Celebration

Annual Meeting of the Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library Corporation

~ Sawyer Free Library

Save the Date: Wednesday evening, November 12th

The Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library Corporation will host its first Annual Meeting in the state-of-the-art Community Room of the newly expanded and modernized Library on Wednesday, November 12. The evening will feature remarks from Board President Mern Sibley, Mayor Greg Verga, and MBLC Commissioner Joyce Linehan, who will speak on standing up for libraries and intellectual freedom. Library Director Jenny Benedict will share highlights from this milestone year and a look ahead to the Library’s next chapter.

Open to the public (only corporators may vote), the meeting offers an opportunity to celebrate the Library’s achievements, learn about its progress and finances, and engage with trustees and staff. Refreshments will be served. No registration required.

When: Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 p.m. with corporator sign-in beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester
Questions: 978-325-5500 | sawyerfreelibrary.org

Sawyer Free Library Grand Reopening Celebrations 🎉

~ Sawyer Free Library

🎉 Please join us in celebrating the grand reopening of the newly renovated and expanded Sawyer Free Library — an inspiring, inclusive space created for our whole community. 🎉 
 
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Friday, September 5 | 3:00 PM
Celebrate the official opening of your newly transformed Sawyer Free Library!
Remarks | Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting | Refreshments Performance by Cape Ann Youth Chorus  
Open to All | Rain or Shine

Community Celebration & Open House
“A Library for Everyone”
Saturday, September 6 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Free and Open to All 

Come tour the new library spaces at 2 Dale Avenue and enjoy music, activities for all ages, and more! 

Saturday Event Highlights:

Library Card World Record Attempt
Help us break the record for most sign-ups in a single day! All new and renewing cardholders
receive a limited-edition commemorative library card.

Library Passport Adventure 
Explore the new Library and collect stamps and win prizes.

Special Guests & Giveaways
• Wally the Green Monster from the Red Sox (12–1 PM)
• Enter to win a signed 2025 Boston Bruins jersey

Art, History & Design Events
• Artist Talk: Leslie Bartlett on the Library’s Cape Ann Quarries mural (10:30 AM)
• Expert Talk: GreenScapes in Focus with landscape architect Lisa Giersbach (1:00 PM)
• Timeline Cape Ann: Sawyer Free Library by Kory Curcuru of 1623 Studios documentary screening (12 & 2:30 PM)
• Inaugural Art Exhibition in Matz Gallery 
• Zine-making and collaborative art projects

Explore & Discover
• Tech demos in the Digital Learning Lab (podcast studio & more)
• Local History Treasures exhibit and Gloucester Timeline Demos
• “The Librarian Is In” booth (10 AM–12 PM)
• Photo Booth for keepsake snapshots (11 AM–2 PM)

Live Music in the Reading Lounge
• Highland Avenue Trio (10 AM–12 PM)
• Steve Lacey String Duo (12–2 PM)

Family-Friendly Fun
• Face painting, LEGO play, and STEM activities
• Strega Mama Story Hour (11 AM)
• Playful Engineers Program (2:00 PM)
• “Teen Zone” Ribbon Cutting (10:30 AM)
• T-shirt Dyeing (11 AM–1 PM)
• Mario Kart Tournament (2–4 PM, signup required)

 Food Trucks On-Site (in Library Parking Lot)
• Pizza by Rhea Pizzeria Napoletana
• Ice cream from SuperStar Ice Cream

Whether you’re a longtime patron or discovering the Sawyer Free Library for the first time, this celebration is for you! 

Come experience YOUR new library—reimagined, renewed, and ready to inspire.

For full event details and updates, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

“Making a Splash for the 2025 Sawyer Free Library” at THE CUT on Sunday, April 28th!

~ Sawyer Free Library

A family-friendly afternoon of live music, beach games and summer vibes featuring Mayor Verga’s band “Moonraker” – all to celebrate the 2025 Sawyer Free Library!

Get ready to make a splash at this community-wide celebration for the 2025 Sawyer Free Library at The Cut at 177 Main Street in downtown Gloucester on Sunday, April 28 from 3:00 -5:00 p.m. Dive into the fun and usher in summer early with live music, beach games and summer vibes – for all ages!

Headlining the event will be “Moonraker,” Gloucester’s very own Mayor’s band featuring Amy Prichard on lead vocals and guitar, Adam Quinn on drums, Missy Sponagle lending her vocal talents, Nate Kidder on lead guitar, Mayor Greg Verga on bass, and a special guest appearance by Millie Manning from Millie and the Half Nelsons on vocals and keyboard.

Adding to the summertime vibe, local reggae sensation the “Dis n’ Dat band” will kick off the party, setting the stage for an afternoon filled with beach games, prizes, and other surprises. Plus, a sneak peek into the exciting developments ahead with the 2025 Sawyer Free Library!

The Library is grateful to The Cut for generously donating their space for this event. And for those who choose to have dinner after the festivities, The Cut will also donate 10% of your final bill to the 2025 Sawyer Free Library.

The family-friendly event is open to all ages; admission is free, but donations to the 2025 Sawyer Free Library are welcomed.  To register or for more details, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

Mark your calendars! Sawyer Free Library & Gloucester 400+ Celebration on Jan 31 at Beauport Hotel – All Are Invited!

~ Sawyer Free Library

Please join the Sawyer Free Library and the Gloucester 400+ on Wednesday, January 31 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Beauport Hotel Gloucester to celebrate the launch of the Gloucester Timeline: An Interactive History and the relocation of the digital Gloucester 400 Stories Project to the Library.

The celebratory community event will feature story-tellers from the community, an interactive Gloucester trivia game, and a demo of the Library’s new interactive research tool. The evening is FREE and open to all to attend. No registration required.

The Gloucester Timeline is the Sawyer Free Library’s legacy gift to the City to commemorate its 400th anniversary.  The Timeline traces Gloucester’s unique history through culturally and historically significant people, places and events that have made Gloucester what it is today. Spearheaded by Sawyer Free Library with support from the Cape Ann Museum and Gloucester City Archives, the Gloucester Timeline also connects people to cultural organizations, archival repositories and historical collections where more information is available. Gloucester 400+ staff have made extensive use of the Timeline in 2023 to illustrate and highlight significant events in our history. The launching of the Gloucester Timeline by SFL makes this new interactive research tool available to the public online.

The collection of stories gathered over the course of the past year has been assembled into the Gloucester 400 Stories Project. This award-winning digital collection of stories, poems and videos, has until now, been available on the Gloucester 400+ website. The collection is about Gloucester people by Gloucester people and is a powerful voice of ordinary and not-so-ordinary citizens. The Gloucester 400 Stories Project too represents a 400+ legacy gift to the City.

Now that the quadricentennial year is over, the Gloucester 400 Stories Project collection will be permanently housed in the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s new Local History Research Center located on the first floor of the newly renovated, expanded, and modernized Library, the Local History Research Center.

Event Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Where: Beauport Ballroom, Beauport Hotel, 55 Commercial Street, Gloucester

The event is free and open to all to attend. Registration is NOT required.

For more details visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org or gloucesterma400.org.

Sawyer Free Library to Host LEGO Event for Community “LET’S BUILD TOGETHER: 2025 Sawyer Free Library”

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is hosting an exciting LEGO community event in advance of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s upcoming groundbreaking celebration. LET’S BUILD TOGETHER: 2025 Sawyer Free Library will take place on Saturday, September 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 20 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, directly across from the Sawyer Free Library temporary location.

Co-hosted with the LEGO Discovery Center Boston, the free event, LET’S BUILD TOGETHER: 2025 Sawyer Free Library Brick by Brick LEGO Celebration, will bring together families, enthusiasts, and Lego lovers of all ages for a morning filled with boundless creativity, fun, and community spirit as they share their excitement for the future of the Sawyer Free Library.

Whether you’re a seasoned Lego enthusiast or new to the world of building blocks, this free event is open to individuals of all ages and skill levels. Event highlights include:

  • The opportunity to build “library” inspired creations with an Official Lego Master Model Builder from the LEGO Discovery Center Boston.
  • The official unveiling of the specially commissioned 2025 Sawyer Free Library Lego model, created using over 1,000 Lego blocks and made possible through the generosity of Dore + Whittier | Oudens Ello Architecture.
  • Extraordinary Lego masterpieces courtesy of the Boston LEGO Discovery Center.
  • Participants of all ages can showcase their construction skills through imaginative Lego challenges designed to inspire creativity and teamwork and win fun prizes.
  • Explore, build, and play freely with Legos, enjoy a musical performance by Gloucester’s own youth rock band, “Kicked off the Bus,” photo-ops with LEGO Minifigure characters, face painting, prizes and more!

In addition to the Lego festivities, attendees will also get a peek into the exciting plans for the 2025 Sawyer Free Public Library which promises to be a welcoming and inclusive environment, offering cutting-edge technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. There will be information on how people can get involved and support this once-in-50-year opportunity to secure the future of this vital public institution.

The 2025 Sawyer Free Library Groundbreaking Celebration is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 29, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester, taking place rain or shine in the tented parking lot. The ceremony will mark the exciting beginning of the Sawyer Free Library’s comprehensive renovation, modernization, and expansion, and Gloucester realizing its vision of the 21st-century Library it so deserves – a dynamic and modernized community space that will inspire generations of lifelong learners in Gloucester and beyond. This exciting local history making event will be open to all.

To learn more about the Sawyer Free Library’s Community Lego Event or the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Groundbreaking Celebration, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

The Sawyer Free 2025 campaign is grateful for the tremendous engagement and investment at every level from all parts of the community but we still need the community’s help. To learn how you can be a part of making the new Sawyer Free Library a reality, visit www.2025SawyerFree.org.

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE MLK DAY ANNUAL CELEBRATION JANUARY 17TH!

~ chasnaz

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation will host it 6th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, live on Zoom, on Monday, January 17th at 2:00pm. Please preregister at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

The Racial Climate in Gloucester, What Lies Ahead will be the focus of the 2-hour program, including including findings of a new community survey. The keynote speaker will be Brian Saltsman, Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion at Alfred University in upstate New York. He is a leading advocate of addressing community issues between dominant and marginalized racial, ethnic or economic sectors as allies, a process known as “allyship.”

The invited presenting organizations are:

  • The Gloucester Racial Justice Team, reporting on a survey that assessed how much people of color “feel like they have a sense of community and belong in the city, including how race and ethnicity play a role in their daily lives,” according to GRJT spokesperson Gail Seavey.
  • The North Shore Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which most recently has focused on racism issues within Danvers High School athletic teams. A branch leader will discuss the North Shore branch’s activities across a region stretching from Lynn to New Hampshire.
  • The Diversity and Equity Committee of the Gloucester 400th Anniversary Celebration, which is researching narrative stories that accurately depict racial and ethnic relationships since European settlement began displacing the native, indigenous Pennacook-Abenaki peoples. This will include years of slave ownership and maritime commerce in the global slave trade.

A video of this program with be available on the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s YouTube channel afterwards. The Foundation is a nonsectarian, federally-recognized nonprofit, organized to promote the preservation and community programming of the historic 1806 Meetinghouse on Middle Street, home of the first Universalist Church in America. Tax-deductible donations are welcome and may be made on the website, or by check to “GMF” at 10 Church Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.