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Opening Friday, April 5th!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us this April as we will present “Gertrude Cawein at Hammond Castle Museum,” a new exhibit of nearly 60 works of art by Eric Pape, (1870 – 1938) the distinguished artist and former Cape Ann resident. This exhibit offers a unique insight into the multifaceted talents of Pape. Renowned as a painter, designer of the iconic “Tablet Rock Memorial” in Stage Fort Park, and a society portraitist, Pape’s brilliance shines through various mediums, including pencil, pen, watercolors, and oils. At the heart of this celebration is the full-length portrait of Gertrude Cawein, painted by Pape and loaned from the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, KY. For the first time outside the Filson, visitors can witness this rare example of Pape’s work as a society portraitist. 

The connection between the Cawein family, Eric Pape, and Gloucester runs deep. Poet Madison Cawein, known as the Keats of Kentucky and Gertrude’s husband, wrote a poignant Ode to the founding of Gloucester for the 1907 Gloucester Day celebrations, during which time Pape presented his iconic Tablet Rock Memorial. The exhibition will also feature an elaborate pen and ink drawing by Pape, representing Madison’s moving elegy upon the death of Pape’s first wife, Alice Monroe Pape, in 1911.

Tickets are now available at: https://bit.ly/HCMAprilCalendar

BACH BIRTHDAY CONCERT IN THE MEETINGHOUSE, MARCH 21ST!

~ chasnaz

The next event in the 2023-24 Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation Series is the annual Bach Birthday Concert on Thursday, March 21st at 7:30pm. 

It will feature the The Bach Project at Ashmont Hill Chamber Music, under the direction of Andrew Sheranian, performing the Brandenburg Concerto #5, the great Prelude & Fugue in B-minor for organ solo, and the delightfully humorous Coffee Cantata.

March 21st is the actual birthday in 1685 of Johann Sebastian Bach, generally regarded the greatest composer of all time. The pieces being performed represent the pinnacle of Bach’s achievement in secular music of three genres: a dramatic concerto for strings with harpsichord solo; a monumental piece for the pipe organ; and a comical operetta. This piece depicts the story of a stern father concerned about his daughter’s addiction to coffee, a new sensation in Leipzig at the time, his forbidding her marriage unless she stops, and her strategy to get his permission.

The historic 1806 Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, is located on the green at 50 Middle Street where event parking is available.  A side entrance at 10 Church Street offers a lift for persons with disabilities.  For those unable to attend in person the concert will be simulcast and available afterwards on the GMF YouTube channel.

Tickets are available at the door and online, with more information at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

Untold Story of 1960s Women’s Olympic Glory Featured at Sawyer Free Library Author Talk

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to host local author Aime Alley Card on Thursday, March 7 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. She will be discussing her book The Tigerbelles: Olympic Legends from Tennessee State. Joining her in the conversation will be fellow author, Jean Duffy, author of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World. 

The Tigerbelles: Olympic Legends from Tennessee State chronicles the 1960 Tennessee State University all-Black women’s track team, which found Olympic glory at the 1960 games in Rome. It is an epic story of desire, success, and failure—of beating the odds—against the backdrop of a changing America. 

Published this month to coincide with Women’s History Month in March,  the author, who lives in Wenham, will speak as part of the Sawyer Free Library’s author event series from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at the library, 21 Main Street (upstairs) in Gloucester. There will be books available for to sign. No registration required.

Tigerbelles is a multi-layered inspirational tale of triumph over adversity.  The elite group of talent includes Wilma Rudolph, Barbara Jones, Lucinda Williams, Martha Hudson, Willye B. White, and Shirley Crowder.  These are women who once were and should still be known worldwide.  Ultimately, the team’s drive is for more than medals.  Their coach, Edward Temple, and the Tigerbelles offer a challenge to the world’s perception of what a group of young Black women in the Jim Crow South are capable of.

For the past several years, Aime Alley Card has been researching, interviewing, and writing about the Tennessee State Tigerbelles and those who supported them along their path. She conducted and reviewed hundreds of hours of interviews and read just as many books and articles, ranging from concurrent to retrospective. She is a nonfiction editor for Pangyrus literary magazine and a board member for the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Chapter, and serves on her town’s cultural council supporting educational programs.

Please join us for this special event. For more information visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

Open House @ Gloucester Biotechnology Academy

~ Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute

Curious about Gloucester Biotechnology Academy? Stop by Wednesday, February 28th from 3p to 5p and learn more about this innovative, hands-on program!

Tour our state-of-the-art laboratories, speak with Academy instructors, learn about the 2-semester curriculum, and hear about the application process. Interested community members, prospective students, and curious family members…all are welcome!

Where: 55 Blackburn Center, Gloucester
When: 2/28 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. And even better…applications are currently being accepted for the Class of 2025!

For more information, please reach out to Laura Richane at laura.richane@gmgi.org

Participate in Leap of Kindness Day – February 29

~ Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce

As part of a 2024 nationwide promotion, the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce has joined the ranks of over 200 communities representing Chambers in 43 of 50 states to use the “extra” day of Leap Year to do something kind for someone else.

Originally conceived by the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, the first Leap of Kindness Day saw hundreds of local organizations helping thousands of local people on February 29, 2016. Four years later in 2020, Leap of Kindness Day was even bigger and better as chambers throughout the US, Canada, and Ireland joined in for the spread of a lot of kindness.

For our part of #LeapofKindnessDay this year, the Chamber is promoting non-monetary donation requests from our non-profit members. As of this posting, 19 non-profit members have sent in their requests, which are posted on the Chamber website at https://bit.ly/LeapofKindnessDay. Requests were also sent out individually on our Facebook and Instagram feeds over the past few weeks.

If you have a minute, please check out the list of requests, which are summarized below. They range from small item donations to volunteer time to more substantial needs (but it never hurts to ask!). Full request details and contact information for each non-profit participating are available at https://bit.ly/LeapofKindnessDay. If you are able to help fulfill one request, remember to let us know

Leap of Kindness Day Donation Requests from Member Non-Profits

Share Your Plans for Leap of Kindness Day 2024

Please help us keep track of all the wonderful acts of kindness happening in communities across the region on Leap of Kindness Day – February 29, 2024. Is your organization, company, or family doing something to help? Please fill out this form and let us know so we can share it on our website!

Please contact Cindy Rodzen, Director of Marketing & Communications, at cindy@capeannchamber.com if you have any questions.

Don’t miss GMGI’s final Science Hour of the season!

~ Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
photo credit: Andy Mann

Don’t miss our final Science Hour of the season!

To wrap up this winter season of talks, GMGI welcomes our neighbor (in Boston), Dr. Jeff Kneebone, Senior Scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. His work sheds light on the mysterious underwater life of some of New England’s resident fish through the use of two very different, but complimentary, techniques – electronic tagging and DNA analysis.

Join us on Thursday, February 29th at 7p for Dr. Kneebone’s talk, Magic Markers – How Electronic Tags and DNA Help Us Understand the Life of Marine Fishes and the Impact Humans Have on Them. Click here to register! 

As always, the GMGI Science Hour is free and available to all who are interested!

Questions? Please reach out to Maggie Costello at maggie.costello@gmgi.org

Seed-Starting Workshop & Free Seed Giveaway

~ backyardgrowersgloucester

🌱🌿🍅 Join Backyard Growers for an ONLINE WORKSHOP and FREE SEED GIVEAWAY to jumpstart your growing season. We’ll be sharing tips and tricks, plus offering a live Q&A, on how to successfully start seeds indoors this winter, followed by a drop-in free seed giveaway at our offices at 103R Maplewood Ave in Gloucester.

Online Workshop: How to start seeds indoors
February 27, 6-7pm
FREE for Backyard Growers Program participants / $15 general admission

Reserve your spot

Free Seed Giveaway
February 29, 3:30-5:30pm
Backyard Growers HQ @ 103R Maplewood Ave, Gloucester
FREE vegetable seeds for all!

~ todtheopendoor

THIS SATURDAY:

Free Bowl Painting at the Gloucester Elks!

Paint a bowl this weekend for The Open Door Empty Bowl fundraiser this spring!

WHEN: Saturday February 17 at 10 am to 12 pm

WHERE: Gloucester Elks Lodge |101 Atlantic Rd Gloucester MA

Please register today to reserve a bowl to paint with us– there are limited spots available! CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT!

A bowl will be provided AT NO COST for each person to paint, along with all the materials needed! Your bowl will be fired and distributed through The Open Door Empty Bowl flagship fundraiser on April 24, which supports summer programs of The Open Door including Summer Meals for Kids and Mobile Market programs.

Grow your own food with Backyard Growers in 2024 🌿

~ backyardgrowersgloucester

🌿 APPLY NOW: Applications are now open for Backyard Growers’ 2024 Community Programs, with a mission to empower more Cape Ann residents to grow their own food and connect people to veggie gardening resources. Learn more & apply here: www.backyardgrowers.org/community-programs

Programs include:

🍅 Community Garden Program: Join one of six community gardens in Gloucester to connect with neighbors and grow your own food, including Burnham’s Field Community Garden and gardens in Gloucester Housing Authority and Caleb Group communities.

🥬 Backyard Garden Program: Backyard Growers builds raised garden beds for Gloucester residents each spring, enabling them to grow their own food at their homes. Your backyard could be next!

🥕 GrowBag Garden Program: Cape Ann residents receive a container garden (3 GrowBags) with resources to grow fresh food at home, without needing to install a garden bed. This is a great option for renters or people without traditional outdoor growing space.

All program participants receive access to growing space with nutrient-rich soil, gardening & cooking workshops, vegetable seeds & seedlings, and an optional gardening mentor.

Questions? Reach out to Backyard Growers at community@backyardgrowers.org or call 978-281-0480.