More local news
Masconomo Park, Manchester-by-the-Sea, nearly submerged in early 2024 flooding.

Co-designing a Flood Resilient Masco Park

Residents got a taste of what is in store for certain areas of Town with the flooding that occurred this past winter.   While no especially large storm struck, extensive high waters flooded …
Harbormaster, Bion Pike, April’s MC speaker here with club President Kevin Delaney.

Harbormaster Bion Pike Featured at Manchester Club's April Meeting

At the Manchester Club’s April dinner, Manchester-by-the-Sea Harbormaster Bion Pike was the featured speaker and brought the membership up to date on various initiatives and state/federal …

MBTA Zoning Task Force plans second community forum for April 27

Residents of Manchester-by-the-Sea will get another chance to learn about the MBTA zoning requirements and ask questions of the Task Force at a community forum on Saturday, April 27. The forum …
New England Town Meeting Board Game, created in 1979 by Elizabeth Banks MacRury.

It’s Manchester Annual Town Meeting Time

The Annual Town Meeting (ATM) is set for next Wednesday, April 24.   All voters are asked to come to the Memorial School for the 6:30 p.m. start.   (Come early to avoid the rush and you can …
Girls Score & Achieve Goals at CAYH’s Bruins Academy
What happens on the ice each Sunday around 1 p.m. at Dorothy Talbot Rink in Gloucester may come as a bit of a surprise to some. It’s at that time every week that 40 young hockey hopefuls …
Cape Ann Fire and Police officers and MBTS Harbormaster Bion Pike (far left) trained at Masconomo Park last Wednesday morning on oil spill response.
Manchester Hosts Regional Oil Spill Response Training
Manchester Fire Chief Jake McNeilly, members of the Manchester by the Sea Fire Department and Manchester Harbormaster Bion Pike participated in training designed to improve the department's response …
Jen DeSimone: Running for Something Special
Successfully completing the Boston Marathon is a true accomplishment for many Cape Ann residents who run or walk those 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.   T his year …
Sports
Congratulations to Nate Gardner on his 11th place finish in the Boys 55 Hurdles event at the MIAA Meet of Champions. Courtesy Photo
If any group has the experience to handle some of the high-level challenges in store for the Manchester Essex boys’ tennis team this spring, it’s this one. The Hornets lost three …
H ornet sailors jumped right into the cold water of Manchester Harbor on the third day of the season.   Following two days of pulling the boats off the racks, stepping the masts, and …
The third time wasn’t necessarily the charm for the Hornets. This one was the biggest matchup of the season between the Manchester Essex and Georgetown girls’ basketball teams: the …
The Manchester Essex basketball team—a squad that has lost all of one game this season—was down by two at the end of the first quarter in their tournament game against Frontier Regional. …

Gloucester Stage Brings Together Art, Activism, Community in Three Days of Climate Action Plays This Weekend

A three-day performance festival will take place this weekend in the name of climate change at the Gloucester Stage Company.  Called Water's Rising: Festival of New Climate Action Plays , the …

Senior Nite for Varsity Boys Basketball

Monday night the Hornets held Senior Night for the boys’ basketball team.   The seniors honored their parents for the support they provided during their athletic careers.   Kneeling, …

Winslow Homer’s “Eagle Head”: More Than Meets the Eye

“Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide)” by Winslow Homer was called “grotesque” when it debuted in New York City in 1870, described as “one of the most unsettling romantic paintings of the nineteenth century.”  Today it hangs in NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When the artist Winslow Homer came to paint on Cape Ann in 1869, he arrived as a busy commercial illustrator for popular magazines of the day.  Over the next eleven years, spending …

Obituaries
David Frederick Hall Jr.
David Frederick Hall Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, passed away peacefully at the age of 83, surrounded by his loving family, on March 24.  David was born on May 14, …
Dorothy A. (Margulis) Pike
Dorothy A. (Margulis) Pike, age 88 of Manchester by the Sea, entered Eternal Rest on April 10, 2024. Dorothy was born in Boston, daughter of the late Mollie & Mac Margulis.  She owned …
Ruth M. Fusco
Ruth M. Fusco, 89, passed away April 6, 2024 at her home in Manchester in the presence of her loving family.   Born in Revere, she was the daughter of the late John V. Sullivan and Jenny …
Ron Mastrogiacomo
Ron Mastrogiacomo, a longtime resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, died Monday after a short illness.  Ron was loved deeply by his family, friends and colleagues. His sense of humor is legendary …
Jan M. (Conroy) Anderson
Mrs. Jan M. (Conroy) Anderson 79, of Manchester, beloved wife of Carl A. Anderson Jr., passed away unexpectedly on March 28, 2024 while vacationing with friends. Born in Salem, she was the …
Lifestyle

Step Into History: Eric Pape’s Masterpieces on Display at Hammond Castle Museum

Right now the Hammond Castle Museum in Magnolia is offering a trip through time and artistry with its latest exhibition, “Gertrude Cawein at Hammond Castle Museum.”   Running …

Dreams and Dances’ at Annisquam Village Church

Music brought violinists Scott Moore and Erica Pisaturo together in the first place, performing together every day on tour. And music is how they continue to spend most of their time—when …
Cape Ann Blossoms (2023) image of Augustus W. Buhler (1853-1920), Shoving Off. C. 1907. Oil on canvas, Gift of Dr. Bernard S. Cohen, 1979. [Accession # 2199]. Floral Arrangement by Joni Pesola of Danvers Garden Club.

Cape Ann Blossoms Returns to Cape Ann Museum May 4

Just in time for the beginning of spring, Gloucester's Cape Ann Museum is bringing back its popular Cape Ann Blossoms event on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Floral …

Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras Schedule Auditions for 2024-2025 Season

The Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO) will hold open auditions for local Cape Ann and North Shore young musicians to join its ensembles in the 2024-2025 concert season. For those …

It’s Fantasy and Mythology with Cape Ann Symphony on Sunday, April 14 at Crowell Chapel

The Cape Ann Symphony’s 72nd season is in full swing, and on April 21 the group will reprise one of its most popular programs, the intimate and scaled down “Musicians Unleashed” …
Home and Garden
Maria Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of

Manchester Library Notes | April 26

A lot is happening this week at the Manchester by the Sea Public Library, including a meeting of the Mystery Book Club, a plant swap, meditation, children's programs and more.

Spring is finally starting to be sprung.  Those brave spring bulbs are sticking their skinny green necks out, and so far all I’ve wanted to do is wrap a scarf around them—but they …
Pets and People

Pain in Pets

Nobody wants to see their dog suffering and in pain, writes Dr. Larry Lamb of Manchester Animal Hospital.  However, sometimes it can be very difficult to know for sure whether your dog is in pain.  …

Books

Book Lovers, Clear Your Calendars!

Bethany Groff Dorau

Book lovers of the North Shore, clear your calendars for the last weekend of April. On Saturday, April 27, bookstores across the country will be celebrating Independent Bookstore Day. It’s one …

Columnists

It’s all in How You Finish That Counts

Colors are back after a long love affair with cool whites and greys.  And part of that is the opportunity to lean into new finishes in fixtures, like rubbed bronze, brass, and yes, gold.

I   don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s the wild west out there when it comes to the finishes we find on hardware, bathroom fixtures, and lighting.   Where we used to …

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Billions of cicadas are about to emerge from underground in a rare double-brood convergence
In the wake of North America’s recent solar eclipse, another historic natural event is on the horizon. From late April through June 2024, the largest brood of 13-year cicadas, known as Brood XIX, will co-emerge with a midwestern brood of 17-year cicadas, Brood XIII.
Removing PFAS from public water will cost billions and take time – here are ways to filter out some harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home
Chemists invented PFAS in the 1930s to make life easier: Nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant carpet were all made possible by PFAS. …
Gold vs. stocks: As both hit record highs, which is performing better for investors?
Money helps shed light on which is a better investment: gold or stocks.