On Friday July 14 at 8:00 pm, we’ll have our first “Welcome to Amateur Astronomy Night” since Covid. Like everything we do, there is no cost. If you have ever wondered how to use that telescope in your closet, or what you can see with it, join us. If you have questions like “what are the different telescope designs,” or “how much does that thing cost,” or even “will it fit in my Subaru,” then this night is for you. We’ll tell you where we shop, what not to buy, how we find stuff in the sky, and what we never go out without.
You’ll see five short, fun, ten-minute presentations that address all these questions and more. Telescopes of all types and sizes will be set up inside for you to inspect after the talks, with their owners right there to answer your questions. Come join us, whether you’ve already got a scope and want to learn more, or if you’re just getting started, or if you’re just curious about amateur telescopes and astronomy. If skies are clear, we’ll set up a scope or two outside to show you how it all works.
We’ll be live at the Lanesville Community Center, Friday July 14 at 8:00, with good things to eat and fun stuff to learn. There’s lots of free parking, and no dues or fees. I hope we’ll see you there.
Having just returned from Nashville after ten years, Cape Ann-based critically acclaimed folk artist and storyteller songwriter Peter Lindberg will share his lyrical prowess and unique alt-country songwriting with us at the SFL at 21 Main Street!
The Library’s summer musical series spotlights local singer-songwriters. Performances are 6:00 to 7:00 pm on select Thursdays through September at the Library’s 21 Main Street location in downtown Gloucester. Each evening the featured artist performs a 45-minute set followed by a brief discussion about their musical career and approach to songwriting. The performances are free and open to all to enjoy. For more information about the musicians, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
On Thursday, July 6 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. join OLIVIA GALE for a Sea Shanty Sing Along at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street.
The Gloucester native, musician, and teacher will entertain us with an engaging performance of sea shanties, nautical ballads, and other folk music written about the sea. Olivia welcomes audience participation as a part of her show too! So come one, come all! It will be great fun!
Join the Sawyer Free Library this Wednesday, June 28 at 11:30 a.m. for an extra special storytime presented by Through Me to you Puppetry. Puppet friends take turns reading stories and singing songs during this special interactive story time. Afterwards, children & families can meet the puppets!
This fun event for young children and their families, will be held inside Brown’s Mall at Movement Arts Gloucester MA on the top floor of the Brown Building, where regular Library storytime is held. Enter at 186 Main Street or 11 Pleasant Street and take the elevator to the 5th floor.
Drop in, no registration needed. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.
This event has been made possible through the generous support of the Constance T. Rhinelander Fund.
Tweens and Teens are invited to celebrate summer break this Friday, June 23rd at 3:00 pm with Local Paper Artist Katherine Morrison at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in Gloucester. Everyone will all leave this hour long program with a stamped mini-book and having flexed your creative muscles!
There is something for everyone this summer at the Sawyer Free Library ! Discover all that is happening at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org, call 978-325-5500, or the Library 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
The Sawyer Free Libraryis excited to be a part of Gloucester Reads, a community wide book club that has just kicked off and will run through August.
Presented by Gloucester’s Racial Justice Team and the Gloucester Health Department, in collaboration with the Sawyer Free Library and fifteen additional co-sponsors, the citywide, intergenerational summer reading initiative aims to spark conversation and new ideas and encourage introspection about race equity in our community.
Gloucester Reads will explore books by Black authors that reflect Black experiences in America to increase understanding of the history and current status of race in Gloucester and the United States and build a strong community to foster a feeling of belonging for everyone.
Gloucester Reads includes books for all ages, interests, and reading levels. The summer book club’s main selection is “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid. This engaging story about race and privilege is set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both, revealing complex characters, misguided intentions, and little resolution.
The Library will distribute free copies of “Such A Fun Age” at select community events, including the Juneteenth Celebration and Festival on Sunday, June 18, at the Cape Ann Museum. The books are also available for check-out at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street. Downloaded Ebooks and Eaudiobooks are available instantly to anyone with a Library card and a Libby app. All Gloucester Reads books are also available for purchase at select local bookstores.
Discussion groups on “Such a Fun Age” will be held throughout the city during the month of July. Those interested in being involved can find additional information at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Other Gloucester Reads titles include “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019″ by Ibram Kendi and Keisha Blain and the award-winning memoir “The Love You Save” by Goldie Taylor. And, especially for children and families, the picture book “Black is a Rainbow Color” by Angela Joy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, will serve as the Family Book Club pick throughout the Read with the graphic novel “Ain’t Burned All the Bright” by Jason Reynolds, artwork by Jason Griffin selected for tweens and teens.
Gloucester Reads will then culminate on the evening of August 15 with a live-stream panel discussion featuring Kiley Reid, The New York Times bestselling author and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan. “Such A Fun Age” was her debut novel and was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. This exciting and engaging event will be open to the public, with more details forthcoming.
For additional details and a complete list of Gloucester Reads programs, book suggestions and learning resources on racial equity, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.
Got three minutes? Share your thoughts about the Sawyer Free Library and help shape our future. We want to hear from our community! Click HERE to take the survey.
Thanks for helping us!
If you have questions, come visit us at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, give us a call at 978-325-5500 or check out sawyerfreelibrary.org.
“With so many remarkable GEF powered opportunities returning to our schools this year, it has been wonderful for our community to once again experience the full impact of GEF’s support.”
~Superintendent Ben Lummis
With the 2022-23 school year wrapping up tomorrow, the Gloucester Education Foundation (GEF) has released their FY23 Impact Report. Built around the theme of “Discover, Connect, Belong”, this year’s report is full of images, stats, and stories from current GPS students and alumni; teachers and administrators; GEF supporters and champions. This was a big year for GEF, with the return of The Power of Play and Gloucester Student Arts Festival, continued growth in arts, STEM and vocational investments, and the integration of their new Student Advisory Committee. See below for lots of images from this school year and the incredible array of learning opportunities supported by GEF.
And don’t miss the remarkable (and long!) list of donors, volunteers, and in-kind gifts at the end of the report that made this work possible – GEF is so thankful for the Gloucester community’s support for our schools, educators, and students. Look for your friends’ and neighbors’ names, and join them by donating to GEF’s spring campaign!
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Get creative and express yourself all summer long at Gloucester’s Public Library with free events for all ages, programs for kids and teens, reading recommendations, and much more.
Sawyer Free Library (SFL) is thrilled to announce 2023 summer reading program, “Find Your Voice” and invites the community to embark on a summer-long journey of creativity, self-expression, and exploration.
Summer at the Sawyer Free Library officially kicks off this month with an overflowing calendar of free events and programs to inspire, educate, and entertain patrons of all ages. From innovative reading challenges and interactive workshops to book discussions, author talks, live music, field trips, and much more, the Sawyer Free Library is the ultimate destination this summer for kids, teens, and adults to unleash their imaginations and find their unique voices.
“Our voices have the power to share stories, express ourselves and spark change,” said the Sawyer Free Library DirectorJenny Benedict. “The Sawyer Free Library’s summer long program, “Find Your Voice” is designed to inspire individuals of all ages to discover the joys of reading, unlock their creativity, and connect with others through the power of words. With a wide range of dynamic programs, activities and resources the Library offers something for everyone to get creative and express themselves all summer long.”
Kids of all ages can make their voices heard loud and clear at the SFL through an exciting lineup of fun programs, innovative incentives, and educational activities to encourage them to stay active, engaged, and read for fun.
To get started, young people and their families can pick up their Summer Reading Information and Activity Log at the Library, which has program information, the event calendar, and reading log. Children can stay on top of their summer reading with their “Find Your Voice” time-tracking reading logs. Register from June 13 to August 1, and then read (or be read to) for at least 500 minutes throughout the summer to earn prizes, including tickets to the Topsfield Fair. People can register in person or online for the program.
Children and families looking for things to do need not look further than the Sawyer Free with its busy summer schedule. Younger library goers will be moving and grooving during musical story time with Ruthanne Paulson on Friday, June 16, engaging with puppet friends reading stories and singing songs during an interactive storytime on June 28, and dancing with Creative Movement in the Library’s Amphitheater on July 29.
Kids will get the chance to get an up-close look at rainforest reptiles on Friday, July 7, presented by Conservation by Education, learn about the snakes of the world with Rick Roth and the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team on Saturday, July 15, and meet a variety of insects, bugs and more with Professor Bugman EntomologyAdventureson Tuesday, August 8.
Throughout the summer, everyone can get their hands dirty on Thursday mornings while sharing stories and gardening in the Library’s raised gardens with Backyard Growers. Then on select Tuesday afternoons, young poets can try out rhymes, personification, haiku, and more in workshops led by young Gloucester poet Willa Brosnihan.
The Library will also host fun local field trips for children and their caregivers, including a visit to Hammond Castle on Tuesday, July 18, and Maritime Museum on July 24.
It is also a big summer for Tweens and Teens. Students entering grades 6-12 are encouraged to track their “Summer Reading and Library Adventures” on the official form available on the Library’s website to qualify for weekly prize drawings including treats from Bravo, Turtle Alley and more.
Middle and high schoolers are encouraged to check out the Library’s full summer schedule of weekly programs, including creative workshops with local paper artist Katherine Morrisonon bookmaking on June 23 and building wire trees with Local Sculptor & Wire Artist Ryan Kelley in July. Young Gloucester Scientist Club will host a series of field trips, including a whale watch in June, a community garden scavenger hunt with Backyard Growers in July, an adventure on the water with Maritime Gloucester in August, and more, with the summer anchored by the exciting author visit in July by Taylor Tyng of the celebrated graphic novel series Clara Poole and the Long Way Round.
SFL also knows that summer reading is for everybody, whether you read at the beach or on your commute to work so it is giving adults a chance to get in on the summer fun, too, with Adult Book Bingo 2023. From now until September 1, 2023, 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 myriad of resources and programs the Library offers adults—technology training, job search help, historical resource assistance, and more – there will also be summer-themed special programs and reading lists available from local author talks, live music, and much more.
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.
The summer programming will run from June 5 to September 1. To discover the complete schedule and register for events, please visit the Sawyer Free Library website at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org, call 978-325-5500, or the Library 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
Sawyer Free Library’s summer operating hours beginning on June 3, will be Monday 8am to 6 pm, Tuesday 8 am to 6:15 pm, Wednesday 8 am to 6 pm, Thursday 10 am to 7 pm, Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 1 pm, and 24/7 at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Library grateful to local elected officials for helping to secure critical funding and commitment to 2025 Sawyer Free
The Sawyer Free Libraryis pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), in collaboration with the Executive Office of Administration and Finance of the State of Massachusetts (A&F), has devised a comprehensive plan to address the escalating costs for current public library construction projects within the confines of its regulations and annual cap. As part of this plan, the MBLC has approved a maximum one-time additional grant payment of up to $999,963 to the Sawyer Free Library to mitigate the impact of cost escalation for its renovation and expansion project. These funds supplement the just over $9 million construction grant awarded by the MBLC Construction Grant program to Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library for its comprehensive renovation, modernization, and expansion.
“The Sawyer Free Library would like to extend its deep appreciation to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance for recognizing the importance of our historic renovation and expansion project and taking proactive measures to assist us in overcoming the financial challenges associated with cost escalation,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Sawyer Free Library’s Board of Trustees. “We are also especially grateful to our local elected officials including Senator Bruce Tarr, Representative Ann Margaret Ferrante, and Mayor Greg Verga, for advocating on our behalf, leading us to secure this funding and their unwavering support and commitment to our public library. This additional grant payment brings the City of Gloucester closer to realizing its vision of the 21st-century Library it so needs and deserves.”
The supplemental funding of $999,963 from the MBLC will tremendously help offset the negative impact of pandemic-fueled cost escalation. In fall 2022, the appropriation for the 2025 Sawyer Free Library project was set at a total cost of $29M, including fixtures, furnishings and equipment. Current cost estimates remain on track to be under budget.
This extraordinary additional one-time grant payment is a crucial boost to the Sawyer Free Library’s fundraising efforts to modernize and expand Gloucester’s Public Library. The Library is obligated to raise the total amount for Gloucester’s revitalized and reimagined Library. Public support for the 2025 Sawyer Free Library continues to be great and grow, evident in the funds it has raised to date. The Sawyer Free 2025 fundraising campaign, now with this grant, has over $17.5 million in committed funds, with more each day.
The Library is grateful for the tremendous engagement and investment at every level from all parts of the community. While the campaign is now over half way to its goal, the Library project still need everyone’s support. For those interested in learning more or for ways to donate to this historic project, visit www.sawyerfree2025.org
When doors open at the 2025 Sawyer Free Library, the building will exemplify what a 21st-century public library can and should be in terms of architecture, sustainability, accessibility, use of natural resources and light, wayfinding, lines of sight, air quality, and public safety. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library project will preserve the original exterior, housing an entirely redesigned interior, and will also double the size of the existing Library’s footprint with a 14,000-square-foot addition.
The Library will be designed for collaboration, creativity, and life-long learning featuring a digital makerspace, audio, and video recording studios, a 100-seat community room with state-of-the-science media presentation assets, a climate-controlled center for Gloucester history, a dedicated teen room, a beautiful expanded children’s room, study rooms for individual and group study, a 16-seat conference room, and much more.
The Sawyer Free Library Board will officially break ground on the 2025 Sawyer Free Library this Fall. The project will take approximately eighteen months. The Library is currently operating at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. For more information on the Sawyer Free Library’s services and summer programming, visit, sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Cape Ann Community 