The Cricket’s travel feature, Postcards Home, usually features stories of adventures from trips far and wide. COVID put a stop to those kinds of stories last year. But this year, Christy King, a recent resident of Beverly Farms (by way of Oregon) and The Cricket’s Digital Director, has been …
Manchester’s eldest male resident, Gordon MacDougall, 97, drove over to The Cricket’s offices on Beach Street two weeks back to hand deliver two images. One features a recent trip he took to an automobile museum outside Reno, Nevada. He is posing in front of a 1930 Model A Ford, which was t…
Essex County Greenbelt’s 2021 Virtual Film & Lecture Series, Land, Sea, Community | Coastal Climate Resilience started on Wednesday, January 6 with the first of six events that will run through March 24.
Cricket reader Peter Bagley captured a beautiful afternoon of high surf, and appreciative surfers, on Singing Beach last Wednesday.
What's going on this week at the Manchester Public Library? Check it out in our Library Notes.
Constance Leahy, Sue Anderson, Lynne Comb, and Gail Browne of the Manchester Garden Club, decorating the Manchester Historical Museum for the holidays. Also on the holiday decor team: Regine Adam, Dyane Cotreau, Carol Darbyshire, Sue Mittermaier, Teresa Ramirez and Margaret Sheahan. As alw…
From 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, December 12, 2020 the Manchester Library and Town Hall will feature a decorated walkways with 375 electronic tea light "luminarias" to celebrate the start of the holiday season and to honor the Manchester-by-the-Sea’s 375th anniversary. The event was rescheduled du…
Sunday, December 6th was a cool and blustery day in town, but that did not stop Santa’s Annual Tour around town sponsored by the Amaral Bailey Post #113 American Legion and the Seaside Fireman’s Club of the Manchester Fire Department. This traditional trip has been happening for over sixty y…
This weekend begins the official downtown holiday shopping season in Manchester, with the Christmas By The Sea’s Holiday Stroll setting off weeks of festive events and programs in what—let’s face it—will be a very different holiday shopping season.
The traditional tour of Manchester-by-the-Sea by Santa Claus will occur on Sunday, December 6. This will probably be the last public appearance by Santa prior to returning to the North Pole and resting for his big around-the-world trip the evening of December 24.
Organizers of a new Cape Ann-wide holiday promotion are hoping residents will mark their calendars for Nov. 27 thru Jan. 1 to hop in their cars and head around Cape Ann for the First Annual 2020 Winter Lights Display Celebration.
This from Manchester Department of Parks & Recreation director Cheryl Marshall, who reported in that six women competed last week in the “Couch to 5K Program” (say that five times fast) with the Parks & Recreational Department. The idea of this particular race is this: participants …
John Collins, founder of the Great Marsh Brewing Company, last week hosted a visit by a small group of lifestyle journalists from Today.com and Forbes, among others. They learned all about brewing beer and about Collins’ new obsession, how to make perfect seltzer, which he learned from the …
Hopefully you've seen the advertisements for our annual Troop 3 Christmas Tree fundraiser, which runs on weekends from Black Friday until the weekend before Christmas. You may also have seen news about the national Boy Scouts of America organization's legal issues regarding abuse cases dati…
Hammond Castle Museum this week announced the return of its Deck The Halls program celebrating the holiday season. This year, however, the museum has added some new twists that make the event both safe and very interesting. (Hint: it involves a green screen.)
Gladstone, the jewelry boutique and gallery in Manchester, is currently exhibiting The Space Between, images by Cambridge photographer Margaret Lampert.
It was through Alexis Harwood of Helen’s Bottle Shop that I first tasted bread from Bonny. It was gorgeous. So much flavor. Deeply deeply yummy. I looked online and was thrilled to see that Stephanie Modhal, the baker behind Bonny Bread, sold loaves right out of her kitchen in Beverly. Joy.
What a difference a week makes. Early last week the leaves on the trees were still green, and rapidly turning the colors of fall. By Friday, the snow began tumbling down. Here, Manchester Public Library on Friday.
The Manchester Council on Aging (COA) is starting to percolate back some of its programming. Check them out here, and for further information on any of these items, please call (978) 526-7500 or email hammondn@manchester.ma.us.
Although local fishermen experienced good action through most of October, the 2020 striper season is pretty much over. In his year-in-review, Behnke tells us that fishing reports for the season were positive, but there are a number of underlying threats, including climate change, that are a…
Packing up for the season, the famed (infamous?) Tiki raft has found its way in to its mooring home off of Tuck’s Point in Manchester Harbor.
The Manchester Community Center (MCC) this year hosted its annual pumpkin carving contest, with a creative twist. Last Saturday, the MCC made pumpkins and craft bags available for pick up, and invited kids from "zero to six" years of age to pick their pumpkins and send in photos of their lov…
We are New Englanders and we know how to get through the winter. We have learned from past experience to prepare ourselves for getting through the dark months. But this year is different.
AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, if you stop where you are, there is likely something unexpected within your view. If you are lucky, it is something that will delight you. Yet, more often than not, as we busily hustle along our usual path, we forget to see what was there all along, waiting patiently f…
Scarecrow’s all over town! Essex downtown businesses, and some residences, have decorated their own version of the fall staple scarecrow. These we came across near the Shipbuilding Museum and out in front of Flying Dragon Antiques. There are many to find, from Perkins Marine to the First C…
The Manchester Essex Conservation Trust will hold its 57th Annual Meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, November 8 via Zoom. Mike Dyer, president of the MECT, will convene the meeting, which is open to the public.
Do you enjoy Manchester's parks? Love open space? Have ideas for improvements? We want to know what matters most to you! The Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea is updating its Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) and is seeking your input in a Parks and Open Space Survey.
A new Longevity Bench overlooking the Brook Street tennis courts was blessed by Father Paul this weekend, a gift to the town from the Dr. Samuel Ina family. Sam's wife, Carol and family members gathered for a blessing that extended to all who find rest and comfort in using this special bench…
Parks and Recreation is working to put together a list of the many houses that are decorated for Halloween. With the expected cold temperatures on Saturday, observing decorated houses from the warm car might be a perfect way to celebrate!
The “The Porch-Rait Project,” now at Cape Ann Museum’s newly debuted Green campus, is an ambitious, 245-photo project by four Cape Ann artists who shot intimate, personal portraits of families in Essex, Manchester, Rockport and Gloucester during the early weeks of the pandemic. The exhibit …
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is an annual event managed by the National Audubon that takes place not only on Cape Ann, but in all of North America and parts of Central and South America. It began in 1900 when ornithologist Frank Chapman decided that instead of a traditional Christmas seas…
Check out the downtown Beverly Farms decorations (which have spread to Hastings House and homes all over town) as Engel & Volker host the first annual Scarecrow Decorating Contest. The contest judging takes place Thursday, October 8th. A fun walk through town - vote for your favorite wit…
The Story High School class of 1960 has held several memorable reunions over the years, including their 20th at Tucks Point, 25th at the Surf Restaurant in Magnolia, and 50th at 7 Central in Manchester. This year, however, Covid 19 forced the cancellation of their 60th, originally scheduled…
