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Charles Tompkins and Son live in Concert May 17th at 7:30pm

~ chasnaz

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation presents Charles Tompkins and son Gregory Tompkins in concert on Saturday evening, May 17th. Charles Tompkins (organ and piano) and Gregory Tompkins (violin) will perform in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. They are a dynamic and talented father and son duo who have performed in venues such as Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, Harvard Memorial Church in Cambridge, MA, and at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Dr. Charles Boyd Tompkins is the Distinguished University Organist and Professor of Music Emeritus at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, where as a member of the music faculty he taught organ, harpsichord, church music, and music theory from 1986 until his retirement in December 2022. He currently serves as the accompanist for the University’s outstanding choral ensembles (the Furman Singers, Furman Chamber Choir, and Belle Voci Women’s Chorale), directs Furman’s Hartness Organ Recital Series, and plays for academic convocations and weddings. Charles was central to the commission of a Fisk concert organ, completed in 2003, for the Charles E. Daniel Memorial Chapel.

Gregory Tompkins is a versatile violinist who regularly performs in solo, chamber and orchestral settings throughout the United States. Gregory is a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, and serves as principal second violin Opera Theater of Connecticut and Orchestra New England. He is a member of the faculty of Gateway Community College and the Hopkins School in New Haven, CT.

The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street) where parking is available on the green. An elevator is available from the side door at 10 Church Street.  Admission for the event is $30 General, $10 Students (all ages), under 12 free.  For advance ticket purchases and more information please visit:  www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

The Open Door Empty Bowl Enchanted Forest Tickets and Online Auction Available Now

~ todtheopendoor

Want to help feed local people this summer? The Open Door Empty Bowl Enchanted Forest and Online Artists’ Bowls Auction, which benefit summer hunger-relief programs, offer a way for anyone to donate or volunteer.

Empty Bowl Enchanted Forest will be held on Thursday, May 1 from 4-7 p.m. at Cruiseport Gloucester. Pay-what-you-can tickets and the Online Artists Bowls Auction are available at FOODPANTRY.org. 

With inflation and looming cuts to social services agencies, the fundraiser comes at a critical moment for food security.

“As we prepare for significant cuts to the federal safety net, more children are at risk of going hungry, especially during the months they are not in school,” said Julie LaFontaine, President and CEO. “We invite the community to join us for an event to remember what we hold in common and to raise critical funds for our summer programs including Summer Meals, Mobile Market, and Food Pantries.”   

The Greater Boston Food Bank estimates that, without state intervention, proposed federal cuts and changes to SNAP, TEFAP (USDA), and school meals will lead to a 77% increase in demand at local food pantries like The Open Door.  

Last year, The Open Door distributed 2.35 million pounds of food to 11,893 people through its Food Pantries. The nonprofit met a 30% increase in requests for food assistance in 2024, through 100,774 visits.  

The Open Door distributed more than 18,000 breakfast and lunch meals to local children during the summer of 2024. The nonprofit also distributed more than 169,000 pounds of food through its Mobile Market. 

Attendees of Empty Bowl Enchanted Forest will choose a bowl hand-painted by a member of the community, soup to-go, cookie, roll, fruit, and water. A soup tasting will also allow participants to try a handful of soups prepared by The Open Door kitchen. Additional soups will be available to-go by a handful of local restaurants, caterers, and eateries.  

The artists’ bowls will be available to view at Empty Bowl Enchanted Forest, and a select few are featured at Cape Ann Savings Bank on Main Street in Gloucester leading up to the event. The online artists’ bowls auction features bowls painted by numerous, talented local artists. 

To learn more about The Open Door, visit FOODPANTRY.org 

Hammond Castle Museum Welcomes Kids Free on Thursday, April 17 & Friday, April 18

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Looking for something fun and educational to do with the kids? Bring them to Hammond Castle Museum for free self-guided tours on Thursday and Friday! All children enjoy FREE ADMISSION, and that includes access to our featured fine art exhibit: Eric Pape: The Fair God.

Explore the Museum’s incredible architecture, marvel at centuries-old stone and wooden artifacts, and get inspired by the stunning works of one of America’s great illustrators and painters.

  • ✅ Free admission for all kids ages 12 & under.
  • ✅ Self-guided exploration of the Museum
  • ✅ Access to ‘Eric Pape: The Fair God’ exhibit
  • ✅ Free-on-site parking

Reserve your tickets ahead of your visit at: bit.ly/HCMTickets or register upon your arrival in the Museum Shop.

Register Now: Summer STEM at Gloucester Biotechnology Academy!

~ Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute

Looking for a unique and engaging summer program for middle or high school students? GMGI’s Summer STEM programming is now accepting registrations!

Our Summer STEM programs are one-week courses designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience hands-on science in a biotechnology laboratory.

Held in Gloucester Biotechnology’s state-of-the-art teaching labs at Blackburn Center, students are immersed in authentic laboratory investigations and use cutting-edge biotechnology equipment, the scientific method, and critical thinking to analyze samples and make data-driven conclusions.

The course is taught by Academy staff and does not require any previous science or lab experience. Each student will have ample guidance and support in these real-world investigations. All students ages 13 to 18 are welcome to apply!

Want to learn more? Please visit our website or contact Hannah Lister for more information.

This Saturday, Hammond Castle Museum Kicks Off Our New 2025 Season with the Return of Eric Pape!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us for our third annual Eric Pape fine art exhibit, featuring works previously unseen since the artist’s death in 1938.

Including Newly Restored Chapter Initials for Lew Wallace’s’The Fair God’ from Pape’s Locked Studio in Annisquam!

Join us as we kick off our 2025 season with this extraordinary exhibit of works rarely seen by one of Boston and Cape Ann’s golden age illustrators and painters.

At the time of the exhibit, it is expected to be the largest collection of Pape’s artworks on public display anywhere in the world, many of which haven’t been publicly seen in nearly a century. The artwork is primarily on loan from the private collection of avid Pape collector and biographer Dr. Gregory Conn, the world’s leading expert on the 20th-century artist.

This year’s exhibition came together serendipitously when Thomas Meeks, curator of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Indiana, engaged Dr. Conn for verification of several original illustrations from Wallace’s 1873 publication “The Fair God.” These artworks were in Pape’s famed Annisquam “Locked Studio” and had remained in the condition in which they were when the studio was reopened in the late 1980s. This past winter, Dr. Conn sponsored their subsequent restoration, conservation, and re-framing. This exhibit marks their public debut since the restorations, which coincides with Dr. Conn’s newest book, a hardcover, bound catalog of this exhibition, which is, named after Pape’s most renowned illustrated deluxe edition of Wallace’s novels.

In addition, an important early fine art painting from Pape’s 1890 trip to Egypt will be on loan from a private collector, “The Last Soldier,” a painting of the Sphinx by moonlight  The remaining works chosen for this exhibition include, but are not limited to oil copies of several famous large-scale pastel portraits by Pape, which are displayed in Dr. Conn’s private collection. Since the works of art remain in their original, unfixed state, they are unsuitable for international transit and exhibition. Alberto Romero, a popular sculptor in Spain who created the exhibition’s central portrait of Eric Pape contributes five modern portraits, also on loan from Dr. Conn’s private collection. Romero´s work has received widespread attention both in Spain and in Central America and can be found in many noted collections. 

Additionally, attendees can view the three Pape paintings on permanent display in their respective galleries within the Museum, including Pape’s sole surviving mural, “The Wireless Naval Battle of Gloucester Bay.”

Plan Your Visit Here

An Evening with Miranda Aisling, April 5th

~ chasnaz

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation presents Miranda Aisling in concert on April 5th in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church

Local interdisciplinary artist Miranda Aisling (ash-lean) will perform a folk concert at the Gloucester Meetinghouse on Saturday, April 5th at 7:30pm. Aisling will be joined by musicians Matt Lefebvre on bass and Phil Benjamin on guitar, adding rich layers to her evocative folk sound. 

Aisling’s original folk songs blend frank vulnerability with insightful social commentary. A classically trained pianist who shifted from Bach to the Indigo Girls, she brings the lively spirit of a folk festival to her performances, engaging audiences with a mix of sung and spoken storytelling.

Since moving to Gloucester in 2019, Aisling has performed to enthusiastic full houses at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center, the Manship Artists Retreat, and MAGMA (Movement Arts, Gloucester, MA). As a member of the Treehouse Charlatans, she has performed at the Lanesville Music Festival, the Cape Ann Museum, and Art in the Barn.

The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street). Parking is available on the green. The admission for the event is $20 General, $5 Students (all ages), under 12 free.  An elevator is available from the side door at 10 Church Street. For advance ticket purchases and more information please visit:  www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

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.

Backyard Growers Fundraiser at Cape Ann Lanes

~ backyardgrowersgloucester

🎳 BOWL TO BUILD SCHOOL GARDENS with us at Cape Ann Lanes 🥕

Join Backyard Growers for family fun at Cape Ann Lanes to support all eight Backyard Growers-managed school gardens in Gloucester this spring. We’ll be planting fresh spring crops with 2,000 students in March and April to harvest together in June, and enjoy in cafeteria taste tests.

📆 Sunday, March 30, 4-6pm

📍 Cape Ann Lanes, Gloucester

🎟️ Learn more & reserve your lane: https://bit.ly/Bowlingbackyardgrowers

Your ticket will include all-you-can-bowl for two hours and exciting raffle prizes. Make sure you enjoy the on-site arcade and in-house brew pub. We’ll be collabing with Laneside Pub to create a special Backyard Growers brew for the event.

It’s going to be an awesome night!

For Veggie Gardeners: Container Gardening Workshop

~ backyardgrowersgloucester

Hoping to grow your own food in a small or unusual space this year? Join our Container Gardening Workshop and work with us to plan a veggie garden using a range of containers. You don’t need a traditional garden bed to have a bountiful harvest!

🌱 Container Gardening Workshop

📅 March 29 OR May 10, 9:30-11am — pick the session that works best for you

📍 Backyard Growers HQ @ 103R Maplewood Ave

🎟️ Free for Backyard Growers program participants. $20 general admission. Proceeds from our spring gardneing workshops are essential to support our work throughout the year connecting communities with equitable access to the resources, knowledge, and space to grow their own food.

Purchase tickets or reserve your spot: www.backyardgrowers.org/events-and-workshops

Russ Smith Scholarship: Now Accepting Applications

~ michaeldekoster

The Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee is now accepting applications for the next round of the Russ Smith Scholarship. This scholarship is given to Cape Ann youth with the goal of advancing their Maritime career. Application is open until March 31st and can be found at MaritimeGloucester.org/sf-scholarship. Individuals must upload a letter explaining the applicant’s need and outlining plans for a future career in maritime fields or service. While strong preference will be given to those continuing a career at Maritime Academies or Maritime institutions of higher learning, all youth looking for a maritime career of any kind are encouraged to apply. 

The Scholarship Committee does from time to time make awards to organizations that support getting locals young people on the water and active in maritime activities. Individual scholarships start at $500 and organizational scholarships start at $1,000. 

Scholarship awards will be announced April 11 at the annual Gloucester Schooner Festival Kickoff Event and Fundraiser at the Gloucester House & Blue Collar Lobster.​​​  

Requests for additional information can be made by emailing info@maritimegloucester.org.