Gloucester’s favorite day of play returns! Mark your calendars now, or be prepared for your kids to be really annoyed with you :). Follow the Gloucester Education Foundation’s social media and website for updates, activity schedules, swag previews, and more!
GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE, MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. BIRTHDAY EVENT 2025
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation proudly presents its ninth annual
Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday event. It will be held on Monday, January 20th
at 2:00pm in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, located at the corner
of Church and Middle Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street). An elevator is available
from the side door at 10 Church Street. No charge for admission but freewill
donations are gratefully received. For more information please visit:
www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
This year’s program will honor Dr. King by featuring the work being done by two
local groups to reckon with history. Afterward, there will be a discussion about
how vernacular history gets written, “how the word is passed.” The program
will open with a recording of Martin Luther King, Jr. reading segments of
“Letters from Birmingham Jail.”
Joe Rukeyser from the Cape Ann Slavery and Abolition Project will present
recent research on abolition. Melissa Dimond of Wellspring House will follow
with that organization’s work on the Freeman Family, the prominent Black
family who called the Wellspring House home for over 100 years. Then Michea
McCaffrey, co-chair of the Gloucester Racial Justice Team, and Dick Prouty,
founder of TownGreen and board member of the Gloucester Meetinghouse
Foundation, will lead a discussion on critical points made by author Clint Smith
in his book How the Word is Passed. (It is not necessary to have read the book.)
The Paul Revere Bell in the Meetinghouse tower will be rung at the end as
people disperse onto the newly restored green.
ABOUT THE GMF: The mission of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is to preserve the historic
1806 Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, as a civic hub,
entertainment venue and community gathering center. The GMF is a 501(c)(3) corporation modeled on
a similar nonprofit that preserves Boston’s famous Old North Church.
Thursday, January 16th
10:00 – 11:45 am
10:00 – 10:30 am: Coffee & light refreshments
10:30 – 11:30 am: Presentation
11:30 – 11:45 am: Q&A/Conclusion.
Join us for a detailed discussion of recent and ongoing restoration efforts at the Museum with contractor and mason Roger Tremblay and Director of Education & Visitor Services Caleb McMurphy. In the past few years, Tremblay, and his firm A+R Construction, have headed some of the most significant restoration projects in the Museum’s history, including the renovation of the Museum’s iconic 13th-century French monastery arches, originally situated in the Franciscan monastery of Couvent des Cordeliers, in Gers, France. In 2024, Tremblay’s team intervened to save a portion of the “towers” section of the building, modeled off of an 11th-century Norman keep, which had been badly damaged by winter weather.
Over the course of an hour, Roger and Caleb will discuss these and other ongoing and upcoming restoration projects, using photos taken during the work itself to give a look behind the curtain at just what it takes to maintain such a unique and historic building. After this, audience members will have a chance to ask questions of their own and get an opportunity to become involved with Hammond Castle Museum’s continuing mission to preserve John Hays Hammond Jr.’s legacy.
Member savings apply.
General Admission: $15
Proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the Hammond Castle Museum.
As 2024 winds down, the Gloucester Education Foundation is celebrating a banner year of community support and dynamic programming benefitting the 2,862 students of the Gloucester Public Schools. We distributed over $500,000 in grants to support 24 different programs in GPS this year! Thank you to everyone – students, educators, administrators, volunteers, board members, families, and especially our generous donors – for your work to strengthen teaching and learning in our local schools. Here’s to a great 2025!
Join us for a Bad Xmas Gift Yankee Swap at the American Legion Post 3 on December 31st @ 6PM!
Unleash those unwanted Xmas gifts! Bring a wrapped, unwanted, funny, or slightly embarrassing gift to participate in the Yankee Swap.
Details:
Let’s swap those bad gifts for something (hopefully) better and celebrate New Year’s Eve together!
Ring in 2025 in regal splendor! Step into a world of enchantment as Hammond Castle Museum’s Great Hall transforms into the ultimate New Year’s Eve destination with our returning host Bruce Jaques. Dance the night away, indulge in gourmet treats, and uncover the mysteries of the Castle’s unique chambers. As the clock strikes twelve, join us for a spectacular champagne toast!
Reserve your tickets now to secure your spot at the North Shore’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve bash.
Doors open at 9:00 pm and the celebration goes to 1:00 am.
21 & Over, ID required upon arrival. Cash bar.
Free parking.
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation proudly presents the Cape Ann Big
Band with the Jambalaya Horns, plus guest vocalists Katy Geraghty and
Rhiannon Hurst, in a festive New Year’s Concert. The concert is on Sunday
December 29th at 5:00pm in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, on
the green at the corner of Church and Middle Streets. Admission: $30 General,
$10 Students (all ages), Under 12 free. Tickets at the door and online with more
info at: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
Since 2010, the Cape Ann Big Band, conducted by Carlos Menezes, has connected
with local musicians of all ages and backgrounds to inspire, challenge, and
educate. Inspired by the sounds of Jazz, Swing, New Orleans’ street bands, Soul,
and Rock n’ Roll, the Band prides itself in a repertoire without horizons. The
Jambalaya Horns provide added punch, with added Funk, Soul, and Brassy
Second-Lines. They will make you feel like you’re in New Orleans!
This is a great opportunity for the whole family to enjoy the sounds of two of our
community’s most amazing bands and to celebrate the coming New Year in our
historic 1806 Meetinghouse!
Side entrance at 10 Church Street provides a lift/elevator for those who are challenged by stairs. Street parking as well as parking on the green is also available.
This innovative, hands-on training program prepares young adults for professional careers as life sciences laboratory technicians. Students spend six months of hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art teaching facility in Gloucester’s Blackburn Center, followed by three-month paid internships at a North Shore or Greater Boston biotech company.
The program is open to students ages 18-30 with a high school diploma or the equivalent. No math or science experience is needed to apply.
Once again, tuition and fees will be waived — in their entirety — for the Academy’s class of 2025. In addition, qualifying students can receive a stipend of $1,000 per month to help support their living expenses while training. GMGI is committed to providing STEM education opportunities to all, regardless of financial background.
Please visit the Apply page on the GMGI website for more information on the program, and to submit your application. Space is limited so don’t miss this amazing opportunity! Reach out to Laura Richane — laura.richane@gmgi.org — Director of Enrollment & Partnerships, with any questions or to request a tour.
SHOP for boutique winter clothing, classic and quirky holiday décor, one-of-a-kind gifts (jewelry, art, books), and so much more!
WHEN: Saturday December 7 from 9 am to 5 pm AND Sunday December 8 from 11 am to 5 pm
WHERE: Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door, at 2 Pond Road, Gloucester MA
NOTE: PLEASE help us be good neighbors and do not park in our neighbor’s lots!
WHAT: SHOP the Holiday Market at Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door, for high-quality, second-hand goods and one-of-a-kind finds for the holidays. Revenue at Second Glance supports hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.
Learn more at FOODPANTRY.org.
Cape Ann Community 