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Kids at 2024's annual

Annual Fire and Police "Touch a Truck" Delights Local Kids

On Saturday, September 28 Manchester’s DPW and fire and police departments hosted a Touch-a-Truck event behind the Town Hall. The display of motorcycles, ambulances, fire apparatus, snow removal …
The Essex school community welcomed new Essex Principal, Mrs. Kimberly Provost.

EES First Schoolwide Meeting with New Principal, Mrs. Kim Provost

The Essex Elementary School community has happily welcomed a new, permanent principal this school year, after two years with an interim principal.   Mrs. Kimberly Provost, comes to EES with a …
A strong showing of the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum board braved the rain last Thursday for the official ribbon cutting of the museum’s new portico, which restored an original exterior element of the Trask House that had been missing for more than 100 years.  From left, board members Axel Magnuson, David Lumsden, Suzanna Thompson, Rebecca Campbell, John Round, Marianne Coons, Mary Minott, Carol Bundy, Tom Durken (museum president), Constance Leahy, Alison Anholt-White, Matt Genta, and museum associate director Matthew Swindell.

Manchester by the Sea Museum: New Portico, No to Trolleys

The Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum officially kicked off its 2024-2025 lecture season last Thursday with a presentation on the 19th Century proliferation of—and Manchester’s successful efforts to …
ME girls cross country team heads out at the start of a match with Ipswich.

Fast Starts, Close Calls for ME Cross Country Teams

The Manchester Essex girls’ cross-country team is off to a fast start, while the boys just missed on picking up victories in their first two meets of 2024. The girls beat Ipswich by a 22-37 …
Hornet quarterback Zach Hurd celebrates ME’s first touchdown against Rockland at home on Friday night.  Under the lights and with a packed stadium the Hornets delivered a 38-18 win.  They are 2-0 this early in the season.

ME Football Runs All Over Rockland to Improve to 2-0

With a more condensed regular season and an expanded postseason schedule with the change to the format for high school football a few years ago, each victory and loss seems to carry more weight than …
Fresh energy at SEF, promoting the 2024 “Night of the Stars” fundraiser.  From left, Alicia Palmer, Maile Madigan, Sarah Conway, Ryann Hilton, Lindsay Banks, Kate Taylor, Veronica Wu, Lisa Manganiello, and Betsy McKeen.  (Not pictured: Brooke Orr, Sarah Wolf, Wendy Brady, Sarah Chamberlain, and Jen Mayer.)
Fresh Energy at the Spaulding Education Fund
With all the challenges surrounding public school district budgets, it’s hard to zero in on the very particular line that separates the funding required for basic school district operations and …
Paula Sullivan-Reggio and Kate Glidden Join Beauport Financial
Gloucester-based Beauport Financial Services this week announced two additions to its firm, including financial services professional Kate Glidden and administrative assistant Paula Sullivan-Reggio. …
Massachusetts Oyster Project
Oysters in Manchester
Earlier this year, the Manchester Harbor Boat Club (MHBC) partnered with the Massachusetts Oyster Project to install an oyster upweller as an experiment to grow oysters in local waters to stem …

A New Side of Willie Alexander on Exhibit Oct. 11 in Gloucester

A local musician this week will give locals a new way to appreciate his creativity when "Willie Alexander | Goya’s head found on Half Moon Beach" opens Friday, Oct. 11 at the Jane Deering Gallery …

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets in the United States and many other parts of the world. It is caused by worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and …

Generous Gardeners Holds Annual Dahlia Bouquet Sale Oct. 12 in Gloucester

Dahlias on Gloucester's Boulevard

This weekend's "Stacy Boulevard Dahlia Bouquet Sale" will give the public a chance to purchase many of the beautiful flowers that line Gloucester's waterfront. It is also a familiar annual event that …

Sports

Smooth Sailing So Far for ME Field Hockey

Hornet Abby Kent fires a shot towards the back of the net in an earlier match against Danvers.  ME won 4-0.  At press time the Hornets are 7-1-1.  Kent has a record of 6 goals and 7 assists.  ME next faces Gloucester on October 3.
It’s probably a sure sign that things are going well when a coach calls her team’s lone loss in a season a, “slump.” To be certain, there aren’t many things to complain about when it comes to the Manchester Essex field hockey team in 2024. The Hornets have been spectacular ...
ME Hornet Conrad Garfield punches through the Rockland defense during a Friday night 38-18 win over the Bulldogs.
After the Manchester Essex football team suffered its first loss of the season, Joe Grimes says it’s time for his team to use the circumstance as a springboard to bigger and better things. “We …
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SPORTS
ME’s Ernest Taylor fights his way towards the Ipswich goal in a close match that ended in a win, 1-0, for the Hornets.  At press time the boys are 4-1 for the season. Photo Paul Clark

For ME Girls Soccer, Experience is Everything

While they may be new to each other, the returning members of the Manchester Essex girls soccer team and new coach Scout Grifoni have one crucial element in common: experience.  This is …

ME Varsity Golf, Girls Soccer, X Country, and Field Hockey Play for Sept. 27

There's a lot going on with ME Regional High School sports this week in the Hornets Nest, inlcuding Girls Soccer, Cross Country, Field Hockey, and Golf ...

ME Boys Soccer In Control At Start of Season

It was supposed to be a soccer game, but by the end of regulation the Manchester Essex boys’ soccer team turned it into a game of “Keep Away.” The Hornets beat Pentucket by a …
Lifestyle
The cast of the paranormal play “Simon Says,” opening Oct. 16 in Beverly.  From left, Molly Chiffer, Kayode Akinyemi, and award-winning Gloucester actor Malcolm Ingram.

Perfectly Offbeat: “Simon Says” at the Larcom Opens Oct. 16

Just in time for Halloween, the critically acclaimed play, “Simon Says,” will open at the historic Larcom Theater in Beverly on Oct. 16. Described by the New York Times as “exciting,” the …

A Big Night Celebrating American Blues with Barrett Anderson in Manchester

Boston-based Blues singer and guitarist Barrett Anderson will host an  evening of story and song in Manchester later this month with a program of telling the story of early Blues music, the …

Violinist Scott Moore Kicks Off 2024-2025 Music Series in Annisquam

This month the Annisquam Village Church (AVC) will kick off it's 2024-2025 music performance series on Oct. 19 with "Devil's Box and Glory of God The Soul of the Violin from Paganini to Bach, Bluegrass, and Beyond," featuring AVC Artist in Residence and violinist Scott Moore.

Oct. Rocky Neck Art Colony Exhibit: Abstractions for Unsettled Times

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) is proud to present ELEMENTAL: Abstractions for Unsettled Times, a new exhibition curated by Meredith Anderson and Ginger Myhaver at the Cultural Center at Rocky …
In 2023,  a “Plein air” demonstration during CAPA Week by artist Charlie Shurcliff at Manchester’s Sharksmouth Estate was a big hit in 2023.  This year’s festival expands its weeklong programming in early October.

Demos, Collector’s Preview Party, And a $20K Purse Kicks Art Festival Up a Notch

Maybe it’s the $20,000 in prize money for the winners.   Maybe it’s the packed week of public events, the opportunity to see a future master artist at work, or maybe it’s the …
Home and Garden
Ozobot (Courtesy Photos)

Manchester Library Notes | Oct. 4

This week at the library, Ways to have a Green Holiday Season, Hearthside Book Club, Author Katherine Howe and much more! Open Sundays | Beginning October 20th, the library will be open Sundays …

Reconciling an historic home with modern living can be tricky. These properties are beautiful house with solid bones, but it's important when you tackle this type of design renovation to proceed with a healthy dose of caution ...
Pets and People

Cancer In Pets

Sadly, cancer is a condition commonly diagnosed at the Manchester Animal Hospital.   Many tumors can be diagnosed simply by palpation.  Others require biopsy and histopathological …

Books

Best Non-Fiction Picks for Fall

Last week it was Hannah Harlow's picks for Fall fiction releases, and this week, the owner of The Book Shop in Beverly Farms offers the best non-fiction book releases of the season. ...

Columnists

What's New in Home Design for Cape Ann?

Lean into a non-neutral this year.  Jen Coles like jewel tones, like this.

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 …

Obituaries
Carolyn J. Cassidy
Carolyn J. Cassidy, formerly of Ipswich who for more than 41 years served as a Grade One teacher in Essex, passed away Friday, September 27, 2024, at the Brooksby Village Retirement Community. Daughter of the late Thomas and Janet (Rae) Cassidy, Carolyn was …
Mary-Lou O’Brien
Mary-Lou O’Brien, 89, passed away on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and is now reunited in spirit with her beloved husband Carl. She grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea and was the daughter of …
Gordon Q. MacDougall
Gordon Q. MacDougall's life was a vibrant journey, marked not only by his longevity but by the depth of his connections and the strength of his spirit.  At the remarkable age of 101, Gordon, …
Natalie ("Nat”) E. Glovsky
Natalie ("Nat”) E. Glovsky died peacefully in Beverly, on September 19, 2024, at the remarkable age of 104. Natalie was born on January 10, 1920, in Brockton, one of five children of Aaron and …
Josephine Swan “Jody” Blagden
Josephine Swan Blagden, née Josephine Cutler Stearns Swan and known as, “Jody”, formerly of Manchester by-the-Sea, MA and Blue Hill, ME died peacefully at age 93, on Monday, September 2, 2024, in Nashua, NH. Josephine Swan Blagden, née Josephine Cutler Stearns Swan and known as, …
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How cattle grazing protects and benefits the land
(BPT) - With cattle ranching featured front and center in America's living rooms due to the popularity of shows highlighting the western lifestyle, and with Climate Week piquing interest in …
People combating cancer can get an assist from their dental professional.
Oral Health And Cancer: A Guide On Prevention And Management
(NAPSI)—Cancer. It’s   a word no one wants to hear, but every one should be prepared for. Individuals getting cancer treatment must make many lifestyle changes. People battling cancer and …
Don’t just age, age better: 5 longevity tips for healthier aging
(BPT) - Do you know how well you’re aging? Aging well goes beyond how you look. To live a healthier, more active lifestyle as you age, it’s important to know your current health baseline …
5 simple ways to harvest your health this fall
(BPT) - Fall is here and it's time to cozy up with healthier habits! If you're looking to refresh your routine and embrace healthier habits this season, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Dawn …
The Importance of Medicare Options for America’s Seniors
The Importance of Medicare Options for America’s Seniors
(Mark Gibbons, President/CEO of RetireSafe) - With the start of Medicare’s open enrollment period, it’s important that older Americans explore their healthcare options to make the best choice …