Join Backyard Growers to learn to prep your garden tools for spring and help them last for many growing seasons to come.
📍 Thursday, January 26, 5pm – 6:30pm
💻 On Zoom
🎟 FREE to Backyard Growers’ program participants (including 2022 Backyard, Community, and GrowBag Gardeners). $15 general admission.
In this workshop, attendees will learn to prolong the life of their garden tools and get the most out of them. We’ll teach sharpening methods, the use of lubrication and mineral oil, proper storage conditions, and more. The workshop will also introduce good rules of thumb for removing rust and concepts about radius/edge on your tools.
From left: Organizer Cathy McCarthy with volunteers Robin Surette and Eileen Kelley collect food donations at the Rocky Neck Polar Plunge on Sunday, Jan. 1. (Photo Courtesy of The Open Door)
The Rocky Neck Polar Plunge rang in the new year with a splash on Sunday, collecting 512 pounds of food and $1,740 in donations for The Open Door.
The annual tradition, coordinated since 2006 by Gloucester residents Cathy McCarthy and Jeff Surette with the help of a small group of volunteers, encourages locals to take a brisk dip in the water at Oakes Cove Beach on Rocky Neck to kick off the new year while simultaneously collecting food donations for The Open Door.
People gather for the 2023 Rocky Neck Polar Plunge at Oakes Cove Beach in Gloucester. (Photo Courtesy of The Open Door)
This year, McCarthy and Surette also partnered with Gloucester 400 to kick off the beginning of the new year and the City of Gloucester’s 400th anniversary.
“As January arrives promising winter weather and higher heating bills, the Rocky Neck Polar Plunge helps The Open Door start the year right by bringing community together to welcome the New Year and to fill our pantry shelves,” President and CEO Julie LaFontaine said. “Community doesn’t get any better than this. We are grateful to Cathy McCarthy and Jeff Surette for organizing this annual East Gloucester tradition and the Gloucester 400 for putting food security on the priority list for 2023.”
“We know that The Open Door is a need for many, and we want the community to know how important it is,” McCarthy said. “We need to help those that need it. It’s quite simple, isn’t it? It’s all about starting the new year off positively and having a little fun.”
Approximately 150 people attended the event, including Mayor Greg Verga. To commence the plunge, Rocky Neck resident George Sibley read a poem, an annual tradition at the event.
Mayor Greg Verga helps collect food donations for The Open Door at the Rocky Neck Polar Plunge on Sunday, Jan. 1. (Photo Courtesy of The Open Door)
Those who were unable to attend but wish to donate to The Open Door can do so at FOODPANTRY.org/donate.
From left: Jeff Surette and Cathy McCarthy at the 2023 Rocky Neck Polar Plunge. (Photo Courtesy of The Open Door)
About The Open Door
The mission of The Open Door is to alleviate the impact of hunger in our community. We use practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security.
Founded in 1978, The Open Door is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit and community food resource center for low-income residents of Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Hamilton, Boxford, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham.
A behind-the-scenes sneak peek of G400+ Events Manager, Isabel Pett, making the ball for the ‘Countdown to 2023’ ball drop! Join the Gloucester 400+ tomorrow evening (Saturday Dec 31) at City Hall at 6:30pm!
To usher in the quadricentennial year, on Dec. 31, Gloucester 400+ will put on a “ball drop” bash at City Hall, taking place as the clock turns to midnight in the city’s namesake of Gloucester, England and in Dorset, England, which four centuries ago sent out the band of English fisherman who would build a settlement here.
“Countdown to 2023!” will take place Saturday, Dec. 31, at 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Gloucester City Hall, with hot chocolate and cookies being served, and noisemakers supplied for all. Mayor Greg Verga and 400+ tri-Chair Bob Gillis will be counting to the stroke of midnight in the United Kingdom (at 7 p.m. here). The event is free and open to all comers.
Ring in 2023 on Cape Ann with a fun night of dancing through the decades in our castle’s Great Hall with DJ Dmus. Plus, enjoy fire spinning performances by Fireborn Performance Arts and keep an eye out for “Neil Young” – he’s rumored to be on the guest list! Heavy Hors D’Oeuvres by Creative Catering will be served all night!
Grab your friends and keep it local at Club Castle’s debut event! 70s, 80s & 90s inspired attire are encouraged.
Doors open at 9:00pm and celebration goes to 1:00am. 21 & Over. Cash bar. Free parking.
General Admission: $125. Tickets available at: bit.ly/ClubCastleNYE
Only one VIP Table left! Call 978-283-2080 to reserve your table today!
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation welcomes the Cape Ann Big Band and guest vocalists in a magical evening of holiday music in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church) on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets on Sunday, December 18th at 7:00pm.
This fantastic Big Band concert was just added to our schedule by popular demand!
Get into the spirit of the season with “A Big Band Holiday.” Their other holiday engagements are sold out, so don’t miss this very special opportunity!
Concertgoers of all ages will feel the joy of the season in this program featuring the signature sound of the Cape Ann Big Band that includes holiday favorites, hits from the golden era of big band swing, and a visit from the chief elf himself, Santa Claus.
The band will be joined by several guest vocalists well known to Cape Ann audiences. Joining in the musical celebration of the holidays will be Alexandra Grace, Emily Grace, Rhiannon Hurst, Scott Parisi, John Rockwell, Nathan Seavey, and the “TrebleHurst” trio. This unforgettable program will also feature a reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” by Santa Claus.
This is an open seating event so come early! Doors will open at 6:15pm. General Admission $25, Students with ID $5, under 12 free. Tickets available at the door (unless we sell out!) or in advance on our website. Parking is available on Meetinghouse green and nearby. For persons with physical challenges there is an elevator available at the 10 Church Street side entrance.
Musicians of the Old Post Road in the Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church)
Candlelight Chamber Music Concert on Saturday, December 17th, 2022, 7:30pm
The Musicians of the Old Post Road will present their 6th holiday concert in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30pm called “A Moravian Christmas.’
Founded by Artistic Directors Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan, the ensemble takes its name from its acclaimed concert series, originally entitled Old Post Road Historic Concerts.
“Musicians of the Old Post Road is a cleverly conceived and impeccably presented group of artists who render a great service in the realm of period performance. Through their scholarship, programming, and enthusiasm, they shine a light on a corner of the repertoire that is too often neglected.”
— Classical Voice of New England
Immerse yourself in beautiful music for the season by a unique 18th-century community. Experience modern-day premieres of works penned by America’s Moravian immigrants along with selections by Johann Joachim Quantz, Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (fifth son of J.S. Bach) that they carefully imported and preserved. The ensemble performs on period instruments and will be joined by soprano Jessica Petrus and mezzo-soprano Hilary Anne Walker.
If you crave a respite from the hustle and bustle of holiday madness, give yourself and your friends the gift of exquisite chamber music by candlelight for Christmas in the warmth and Federal period elegance of Gloucester’s last-surviving Meetinghouse, built in 1806 for the first Universalist Society in America.
Preferred Seating $45, General $30, Students $10, Under 12 free
The Meetinghouse is located at 50 Middle Street, set back on the green. The accessible side entrance with a lift is located at 10 Church Street. Parking is available on the green and on nearby streets and lots. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance on our website: http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
Inform. Inspire. Spark! is a series of 5-minute talks sharing momentum-building work happening on greater Cape Ann in the areas of community celebrations, investment, arts and culture, decarbonization, coastal resilience, and design. The lightning talks will be followed by short, interactive breakout sessions where you can learn ways to get involved.
TOPICS & SPEAKERS
400+ Years in 12 Months: Isabel Pett, Events Manager, Gloucester 400+
The Future of Gloucester’s Downtown: David Fields, Community Development Director, City of Gloucester
Supporting Arts Now: Karen Ristuben, Program Director at Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative
Electrify Greater Cape Ann: Maureen Aylward, Director, TownGreen, Inc.
Demonstrating Coastal Resilience: Katie Kahl, UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station
Design in Everything: David Minogue, President of Spade Graphic Design
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.
Cape Ann Community 