This Saturday, May 4th, Cedar Rock Gardens is donating all profits from plant sales to Backyard Growers! Our team will be there throughout the day (8am – 4pm), ready to answer veggie gardening questions and share stories of our impact in the community. Cedar Rock Gardens is such an amazing partner to us and supporter of our work – we can’t thank them enough for their generosity! All money raised on May 4th will go directly towards our programs in the community and Gloucester’s schools.
Please help us celebrate GMGI’s Inaugural Byrnes Lecture, in memory of longtime GMGI and community supporter John Byrnes.
The oceans are home to an amazing diversity of life that sustains this planet, shapes climate and weather, and provides food and life-saving discoveries. But our oceans are under increasing threat from the impacts of pollution, habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate change.
Join us on Thursday, May 9th at 6pm at Gloucester Stage for an evening featuring Donald G. Comb Science Director Dr. Andrea Bodnar on how GMGI’s work is vital to preserving biodiversity, promoting healthy oceans, and enabling endless discoveries that impact humankind.
Click here or see the image below for details. This event is free and open to the public! Registration required.
Questions? Please reach out to Maggie Costello at maggie.costello@gmgi.org.
The Gloucester Education Foundation and Gloucester Public Schools are thrilled to bring back the Gloucester Student Arts Festival for its 14th year, a daylong celebration of the arts in the Gloucester Public Schools!
The festival will feature indoor exhibits of student work at City Hall and the Cape Ann Museum, and an outdoor block party on Warren Street and in the CAM Courtyard with performances, live music, art-making workshops, and food trucks. Visual and performing arts from grades Pre-K-12 will be showcased, with the goal of every student in Gloucester represented in at least one way. All 3rd, 5th and 8th graders will also have work on display at the Cape Ann Museum, and GHS seniors will be highlighted in a curated show at City Hall, with an opening reception on Friday 5/17. A closing concert by Dis n Dat, a band selected by GHS students, will take place from 3-4pm in the CAM Courtyard.
This all-ages event will be a destination for families, community members, artists, and visitors. Join us for a day of joyful creativity and art! Visit http://www.thinkthebest.org/news1/artsfest24 for details. Final schedule will be posted 5/1/24.
Mussels, a welded-bronze sculpture by Chris Williams available for bid through The Open Door Empty Bowl Artists’ Bowls Online auction. (Photo Courtesy of The Open Door)
Tickets are available NOW for The Open Door’s annual Empty Bowl fundraiser! This year’s Empty Bowl Circus brings a one-of-a-kind circus-themed marvel to Cruiseport next week, all in the name of raising funds to connect local people to good, healthy food this summer.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 24 from 4-8 p.m.
WHERE: Cruiseport Gloucester
6 Rowe Square, Gloucester MA 01930
CLICK HERE for tickets. Proceeds support summer hunger-relief programs of The Open Door!
WHAT: A circus-themed fundraiser to remember, proceeds from The Open Door Empty Bowl Circus will support the nonprofit’s summer food resource programs including Summer Meals for Kids and Mobile Market.
The Open Door has partnered with Seaside Circus Cape Ann to feature circus performers at the event. Attendees will walk through the doors at Cruiseport and be transported to a colorful spectacle featuring skilled performers, and vibrant displays of bowls hand-painted by community members.
Last year, The Open Door met a 30% increase in requests for food assistance. In 2023, The Open Door helped stabilize the lives and health of 9,836 people from 4,952 households through the distribution of 1.98 million pounds of food.
Participants on Wednesday, April 24 will choose a hand-painted bowl, and take home soup and bread to-go from a local restaurant, caterer, or The Open Door kitchen. Cookies, fruit, and water will also be available to-go.
Online Artists’ Bowls Auction
An online auction featuring bowls painted by local artists is also live at 32auctions.com/EmptyBowl2024 through Sunday, May 5 at midnight. The auction is held in conjunction with the Empty Bowl event each year to raise funds for The Open Door’s summer hunger-relief programs.
Local artists who donated bowls to the auction this year include Chris Williams, David Montgomery, Captain Sam Nigro, Betty Lou Schlemm, Jeff Weaver, Ted Bidwell, Mary Salerno, James Watson, Kevin Ellis, Nina Testaverde Goodick, Barbe Ennis, Anni Melançon, David Archibald, Gina Russo, Marty Morgan, Miranda Thomas, Tom Howlett, Pat Baker, Leon Doucette and Melissa Cooper, Danette English, Suze Collinson, Susan J. Schrader, Sandy Shaw, John Early, Marilyn Swift, Mari Bergeron, Scott Tubby, Deb Schradieck, Bill Stevens, Sara Collins, Ronald Pouliot, Karen Ellis, Natalie Daley, Pauline Bresnahan, Hannah Morris, Ann Ziergiebel, Mi Robertson, Sinikka Nogelo, Jayn Gardner, Peter Sinard, Mary Lee, Miranda Aisling, Evelyn Stewart, Britta Magnuson, Mayor Greg Verga, and State Sen. Bruce Tarr.
Friday, April 19th – 6pm Monday, April 22nd – 2pm.
$25 per attendee. Hammond Castle Museum Member benefits apply. Attendees may explore the Gertrude Cawein At Hammond Castle Museum fine art exhibit and enjoy a self-guided tour of the Museum.
Step into the vibrant world of outdoor summer theatre on Cape Ann with our upcoming lecture, a perfect complement to the expanded art exhibit featuring the multitalented Eric Pape. Pape, the visionary behind the 1909 Outdoor Pageant at Stage Fort Park, not only set the stage but became a model for future productions in the region. His collaboration and close friendship with Percy MacKaye infused the pageant with artistic intention and grandeur, leaving a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Gloucester, Rockport, and Lanesville. Join us as local historian, Leslie Bartlett delves into the rich history and artistic legacy of Eric Pape, exploring how his innovative approach continues to inspire outdoor performances to this day. After the program, attendees may explore the Gertrude Cawein Eric Pape fine art exhibit and self-guided tours of the Museum.
Doors open: at 10:00 am. Timed Admission. The last entrance is at 3:00 pm.
Join us tomorrow, Saturday, April 13th as we celebrate the start of our new season and our visionary founder, John Hays Hammond Jr, whose pioneering scientific achievements continue to shape modern technology! Born 136 years ago on April 13th, 1888, Hammond’s enduring influence transcends time, and we’re commemorating his extraordinary legacy.
As our special gift to you, enjoy: -Free admission to see the breathtaking Great Hall and a limited number of smaller exhibit spaces during your timed admittance and discover the magic that inspired Hammond’s visionary creations.
Please note: No admittance without advance registration. RSVP is required for us to manage attendance as capacity is limited. Not all rooms within the Museum will be open during this special event. Thank you for your understanding.
Grab a spoon and satisfy your sweet tooth. In case you haven’t seen, the Sawyer Free Library has partnered with Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe to make Cocoa Berry Chip, a raspberry-infused chocolate ice cream loaded with chocolate chips! Award winning Holy Cow Ice Cream created a new flavor celebrating Earth Month in partnership with the Sawyer Free Library and Cape Ann Climate Coalition.
This delicious special chocolate and raspberry-flavored all-natural ice cream treat embodies the organizations’ commitment to environmental advocacy and the understanding that every day is earth day. A portion of sales of this limited time special flavor will support the Cape Ann Climate Coalition’s educational programs. This delicious ice cream be available in pints only at the Gloucester and Peabody locations, so get some while you can!
Proceeds from Sale of 11 Remaining Low-Number Plates Will be Used to Support Local Charitable and Community Initiatives
The 11 remaining low-number Cape Ann license plates will be made available to the highest bidders through an online auction beginning Monday, April 8, with all proceeds going to the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF), which supports local charitable initiatives and organizations.
The auction will conclude on Patriot’s Day, Monday, April 15. Any Massachusetts resident who wants to display their love and support for Cape Ann will have a chance to secure the 11 remaining Cape Ann license plates between 1-100. The remaining plates are numbers 4, 8, 55, 66, 78, 79, 87, 88, 90, 91 and 92.
In addition, this year CACF will for the first time allow those who make a donation to the foundation to choose available 3-digit and 4-digit license plates.
For more information on the auction and to register to bid, visit www.lovecapeann.com. The site also has information on how to request a specific plate through the foundation and the easy steps to order a random Cape Ann license plate through the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Weigh in with your thoughts and perspectives on local solar. The Cape Climate Coalition (CACC) and the MIT Renewables Clinic are co-hosting a public roundtable discussion at Gloucester City Hall on Monday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend and discuss the potential for developing new solar energy projects in Gloucester. This is a time to raise questions and express your initial reasons for why and where you would support or oppose new projects.
An expansion of solar energy capacity on Cape Ann could reduce energy costs and carbon emissions and support a shift to “electrify everything”, as well as provide for economic development and local energy security. The CACC in its recent webinar with Senator Bruce Tarr has added to concerns about the vulnerabilities in the current National Grid transmission and distribution electric grid serving Cape Ann. We need more local energy production, but we also need to learn more about how this could be achieved. And the community needs to weigh on in where they would support locating solar projects and what other factors they think would be important in decisions to develop new projects.
Students, through interviews and two public meetings, the first of which is on April 8th, will assess with our help the relative potential of expanded solar capacity with rooftop solar on buildings, on municipal properties, with floating solar panels on reservoirs, in open spaces, over parking lots, in industrial parks, along roadways, and blended with public art. We would like to hear about where and on what basis you would support such projects.
MIT’s Renewable Energy Facility Siting Clinic trains MIT students who work alongside a professional mediator to help communities resolve local conflicts around the siting of renewable energy facilities. By providing a neutral independent forum, the Clinic brings together all relevant stakeholders involved in a siting dispute to identify key concerns and interests and support consensus building. MIT’s Clinic focuses on providing a formal stakeholder assessment, and facilitating a joint fact-finding and problem-solving process. The Clinic does not promote a specific siting outcome.
Event Summary: Learn the Square-Foot Gardening Method in this vegetable gardening workshop with Backyard Growers. Backyard Growers will introduce attendees to this growing approach which maximizes small spaces and crop yields. The organization uses this method across school gardens, backyard gardens, and community gardens all over Gloucester. Learn to plan your vegetable garden according to what you like to eat, the space you have for growing, and the amount of time you have to spend tending to it, with time at this workshop to map out your individual garden alongside Backyard Growers and your neighbors.
Tickets: Free for Backyard Growers Program Participants. $15 general admission. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work empowering people to grow their own food. Backyard Growers is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.
Event Summary: Container gardens are great when space or sunlight is limited or as a way to easily control the height and placement of your garden to eliminate bending over or to ease other mobility concerns. Join Backyard Growers to learn the nuances of container gardening so that you’re set up for a successful (and space-efficient) season. Attendees will receive free vegetable seeds and the option to purchase GrowBags from Backyard Growers to start or add to their vegetable garden.
Tickets: Free for Backyard Growers Program Participants. $15 general admission. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work empowering people to grow their own food. Backyard Growers is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.
This Saturday, May 4th, Cedar Rock Gardens is donating all profits from plant sales to Backyard Growers! Our team will be there throughout the day (8am – 4pm), ready to answer veggie gardening questions and share stories of our impact in the community. Cedar Rock Gardens is such an amazing partner to us and supporter of our work – we can’t thank them enough for their generosity! All money raised on May 4th will go directly towards our programs in the community and Gloucester’s schools.
Cape Ann Community 