✨ Join a fun evening to craft your own festive garland from raw materials provided by Backyard Growers, including dehydrated citrus, popcorn, salted gingerbread, and more. Light refreshments will be provided.
💚 Proceeds from this event support Backyard Growers’ mission to cultivate healthy, connected, resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food. Come have some festive fun and support a great cause!
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 at 11:00 a.m. at Cape Ann Museum
On Tuesday, December 12 at 11:00a.m. Cape Ann Museum will be presenting a panel discussion, Equity in the Archives: How History is Told with Julie Travers, Local History Librarian at the Sawyer Free Library; Miranda Aisling, CAM Head of Education & Engagement; and Trenton Carls, CAM Head Librarian & Archivist
Presented in conjunction with Above the Fold: The Photographers of the “Gloucester Daily Times,” 1973-2005, this panel discussion explores how archives, timelines, and historical language have been newly examined and intentionally expanded during the Gloucester 400+ Anniversary in 2023, which marks 400 years since English settlement.
Julie Travers, Local History Librarian at the Sawyer Free Library and Miranda Aisling, CAM Head of Education are both members of the Gloucester 400+ Diversity & Equity committee. They will share the efforts that went into drafting the Gloucester 400+ DEIA Framework which has been used by organizations across the region to expand their storytelling during the anniversary year. This framework was used by Travers to help guide the creation of the Gloucester Timeline, a massive undertaking from the Sawyer Free Library in association with the Cape Ann Museum, and by Aisling in the development of the CAM Native Initiative.
They are joined by Trenton Carls, CAM Head Librarian & Archivist who will share the impact of the 2021 acquisition of an estimated 1 million photographs from the Gloucester Daily Times collection to the CAM Library & Archives. The photographs provide a wide lens on the Gloucester community from 1973-2005, bringing photographs into the Museum’s collections that highlight the breadth of the Cape Ann community during those years.
The event will take place at Cape Ann Museum located at 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA. It is Free for Museum members, $10 for non-members. Click HERE to register. It will also be Livestreamed on Vimeo and Facebook.
For more information about Sawyer Free Library’s digital archives, local history resources, and services, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
This year Deck the Docks at Maritime Gloucester coincides with the Middle Street Walk and the Lobster Trap Tree Lighting which will take place at Solomon Jacobs Park on Harbor Loop- just steps from Maritime Gloucester! Join us for a full day of Holiday Cheer! More details available at MaritimeGloucester.org
NEW VIDEO RELEASE: The story of Nina Francis, Gloucester is Home. Take a moment to listen to the thoughts and memories of Nina Francis, 83, a longtime Gloucester resident of whose family emigrated from Sicily. She’ll share the story of how her ancestors missed one boat coming to America during WWI, but they boarded a second one. The first one never made it, so in this case “missing the boat” turned out to be fortunate for Nina’s family. Nina also shares some thoughts about hostilities towards Italians in WWII, and how this profoundly affected her family. Through ups and downs, good times and bad, and with strong love for her family, Nina is proud to call Gloucester her home.
Thank you to Sal Zerilli and Matthew Bradley for producing this film in partnership with the Gloucester400+ Stories Project. We appreciate your work and your joint mission to tell the stories of Gloucester. Thank you to Nina Francis for sharing her important story.
GMGI is excited to bring another season of timely, engaging science to you at home – just in time with the cold weather and dark evenings.
First up: Dr. Ian Hewson! Please join us in welcoming Dr. Hewson to the virtual series on Thursday, December 7th as he discusses the impacts of the long-spined sea urchin’s near-extinction in the Caribbean Sea in 2022. Register today!
You may wonder – what do sick sea urchins in the Caribbean have to do with us here in Gloucester? If a sea urchin population is affected, it can have drastic effects on it’s entire ecosystem, including surrounding coral reefs. And the health of coral reefs is vitally important to human health – they help to regulate our climate and play a crucial role in nutrient cycling.
Our Science Hour Warm Up gives a preview of Dr. Hewson’s talk, The Long-spined Urchin Mass Mortality of 2022: What Happened, What’s Happening Now, and Where to Go From Here. Read the Warm Up to learn more and to register!
screen grab from Cornell University
Dr. Hewson’s Science Hour talk is on Thursday, December 7th at 7pm. Click here to register!
Gloucester ladies, Thursday, December 7th is your day… and night! It is the 50th Annual Ladies Night and to celebrate, the first 20 ladies to come to the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street between 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. will receive a swag bag including a holiday romance novel or a cozy holiday mystery! So be sure to stop by and happy holidays from Sawyer Free Library!
For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.
Shop for clothing, jewelry, handbags, artwork, vintage Christmas, holiday décor and gifts this weekend at Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door.
WHEN: Saturday, December 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Second Glance at 2 Pond Road, Gloucester MA
WHAT: Shop at Second Glance this weekend for a curated selection of one-of-a-kind finds. Sustainable shopping and unique goods make meaningful gifts for the holidays!
Shoppers and donors at Second Glance help raise revenue for The Open Door hunger-relief programs. Learn more at FOODPANTRY.org
The SAWYER FREE LIBRARY has kicked off its 2023 Annual Appeal campaign, “Create the Future.”
Operating in its temporary location at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, the Sawyer Free Library is a vibrant hub where the future comes alive through education and cultural enrichment and where knowledge is accessible to all, free of charge. From early literacy programs nurturing the youngest minds to cutting-edge STEM after-school programming for students to assisting digital learners in finding their way in the online world to a plethora of local community events for every age, the Library plays an integral role in shaping Gloucester’s educational, cultural, and social fabric.
The Sawyer Free Library relies on this important yearly fundraising effort to provide a wide range of new collections and resources, technology, innovative programming, and critical services to respond to the changing needs of the greater Gloucester community.
“The Library enriches, informs, and strengthens every corner of our city,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “We hope the community will carefully consider our appeal and join us in supporting the vital work of the Sawyer Free Library. Every contribution ensures that the Library can be exceptionally agile, relevant, and inventive while remaining completely accessible and free of charge.
“We provide library services that make a significant difference in the lives of our patrons and our community,” said Sawyer Free Library’s Director Jenny Benedict. “Every contribution to the Annual Appeal is a direct investment in the Library’s meaningful programming, diverse resources, and crucial services that create opportunities for individuals of all ages to connect, learn, grow and thrive throughout Gloucester and beyond.”
Contributions to the year-end Annual Appeal can be made online at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or by check to the Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Cape Ann Community 