The staff was great with the kids. Biologist and educator Hannah at the sea pocket aquarium nonstop answered the kid’s enthusiastic questions while Noelle was super helpful with craft projects. Many thanks to Maritime Gloucester for a fun event!
Lots more happening for the 38th Annual Schooner Festival. See the full schedule here.
Especially don’t miss the ever beautiful Parade of Sail tomorrow, Sunday, morning at 10am.
Many, many thanks to Elizabeth Carey and Tess McColgan from Discover Gloucester for the invitation to the 38th Annual Schooner Festival press day event. It was a fantastic treat to watch the Schooner Challenge from the press boat, Blue Sky, with father son team Captain Al and first mate Ollie Fichera.
SCHOONER CHALLENGE – 5:30 to 7:30pm – Gloucester Harbor
Join our local Schooner Captains as they participate in a friendly competition putting their seamanship to the test over an “obstacle” course. Passengers will be given their own set of tasks to win the coveted Rum Bottle Award. Visiting schooners already arrived will join the event. The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners. Check various schooner websites for ticketing details.
All Day – The SCHOONERS ARRIVE – Gloucester Harbor with shoreside viewing
Historic Gloucester Harbor sets the scene for the arrival of over 2 dozen schooners throughout the day and. Spend the day viewing these wonderful vessels filling our harbor. Details of schooner arrival times will be provided as possible via social media.
6:00 to 10:00pm – Gloucester Block Party – Main Street, Gloucester
Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and local businesses roll out the red carpet on Main Street for Gloucester Schooner Festival with a street party! Shopping, food, entertainment, and fun are on the agenda all evening.
6:00 & 7:00pm – Harbor Tour of Schooner Fleet
Join Cape Ann Harbor Tours for an evening harbor cruise of the schooner fleet. Tickets are $15 and you can click here to visit their website and register.
International Dory Committee Exhibition – 9:00 am – Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
Maritime Heritage Day – 10 am – 4 pm – Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
The heart of the Gloucester Schooner Festival’s land-based activities is Maritime Heritage Day, distributed over 3 locations in downtown Gloucester! Maritime Gloucester opens its campus for a day of maritime heritage, live demonstrations, schooner sails, family fun, and new this year our Heritage Galley food truck court! We also have schooner viewing, deck tours and community organizations at the schooner docks at 65 Rogers street and across the harbor at Ocean Alliance. See the full Maritime Heritage Day schedule here.
Schooner Viewing and Deck Tours! – 10:00am to 4:00pm
THREE Locations:
Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
Schooner Floats – I4C2 parking lot, 65 Rogers St
Ocean Alliance – 32 Horton Street, Rocky Neck
6:00 & 7:00pm – Harbor Tour of Schooner Fleet
Join Cape Ann Harbor Tours for an evening harbor cruise of the schooner fleet. Tickets are $15 and you can click here to visit their website and register.
7:00 to 9:30pm – Boat Parade of Lights – Annisquam River and Inner Harbor
Open to all who wish to decorate their boat and enter, this is a fantastic visual display starting in the Annisquam River and ending in the Smith’s Cove area of the harbor. Click here for details
9:15 – FIREWORKS!
The night sky lights up with the annual fireworks display over Stage Fort Park. Get on a schooner charter, watch from your boat, or enjoy from nearly anywhere in the city, this spectacle is a great way to enjoy Schooner Festival.
Parade of Sail – 10:00am to 12:00pm – Gloucester Harbor, Stacey Boulevard and Eastern Point viewing
The entire fleet of schooners joins together for a Parade of Sail not to be missed! Whether you get aboard a schooner or watch from the shore, this is a memorable experience for all. Prime viewing areas are Stacy Boulevard, Stage Fort Park, and Eastern Point. On the Boulevard, our Festival Chair Daisy Nell Collinson, Michael Costello, and Maritime Gloucester Historian Justin Demetri will provide live commentary. NEW THIS YEAR Good Morning Gloucester will be live streaming the Parade of Sail! Now you can tune in to the commentary if you are at Stage Fort Park or watch from your computer if you aren’t able to make it in person! Schooners proceed from the Inner Harbor, past the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard, to the race starting area off Eastern Point. Click Here for Live Stream.
11:00 am to 1:30pm – Shuttle Bus to Eastern Point Light
Catch the CATA shuttle from Eastern Point Gate (Eastern Point Boulevard at Farrington Ave) to watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of charge, courtesy of Cape Ann Transportation Authority
Mayor’s Cup Race – 1:00pm to 4:00pm – Massachusetts Bay off Gloucester
The Premier Event – The Mayor’s Races! This year’s schooners match up in small, medium, and large categories for a reach-reach competition viewing for the Esperanto Cup, The Ned Cameron Trophy, The Betty Ramsey Award, and the George Nichols & Amanda Madeira Woman at the Wheel Award.
Monday, Sept 5 – Labor Day
Rain Date for Heritage Day or Race. Maritime Gloucester open from 10 to 4pm
A glorious Friday Fiesta overflowing with joyful, smiling Fiesta goers. One attendee sweetly spoke about how during Fiesta, the community of Gloucester comes together like one big family, and we all become Sicilian for a weekend. Viva San Pietro!
With thanks and gratitude to the Fiesta Committee for organizing the 2022 St. Peter’s Fiesta, no small feat after a two year hiatus due to Covid.
Joseph Novello – President
Michael Linquata – Vice President
Anthony Cusumano – Treasurer
Rose Aiello – Clerk
Christopher Palazzola – Committee Member
Salvatore Ferrara – Committee Member
Ralph Puopolo – Committee Member
Carlo Barbara – Committee Member
Rose Aiello – Committee Member
Alphonse Millefoglie – Committee Member
Lucia Sheehan – Recording Secretary
Sharing this beautiful arrangement sent to us by our daughter Liv. The bouquet looks exquisite no matter which way you turn the vase, and is becoming more beautiful with each passing day. The fabulous combination of scents – of roses, peonies, and Oriental lilies – are wafting through our home. Created by Audrey’s Flower Shop.
Cape Ann lobstermen and fishermen held a protest boat parade Wednesday afternoon. The parade was organized to show support for local lobstermen in light of the recent temporary closure of lobstering grounds and new requirements to purchase special gear. The grounds are closed until May 1st, possibly until May 15th, to prevent gear entanglements during the endangered Right Whale migration through Massachusetts waters.
Under overcast skies, the lobster boats gathered at Ten Pound Island and headed in the direction of the State Fish Pier. The parade circled the inner harbor several times to the cheering and honking of supporters lining the shore. After a good showing of lobster boats, fishing boats, and supporters, the parade ended under clearing skies.
Beautiful Fleet
Read More here at the Massachusetts Lobstermen Association website.
The Wicked Tuna fleet continued filming yesterday early evening as the storm departed.
Wicked Tuna shooting FV Hot Tuna and FV Bad Fish at Gloucester Harbor
Essex-built Schooner Roseway moored at Gloucester Harbor this morning -such a beauty and always easy to spot with her distinctive rose-colored sails.
Read more about the Roseway and World ocean School here.
August 26, 2020
To the editor:
We will be voting for Joe Kennedy for senator on Sept. 1 in the Democratic primary and ask you, our Democratic and unenrolled friends, to join us!
Six years ago, Ed Markey came to Gloucester to campaign for Senate. It was widely known that Markey refrained from signing on to any Massachusetts congressional letters supportive of the fishing industry. At the time, Markey explained that he had not been engaged in fisheries issues because they were not relevant to his congressional district, but that he would be supportive in the future.
Once elected senator statewide, Markey had an opportunity to find common ground between constituents on both sides of the fisheries issues. He did not take that opportunity. He has been invited to meet with lobstermen since the lobster tariffs went into effect. Markey has not responded.
As we have watched Joe grow up, we were proud of him, when:
He was elected congressman;
He defended the Affordable Care Act;
He described the foundation of public service, with a quote, which we and many others firmly believe in, “When I was hungry, did you feed me…”;
He came to Gloucester, years ago, to go on two dayboat fishing trips to understand the challenges our fishermen face, and;
He came to Gloucester well before the Senate race, to visit our health care clinic to discuss with Mayor Sefatia and our local officials his advocacy for community health centers, especially mental health.
From the day Joe announced his campaign, he has met with fishermen and Cape Ann residents, almost monthly to discuss their continued challenges.
We understand that some have heard Markey say that he got federal relief for fishermen. But larger shares went to Washington state and Alaska, even though Massachusetts hosts two of the largest fishing ports —New Bedford and Gloucester — which tells us who the real leaders of the effort were.
Note to the GP Walkers – Although there was no Greasy Pole due to coronavirus, I was hoping to have this long overdue short completed for the 2020 Saint Peter’s Fiesta weekend, just to cheer everyone up. My son broke several ribs on Friday and instead of editing over the weekend, I was taking care of my family. He’s on the mend and today was my first chance to finish editing. Better late than never I hope.
Congratulations to 18 year old Derek Hopkins for winning Gloucester’s Greasy Pole Friday, Saturday, and Sunday competitions!
Derek is only the second walker to win the Friday, Saturday, Sunday trifecta, after Jake Wood (1999).
Derek’s Dad, Rich Hopkins captured the flag in 1996 and 1997. Derek and his Dad are the fourth father-son duo to win the flag.
Note about the music – Eh, Cumpari! or Hey, Goombadi! is a Sicilian song we hear playing often during Fiesta. Sung by Julius La Rosa and released in 1953, it is a cumulative song, in which each verse contains all the previous verses.
From wiki – a rough translation –
Hey buddy, [music] is playing.
What is playing? The whistle.
And what does it sound like—the whistle?
[vocalized instrument sound]
the whistle, [rhythm words]
.
u friscalettu = whistle [small flute]
u saxofona = saxophone
u mandulinu = mandolin
u viulinu = violin
la trumbetta = trumpet
la trombona = trombone
Eric Spear’s Greasy Pole Walker’s shrine this year is dedicated to Sunday Champion Anthony Matza Giambanco and Saturday Champion Russell Hynes. Go see, very low key but moving and beautiful.
SaintPeter’s 
Although St. Peter’s Fiesta has been canceled this year due to the global pandemic, if you would like to pray the novena to St. Peter, Day Nine is now available on YouTube.
To view, click on the arrow in the center of the video and share at [https://youtu.be/eWxUHbV2WSI]
If you would like to make a donation for future St. Peter’s Fiesta, checks may be made out to: St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee
Send to: St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee
PO Box 3105
Gloucester, MA 01930
See below photos from the 2019 closing night novena and procession to Beach Court
Day Eight photos of the 2019 Saint Peter’s Fiesta Sunday morning procession.
Day Seven photos from Nonna, What is St. Peter’s Fiesta 2019 Gloucester Stage Production
Day Six photos from the 2019 Friday Opening Ceremony are posted here
Day Five photos from the 2019 Sunday Mass are posted here
Day Four photos from the 2018 novena are posted here
Day Three photos from the 2019 novena are posted here
