Two years seems like a long time, but in the case of Gloucester’s 400th anniversary celebration in 2023, it’s right around the corner and this week organizers announced 22 local supporters have signed on as partners, including non-profits, corporations, and local businesses.
The “Gloucester400 Organizational Partners Program” has attracted 22 organizations willing to collaborate on behalf of Gloucester’s 400th anniversary celebration.
“Working with the entire community to produce a successful quadricentennial is essential,” said Laura Ventimiglia, the Gloucester400 executive director. “Looking ahead to 2023, our initial organizational partners share our collaborative nature, appreciation of Gloucester’s history, and excitement about the city’s future. We look forward to working closely with them and other interested organizations to carry out a celebration that is worthy of our 400-year history.”
Current partners are: 1623 Studios, Annisquam Village Players, Backyard Growers, Cape Ann Animal Aid, Cape Ann Finns, Cape Ann Media Productions, Cape Ann YMCA, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, Gloucester Adventure, Inc., Gloucester Cultural Initiative, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI), Good Morning Gloucester, Greenbelt - Essex County's Land Trust, Hammond Museum, Inc., LEAP for Education, Manship Artists Residency and Studios, Ocean Alliance, Pathways for Children, Inc., Rockport Music, The Open Door, The Sawyer Free Library, and Wellspring House.
Gloucester, America’s oldest seaport, will be “400 years young” in 2023. To celebrate its past, honor its people, and welcome its promising future, the city has begun preparations for celebrating this historic milestone and organizing the year-long celebration of its anniversary. The theme of the quadricentennial is “Gloucester: Our People, Our Stories” and focuses on celebrating Gloucester’s history through the stories of the people who lived, sacrificed, rejoiced, worked, built, and innovated together – at times risking everything – since 1623.
“We’ve been very pleased by the rapid and wide-ranging response to the Organizational Partner Program. A key aspect of the program is that it allows and encourages each participating organization to retain its unique identity, be its unique self, and participate in a way that is consistent with its respective mission. In our conversations with various Partner representatives the excitement about participating in Gloucester400 is evident and the early wave of Partnerships indicates that our collaborative approach is successful,” Laura commented.
The formal program establishes an agreement between Gloucester400 and the participating partner to jointly promote the work that each does for the City of Gloucester, thereby bringing attention to their contributions. Further, promoting each other’s activities and events that commemorate the city’s quadric centennial mutually raises awareness and drives engagement towards initiatives that serve to celebrate Gloucester’s 400-year history. Each organization will take on the communications mantel for their respective memberships, communities, and constituents on behalf of Gloucester’s 400th anniversary celebration.
