Listings may be sent to: Goings On, Gloucester Daily Times, 36 Whittemore St.,Gloucester, MA 01930, or emailed to Joann Mackenzie at jomackenzie@gloucestertimes.com, at least two weeks prior to an event.
Block Party
Join the fun at Gloucester’s first Main Street Block Party of the summer, on Saturday, July 13, from 6-10 p.m. Downtown Main Street will be closed to cars and open for action with live music, music, street performers, non-profits, food vendors, great entertainment, and more for the whole family. No admission, just put on your walking shoes and join the fun.
Literary tours
{div class=”elementToProof”}The free Literary Gloucester Walking tours started in 2023 under the auspices of the Gloucester 400+ Literary Committee, and were so popular, they are continuing under the sponsorship of the Gloucester Writers Center on Saturdays, July 13 and 27, Aug. 10 and 17, and Sept. 7 and 21. Gloucester has been home to great writers since the 1700s when Judith Sargent Murray penned her feminist poems and essays. For T.S. Eliot, Nobel Prize winner, Gloucester was his boyhood summer home and the sea themes are a signature part of his poetry. Charles Olson and Vincent Ferrini maintained a poetic dialogue in the 20th century. Rudyard Kipling wrote “Captains Courageous,” while staying in Rockport, Henry Wordsworth Longfellow’s “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” was inspired by a ship that wrecked off Gloucester’s coast, to name but a few. Tours start at 10 a.m. in front of the Sargent House Museum and run till noon, guided by noted raconteur Phil Storey. Rain or shine.
Exchange open
The Annisquam Exchange opens it doors Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., through October. Offering Folly Cove designs, silver, collectibles, estate pieces, linens, fine jewelry, kitchenware, cards, Annisquam apparel from Annisquam Sewing Circle, artworks, toys, candy, and more, at 32 Leonard St. in Gloucester. To learn more, visit www.annisquamexchange.com or email annisquamexchange@gmail.com.
Bandstand concerts
David Benjamin, summer music director for the City of Gloucester, is again helming free seaside concerts at Stage Fort Park’s Antonio Gentile Bandstand, on Sundays, through Aug. 25. Performances start at 6:30 p.m. A highlight of the season will be the Cape Ann Community Band “Barbie, Ken and Taylor” concert Aug. 17, with vocalist Alexandra Grace and her music students singing tunes from the Eras tour and the Barbie movie. The full season schedule is July 14, Horizon (pop hits); July 21, Grupo Fantasia (Latin dance); July 28, Compaq Big Band with Marina Evans; Aug, 4, Daisy Nell & Capt. Stan (acoustic fun); August 11, 4Ever Fab (Beatles tribute band); Aug. 18, The Continentals (pop-rock band); and Aug. 25, Martin & Kelly Band (country 2estern). To learn more, visit www.DavidLBenjamin.com or telephone 978-281-2286. Parking’s free, bandstand located on Hough Avenue, Gloucester. Restrooms are ADA accessible. Bring lawn seating.
Old Sloop Fair
ROCKPORT — The First Congregational Church of Rockport, first organized in 1755, will host its annual Old Sloop Fair on July 12 and 13, at 12 School St., Rockport, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days. Local and regional arts and craft vendors will for the first time exhibit fine-art photography, hand painted glass, sea glass art, sea glass jewelry, other hand-made jewelry, resin crafts, and hand sewn items on sale. Children’s activities include face painting and games, and burgers and hot dogs will be on the grill. The church’s traditional yard sale will feature art, jewelry, tools, baked goods, and more. The church sanctuary welcome visitors and the church historian will be present to answer any questions. For more information, email info@oldsloopfair.org or call 978-546-6638.
At Halibut Point
ROCKPORT — Halibut Point State Park, 4 Gott Ave. in Rockport, offers a new schedule of programs and events, free to all. An adult must accompany children. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Guided group tours available with advance reservations by contacting 978-546-2997 or halibut.point@mass.gov, Questions? Email Ramona Latham at ramona.latham@mass.gov.
When Granite was King!, Saturdays, July 13, 20, and 27, 10-11 a.m. Babson Farm Quarrying History Guided Tour, for ages 8 and older. Meet at parking area. Learn about the buildings, bridges, and breakwaters built to last. Touch tools of the trade. Find out how they moved these large, heavy stone pieces, and “paved” dirt streets in our nation’s growing cities.
Tide Pool Exploration, Saturday, July 13, from 10-11 a.m. Observe great diversity of life at the rocky shore. Explore different tide level zones containing ranges of salinity and water coverage. Discover animals and plants and how they survive at each tide level. Meet at Visitor Center. A ages. Heavy rain cancels.{/div}
Comedy Night
Four of Boston’s top comedians will perform at the 18th Annual Rotary Club of Gloucester Comedy Night on Thursday, Aug. 29. Dave Rattigan returns to host Brad Mastrangelo, Jody Sloane and Jeff Koen at Cruiseport Gloucester, 6 Rowe Square, Gloucester. Rattigan, who has performed internationally and locally, will introduce Mastrangelo’s unique routine. Sloane, a Coast Guard veteran, cut her entertainment teeth doing her sit-down shtick as a cheeky “conducktor” named Penny Wise on the Boston Duck Tours. Koen’s family won $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos. He’s known for playing the offensive “Uncle Rick” in the 2010 cult film “Heavy Times.” Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $30, available by calling or texting Mark Vadala at 978-490-0939 or emailing mark@vadalarealestate.com.
Photo contest
The Gloucester Rotary will publish a 12-month Cape Ann photo calendar for 2025 as a fundraiser. All profits support Gloucester Rotary’s many community and international activities. The 2025 calendar theme will be Flowers of Cape Ann. The club is requesting high quality digital photos that reflect the natural beauty of Cape Ann year-round, so need images from each season, from Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. For full contest details, visit www.gloucesterrotary.org. Deadline for entries is noon Tuesday, Aug. 15. Details at www.facebook.com/RotaryGloucesterMA.
Summer at Windhover
ROCKPORT — At Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, the evenings are for the enjoyment of great performances on the outdoor tented stage and in the studio and chapel. Here’s a line-up of what’s in store this summer at the performing arts center, 257R Granite St.For tickets and more information, visit: https://windhover.org/ Or call 978-546-3611
Theater: Lanes Coven presents Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream at Windhover’s outdoor stage July 12-28. Tickets, $10-45.
Dance: Friday, Aug. 2, and Saturday Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. New York City’s Janie Brendel & Friends performs Brahms. Her seven dancers spent three years at a dance center retreat creating these works for the White Oak Dance Project, founded by dance legends Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris. Tickets, $20, $10 for students.