditions of gratitude and show support for our neighbors not only at the holidays but in the tough winter months ahead.” 

Instead of holiday fixings which have already been secured for the Thanksgiving Baskets, The Open Door is encouraging items of shelf-stable breakfast foods this year, including cereal, oatmeal, coffee, tea, maple syrup, pancake mix, waffle mix, 100% fruit juice, and granola bars. Donors are asked to please avoid donating anything in a glass container.  

Already in 2023, The Open Door has seen more than a 28% increase in visits to its food pantries over 2022. The nonprofit’s kitchen also prepares approximately 3,000 meals each week.  

The Open Door will also be accepting clothing donations only at its thrift store, Second Glance, with no appointment needed on Saturday, Nov. 18. Donations at Second Glance help raise revenue for hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.  

Turkey for Every Table 

Also on Saturday, Nov. 18, The Open Door kicks off its Holiday Basket program. Hundreds of local people will pick-up everything they need to make a special Thanksgiving meal at home, at no cost, at a drive-thru on Emerson Avenue. Holiday Baskets will continue to be distributed by The Open Door right up until the day before Thanksgiving. Holiday Baskets are also available for the December holidays.  

Plenty of Holiday Baskets are available, with a turkey and all the fixings, and can be picked-up by appointment. Many pick-up slots are also available. Sign up today for a Holiday Basket for Thanksgiving and December at FOODPANTRY.org.  

Members of the community who wish to make a monetary donation to help feed local people through the holidays and beyond can do so at FOODPANTRY.org/donate.  

Dungeons & Dragons at Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street

~ Sawyer Free Library

Join us for a 3-hour fantastical adventure at the Sawyer Free Library this Saturday, November 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with local Dungeon Master (DM) Ephraim Weaver. Beginner and experienced Dungeons & Dragons players in grades 5-12th graders are welcome! Pizza will be served. No registration necessary. Event at Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street, Gloucester. For more information visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

Reminder: Sawyer Free Library Annual Meeting this Wednesday evening, Nov 15! All invited!

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library Corporation will be hosting its Annual Meeting on THIS Wednesday evening, November 15 at the Gloucester Stage located at 267 East Main Street in Gloucester from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. with corporators sign-in beginning at 6:00 p.m.  The meeting will kick off at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome by the President of the Library’s Board of Trustees, Mern Sibley, followed by remarks by Mayor Greg Verga. A construction update of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library renovation, modernization, and expansion project will be provided by Jon Rich, president of the construction management firm W.T. Rich. In addition, new members of the Library Corporation and Board of Trustees will be elected, and the Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award will be presented to Kecia German. The evening will also pay tribute to Beth Pocock, who recently retired after a decade of exceptional service as the Assistant Library Director.

Refreshments will be served. The meeting is open to the public, but only corporators can vote. For more information, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Rockport PTO 2023 Holiday Fair

~ rebsly
pto holiday fair logo only, color

Saturday, November 18th
9:30 to 2 PM
Rockport High School
24 Jerdens Lane, Rockport

Come get your holiday shopping done or buy something unique for yourself! We will have:

  • Amazing Crafters and Artists
  • Photos with Santa
  • Gingerbread House Kits
  • Face Painting
  • Sensory Art Table
  • Surprise Jars for the Kids (they sell out fast!)
  • High Quality Raffle Items
  • Yummy Baked Goods
  • Coffee and Lunch

This is just a small sample of some of the amazing items that will be there!

NEW Folly Coves Added to Second Glance Online Auction

"Head of the Cove" Placemat by Louise Kenyon (1945)
~ todtheopendoor
"Head of the Cove" Placemat by Louise Kenyon (1945)
“Head of the Cove” Placemat by Louise Kenyon (1945) is one of two new designs added to the auction thanks to a generous donor.

Two NEW Folly Cove designs have been added to an online auction by Second Glance to benefit hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.

The new designs include Peggy Norton’s “Deciduous” wall hanging and Louise Kenyon’s “Head of the Cove” placemat. VIEW the designs and BID at bit.ly/follycoveatsg

The online auction, scheduled to close on Thursday, November 16, is being held in conjunction with a special Folly Cove event at Second Glance THIS THURSDAY, November 9.

Elena M. Sarni, author of “Trailblazing Women Printmakers: Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios and The Folly Cove Designers” will share a presentation at the event, followed by a short Q & A and book signing.

Tickets for the event, at $10 each, are also available at bit.ly/follycoveticket.

Additional framed Folly Cove designs, on loan from a collector and not for sale, will also be on display for the event. Second Glance Thrift Store will remain open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9 only in conjunction with the event.  

Light refreshments will also be available. 

“Deciduous” Wall Hanging by Peggy Norton (1957)
“Deciduous” Wall Hanging by Peggy Norton (1957) is one of two new designs added to the auction thanks to a generous donor.

Current Workforce Challenges Panel Discussion

~ Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce

Please join the Greater Cape Ann Innovators Collaborative for a free expert panel discussion on Current Workforce Challenges and solutions for the existing labor market. Our panel of experts will be presenting innovative strategies to recruit, retain and develop the workforce. Each presentation will be approximately 15 minutes. There will be a question-and-answer period and open discussion following the presentations.

Panelists

  • Jason Andree, Vice President, Addison Gilbert Hospital
  • Neil Costa, CEO, HireClix
  • William Heineman, President, North Shore Community College
  • Kathy Low, Sr. HR Business Partner, SPG Varian Business Unit, Applied Materials

Light appetizers and cash bar will be offered. Registration is required for this FREE event.
To register, please visit https://bit.ly/CAIC-Workforce or email info@capeannchamber.com.

What is the Cape Ann Innovators Collaborative?
An initiative of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, CAIC is a collaborative of innovators, entrepreneurs, makers, artists, designers, developers and producers dedicated to supporting people from all walks of life in their endeavors to create lasting, innovative change, with the ultimate objective of growing the economy and creating new jobs. The CAIC Forums are designed to Inform and Inspire.

DOWNLOAD FLYERDownload Flyer

‘Polis is This’ Film Screening at Little Art Cinema

~ g400+events

The public is invite to a screening of ‘Polis Is This: Charles Olson & the Persistence of Place’ on November 10, 2023 at 7:30 pm at Little Art Cinema -Rockport, MA. The film is by Henry Ferrini & Ken Riaf – Featuring John Malkovich. Free Admission – all donations welcome.

With Peter Anastas, Amiri Baraka, Robin Blazer, Charles Boer, Robert Creeley, Diane di Prima, Vincent Ferrini, Gerrit Lansing, Pete Seeger, Ed Sanders, John Sinclair, John Stilgoe, Anne Waldman and Jonathan Williams. Music by Willie Alexander and Stephan Wolpe

Polis – a city state in Ancient Greece, esp. as considered in its ideal form for philosophical purposes.

Polis is This – a body of citizens in a particular place.

Do you really know what you see when you look out from the eyes in your head? Can one drop of seawater contain all the oceans with it? Is the universal only the local without walls? Travel with John Malkovich on a poetic romp that leads from your door to the edge of the universe. For Charles Olson it’s all about place. But beware, if you decide to enter his world, you may never look at yours in the same way. Find out for yourself why the best and brightest of the time beat a well worn path to this giant’s cold water shack down the Fort in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

REVIEWS:

“The best film about an American Poet ever made.” – Bill Corbett, Boston Phoenix

“Ferrini has a terrific eye…call him a poet of seeing.” – Mark Fenney, Boston Globe

“Documentary lyricism…beautiful and significant…” – Tom Perrotta, Author, Little Children

“…an invaluable contribution to our literature.” -Russell Banks, Author, The sweet Hereafter

Sawyer Free Library’s Annual Meeting – Wednesday evening, November 15

~ Sawyer Free Library

Mark your calendars! All are invited!

The Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library Corporation will be hosting its Annual Meeting on Wednesday evening, November 15, 2023, at the Gloucester Stage located at 267 East Main Street in Gloucester from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. with corporators sign-in beginning at 6:00 p.m.  

The meeting will kick off at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome by the President of the Library’s Board of Trustees, Mern Sibley, followed by remarks by Mayor Greg Verga. A construction update of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library renovation, modernization, and expansion project will be provided by Jon Rich, president of the construction management firm W.T. Rich. In addition, new members of the Library Corporation and Board of Trustees will be elected, and the Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award will be presented to Kecia German for her years of service to the Library. The evening will also feature a special presentation to Beth Pocock, who recently retired after a decade of exceptional service as the Assistant Library Director.

Refreshments will be served. The meeting is open to the public, but only corporators can vote. For more information, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Lobster Trap Menorah Lighting at Temple Ahavat Achim!

~ g400+events

Temple Ahavat Achim lights the Lobster Trap Menorah!

As part of the Gloucester400+ celebration, T.A.A. invites the community to join them as they light the world’s only Lobster Trap Menorah to celebrate Channukah.

The outdoor event will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 5:30pm, with songs, sweet treats, and the lighting ceremony. Afterwards, the public is invited indoors for a free concert by Ezekial’s Wheels Klezmer Band, featuring our own Abigale Riesman.