Community

Reading and Book Signing by Local Author at Sawyer Free Library on Saturday, December 3

~ Sawyer Free Library

On Saturday, December 3, from 10:00- 11:30 am, the SAWYER FREE LIBRARY will host a reading and book signing of The Tree in Dock Square. Written by author Jean Woodbury and illustrated by Bonnie Sylvester, the book was the Cape Ann Reads’ First Prize Winner.

Inspired by a true story in Rockport, this charming children’s book about a town’s holiday tradition and a child’s love for her grandfather has been described as “rich in the warmth of family and community connections.” 

The author, Jean Woodbury, will read from her book followed by the illustrator, Bonnie L. Sylvester, leading a craft activity based on themes from the holiday story. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase, or people are welcome to bring their own book to be signed. 

The Sawyer Free Library’s new downtown location is 21 Main Street in Gloucester.  

The family friendly event is free and open to the public. For questions, please visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-350-5500. 

Cape Ann Reads: The art of children’s literature is strong throughout Cape Ann and is part of its rich cultural history. To mark the 75th anniversary of author and illustrator Virginia Lee Burton winning the Caldecott Medal for her book, The Little House, the four Cape Ann’s libraries (Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester, Manchester by the Sea Public Library, TOHP Burnham Public Library in Essex, and Rockport Public Library) launched Cape Ann Reads. The joint library project with community partners and the Cape Ann Museum aimed to highlight Cape Ann artists and writers and strengthen community connections and family literacy. Special events included a picture book contest for Cape Ann residents, with the Grand Prize being a first-edition hardcover publication by Cape Ann Reads.

Sawyer Free Library Annual Meeting next Wednesday, 11/16 at 2 Dale Avenue! All are welcome!

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library Corporation will be hosting its Annual Meeting on Wednesday evening, November 16, at the Sawyer Free Library located at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. All are welcome.

Doors open at 6:00 pm and the meeting will begin at 6:30 pm with welcoming remarks by the President of the Board of Trustees, Mern Sibley. The public is invited to attend this informative evening, during which there will be a presentation by Matt Oudens of Oudens Ellos Architecture detailing updates of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Capital Project. 

The annual meeting will offer the community the chance to gather at 2 Dale Avenue one more time before the Sawyer Free Library’s historic renovation and expansion project begins early next year. Attendees will be welcome to take pictures of the spaces that have special meaning to them or just sit and take it all in while learning more about the Library’s busy year.

The Sawyer Free Library recently moved its operations to 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, in preparation for the construction of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library which is expected to be completed in early 2025. 

The meeting will be from 6:30–7:30 pm on the main floor of the Sawyer Free Library. Refreshments from Willow Rest will be served. For more information, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Join Us on Friday, November 25th for Game Night!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us on Friday, November 25th for a historic night of tabletop gaming and be one of the first to play “Hammond Naval Warfare.” Patented in 1912 by our founder, inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. “Naval-War-Game Apparatus” (renamed Hammond Naval Warfare) is an early precursor to the popular naval combat game, Battleship by Hasbro Gaming. For the first time, this tabletop game is available for play! And, all attendees will have a chance to win their own set!

Doors open at 5pm and gaming goes until 10pm. Bring your friends and stop by for an hour or stay the whole time!

Tickets available at: bit.ly/3TCI9yh

Trick Or Treat At Hammond Castle Museum on October 27th

~ Hammond Castle Museum

What better place to trick or treat than at an old seaside castle? We have everything you need to ignite your child’s imagination: a drawbridge, spiral staircase, and a Great Hall
We will have spooky music, multiple trick or treat stations inside the castle and bubbles, snacks, spooky stories and a craft at the 13th Century arches. You bring the scary costumes.

Timed Trick or Treat sessions will last approximately 15 minutes with five treat stations set up within the Castle starting on our drawbridge and leading into the Great Hall. The program will conclude with bubbles, a craft, spooky stories and snacks outside at the Arches.

*This ticket grants you access to the Trick Or Treat event. At the time of this event, the Museum will be closed to tours. If you wish to tour Hammond Castle Museum on the day of the ticketed event, Self-Guided Tour tickets may be purchased in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount. Last tours begin at 2pm. Proof of purchase of the Trick or Treat event will be required.

All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the 13th century, French cloister archways which are located at the front of the museum. Reservations available at: bit.ly/3g5ZqBv

FAQ’s on the Sawyer Free Library Temporary Move

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library (for now) closed its doors at Dale Avenue to the public on Friday, September 30 at 5pm, and will reopen at our temporary location on Monday, October 24 at 8am, located at 21 Main Street (above Mystery Train). We look forward to serving you at the temporary space while the construction phase of our new library is underway! 

To follow is all you need to know about the move and what to do with your materials during our three-week closure. For even more information, please visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

Calling All Young Inventors!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us this Sunday for a fun, STEM program at Hammond Castle Museum, the home of one of the nation’s greatest inventors of his time!

Check-in will begin at 12:30 and the program will begin at 1pm.
*This program is geared to children in late elementary school and early middle school grades.

Inventing has changed a lot over the last century since our founder, John Hays Hammond Jr. began his illustrious career, but many of the fundamentals remain the same. Hammond Castle Museum is delighted to partner with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in presenting a new event: Inventors Day.

The event is inspired by one of Hammond’s inventions: “Seleno,” the world’s first robotic dog, which was controlled by a beam of light. During this two hour-long STEM program, competitors will group into teams with the goal to construct their own light-controlled robot. Each team will be given a robot kit to assemble as well as additional components and electronics to modify and improve upon the core design. The teams will then compete in a series of scored challenges using their robots. Each member of the winning team will receive an award and special recognition across Hammond Castle Museum’s social media platforms as well as its website. Winners also may enjoy all the bragging rights they could want as they may consider themselves a member of the Museum’s exclusive list of inventors.

Reservations & Chaperone tickets are $10 each and available at: www.hammondcastle.org.

Author Talk with Simon Winchester: Tuesday, 9/20

~ Sawyer Free Library

Sawyer Free Library is pleased to host a virtual conversation with prolific British-American writer, journalist, and consummate adventurer SIMON WINCHESTER on Tuesday, September 20 at 2:00pm.

The NYT bestselling author will cover many aspects of his work across myriad fields of history, technology, and geology as well as the author’s personal expeditions, including his path to becoming the acclaimed author he is today of more than 30 titles, including The Professor and the Madman, Pacific, The Perfectionists, and most recently, Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World. 

Virtual Author Talk on Tuesday, September 20 at 2pm

About the Author: Beginning his writing career in journalism, Simon Winchester has found renowned success in the world of non-fiction and now works almost exclusively as an author.  Aside from his numerous books, Simon Winchester OBE has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Geographic, and Conde Nast Traveler among many others. Honored with several awards throughout  his career—Britain’s Journalist of the Year in 1971 among them—in 2006 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to journalism and literature. In addition, he received an Audie Award for Non-Fiction for The Perfectionists and was made an Honorary Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford in 2009.  

This is a virtual event, for link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org. For questions, contact: moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5562.

Firebird Pops Orchestra returns to Hammond Castle Museum for a night of music from the silver screen this Friday evening!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Firebird Pops Orchestra returns to Hammond Castle Museum for a night of music from the silver screen this Friday evening!

A smaller, chamber orchestra division of FPO will perform creative existing and custom arrangements of iconic film scores on our seaside lawn. Conductor Brendan J. Kenney will lead the chamber orchestra through the sweeping, magical scores of films and tv series such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, The Avengers, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz, and more!

General admission is $40. Tickets are available at www.hammondcastle.org.

As always, special event ticket holders are eligible for a 20% discount on self-guided tours prior to 3pm on the day of the ticketed event. Parking is free.

All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the 13th century, French cloister archways which are located at the front of the museum.

Photo by CMO Photography Studios.

Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger and Multiply Your Impact – Author Talk with Liz Wiseman

~ Sawyer Free Library

Join the Sawyer Free Library on Thursday, August 25 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm for a virtual conversation with Liz Wiseman, New York Times Best Selling author, researcher, and executive adviser. Liz will talk about her latest book, Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger and Multiply Your Impact, and her other work. Register HERE for the link!

In Impact Players, Liz asks the question, why do some people break through and make an impact while others get stuck going through the motions? In every organization, impact players are indispensable colleagues who can be counted on in critical situations and consistently receive high-profile assignments and new opportunities. Managers know who these top players are, understand their worth, and want more of them on their team, whether on center stage or behind the scenes. 

Wiseman reveals the secrets of these stellar professionals who play the game at a higher level. Drawing on insights from leaders at top companies, Wiseman explains what the most influential players are doing differently, how small and seemingly insignificant differences in how we think and act can make an enormous impact, and why– with a little coaching–this mindset is available to everyone who wants to contribute at their highest level and do more meaningful work.  

Register HERE

About the author:  Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives worldwide. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Multipliers:  How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, The Multiplier Effect:  Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools, Wall Street Journal bestseller Rookie Smarts:  Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact. She is the CEO of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California.