Gloucester Biotechnology Academy has announced a new financial structure to support young adults’ investment in their futures. Through the generous support of donors, tuition and fees will be waived in their entirety for the Academy’s incoming class of 2023. In addition, qualifying students will receive stipends to help support their living expenses.
The Academy trains young adults for professional careers as life sciences laboratory technicians. Students spend seven months of hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art teaching facility located in Gloucester’s Blackburn Center, followed by a three-month paid internship at a biotech company in Boston, Cambridge, or the North Shore.
Spaces are still available for the incoming class of 2023, with start dates in both August and November. The program is open to students between the ages of 18 and 30 with a high school diploma or equivalent — no math or science experience is needed to apply. Interested students can learn more and download the application on our website (gmgi.org/education/apply), or reach out to Director of Enrollment and Partnerships Laura Richane.
Join us this Saturday, July 16 from 6 to 10 PM on Main Street in Gloucester for the first Block Party of 2022! The fabulous Red Trouser Show is back for another appearance along with the talented troupe of Cape Ann Dance. Plus, three different stages will be hosting musical guests starting at 6 PM. Picasso’s Balloonatik, Captain Jack and Funky Brush Face Painting will delight the youngsters. It will be a fun night for the whole family. Check out facebook.com/gloucesterblockparty for more details. See you there!
Our goal is to raise $60,000 this summer. With your support, GEF will catalyze new programs, sustain successful projects, and support students and teachers with creative ideas to make Gloucester Public Schools better and brighter!
Gloucester Students had a busy year! Check out highlights from live theater, elementary and middle school band, O’Maley Academy, GHS STEM and Vocational Programs… and so much more!
On June 27, WGBH featured a story on climate change and how it is taught in Massachusetts public schools. Gloucester High’s AP Environmental Science class was prominently featured, including an interview with GHS teacher Amanda Pastel and students Cammi Cooper and Eliana Faria. GEF was proud to fund new labs for this class in 2022!
None of this would be possible without the generosity of our donors and their unwavering commitment to Gloucester students!
Join maritime researcher, Jon Johansen for an evening discussion on “Shipwrecks of New England” at the Sawyer Free Library on Tuesday, July 14 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The only easy mode of transportation back in the 1800’s and up until the advent of the automobile and truck was sailing and steam vessels that plied the coast and oceans of the world. Traveling at that time could be dangerous as many of these vessels came to grief along the shores of New England, New York and the Canadian Maritimes. This lecture will cover some of the major disasters starting with the loss of SPARROWHAWK at Orleans, MA in 1626 right up to the loss of the submarine U.S.S. THRESHER off Cape Cod in 1963. Some of the others include: ROYAL TAR (1836), LEXINGTON (1840), ARCTIC (1854), ATLANTIC (1873), CITY OF COLUMBUS (1884), PORTLAND (1898), GENERAL SLOCUM (1904), LARCHMONT (1907), EMPRESS OF IRELAND (1914), and MONT BLANC (1917).
Johansen is the publisher of Maine Coastal News, a monthly publication dedicated to covering the waterfront of the state of Maine. He has a lifelong interest in shipwrecks and maritime history.
The event is free and open to the public. The Sawyer Free Library is located at 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester. For more information visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.
Sawyer Free Library is hosting an evening with Eric Klinenberg, Carnegie Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Palaces for the People, on Thursday, July 14 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Klinenberg’s work tells us about how physical places bind us and libraries — where everyone is welcome — can heal divisions and inequalities in our society.
Library Board Trustee and former City Councilor Jenn Holmgren will make opening remarks about Sawyer Free 2025. The author talk and a dialogue with the audience will be followed by a dessert reception in the Library’s outdoor amphitheater.
This event is free and open to the public.
The Sawyer Free Library is located at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. For more information visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-325-5500.
Eric Klinenberg, is the author of the award-winning book, “Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.”
Every Thursday night in July, Hammond Castle Museum is hosting Movie Nights on the Lawn. We’ve teamed up with Cape Ann Community Cinema & Helpflix to present four, family favorite films.
Doors open at 6pm, bring a carry-in/carry-out picnic and a blanket as these events are lawn seating only. Concessions will be available for purchase. In the event of inclement weather, the movie will be moved inside to the Great Hall.
Adults tickets are $20, Kids ages 5 – 12 tickets are $10 and children ages 4 and under are free. As an added bonus to Movie Night ticket holders, your movie ticket entitles you to 20% off self-guided tours of the museum on the day of the film! Just present your confirmation at the Museum Shop to purchase your discounted tour-tickets. Remember, last tours begin at 3:00pm and the museum closes at 4:00pm. Please note, the museum will be closed to tours at the time of the films. Tickets available at www.hammondcastle.org
The Friends of the Sawyer Free Library want to thank all our wonderful “friends” who donated, sorted or purchased books over these past 10 years since we opened for business. The Friends Book Shop will be closing temporarily for the renovation and expansion of the Sawyer Free Library, which is tentatively slated to begin in early 2023 and reopen again in 2025.
Please note, that as now, book donations will no longer be accepted.
Here are a few key dates to keep in mind:
July 1-31 Bonanza book sale will be held – 50 % off all books!!!
Mid -August Book Shop will cease operations until the SFL reconstruction is completed in 2025.
Please stop by the Book Shop to stock up on your summer reading while we still have an abundant supply of “gently used books”. We appreciate your many years of support and look forward to seeing you in our new library location in 2025.
This week we have Vincente Minnelli’s Some Came Running July 1st, 3rd & 6th!
Frank Sinatra stars in this chronicle of postwar disillusionment and small-town hypocrisy, shrewdly directed by Vincente Minnelli. In one of his most textured portrayals, Sinatra is Dave Hirsh, an embittered ex-GI who returns to his Midwestern hometown to write the next chapter of his life. He’s torn between the “respectable” influences of his social-climbing brother and schoolteacher love interest, and the decadence embodied by gambler Dean Martin (brilliant in his first pairing with Sinatra) and floozy Shirley MacLaine (in her breakout role). A widescreen classic that can’t be missed on the big screen!
We also have the recent Iranian film Hit the Road July 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th & 13th! Watch the Trailer here!
In the first film from Panah Panahi (son and collaborator of embattled filmmaker Jafar Panahi and apprentice to Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami) a family takes a road trip across the rugged landscape of Iran to drop their eldest son off at the border. Over the course of the trip, they bond over memories of the past and grapple with fears of the unknown as they prepare to part with one of their own.
Library kicks off summer reading fun with a family friendly concert on June 28at 11AM
The Sawyer Free Library (SFL) will officially be the hottest place to be this summer!
The Sawyer Free Library is excited to announce the launch of its annual “Summer at the Library,” offering free programs for all ages to entertain, spark, and encourage a lifelong love of reading and learning. From innovative reading challenges to ukulele lessons and shark week adventures to book discussions, author talks, and much more, there’s something for everyone. The summer fun kicks off on Tuesday, June 28 at 11:00 am with a family-friendly concert featuring Elijah T. Grasshopper’s Rainbow Dance Party in the Library’s outside amphitheater.
Family Concert at Library on Tuesday, June 28 at 11AM
The theme for this year’s annual summer reading challenge, “Read Beyond the Beaten Path,” encourages readers of all ages to explore new worlds and experiences in books that expand their imaginations. The Library’s innovative incentives and activities encourage kids and teens to stay active and read for fun and help them avoid the black hole that is the summer slide, when critical skills learned during the school year are lost over the summer.
“Learning for kids and teens goes on all year round at Sawyer Free Library, and we know how important free ways to keep learning through the summer are for families,” said Library DirectorJenny Benedict. “Summer is the perfect time for all ages to read, create, engage and have fun discovering new interests and exploring new topics. We hope all children and families make the Sawyer Free Library a regular stop this summer.”
To get started, young people and their families can pick up their “Welcome to Summer Reading Packets” Summer Reading and Activity Log at the Library, which has program information, the event calendar, activities, and fun summer treats. Children can stay on top of their summer reading with their “Read Beyond the Beaten Path” time-tracking reading logs. Then from June 28 to August 6, after reading for 500 minutes (or are read to), they win prizes, including tickets to the Topsfield Fair. People can register in person or online for the program.
Highlights of Summer at the Library programming for children include (with all details sawyerfreelibrary.org):
Learn to play campfire songs on the Ukulele with Julie Stepanek on July 5 and enjoy musical story time with Ruthanne Paulson on Friday, July 22, and August 19.
Move your body with Creative Movement in the Library’s Amphitheater on July 7 and be wowed by Jungle Jim’s Camp balloon magic on Wednesday, August 3.
Children can get an up-close look at exotic and native animals on zoom presented by Wildlife Encounters Ecology Center on Tuesday, July 12, and then learn about the snakes of the world with Rick Roth on Saturday, July 23.
Kids can get their hands dirty on select Thursday mornings with Backyard Growers while learning about gardening and planting in the Children’s Library garden.
And all are invited to a midsummer celebratory outside concert featuring the two bands, “Ants on a Log” and “Bee Parks and the Hornets,” in collaboration with Rockport and Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Libraries, on Saturday, July 30.
SFL has big plans for middle school kids and teens this summer too. Students entering grades 6-12 are encouraged to track their Summer Reading on the custom form available on the Library’s website to qualify for weekly prize drawings and the grand prize drawing of two whale watch tickets, courtesy of Cape Ann Whale Watch. There is also a full summer schedule of weekly programs, including Stem-tastic Thursdays, Science Saturdays, Tween Nights, Gaming Club, Summer Reading Help, and much more.
Due to last year’s success, SFL is once again giving adults the chance to get in on the summer fun with Adult Book Bingo 2022. From now until September 1, 2022, those 18 and older can keep track of the books they read on the Library’s downloadable custom bingo card by writing the title and author in the matching square. Each completed horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line enters you into a raffle to win $25, $50, or $75 Cape Ann Gift Certificates. In addition to the programs the Library always offers adults—technology training, job search help, author talks, etc.—there will also be summer-themed special programs available.
Thanks to the generous support of the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and the Gloucester Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, program participation is free. Registration is now open for all children, teens, and adult programs.
Sawyer Free Library’s summer operating hours beginning on June 18, will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8am to 6pm, Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday 10am to 5:00pm and Saturday 10:00am to 1pm and 24/7 at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
For more information about the “Summer at the Sawyer Free Library” and to register for programs, visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.
Cape Ann Community 