The new reality right now is a lot of time at home.  Jen Coles, professional home designer and mother of four who lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea, writes that this new home-based reality can be an opportunity.  Just break it down and take it step-by-step.  (And there are cupcakes involved.)

This lovely letter of “Thanks” came in from Sue Thorne, co-chair of Manchester’s 375^th Committee last week, after deadline for the printing of last week’s newspaper.  That night came the president’s announcement of the Coronavirus pandemic that began to change everything.  We’re running it now because it’s important.  We were lucky to have shared such a wonderful evening of celebration with so many people, together—not long ago, yet now it feels distant.

On Friday, February 28 more than 200 Trustees members, supporters and guests from Greater Boston and the North Shore gathered for the statewide non-profit conservation and preservation organization’s first regional fundraiser in more than 20 years at the iconic Castle Hill on the Crane Estat…

Manchester's Katherine Lane Weems (1899-1989) was one of the 20th century’s most accomplished sculptors. This 1928 piece, called just "Bull" part of of the Cape Ann Museum's yearlong exhibit opening Tuesday celebrating women in art, "Odds Were Against Me". 

Many pet owners worry for the safety of their beloved animals when it comes to coyotes.  But their fear is misplaced if proper safety precautions are taken.  The real danger, writes Jim Behnke, lies in the coyote’s increasing habituation with humans and the misconceptions many have about these wild animals.

It was a totally packed house last Thursday at “Wigwams At Saw Mill Brook,” the first lecture in Manchester Historical Museum’s year-long series tied to Manchester’s 375^th Anniversary.  Mary Ellen Lepionka, a historian and anthropologist and an expert on early inhabitants of Cape Ann, took rapt attendees through the amazing true story of Native Americans here. 

Katherine Lane Weems, who lived much of her life in Manchester, was one of this country’s most accomplished sculptors of the 20th century and a major figure on Boston’s North Shore for many years. She is best known for her larger-than-life size animal pieces, many of which can be found in and around Boston, including the bronze Dolphins of the Sea (1979) at the New England Aquarium. 

The Manchester Sailing Association’s (MSA) sailing program is opening its 2020 summer program registration and has put out a call for all aspiring and experienced sailors.  The North Shore summertime tradition that has been teaching confidence and resilience on the water since 1971. 

A special Valentine’s handblown glass pop-up for the Bubble Factory of Essex transformed GLADSTONE on Union Street into a fantasy of delicate color last week.  James McLeod, founder of the Bubble Factory (and head of the 3D - Glass Department at Mass College of Art) came over from his large …

It was almost 30 years ago when my wife Connie and I first came to Cape Ann in search of a home. By the time we turned onto Apple Street it seemed we were turning another type of corner.  We knew this was where we wanted to raise our family.

All of Manchester-by-the-Sea's Family Fun Day celebration went off without a hitch the weekend before Valentine’s Day at the American Legion Hall.  There were games, face painting for the kids, ice cream sundaes and plenty of music for everyone who attended.  Here, Karen Snider, Cindy MacDou…

The North Shore Horticultural Society will hold its sixth meeting of the season on Thursday, February 27 at Sacred Heart Parish Hall, 62 School St, Manchester.

Manchester’s Bob Fulford was one of the original organizers and coaches of Manchester’s co-ed recreational youth (grades 3, 4, 5, and 6) basketball program.  As recognition of this long tenure of service, Bob was honored and formally recognized for all these years of service when the official name of the program’s end-of-season Championship Tournament became the “Bob Fulford Winter Basketball Tournament.” 

Committee Co-Chairs Sue Thorne and Tom Kehoe have been working with a team of 25 residents to coordinate a series of events throughout the year. Thanks to the hard work of the 375^th Celebration Committee, each month will bring new events and a reason to gather together as a community.

Approximately 60 family and friends attended an interfaith ceremony for veterans from Manchester, Beverly, Ipswich, Lynn and several other communities in this year’s “Four Chaplains Sunday” marking the 77^th anniversary of the day the SS Dorchester carrying 902 men sank after being hit by a German U-boat, in which four WWII Army chaplains removed their own lifejackets so others could be saved, choosing to go down with the 672 men who perished that day.

Artists - painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, jewelry makers and more - are invited to submit their work to be considered for Greenbelt’s 31st annual “Art in the Barn” exhibition and sale. 

A collection of paintings by Cape Ann artist KJ Carvalho is currently on display at Santander Bank‘s Manchester Branch through March 4. 

The first sailor’s valentine I ever saw was on Nantucket.  It was impossibly delicate and sweetly beautiful.  The little plaque below it explained that these wondrous tokens of affection were brought back by sailors during the nineteenth century after months, if not years, at sea.  I imagined lovesick men beach combing in the early morning hours for just the right shells, evenings spent by candlelight carefully sewing these tiny perfections to cotton backing and then carefully constructing the octagonal wooden box in which it was encased and then somehow finding the perfect heart shaped clasp to seal and protect their love on its journey home to someone special.

Artist Amy Furman will be featured in an exhibit this month at Gladstone in Manchester.  Furman attended Massachusetts College of Art and graduated in 1975 with a B.F.A. in painting. During the summers of her sophomore and junior years, she studied with James Gahagan, a former student of Hans Hoffman, in Vermont. This experience led her to the decision to become a painter.