Many, many thanks to Gloucester’s awesome firefighters for each year braving the cold and wind to attach the Christmas star atop the Lobster Trap Tree.
Gorgeous Moon set this morning! I almost missed it as I was planning to be back home at 7am sharp to make pancakes and my various lookout places were not aligned correctly. Luckily and just in the nick of time, I found a new spot 🙂 Tonight the full Wolf Moon Eats Mars and rises at 4:06pm. Happy Moon Viewing!
Sending best, best wishes to Aimee and David Brooks on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Naia Rumi Brooks. David and Aimee could not be present at the Lobster Trap Tree lighting with new baby born the night before, but we all want to thank David, Shawn Henry, the extraordinary Lobster Trap Tree building crew, Art Haven’s Traci Thayne Corbett and the sweetest buoy painters for their glorious gift to Gloucester.
Wishing the Brooks Family a lifetime of love, happiness, and joy.
The Lobster Trap Christmas tree taking shape, from measuring and laying out the circumference, offloading traps from Makin Movers, to securing the traps while building round and round, level by level; it’s a fantastic day for the community. Thank you Lobster Trap Christmas Tree build Crew!
If you would like to join the team next year, please visit The Lobster Trap Tree website to sign up. There is also a portal to donate to help with recurring expenses such as lights, and information if you would like to become a sponsor.
The Crew: Top row left to right -Tyler Rogers, Emre Kayadibi, Peter Asaro, David Brooks, Jonathan Cooney, Andrew Nicastro, Shawn Henry, Jesse Dole, Oliver Brooks, and Daniel Brooks.
Bottom row left to right – Nichole Frontiero, Christian Maki, Nard Doyle, Steve Allwood, Pietro Cannavo, David DeAngelis, Jose Leland, Josh Oliver, and Steve Larkin
Not pictured are Bryanna Porter, David Pratt, Rob Moran, and Miriam Brooks
SAVE the DATE: The Lobster Trap Christmas Tree Lighting is December 14th, 4:30 to 5pm.
Check out the Lobster Trap Christmas Tree’s brand new website at thelobstertraptree.org. The website was a donation from, and built by, Andrew Nicastro of the live stream and AV production company Streamography.
On the new website you will find links to the buoy painting schedule at Art Haven, how to be a sponsor, how to join the team, and how to donate to help with annual recurring costs (lights!).
There is also a portal to submit your Lobster Trap Christmas Tree photos, new and vintage!
This is the second year in a row that the Lobster Trap Christmas Tree is located at Solomon Jacob’s Landing.
Video of the Lobster Trap Christmas Tree Build
Incredible Crew! I think this is the biggest tree yet. From early morning til after sunset, this crew worked throughout the day to build The World’s Best Lobster Trap Tree!!
Love everyone’s big smiles, a joy to photograph. Lots more photos coming <3
The Crew: Top row left to right -Tyler Rogers, Emre Kayadibi, Peter Asaro, David Brooks, Jonathan Cooney, Andrew Nicastro, Shawn Henry, Jesse Dole, Oliver Brooks, and Daniel Brooks.
Bottom row left to right – Nichole Frontiero, Christian Maki, Nard Doyle, Steve Allwood, Pietro Cannavo, David DeAngelis, Jose Leland, Josh Oliver, and Steve Larkin
Not pictured are Bryanna Porter, David Pratt, Rob Moran, and Miriam Brooks
Pretty harbor scene –
Keep cozy on this longest night of the year, and throughout the season <3
David Brooks and Jim Knott
Riverdale Mills CEO, Jim Knott, Jr., was in attendance at Saturday evening’s wondrous Lobster Trap Tree lighting. Mr. Knott generously donated the 400 traps used in creating the 2023 Lobster Trap Tree. The gift of 400 traps is permanent and will be used in the building of future trap trees. 400 trees were donated to symbolize Gloucester’s 400th anniversary.
Additionally, the labor for building the 400 traps was donated by Brooks Trap Mill in Thomaston, Maine, and contributions were made by Three Lantern Marine Fishing and Supply, Gloucester.
Jim Knott, as quoted in the Gloucester Daily Times, “We’re here for the lobstermen, and we’re trying to support both the current event and the future,” he said. “The reason for the donation is that we wanted to help the community out. The lobster fishing industry is a big part of our business and we have a long history in the lobster industry making wire mesh that was invented in Gloucester. My father has two patents that date back to the 1960s and that wire mesh supplanted wood almost completely (for lobster traps).”
The wire mesh, called Aquamesh, that you see inside modern lobster traps, was invented by Jim’s Dad, James Knott, Sr. He spent summers on Cape Ann with his family, fishing for lobsters during his teenage years. Mr. Knott knew there had to be a better lobster trap. Since the mid-1960s, he “had been tinkering with designs for wire lobster traps. The traditional wooden traps were buoyant and needed to be weighed down with bricks or rocks to sink. Once immersed, they became water logged and extremely heavy. They also wore out more quickly than metal cages.” James Knott converted an abandoned mill on the banks of the Blackstone River, in Northbridge, Massachusetts, which had been used to manufacture bayonets during the Civil War, and founded Riverdale Mills to manufacture coated wire and Aquamesh.
For more information read here:
The Wall Street Journal: James Knott Pioneered Modern Lobster Traps and fended off the EPA
Worcester Business Journal: The Backbone of Lobster Traps
Gloucester daily Times by Gail McCarthy: Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree Grows
World’s Best Lobster Trap Tree!
Lobster Trap Tree buoy painting is underway! Cape Ann kids are hand painting buoys to adorn the Lobster Trap tree with. So much beauty found in these proud, earnest little faces <3.
To sign up for buoy painting, please visit the Cape Ann Art haven website here: https://www.arthaven.org/
The Lobster Trap Tree is located at Solomon Jacobs Park, at Harbor Loop, in between the Coast Guard Station and Maritime Gloucester. The tree lighting takes place this coming Saturday, December 9th at 4:30pm, after the Middle Street Walk.
For a complete list of events for the Middle Street Walk, please click here.
To celebrate Gloucester’s 400th anniversary, 400 brand new lobster traps were donated by Riverdale Mills. Read more about the background of the Lobster Trap Tree and Three Lantern Marine Supply’s program, which will allow youth to obtain student lobstering permits, at the Gloucester Daily Times.
This morning’s gentle snowfall on the harbor.
“Purple Snowflakes” by Marvin Gaye
The Lobster Trap Tree is located at Solomon Jacobs Park, at Harbor Loop, in between the Coast Guard Station and Maritime Gloucester. Youth from around Cape Ann are painting buoys to decorate the tree with. The tree lighting takes place this coming Saturday, December 9th at 4:30pm, after the Middle Street Walk.
For a complete list of events for the Middle Street Walk, please click here.
To celebrate Gloucester’s 400th anniversary, 400 brand new lobster traps were donated by Riverdale Mills. Read more about the background of the Lobster Trap Tree and Three Lantern Marine Supply’s program that will allow youth to obtain student lobstering permits at the Gloucester Daily Times.
The photos from the Lobster Trap Tree build were taken late Friday afternoon, where you can see the footprint of the tree beginning to take shape, through Saturday, when most of the building took place, and into Sunday morning, when the crew was installing the lights.
Lots of friends and family stopped by to check on the tree’s progress. That’s David’s wife and their three kids and David’s sister with her kids looking up at the tree top, and also ‘helping’ Shawn.
Shout out again to David Brooks, Shawn Henry, and the wonderfully dedicated tree building crew – Shane O’Neill, Dave D’Angelis, Peter Asaro, Devin Carr, John Cooney, Andrew Nicastro, Steve Larkin, Dave Pratt, and Peter Cannavo.
The Lobster Trap Tree is located at Solomon Jacobs Park, at Harbor Loop, in between the Coast Guard Station and Maritime Gloucester. Youth from around Cape Ann are painting buoys to decorate the tree with. The tree lighting takes place after the Middle Street Walk on Saturday December 9th at 4:30pm.
For a complete list of events for the Middle Street Walk, please click here.
Left to right: Shawn Henry, Dave D’Angelis, Peter Asaro, Devin Carr, David Brooks, John Cooney, Andrew Nicastro, Steve Larkin, and “Fancy” Dave Pratt. Not pictured, but just as dedicated and hard working, are Shane O’Neill and Peter Cannavo.
Please write if anyone’s name is missing and I will add it to the post. Thank you!
One more for tonight. Incredible creation. I think you are going to be knocked out when you see the tree in its new location.
Tree lighting December 9th 
The most beautiful, the grandest, the best ever lobster trap tree. 400 traps for the 400th!
Built by these incredible ninjas Lots more photos/video of today’s tree build coming 
Several nights ago I popped by Gloucester’s magnificent Lobster Trap Tree. Not only were a dozen or so people there taking snapshots and family photos, but the crescent Moon was rising through the tree’s star topper! The Moon and star combination only lasted a few brief moments as a haze began to form around the Moon.
Most of us that reside on Cape Ann know of Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree, but just in case not, this original-to-Gloucester tree makes a splendid setting for holiday snapshots. The tree is constructed of donated lobster traps and what makes ours especially, especially beautiful is that the buoys adorning the tree are all hand painted by kids at Art Haven.
Charlotte finding the buoy she painted – Liv photo
Another wonderfully unique feature of the tree is that you can walk through and take photos from the inside looking up. Local resident Shawn Henry designed and installed the lights so that the arrangement is equally as beautiful from the outside as it is from the inside.
Next time you are thinking about holiday photos, think Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree. Every time while visiting the tree we meet people from all around the north shore region who are either there purposefully or just happened upon the tree. There is always much ooouuuing and aawwwing to be heard; people just love our tree. Not only for family snapshots, one time while I was there taking photos, a wedding party stopped by! 
Gloucester’ Lobster trap Tree is located at the plaza next to the Gloucester police station at 197 Main Street.
Photos at the Lobster Trap Tree is a family tradition – Charlotte at one and a half <3
The Lobster Trap Tree lighting is Saturday, December 10th, at 4:30!
Please join Art Haven for their holiday open house for the Lobster Trap Tree lighting on Saturday (12/10) from 4-5:30.
Art Haven is filled to the brim with buoys and they can’t wait to hang them up!
Cape Ann’s beautiful Lobster Trap Tree is ready for lights! Super excited to write that this year, David Brooks and friends have created the magical walk-through style tree. The past few years, because of Covid, the tree was fantastic but we weren’t able to enter, look up, and experience the starry wonderment of being surrounded by the holiday lights..
Buoy painting is full underway. As usual, the event is tremendously well organized. Charlotte had a grand time painting her buoy with Christmas trees and rainbows. So many thanks to Traci and the Cape Ann Art Haven staff for providing a meaningful and fun holiday event for all the local kids. There is no charge although, if able, parents are asked to make a donation when it’s time to pick up the buoys.
Gloucester’s very own wonderfully unique Lobster Trap Tree, the only one in the world decorated with buoys painted by local kids and local artists.
January 22 and 23rd are “pick up your buoys” days
Cape Ann Art Haven is accepting reservations for buoy painting for the 2021 Lobster Trap Tree!
This will occur on 4 Saturdays: November 13, 20, 27 and December 4 from 10:00.m. to 3:00 p.m at Art Haven. It is open to all children and adults. Please register for all that want to paint a buoy. The paint we use is permanent so please wear appropriate clothing.
