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Tag: adolescence

  • The Weepiest TV Moments of 2025

    Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: HBO, Disney, Netflix, FX

    Come, weepers! Come, sobbers! Come, ugly-ass criers! You are all welcome here at our annual countdown of the scripted TV moments that undid us emotionally in 2025. Our tear ducts definitely got a workout this year, as television offered up a bounty of gut-wrenching, sob-inducing moments. There were major character deaths and thwarted happy endings and a devastating breakdown against a backdrop of cartoon forest animals. Are you ready to relive all these weepy moments and more? Ready to let television stir the deepest part of your soul? Ready to slide down a door while crying out that it’s all just too damn much? Cool, me too. Below, find the ten moments from the 2025 TV season that we’re still crying over.

    Forever, “Forever …”

    Photo: Netflix

    Justin and Keisha actually break up about halfway through Forever’s finale, and while it’s certainly upsetting, it’s both inevitable and refreshing to watch two 18-year-olds come to the wildly mature conclusion they need to let each other go so that both of them can figure out who they are and what they want. But this is by no means the most emotional moment of the episode. That gut-wrenching honor is saved for later when they meet up one more time at the end of the episode to say good-bye before Keisha leaves for Howard while Justin stays in L.A. to pursue music. There’s no awkwardness, just two people who love and care about each other, who are grateful for what the other gave them. Their final moment together is dripping with bittersweetness. As Frank Ocean’s cover of “Moon River” kicks in, there’s nothing more for these two to say, so instead they take each other in one last time; there’s sadness and longing in their expressions, and also an undeniable feeling of hope that they might find each other again someday. But until then, they have to walk away.

    9-1-1, “Lab Rats”

    Photo: ABC

    There we were, innocently thinking 9-1-1 is an insane procedural about bee tornadoes and cops in space, when along comes the surprise death of a main character to leave you drowning in a puddle of your own tears. When Angela Bassett cries, I cry, this is just a rule to live by. Part of that reaction comes down to shock — both that the show would actually kill off Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash, arguably the lead of the ensemble, and at the reveal that Bobby knew the whole time that he was infected with the virus they were called in to contain, but kept quiet so that Chimney, also infected, would get the only dose of the antidote. The other reason this hits so hard? Krause and Bassett are 9-1-1’s mom and dad, so from the moment Bobby says, “I want some time alone with my wife,” you know we are in for it. He tells Athena he loves her, that he would choose her if he could, and then proceeds to bleed out right in front of her. He wants her to go, but she refuses to leave his side until it’s over.

    Task, “A Still Small Voice”

    Photo: HBO

    There’s nothing like a catharsis cry, and that’s exactly what Task serves up in its final montage of what befalls both Tom Brandis and Maeve Prendergast once the Dark Hearts case is wrapped up for good (for now). In the end, Tom, who has taken in Sam, the young boy who accidentally stumbled into Robbie’s revenge tour on the Dark Hearts, must let his foster son go. It’s bittersweet to watch Tom “be unselfish” with his love, knowing that giving up Sam is ultimately the best thing for a boy who needs — deserves — stability that Tom can’t give at the moment. (That shot of Emily helping Sam button up his shirt before meeting his new family? Makes me sob every single time.) But forgiving his own son and letting Sam into his heart has offered Tom a fresh start. He seems somehow lighter at the end of all this — isn’t Mark Ruffalo so good at his job?

    But Tom is not the only one given this ending. Maeve, too, makes an unselfish act by taking her young cousins into her care and giving them a new life somewhere else. Moving out of that house is the only way forward, but Maeve also makes sure not to dismiss what happened there — she still wants to honor her late father and uncle. For a show as bleak and depressing as Task is for most of its seven episodes, having it end on such a note of overwhelming hopefulness is a welcome and moving surprise.

    Adolescence, “Episode 4”

    Photo: Netflix

    Honestly, when are you not crying while watching Adolescence? Its one-take formula is made to break you — there are no breathers, the intensity simply keeps building to its apex. This is especially true in the final episode, as we watch Jamie’s parents, Eddie and Manda, and his sister, Lisa, attempt and repeatedly fail to make Eddie’s birthday a celebratory one, even after they wake up to a slur spray-painted on the side of his van. It feels almost in reach until Jamie calls and informs his family that he’s changing his plea to guilty. The dam of emotion Eddie has been holding in bursts, and upstairs in their bedroom, Eddie and Manda have a teary, honest conversation about how they should’ve done better with their son. It feels like the first time they are admitting to the enormous guilt they’ve been internally grappling with. “We made him,” Manda says more than once. They made every part of him, and to have any shot at moving forward, they have to own it.

    Severance, “Cold Harbor”

    Photo: AppleTV

    Severance has the most complicated and most heartbreaking love triangle on television. With four people and only three bodies, will anyone come out of this thing with even the tiniest bit of a happy ending? Sure, you can’t fault Innie Mark for choosing to stay with Helly and, you know, continue existing, but the implications of that choice are absolutely devastating for Outie Mark and Gemma. For two years, he’s been mourning her “death” and she’s had her brain severed 25 times. Mark’s plan to go rescue his wife is so risky and so insane and so fucking triumphant that it is impossible not to burst into tears the moment Gemma steps out of the Cold Harbor room and returns to her old self, recognizing her husband standing in front of her. Finally, Outie Mark and Gemma are reunited, and the mix of joy and relief and love on Adam Scott and Dichen Lachman’s faces as their characters take each other in wallops you. Mark and Gemma’s elevator ride might be the biggest emotional whiplash on television this year: One second you are crying tears of joy as Mark finally gets to kiss his wife again, and then you get punched in the gut in a whole new way when they reach the severed floor and return to Innie Mark and Miss Casey. It’s a real “Didn’t we almost have it all?” moment, and I would like it severed from my brain immediately.

    Andor, “Welcome to the Rebellion”

    Photo: Disney+

    Andor uses the fact that it’s a prequel to Rogue One to its advantage several times throughout its two-season run, but never does that fact deliver a more emotional blow than when Bix sacrifices her romance with Cassian for the good of the Rebellion. Cassian is ready to leave the war against the Empire behind for a quiet, happy life with Bix, but she refuses to let him choose her over that fight, so she secretly leaves the rebel base, and Cassian, in the middle of the night. When he finds her good-bye video the next morning, she’s already long gone, despite his desperate run out to the ships to see if he can catch her. (Diego Luna’s face here — kill me.) Now, this would all be heartbreaking on its own — especially when paired with Brandon Roberts’s gorgeous scoring of this scene — but the waterworks really start to flow when Bix promises Cassian that once they win this war, she will find him and they can live the life they want together. Her hope is devastating because we know that none of this will ever happen, that Cassian is destined to sacrifice his life for the rebellion. We know that they will never see each other again. Fuck you, Rogue One!

    The Last of Us, “Through the Valley”

    Photo: HBO

    Unless you stayed off the internet for the two years in between seasons one and two of The Last of Us, you likely already knew that Pedro Pascal’s Joel was living on borrowed time. Abby’s brutal, fatal revenge on Joel for murdering her father to save Ellie back in season one was hardly a surprise, and yet that doesn’t blunt the emotional impact. The entire sequence is hard to watch, not only because the sheer level of violence is a shock to the system, but also because of how devastating it is to see Ellie, who tries so hard to act older than she is, shed that veneer and become instantly childlike. She knows he’s dead, but this doesn’t stop her from crawling over to him in tears to hold his hand one last time, just a kid begging the only father she’s ever known to live. Bella Ramsey sells the hell out of this moment, and the scene only becomes more potent on rewatch since by the end of the season we learn that when Ellie told Jesse at the beginning of this episode that she and Joel will be just fine, she really meant it — they were on the precipice of healing what was broken between them. She left for that patrol feeling hopeful, she returned from it forever changed.

    Upload, “Mile End”

    Photo: Prime

    Upload has absolutely zero business going this hard. Yet this silly rom-com — about a dead guy named Nathan whose consciousness is uploaded to a swanky virtual afterlife where he falls in love with customer-service rep Nora — wraps up its final season with an episode that goes so hard I did, admittedly, ugly-cry just thinking about it hours after watching. Nathan and Nora have already had to fight for their happily-ever-after through developments including, but not limited to, getting downloaded into the clone body his clingy ex grew for him, and getting kidnapped by evil billionaires who upload him over 100 times while running evil billionaire experiments on him. And just when they’re finally reunited, they realize that Nathan’s brain will never recover and he’s dying — there’s nothing they can do to stop it. They’ll never get a lifetime of happiness together, but they do have a few hours. Nora gets Nathan home and they lie in bed, where she uses her VR goggles to take him to Montreal, the place they planned to run off to together. They watch the sunset while Nathan tells Nora happy birthday and good morning and asks what she wants for dinner — all the little conversations they’ll never get to have. And then he tells her how happy she made him, that she was the love of his life, “this one. And the next one and the one after that …” and then he’s gone. In the real world, she takes off their goggles and holds him just a little bit longer. And now I’m crying again. Like I said, Upload goes hard.

    The Pitt, “7:00 PM”

    Photo: HBO

    Half of this list could be filled with scenes from The Pitt even though the medical series generally prioritizes authenticity over sentimentality. Maybe that’s the reason its most emotional moments hit so hard — it all feels so real. This is especially true of Noah Wyle’s performance as Dr. Robby, our stalwart leader, the calming voice in the shitstorm that is this season-long shift. It’s honestly a miracle the guy goes 13 hours before breaking down. You know it’s coming, too, as Robby, already attempting to compartmentalize his PTSD, collects one loss after another in the wake of the Pitt Fest shooting. But it’s his inability to save Jake’s girlfriend that finally does him in. Robby holds back tears as he tries to explain himself to his ex’s son, he sobs as he rattles off a list of people we’ve watched die throughout the season, and finally he erupts, kicking Jake out so he can be alone, weeping on the floor of that pediatric room turned morgue. The desperation as Robby falls apart is agonizing to watch, and yet there is some sense of relief, too, that this guy who has been trying to hold it all together for his team and for his patients is finally allowing himself to feel the full devastation of the shift from hell.

    Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious”

    Photo: Hulu

    Well, it’s right there in the title: This is a series about death. But Dying for Sex is much more than a solemn march as Molly’s terminal cancer takes her life, and two of its most magical elements, the ones that elevate it beyond some schmaltzy weepfest, really get to shine in the finale. First, there’s the pitch-perfect blend of comedy and tragedy. You will be crying for this entire episode — yes, even during the flying-penis bit — but you’ll be laughing, too. Laughing through tears, there’s really nothing like it. The second, of course, is the gorgeous friendship between Molly and Nikki, which anchors the show thanks to two fierce performances from Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. When it gets to the end, Nikki and Molly, who has been in hospice and is in so much pain she asks to be sedated, go into it knowing this will be the last conversation they’ll ever have. As Molly drifts off, Nikki tells her that she’s grateful, that she’s proud of her, that she loves her. Molly takes one last look at her best friend and says good-bye with a simple yet deeply rooted truth: “You were my favorite person in the whole wide world.” Molly may finally be free of pain, but the rest of us are left as crumpled-up disaster zones on the couch, attempting to wipe away the seemingly never-ending snot and tears spewing from our faces before making a much-needed call to our best friends.


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    Maggie Fremont

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  • The Best TV Shows of 2025 (So Far)

    Clockwise from top left: Gilded Age, Sirens, The Bear, The Rehearsal, and King of the Hill.
    Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: HBO (Karolina Wojtasik, John P. Johnson), Netflix, Mike Judge/Disney, FX

    Great TV will not be confined or defined by genre. That’s true both for the medium generally and here at Vulture specifically, where we are proud to bestow the label on everything from grim-and-gritty prestige dramas to campy reality competitions to weirdo animation and all points in between. Even that dustiest of TV genres, the medical procedural, proved it can still deliver the goods in 2025. Each of this year’s early standout series are distinctive in their form, tone, and appeal and collectively showcase the breadth and depth of the best that television has to offer.

    All titles are listed by season premiere date with the most recent shows up top.

    Photo: Apple TV+

    Few settings are more soothing than the lives of white, upper-middle-class Angelenos, but that’s only one of Platonic’s many charms. Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen, reunited after playing a married couple at war with Greek Life in Neighbors and its sequel (both directed by Nicholas Stoller, who co-created this show with his wife, Francesca Delbanco), star as two estranged college friends who reconnect in the midst of their respective midlife crises. Zany yet surprisingly grounded, the first season offered plenty of delights, though it was weighed down somewhat by the conventional will-they-won’t-they expectations baked into its premise. The second season, freed from those constraints, takes a real leap, letting the show settle into being a splendid hangout comedy that gently layers in the quiet existential desperations of growing older. It also showcases some truly tremendous face acting by Byrne — among her generation’s most versatile performers — and equally tremendous choices by Rogen’s stylist, who dresses his character in outfits so comically loud it’s hard not to smirk at the sight of them. But even this feels like another expression of Platonic’s appeal: The show is assembled with such intentionality you can’t help but be pulled in.

     ➼ Read Nicholas Quah’s review of Platonic season two .

    Photo: Mike Judge/Disney

    This could have been a disaster, because a lot of revivals are. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the fourth and fifth seasons of Arrested Development, And Just Like That … — none of them quite captured what made their originals so appealing. What a relief that King of the Hill is exactly what a revival should be, with one finger firmly on the pulse of the past (Hank being behind the times, his friends being a bit of a mess, Peggy having a mile-wide competitive streak) and another on the present day. These characters’ personalities are so hard-coded that King of the Hill has a blast updating them to the trends and phenomena of life in 2025, from a grown-up Bobby being a German-Japanese fusion chef struggling with claims of cultural appropriation to a retired Hank using his new free time to pick up odd jobs on a handyman app and realizing that what most of his employers really want is companionship. This ten-episode season has the same gentle openheartedness, Texan specificity, and satirical touches as the original run, and it’s nice to know that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. — Roxana Hadadi 

     ➼  Read Nicholas Quah’s review of King of the Hill. 

    Photo: Apple TV+

    The easy way to sell you on Chief of War would be to emphasize that Jason Momoa runs around pantsless a lot. The thoughtful way would be to say that Chief of War is a bit like a Game of Thrones–Shōgun hybrid, in that it’s both an action-packed and fantastical epic and a reframe of Hawaiian history told by the descendants of people who lived through it. Whatever argument is more persuasive for you, go with it! Because Chief of War is a fascinating star vehicle for Momoa, who co-created it with his recurring collaborator Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and also writes and directs. Set in the late 18th century and loosely based on history, Chief of War follows feuding Hawaiian tribes as they attempt to unify against the threat of colonization; Momoa plays Kaʻiana, a general who ends up traveling outside of the Hawaiian islands and realizing that capitalism and international trade will eventually come for his home. The historical epic is bloody, brutal, and sentimental, with an absolutely bonkers final battle set against an exploding volcano. And although the dialogue can be a little corny and the series’ narrative threads a little too diffuse, it’s also an incredibly bold undertaking that challenges viewers’ assumptions about Hawaiian culture and asks challenging questions about whether outside influence on the islands ended up being beneficial. Plus, scene-stealer Cliff Curtis! My captain, my king! — R.H.

     ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s review of Chief of War.

    Photo: Kent Smith

    Although it won’t be a show for everyone, The Hunting Wives is the best possible version of this particular kind of show: soapy, violent, melodramatic, sexy, and just a touch deep, but only in ways you’re welcome to ignore if you prefer. It is also gay! These ladies are totally horny for each other, and while most shows of this genre coyly feint toward queer undertones, The Hunting Wives is full of sex scenes that are actually sexy while also being shaped by thoughtful, careful decisions about character development and mood and balances of power. Plus, Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman bring beautifully dialed-in performances — big and fun and messy, but always grounded enough that the stakes stay real. — Kathryn VanArendonk

     ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s take on The Hunting Wives’s double twist. 

    Photo: Patrick McElhenney/FX

    The longest-running live-action comedy on TV could have run out of gas — and to be fair, some of its prior seasons have felt like the gang was cycling through the same old beats and story lines. But in this season, It’s Always Sunny feels creatively rejuvenated by its longevity and by how that lifespan gives it the freedom to consider its own place in the TV landscape. The crossover episodes with Abbott Elementary were basically brand management for the gang’s awfulness, while spoofs of The Bear, Succession, Is It Cake?, and The Rehearsal show how adaptable Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie, and Frank are to different genres and formats. The indignities they’re put through during “The Gang Goes to a Dog Track” makes for the most upsetting episode of It’s Always Sunny in years, and the crossover with The Golden Bachelor is a wonderful showcase for Danny DeVito. The series got a season-18 order all the way back in 2020, and hopefully it can keep this playfulness going. (Although, on the record: Seeing the unnecessary “Rob Mac” name change in the series’ credits is a real vibe killer.) — R.H

     ➼ Read the backstory of how the It’s Always Sunny and Abbott Elementary crossover came to be; Roxana Hadadi’s chat with star Glenn Howerton; and Rachel Simon’s list of essential episodes. 

    Photo: Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

    In its third season, HBO’s big sumptuous American version of Downton Abbey has figured out how to turn the dial on actual drama just far enough without sacrificing the frivolity that makes it so delightful. We got actual stakes in the industrialist Russell family’s marriage of their daughter (Taissa Farmiga, getting to finally flex her acting talent) off to a British duke, alongside everyone’s favorite clock subplot, a random act of carriage-related violence, and more guest appearances from leading lights of the American theater than you can count (Phylicia Rashad! Andrea Martin!). In these mind-melting months, The Gilded Age’s unique alchemy of nonsense and total actorly commitment — thank God for Carrie Coon — has made it the must-watch show of the summer. — Jackson McHenry

     ➼  Read Kathryn VanArendonk’s review of the season; Jackson McHenry’s behind-the-scenes set visit; Alice Burton’s recaps of the season; and the backstory of how the pivotal wedding episode was made.

    Photo: FX

    Though it still falls short of the cohesion (and heights) found in its first two seasons, The Bear’s fourth outing marks a clear improvement over last year’s batch of episodes. We rejoin the gang in the wake of a lukewarm Chicago Tribune review, which kicks off a ticking-clock scenario: Turn things around before Cicero runs out of money and pulls the plug. But before you start expecting a sports movie-style comeback tale — this is The Bear we’re talking about — what follows is a series of detours and departure episodes, as Carmy and company wrestle with questions of who they are and what they want. The season still indulges in the usual excesses (Faks, needle drops, more cameos), but it also has some truly standout set pieces, like a notably restrained episode, written by Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce and directed by Janicza Bravo, that trails Sydney on an excursion to visit her cousin that turns into a babysitting gig where she gets the chance to work out her feelings about the restaurant. The Bear might have its rocky moments, but if you’ve grown attached to this world, there’s a lot to love here. —Nicholas Quah

     ➼ Read Kathryn VanArendonk’s review, Nicholas Quah on the finale, Marah Eakin’s recaps of the season, and Eakin’s ranking of every episode.

    Photo: Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

    At this point, calling out Couples Therapy as one of the best shows on TV has begun to feel a little bit rote, but the truth is still the truth: Few docuseries operate on its level, because almost no one else is even trying. Season four continues to lean on the show’s biggest and most apparent strengths, which are selecting interesting couples to follow and creating a platform for the show’s breakout star, Dr. Orna Guralnik. But the sneaky secret to the show is and has always been in the edit — it crafts remarkably clear narratives out of hundreds of hours of footage without ever feeling reductive. —Kathryn VanArendonk

    Photo: Rafy/FX

    Hangout comedies have almost no premise, and that reality is both a gift and a curse. They’re shows about people who spend time with one another, and they sink or swim entirely on whether there’s chemistry, an established tone, and a strong sense of why these people are good company. Like so many shows in this space, Adults is an occasionally uneven first season with plenty of room to grow, but it begins with strong performances, plenty of confidence, and sufficient joke density to make a convincing argument that it deserves time to get even better. There will always be new comedies about what young people are like these days; Adults is the best of the current crop. —K.V.A.

    Photo: Netflix

    There are too many shows in the Sirens model (wealthy people in mysterious enclave led by charismatic woman), and too many of them also star Meghann Fahy, but the upside of that situation is that when one of them is actually fun and bizarre and well acted, it’s easy for it to stand out from the bunch. That is the case with Sirens, which rarely makes sense and often collapses under its own weight, and yet is so full of strong chemistry between its leads (Fahy, Milly Alcock, and Julianne Moore in what is traditionally the Nicole Kidman role) that it surpasses all the usual expectations. Kevin Bacon is occasionally there, too. —K.V.A.

    ➼ Roxana Hadadi’s review of Sirens and Caroline Framke’s recaps of the series.

    Photo: Philippe Antonello/Amazon MGM Studios

    Hot on the heels of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino found an excuse to go en pointe. The Gilmore Girls creator cashed in her clout with Amazon to fund a deliriously niche and indulgent project: a transatlantic comedy about New York– and Paris-based ballet companies trading their star talent, led by Luke Kirby and Charlotte Gainsbourg, both excellent. The show’s both a satire of the world of ballet and a loving tribute to the art form, with extended sequences where you just get to watch dancers at work, all colored by Sherman-Palladino’s specific aesthetic, fondness for warp-speed dialogue, and the charming undercurrent of “Can you believe they actually let us make this?” —Jackson McHenry

     ➼ Read Jackson McHenry’s full review of Étoile and Oliver Sava’s recaps of the season. 

    Photo: Star Wars via YouTube

    The most creative Star Wars project since the original trilogy (and those films owed a significant debt to Frank Herbert’s Dune), Andor has somehow gotten even better in its second season — more thrilling, more complicated, more talky. While the first season of Tony Gilroy’s prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was about the arc of radicalization, the second is about the challenge of consensus-building and how to organize a rebellion when its myriad factions disagree on methodologies and means. That approach gives each of the four three-episode chapters an organizing construct, so that Cassian’s (Diego Luna) missions around the galaxy, Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) lies and betrayals, and Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) political maneuverings all feel like spokes on the wheel of Andor’s “What is freedom worth?” questioning. The answer, of course, is everything, and Andor never lets its viewers forget the weight of that sacrifice. Also, Luna’s cheekbones! —Roxana Hadadi 

    ➼ Read Nicholas Quah’s review of the season, Roxana Hadadi’s interview with star Diego Luna, Jesse Hassenger’s recaps, our debate on the show’s Emmy chances, and James Grebey’s interview with star Genevieve O’Reilly. 

    Photo: HBO

    Nathan Fielder returns with his singular social experiment meets radical public therapy session meets performance-art piece meets comedy series. The second season is structured around Fielder’s (deeply researched) theory as to why a good number of plane crashes happen: communicative fissures between flight captains and their co-pilots owing to uneasy social dynamics. Naturally, he uses the extravagant means at his disposal, courtesy of HBO’s finance department, to construct Synecdoche, New York–style large-scale simulations meant to help him get closer to understanding human and pilot interactions. An array of Fielderean gags ensue — including constructing a simulacra of the Houston airport, staging a Canadian Idol–esque music competition, and a Captain Sully–related bit for the ages — that, ultimately and unexpectedly, builds up to an emotional payoff that’s quite beautiful. —N.Q.

    ➼ Read Scott Tobias’s recaps of the season, Jeff Wise’s interview with star and creator Nathan Fielder, and Wise on what real aviation experts think about the series.

    Photo: Ingvar Kenne/Curio/Sony Pictures Television

    Director Justin Kurzel’s cinematic filmography is like a kaleidoscope for various forms of masculinity. His interests run toward outlaws, mass murderers, doomed men like Macbeth, and white separatists trying to overthrow the American government. But instead of providing these figures with hagiographic portraits, Kurzel and his collaborator, writer Shaun Grant, prefer to interrogate what weaknesses and traumas lie at the heart of men and push them into aggression. Their ability to emphasize vulnerability without excusing monstrosity allows their films an always-impressive amount of depth. The pair bring all of that finesse to their first TV project, the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North, an adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize–winning 2013 novel. Jacob Elordi and Ciarán Hinds star as the older and younger versions of surgeon Dorrigo Evans, whose time as a Japanese POW during World War II — forced to tend to his fellow soldiers as they toiled on the Burma Railway while starved, overworked, and tortured — transformed his entire life. The miniseries is brutal, gory, and bleak; there’s no romanticism here about the gratuitous cruelty of war, and the five episodes absolutely can’t be binged if you care about your emotional equilibrium. But what works so well in The Narrow Road to the Deep North is its elemental feeling, its suggestion that all these characters are motivated less by logic and more by primal instinct: the need to love, the need to ascend, the need to survive. The series refuses to overdo dialogue as narrative connective tissue, preferring to let its actors’ depictions of their characters’ lush internal lives drive the action. With a final devastatingly astute (and ominous) observation about how war annihilates us from the inside out, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is no less humane than any of Kurzel and Grant’s other works, but it might be the most heartbreaking. —R.H.

    Photo: Prime

    This animated series from Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady follows the Husseins, an Egyptian and Muslim family living in New Jersey, and how their conceptions of themselves change after September 11, 2001, thanks to increasingly racist neighbors, media, and politicians. It’s a dark subject, but one that #1 Happy Family USA lightens up with original songs (including a quite catchy one about “Spies in the Mosque”), absurd voice performances (including Youssef performing both the family patriarch Hussein Hussein and teen son Rumi Hussein), and a thrilling through-line of anger at how easily America slid into its current atmosphere of paranoia and bloodthirstiness. Maybe the season is too frenetically paced and too overstuffed with ideas. But there’s a devil-may-care quality to #1 Happy Family USA, like no one involved can believe they’re getting away with creating a series in which former president George W. Bush is portrayed as a lizardlike kidnapper, the FBI like a bunch of maladjusted adrenaline junkies, and a hijab-wearing male dentist as possessing beaverlike teeth that can gnaw through trees. (The level of absurdity, it varies.) The elasticity of the medium allows for the series to stretch to accommodate all its most provocative and insightful ideas, until it ends on a cliffhanger that will forever change the way you think about the term “spy kids.” Another season is already on the way, which means you have no excuse not to watch. —R.H.

     ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s review of #1 Happy Family USA.

    Photo: Jasper Savage/Netflix

    The equivalent of a warm bowl of soup on a cold day, North of North reminds you what a comedy can provide — laughs, obviously, but comfort, too. With Iqaluit, Canada’s northernmost city, standing in for the fictional Indigenous community of Ice Cove, North of North’s eight-episode first season focuses on 20-something Siaja (an extremely winning Anna Lambe). She’s outgoing, cheery, and determined to make something of herself after separating from her overbearing and emotionally abusive husband, Ting (Kelly William). There’s just one problem with her plan: Ting is beloved by the town for his athleticism and his hunting skills, and they all immediately turn on Siaja for leaving him. The plot pushes Siaja toward ambition both professional (can she hold down a new job at the community center; can she serve as a resource for a visiting polar research team?) and personal (can she take a chance on herself; can she avoid being pulled back under Ting’s sway?), and Lambe handles it with all relatable charm. The cast surrounding her has great comedic timing, and the subplot involving Siaja’s mother Neevee (Maika Harper) and a returning flame from her past (Jay Ryan) is one of the season’s most moving. An episode about a baseball-game rivalry between Ice Cove and its nemesis town that’s packed with Indigenous in-jokes suggests that North of North could have Parks and Recreation–style legs, too, if Netflix were to go ahead and renew it already. —R.H.

    ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s review of North of North.

    Photo: Sarah Shatz/FX

    It feels incredibly reductive to call Dying for Sex a limited series about a woman with cancer, even though that is technically accurate. That’s because it’s about so much more than just cancer, including reclaiming one’s sexuality in midlife, facing childhood trauma, experiencing deep bonds of female friendship, and, yeah, staring down the barrel of mortality. Anchored by a gorgeously understated yet deeply felt performance by Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex is also darkly and consistently funny, flipping the bird at every trope in every maudlin cancer story we’ve seen before. This isn’t a show about dying at all; it’s a celebration of all the things that make life so worth living that we fight to keep doing that as long as we can. —Jen Chaney

     ➼ Read Rachel Handler’s talk with Michelle Williams about the making of the series, Handler’s interview with star Jenny Slate, and Erin Qualey’s recaps. 

    Photo: Apple TV+

    Pity the … studio chief? Seth Rogen anchors this Apple TV+ comedy that follows a newly elevated head of the fictional film studio as he tries (and fails) to realize his dream of making great movies in a modern showbiz era that sees an IP-fixated Hollywood in uneasy decline. Rogen does impressive work performing multiple duties: In addition to starring in the lead role, he writes, produces, and directs all episodes with frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg. The resulting series is both an electrifying farce about the insipidity of the movie business and a loving testament to its enduring magic. It also looks incredible and features an absurdly extensive list of high-wattage cameos from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Ron Howard, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, and, shockingly, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. —Nicholas Quah

     ➼ Read Nicholas Quah’s review of The Studio and Keith Phipp’s recaps of the season.

    Photo: Ben Blackall/Netflix

    If all that this British series did was technically succeed at pulling off four episodes that were each shot in a single take, that would have been impressive enough. But what makes Adolescence such vital television is the way it uses that continuous, unedited visual flow to underline the themes and character beats in this intense exploration of a preteen’s arrest on charges of murdering a fellow classmate. Director Philip Barantini, working alongside creators Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, often shoots tight close-ups that make it difficult for the viewer to see, quite literally, what’s coming around the next corner. That approach mirrors the shock and uncertainty now embedded in every second for the accused, Jamie, and his family as they confront the possibility that Jamie could be a killer. The camera’s unflinching point of view also allows for the actors to unleash some remarkable performances, particularly Owen Cooper as an untethered, sometimes aggressive Jamie and Graham as his distraught dad Eddie. In the final episode, when Eddie and his wife, Manda (Christine Tremarco, also excellent), contemplate their role in enabling their son to become an incel, Adolescence does the most difficult and powerful thing it can do. It refuses to let us look away. — Jen Chaney

     ➼ Read Marah Eakin’s Adolescence recaps, Shannon Keating’s essay on how the series fails to bring Katie’s perspective to the story, Nicholas Quah’s close read of the ending, Fran Hoepfner on the show’s one-shot takes, and Roxana Hadadi’s interview with star and co-creator Stephen Graham. 

    Photo: Jake Giles Netter/HBO

    For four seasons, HBO let Danny McBride and his creative team cook with The Righteous Gemstones, and in the parlance of the God-obsessed titular family, bless the channel for doing so. McBride has a specific flair for honing in on American subcultures and unfurling the oddness at their cores, and as he chronicled the infighting and exploits of the famous Gemstones family, he charted a path to understanding what it is about American’s specifically abundance-based branch of Christianity that holds so many in its thrall. No matter what absurd things the Gemstones family did, from fighting ninja-trained orphans to building megasize time-shares, the series always offered them second chances — and opportunities for fantastic actors like Edi Patterson, Walton Goggins, and McBride himself to go absolutely berserk. Gemstones was never again as cutting and caustic as its excellent first season, but in every subsequent outing — especially the backward-looking, romance-focused fourth — it was reliably stupid as all get out and hilarious as hell. We’ll miss them misbehaving, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed for a Teenjus spinoff. —R.H.

     ➼ Read Scott Tobias’s recaps of the season; Brian Grubb’s Edi Patterson performance review; Roxana Hadadi’s essay on the series finale and Hadadi’s exit interview with stars Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, and Adam DeVine.

    Photo: Robert Viglasky/Disney

    Because sometimes you just want to watch someone get punched in the face. Those longing for Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders movie will be well sated by this series, which has the same roiling energy, propulsive scoring, and heavily accented gangsters as the British filmmaker’s most popular work. Set in London’s East End in the 1880s, A Thousand Blows triangulates on three figures in the city’s shady underworld. There’s Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), queen of the female gang the Forty Elephants, who’s sick of stealing from the poor and starts hatching a scheme to yoink valuables from the Queen of England. Coveting her is bareknuckle-boxing legend Henry “Sugar” Goodson (the insanely ripped Stephen Graham, who enlisted Doherty to join him in his series Adolescence), a man who only knows how to use violence to solve his problems and whose natural state is “teetering on the edge of an emotional cliff.” And getting between Mary and Sugar is immigrant Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), who fled a massacre in his Jamaican homeland for a job in London, only to learn that the zookeeper wanted to put him in a cage and advertise him as a “wild man of Africa.” Hezekiah pivots to boxing, and his strength in the ring and romantic chemistry with Mary get him the wrong kind of attention from Sugar — who’s just itching to swan-dive off that cliff into self-destruction. A Thousand Blows pulls off a casting hat trick with this trio, whose magnetism elevates some of the first season’s cornier dialogue and sells the characters’ rapidly developed feelings. The fights are brutal, the schemes are clever, the six-episode drop is concise, and the “to be continued” ending promises more drama down the line. If you felt particularly burnt by The Nevers, give A Thousand Blows a try. — Roxana Hadadi 

    Photo: Adult Swim

    In this Adult Swim cartoon created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely, a kindhearted and noble naturalist discovers a rare mushroom that can miraculously heal any ailment … even death, under some circumstances. The discovery shoves him into the center of a conspiracy involving the American government and a big-pharma corporation, which both attempt to stop his efforts to produce the mushroom at scale in order to free the world of illness. King of the Hill’s Mike Judge and Greg Daniels feature as executive producers (with Judge turning in a reliably doofy performance as a pharma CEO), and the result is a wry, delightful, and poignant series that simultaneously feels like a Gen-X throwback and deeply modern satirical take on a broken world. Bonus points for the show’s psychedelic sequences, typically populated by strange miniature humanoids who look like twisted, western versions of Hayao Miyazaki’s weird little guys. —N.Q.

    ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s close read of the season finale and Hadadi’s interview with co-creators Steve Hely and Joe Bennett.

    Photo: Apple TV+

    The first season of Severance ended on a cliffhanger so intense it temporarily halted the flow of oxygen to most viewers’ brains. Then the show did the cruelest thing possible: It did not come back for three years. When season two of this dense and deeply weird workplace thriller finally dropped on Apple TV+, expectations were understandably high. These ten new episodes meet and often exceed them.

    Series creator Dan Erickson, director Ben Stiller (he handles half of the season’s episodes), and their colleagues have delivered a surreal, meticulously rendered odyssey that delves more deeply into the cultlike environment at Lumon, the shadowy biotech company that has a team of severed employees whose work and personal lives are fully divorced from each other. As the members of that team, Mark S. (Adam Scott, in a career-best performance), Helly R. (Britt Lower), Irving B. (John Turturro), and Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) continue to investigate what’s really going on at this freakishly controlling corporate enterprise. The craftsmanship on this show, from the idiosyncratic production design to the carefully composed cinematography, is sterling on every level. And while it may feel right to describe Severance as a drama, it’s got a really terrific, twisted sense of humor that feels especially suited to these dark times. If you didn’t guffaw during the office memorial service where employees were told to “each take nine seconds” to remember a former colleague, I’m sorry, but you may not be Lumon material. —J.C.

    ➼ Read Kathryn VanArendonk’s review of Severance, Erin Qualey’s recaps of the season, VanArendonk’s close read of the conversation between Mark’s innie and outie; Devon Ivie’s interview with star Britt Lower, and Roxana Hadadi’s interview with star Tramell Tillman .

    Photo: Matt Kennedy/Neflix

    No, Peter Berg and Mark L. Smith’s gritty-grimy-ugly depiction of the American West in American Primeval isn’t perfect. There are maybe too many moments that feel derivative of The Revenant, and Betty Gilpin could have had more to do. But there’s a pureness to how committed American Primeval is to its thesis of “American history bad, actually.” Our pop culture has been so stuck in a mode of romanticizing pioneers and settlers that American Primeval, with its insistence on diving into Mormon history and rejecting the idea that violence in the name of gaining power is justified, feels like a balancing of the scales. Taylor Kitsch gives one of the most textured performances of his career, Shea Whigham is having a ball going head-to-head with Kim Coates, and the series actually takes the time to depict the Shoshone with depth and context. All the beautiful shots of the sprawling American landscape are nice, but American Primeval never lets us forget that these lands are soaked in blood. —R.H.

    ➼ Read Roxana Hadadi’s full review of American Primeval and Keith Phipps’s recaps of the series.

    Photo: Netflix

    Once again, Netflix has unceremoniously dumped a miniseries from the wonderfully empathetic Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda on its streaming service with no fanfare, and once again, it’s phenomenal. In 2023, it was The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, an adaptation of a manga series; in 2025, it’s Asura, an adaptation of a 1979 TV series and its preceding novel. One of Kore-eda’s many superpowers is finding the core of friendship, family, and community in these sources and blowing them up into immersive proportions, and Asura is riddled with these kinds of connections. The seven-episode miniseries follows four sisters who suspect that their father might be having an affair — and might also have fathered a child with the other woman. The daughters range in their reactions to the possibility, which in turn alters their relationships between each other and their partners. But their varying responses aren’t finite. The women change their minds throughout the course of the series as they gather for meals to gossip, reveal their own hidden secrets to each other, and wonder whether the men they love could also be cheating on them. Does anyone really know anyone at all? The cast and Kore-eda address that question with humor and nuance, a lot of meal scenes (for all The Makanai nostalgists), and a finale that suggests love is a choice to be made every day rather than a certainty to take for granted. It’s a cheeky ending to one of the most thoughtfully rendered series of the year. — R.H.

    Photo: Warrick Page/Max

    Some elements of The Pitt feel surprising and refreshing because they’re a return to a kind of TV that streaming has been uniquely bad at making: a long season, a strong sense of individual episodes, and a straightforward and unfussy drama premise. Those features alone are so well executed that The Pitt would be worth notice. But The Pitt is astonishing beyond that baseline. Executed with a real-time logic and a bare minimum of emotion-juicing musical score, two things can stand out: the immediacy of the medical crises and the show’s stellar performances, especially from Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden. The Pitt would be a standout at any point in TV history. After years of streaming bloat, it seems nearly miraculous. —Kathryn VanArendonk

    ➼ Read Kathryn VanArendonk’s full review of The Pitt, Maggie Fremont’s recaps of the series, and Roxana Hadadi’s profile of star Noah Wyle.

    Photo: Euan Cherry/Peacock

    Honestly, Lala’s outfits are enough to get this show in our best of the year. Those little tutus! But even setting aside the continued sartorial magnificence of Alan Cumming and his stylish sidekick, The Traitors’s entertainment value as a social experiment keeps on rising. Since the series has fully reoriented itself around reality-TV celebs, it’s become a fascinating analysis of how this genre’s stars perform themselves, lean into their infamy, and align based on the networks that gave them fame in the first place; The Traitors now has a layer of meta-tension that makes all of the bickering between factions feel weighted by how these people define themselves, too. Reality-TV competitions like this are all about assumptions, how we size up strangers and decide to align ourselves, and that tribalism has an even sharper edge now that we think we know these people from their appearances on other series. That’s fun! And it’s only a bonus that this season has had so much mess, from bickering Traitors who spend most of their time backstabbing each other to Tom Sandoval somehow winning us over with his transformation into a walking banana peel. —R.H.

    ➼ Read Tom Smyth’s recaps of the season.

    Photo: Gilles Mingasson/Disney

    After a third season dominated by the will-they-or-won’t-they relationship between Janine and Gregory and a flurry of high-profile guest stars, Quinta Brunson’s public-school sitcom put its head down and got back to basics for its fourth season. With Janine (Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) openly together and the cameos kept to a minimum (well, okay, there was the Always Sunny crossover), Abbott did what it does best: explore real issues (gentrification, low teacher pay) through the prism of relatable comedy. Abbott is still the most consistently funny show on broadcast television, with a cast that understands their characters so deeply they’ve made them feel like old, dear friends. Even the kids on Abbott raised the bar this season. Please, somebody give an Emmy to the little girl who played Margaret, the student who dressed up as Barbara to celebrate the 100th day of school because she assumed Mrs. Howard was 100 years old. (“You’re even older than Ms. Teagues, and she’s, like, 50.”) — J.C.

    ➼ Read Ile-Ife Okantah’s recaps of the season, Roxana Hadadi on the backstory behind the Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode, and Devon Ivie’s interview with star Janelle James.

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  • Peabody students, residents, can now access free mental health app

    PEABODY — The city is partnering with a mental health app to support all residents and their families, especially students of Peabody Public Schools.

    Bloom is a mental health and wellness platform that can be accessed on desktop computers and as a mobile app on a smartphone. Developed by Gloucester-based Bloom-Ed Inc., the app provides local resources on topics ranging from mental health, parenting, financial wellness, end of life care and in a special section for teens, support for kids experiencing bullying.


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    By Caroline Enos | Staff Writer

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  • Netflix’s Adolescence: What Parents Need to Know About Toxic Masculinity, Incel Culture, and Raising Boys in a Digital World

    “I know — not a popular opinion.

    And yes, your kid is not going to love this. You might get pushback, eye rolls, maybe even tears.

    Do it anyway — and let them make you the bad guy. That’s your job.

    In Adolescence, Jamie had full access to his laptop, alone in his room, all night — and that’s where things spiraled. He got pulled into toxic online spaces his parents didn’t even know existed.

    Set a clear tech boundary: no phones, laptops, or tablets in bedrooms after a set time.

    Devices charge overnight in a shared space.

    This isn’t about punishment — it’s about safety, sleep, and mental health.

    They might hate it. But that boundary could protect them from a world they’re not ready to navigate alone.”

    Wondering when your child is ready for a phone? These four key questions to guide you.

    Amy McCready

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  • Cape Ann news in brief

    Cape Ann news in brief

    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.

    Science writing contest

    High school students interested in astronomy and space exploration are invited to enter a new astronomical science writing contest. Accepted genres for entries include research reports, news stories, essays, biographical profiles, book reviews, speculative fiction, dramatic scripts, poems, and musical lyrics. Submitted pieces should be 500 to 2,500 words in length, depending on the genre. Submission deadline is March 15.

    Details about prizes and publishing opportunities may be found at https://bit.ly/4duz8AN.

    More information on submissions including topical prompts may be found at https://bit.ly/3MXaD4x.

    The contest is co-hosted by The Galactic Inquirer, a free online journal on diverse astronomical topics, the American Astronomical Society,vthe International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Education, and the Slooh remote telescopes service.

    Home upgrades

    Essex County Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair/Aging in Place program can — by using volunteers, donated construction materials and flexible sources of funding — offer very affordable house repairs to help Gloucester seniors age in place. The projects typically take a week, and the homeowner can usually continue living in the home while the work is done. Upgrades include wheelchair ramps, weatherization, handicap features, repairing structural rotting, stairs, roofing, etc. The program is not limited to elder and/or disabled homeowners, and does repairs necessary to maintain sound condition of the home, weatherization and energy efficiency, those needed to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations, and those that will help older adults age safely in their homes. Habitat staff inspects the property and determines financial qualifications based on total household income. If physically able, the homeowner must contribute sweat equity hours and the home must be owner-occupied. Learn more at https://www.essexcountyhabitat.org/critical-home-repair-program/.

    Teen task force

    High school students of all faiths are invited to join Lappin Foundation’s Teen Antisemitism Task Force. Students will hear from experts about ways they can combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, as well as put into action what they learn. There will be opportunities for teens to share their experiences and ideas as well. Meetings will be held Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 p.m., once a month. For the complete calendar and list of speakers, visit LappinFoundation.org. There is no cost to join the task force and students can attend meetings as their schedules allow. For more information email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org. The Teen Antisemitism Task Force is supported by CJP and the Jewish Teen Initiative.

    For job seekers

    If you need help with your resume, cover letter, or some job searching advice, contact jobseeker@sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500 to make an appointment for in-person resume and cover letter assistance with a librarian. Computers, Chromebooks, tablets, Wi-Fi Hotspots, printing, photocopying, scanning, and saving via email and flash drive are all free at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main St. Questions? Visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

    ClamFest

    ESSEX — The 39th Annual Essex ClamFest and Arts & Crafts Festival is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Shepard Memorial Park, 24 Martin St, Essex. While the events are free, for $15 festival goes can sample tastes of Cape Ann’s finest chowders from noon to 1 p.m. and vote for their favorites. Tasting only while supplies last. Lots of fun activities, arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment and plenty of food vendors on-site. Visit capeannchamber.com

    At Halibut Point

    ROCKPORT — Rockport’s Halibut Point State Park is a coastal gem of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, with free programs offered to the public. Fall is a particularly beautiful time to visit this singular seascape at 4 Gott Ave., Rockport, just off Route 127. An adult must accompany children. To book guided group tours please call 978-546-2997, visit or halibut.point@mass.gov Follow the park at @massdcr X (Twitter) and Instagram. ADA/reasonable accommodations.

    Halibut Rocks! Geology at the Point, Sundays, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at visitors center, billions of years of geological evolution under your feet at this extraordinary seascape. Ages 8-plus. Rain cancels.

    Atlantic Path trek, Sunday, Nov. 17, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., meet at parking area. Great bird watching, curious geology, incredible views. Advisory: gorgeous but uneven rocky coastline. Prepare accordingly. Bring snacks/water. No amenities along the way. Rain Cancels. Ages 12 and older.

    Halibut Point Tower Talk, Saturday, Dec. 7, noon to 2 p.m. During World War II, Halibut Point’s tower provided valuable coastal defense. Learn its history. Ages 12 and older, all abilities.

    Halloween Mass

    On Sunday, Oct. 27, at 11:45 a.m., Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect St., welcomes all parents, grandparents, and children to join Father Jim for its third annual Halloween Faith & Family Mass, followed by treats on the lawn. Halloween is often described as a pagan holiday, but this is contrary to its true meaning and authentic origins. The word hallow actually means holy. All Hallows Eve is really a Catholic holiday with roots in both celebrating the lives of the saints and praying for the souls of our departed brothers and sisters. Following the mass, there will be treats on the lawn.

    Drug Take-back Day

    Monday, Oct. 26, is National Drug Take-Back Day and here in Gloucester, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Rose Baker Senior Center will host a collection site in its back lot at 6 Manual F. Lewis Street. The event will also serve to educate people on drug prevention strategies. All drug drop-offs are anonymous; no information is required. The service is free. Items accepted include prescription and over-the-counter medication, medication samples, vitamins, narcotics and liquid medication. Please note: Needles, thermometers, intravenous bags, infected or bloody material or inhalers will not be accepted.

    Pancake Breakfast

    ROCKPORT — Bring your appetite to Pigeon Cove Circle’s “all-you-can-eat” pancake breakfast Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 to 11 a.m., 6 Breakwater Road, Rockport. On the menu are buttermilk, blueberry and buckwheat pancakes with sausage a real maple syrup. All for just $12. And at the bake table, everyone’s favorite Nisu.

    Archaeological dig

    Archaeologists from the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at University of Massachusetts Boston will excavate land around the Babson-Alling House on Cape Ann Museum Green. (CAM Green) From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Oct. 25, 26, and 31, the public is invited to observe the excavations which promise to uncover new information about the history of the site. The Georgian house was built by William Allen in 1740 and acquired by the Cape Ann Museum in 2019. The findings will be discussed on Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m., as part of the CAMTalk: History Series, with Christa Beranek and Laura Paisley of the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at UMass Boston. Admission is free at CAM Green, 13 Poplar St., Gloucester. Please note: parking is limited..

    ‘Tell-tale Heart’

    From Oct. 24 to 27, the Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St., Gloucester, presents an Edgar Allan Poe Double Header to put you in the mood for Halloween. Created and performed by Livy Scanlon and presented in partnership with The Hanover Theatre Reparatory, this imaginative one-person retelling of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” is staged as a seance, inviting audiences to conjure two of Poe’s darkest tales. This production runs for one hour with no intermission and is best best for adults and ages 13-plus. For tickets and information, and for schools interested in student matinees, visit gloucesterstage.com oremail Natascha Tretter at natascha@gloucesterstage.com.

    At Manchester library

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Fall is underway and with it, new programs and events at Manchester Public Library, 15 Union St., and new Sunday hours, 1-4 p.m. through April. Check out the schedule below and save the dates. Unless otherwise noted, all events will take place at the library. To register, visit www.manchesterpl.org, or call the library at 978-526-7711.

    Lego Time, Mondays, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Drop-in, unstructured Lego building fun for kids ages 6 and older.

    Cookbook Club, Saturday, Oct. 26, noon to 1 p.m., meets once a month to share recipes from a cookbook off our library shelves. October’s pick is “Diasporican : A Puerto Rican Cookbook” by Illyanna Maisonet. This month we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with recipes. Questions? Call 978-526-7711.

    Job search help, Monday, Oct. 28, 2 to 3 p.m. 10 Essential Ways To Avoid Job Scams & Conduct A Productive Modern Search (Virtual. Register on our website or by calling 978-526-7711.

    Dungeons and Dragons for Adults (Virtual), Monday, Oct. 28, 7 to 9 p.m. Whatever your level, MBTS’s Head of Adult and Reference Services — Maddy — will be your Game Master.

    Talent Show

    Spaulding Education Fund’s “Night of Stars” talent show is all set for Saturday, Nov. 2, in the Manchester Essex Regional High School auditorium from 4-7 p.m. The entire North Shore community is invited. Performers of all ages may audition — details can be found at https://www.spauldingeducationfund.org/events. Special early-bird pricing is available until Oct. 25.

    Blood drives

    The American Red Cross urges blood and platelet donors, especially those with type O blood and donors giving platelets, to make and keep donation appointments now to help hospitals restock blood products for patients. As a thank-you, all who give through Oct. 31 will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, plus be automatically entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards. For full details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Treat.

    For details on giving, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Help.

    Wednesday, Oct. 30: 2-7 p.m., Magnolia Library & Community Center, 1 Lexington Ave., Gloucester.

    Tuesday, Nov. 12: 2-7 p.m., Magnolia Library & Community Center, 1 Lexington Ave., Gloucester.

    Thursday, Nov. 14: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ipswich Community Center, 25 Green St., Ipswich.

    Friday, Nov. 15: Noon to 5 p.m., Our Lady of Good Voyage, 142 Prospect St., Gloucester.

    Monday, Nov. 18: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., True North Ale Company, 116 County Road, Ipswich.

    Appointments also are available at other locations and at the Danvers Blood Donation Center, 99 Rosewood Drive in Danvers, and by calling 800-733-2767, visiting redcrossblood.org or using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

    Exchange open

    The Annisquam Exchange opens its 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.

    jomackenzie@gloucestertimes.com (Joann Mackenzie)

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  • Partnership provides mental health first aid training to 9th graders

    Partnership provides mental health first aid training to 9th graders

    A new program meant to certify all Gloucester High ninth-graders in Teen Mental Health First Aid was kicked off Monday.

    The program is a new partnership among Gloucester Public Schools, the city’s Health Department, the Cape Ann YMCA and the Justice Resource Institute.

    Powering implementation of the program is funding from The Tower Foundation awarded to the Health Department, according to Amy Kamm, the school department’s director of mental health and social-emotional learning.

    Teen Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training that teaches teens to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers. The training is designed to provide teens with the skills for supportive conversations with their friends and emphasizes the importance of getting help from a responsible and trusted adult, according to a statement from the partnership.

    “Last year this program was piloted with 10th graders in homerooms,” Gloucester High Principal James Cook said. “To ensure a more comprehensive implementation this year it will be embedded into our standard ninth-grade health and wellness curriculum.”

    “Certified trainers,” he said, “will present to five classes a week for six weeks and topics include mental health challenges and their impact, effective treatments, helping a friend in crisis, where and how to get the help of a trusted adult, and recovery and resiliency.”

    At issue, teens tend to turn to each other when stressed or upset and try to help, sometimes taking on too much. Teen Mental Health First Aid teaches teens they don’t have to take on these problems alone.

    “By offering the Teen Mental Health First Aid program,” Kamm said, “Gloucester High School and the Gloucester Health Department aim to promote help-seeking behavior; improve a young person’s ability to identify resources of support; and to increase mental health literacy including improved ability to identify mental health struggles in themselves and their peers and when needed, to connect to a trusted adult.”

    By Times Staff

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  • Cape Ann news in brief

    Cape Ann news in brief

    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.

    Conservation roots

    On Sunday, Sept. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m, the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church St. Gloucester, presents Dan McKanan, the Emerson Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, exploring the spiritual roots and vision that led residents of Massachusetts to create the first state parks and the first conservation land trusts in the 1890s, and the ways that vision was enacted on Cape Ann. For nearly two centuries, Massachusetts has led the nation with a distinct approach to wild space conservation, fostering greater biodiversity in the ordinary places where we work, live, and play. McKanan focuses on religious movements for social transformation in the U.S. with emphasis on environmentalism, intentional community, and socialism. This free event, open to the public, is sponsored by the Interfaith Committee of the Cape Ann Climate Coalition and funded by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

    Brew Fest

    Experience one of the best sea views on Cape Ann with a cold beer in your hand on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 1-5 p.m. at Gloucester’s historic Stage Fort Park, 24 Hough Ave., off Route 127. It’s the Blackburn Brew Fest, and it’s back again with hundreds of beers, ciders, and meads brewed by over 30 commonwealth breweries. Rockport-based Pigeon Cove Ferments will have a booth, presenting its expanding line of hard and non-alcoholic kombuchas. Tickets are $50 per person in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blackburn-brew-fest-tickets-927972720387; and $60 at the event. Designated driver admission is $10. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Cape Ann Community Foundation.

    Yard sale

    There will be a Yard Sale at the home of the Rev. Wendy Fitting this Saturday, Sept 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 242 East Main St. Gloucester, corner of East Main Street and Mount Pleasant Avenue, across from Gloucester Stage Company.

    Elks craft fair

    The Gloucester Elks 892, 97 Atlantic Ave., is holding an outdoor Craft Fair on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be 30 local vendors. All are welcome. The Elks helps the community with grants, scholarships throughout the year.

    Literary tour

    A last free Literary Gloucester Walking tour, started in 2023 under the auspices of the Gloucester 400+ Literary Committee and under the sponsorship of the Gloucester Writers Center, is Saturday, Sept. 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.

    Fish Box Derby

    The 2024 Fish Box Derby will be held noon to 4 p.m. Sunday Sept. 22, on the Rogers Street hill from Gorton’s Seafood to Massachusetts Electric. The event for local kids ages 8 to 14 feaures trophies and a chance to win a scholarship up to $500. Cars and drivers must be present for check-in at 10:30 a.m. The race, which dates to the 1950s, has been organized by the Gloucester AMVETS and American Legion since 2018. Please, no pets in the pit area. Service animals are permitted. All drivers and their kid-powered cars must have passed pre-race inspection on Aug, 25. Entries and inspections will not be allowed on race day. Sorry, no exceptions.

    Run for the Trails

    HAMILTON — Registration is open for the Essex County Trail Association’s 20th annual Run for the Trails to be held Saturday, Sept. 21. Registration fee is 5 Miles: $20 member, $30 non-member; 10 Miles: $25 member, $35 non-member. Proceeds go toward ECTA’s mission of maintaining trails in its member towns of Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield, Ipswich, Essex and West Newbury for all types of passive recreation. Visit https://ecta27.wildapricot.org/event-5579436 for more details/.

    At Halibut Point

    ROCKPORT — Halibut Point State Park’s free September programs are open to the public at 4 Gott Ave., Rockport. Guided group tours available with advance reservations: Fees, $5 Mass license plate and $20 out-of-state plates. An adult must accompany children. Reasonable accommodations available upon request. For questions or advance reservations, call 978.546.2997 or email halibut.point@mass.gov

    When Granite was King, Saturday, Sept. 21. Babson Farm quarrying history guided tour, 10-11 a.m. Meet at parking area. Ages 8 and up.

    A Quarryman’s Tales & Tools, Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Fred Peterson shares quarrying tales and his vintage quarryman’s tools. Learn the 150-year granite quarrying industry of yesteryear and today’s use of granite! Granite splitting demonstration.

    Psychic Fair

    ROCKPORT — The Psychic and Mystical Crafts Fair will take place Sunday, Sept. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Apothecary Suil Crow at 9 Whistlestop Mall.

    “This is an old-fashioned psychic fair from tarot readings to sound healers to oracle readings to spiritual guidance and shopping, unique and wonderful handmade items,” Rebeccah Pearson, owner of Apothecary Suil Crow, said.

    More information is available at apothecarysuilcrow.com.

    Hospice walk

    DANVERS — Care Dimensions, the largest hospice and palliative care provider in Massachusetts, invites the public to attend the 37th annual Walk for Hospice on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m. on the campus of St. John’s Prep, 72 Spring St. in Danvers. The walk offers an opportunity to remember and honor loved ones who have died, while also raising funds for Care Dimensions, a nonprofit hospice provider serving more than 100 communities in Eastern Massachusetts. Funds from the walk support programs such as grief support, music therapy, and other services that benefit hospice patients and their families. Learn more and register at: CareDimensions.org/Wal

    Climate films

    The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, TownGreen, and the Gloucester Stage Company are presenting a “Cape Ann Climate Future Film Festival” on Oct. 5, at the Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St., Gloucester. Doors open at 2 p.m. for a light reception with local barbecue and dessert favorites. The program begins at 3 p.m. and runs until about 5 p.m. This will be the first time all three organizations have united, recognizing that we are all one in the face of heat, cold, heavy winds and rising seas. We will show a series of ten short films from four continents which will “explore the artistic and human response to climate change,” as noted by the festival’s producers. There will be a community discussion at the end of the screening. This is a way for people to learn about how climate change is being addressed around the world, and to consider what is happening immediately on Cape Ann. Tickets are $20.

    Women singers sought

    Sorellanza, a small, established women’s a cappella chorus with a diverse repertoire, is seeking new members. Experience is needed, and reading music is an asset. For an audition, please contact Patti Pike at Pikeharp@comcast.net.

    Comfort baskets

    A group of friends — participants of the Relay for Life for many years — have raised over $100,000 for the American Cancer Society. During that time one of its members had cancer and came up with the idea of providing comfort baskets containing products to help make the side effects of chemotherapy more bearable to patients. Many have been given away and are being donating to the Addison Gilbert Hospital infusion center each month. The bags contain, a blanket, knitted hat, gift card, lotions, mug, tea, a pillow and other varied items which can help the person undergoing chemotherapy treatments. To help continue this non-profit program, you can find Friends for Friends on VENMO or send a donation care of Sue Lovasco, 24 South St., Rockport MA 01966.

    At Sawyer Free

    Gloucester’s Sawyer Free Library has plenty going on at its temporary location at 21 Main St, downtown Gloucester, as well as at other locations and, for virtual events, online. For more information, and for all events, virtual and in person, requiring registration, go to: sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    Gloucester Genealogy Group, Saturday, Sept. 21, 10:30-1:30 a.m, Presentation by Sarah Tripp of Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum — learn to access genealogical resources largely based in Essex County, 19th century. Register as above. Questions? jtravers@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    Community Creations, Sept. 25, 6-8 p.m., Art and reativity at Cape Ann Lanes, 53 Gloucester Ave., Materials and pizza provided. Ages 18+ Register as noted above. sawyerfreelibrary.org. Questions? lryan@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    Gloucester 400 Storytellers event, Thursday, Sept. 26, 5:30-6:30 p.m,. Recent discoveries and old mysteries surrounding Leonard Craske, sculptor of Fishermen’s Memorial, Man at the Wheel. James Clark shares insights from his research. From A Gloucester400+ Commemorative Book, Our People, Our Stories. Register as noted above. Questions? Contact: jtravers@sawyerfreelibrary.

    Musical Storytime with Ruthanne Paulson, Friday, Sept. 27, 11-11:45 a.m., Children with caregivers. No registration. Questions? jvitale@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    Genealogy Myths & Legends, Saturday, Sept. 28, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Michael Brophy, world-renowned genealogist, explains and debunks fiction about genealogy and family history. In the Brenner Room at Rockport Library, 17 School St., Rockport. Register as noted above. Questions? jtravers@sawyerfreelibrary.

    SFL Home Delivery, free for residents of all ages with special needs, illness, or disability. Questions? email:moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    Interactive Storytime with Tricia, Wednesdays, 10:30-11:15 a.m., all ages. No registration. Questions? Contact: jvitale@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

    At Manchester library

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — September is Library Card Sign-up Month, so Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library,15 Union St., would like to remind everyone of just how valuable a resource a library card can be. Your first card is free. You’ll receive a free book bag and lanyard with it, and be connected to all the library has to offer — from borrowing books, ebooks and audiobooks to getting tech help, or learning new skills. For more information about this and all events and programs at the library, and to register, visit www.manchesterpl.org. Questions? Call 978-526-7711, or email mwillwerth@manchesterpl.org.

    Fall hours are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    Crew Week Zero Waste Challenge Kick Off, Saturday, Sept. 21, 1-3 p.m. Mulled cider, free swag, and info on how to divert trash from the landfill. Great prizes for the smallest amount of trash collected Sept. 9-27. Captain Dusty’s Ice Cream scooped for all who participate at the weigh-in on Sept. 27, 3-5 p.m. Register at bit.ly/mbts_zerowaste_2024 or at the library.

    Intro to Saving Seeds, Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 -7 p.m. Being a seed steward starts digging into the details. And this program gets you off to a great start. Register online or call 978-526-7711. This event is a part of Communities Responding to Extreme Weather. Visit: climatecrew.org/climate_prep_week.

    Pop Up Art School: Cardboard Coral Reef, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Dive into creativity! As part of the library’s Climate Week. Transforms recycled materials into a vibrant coral reef. Ages 8 and up. Register online or call 978-526-7711. both with games, crafts, and fun at the library! Ages 6-11. Please register online or call 978-526-7711.

    Touch-a-Truck, Saturday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Get up close and personal with trucks and other vehicles from the Public Works and Fire and Police Departments.

    Lego Time, Mondays, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Drop-in, unstructured Lego building for kids ages 6 and up.

    Teen Advisory Board (TAB): High schoolers may get involved in the library’s collection, promoting events, planning the annual Haunted Library, and more. Teens will get community service hours for school and pizza. Questions? Contact Tom Russo, at trusso@manchesterpl.org.

    Rescue wildlife

    Could you be harming Gloucester’s wildlife unintentionally? Local licensed wildlife rehabbers are receiving sick and dying wildlife regularly that are being harmed by us humans, often completely unintentionally. On Oct. 21, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Cape Ann YMCA, Rescue Gloucester Wildlife is hosting a presentation with MassAudubon’s Heather Packard about what you can do to prevent unintentional harm to wildlife. Save the date and check the Facebook page “Rescue Gloucester Wildlife.” Questions? Email songbirder @hotmail.com.

    The Open Door

    Need help getting groceries? Let food be one less thing to worry about with The Open Door’s new programs. New clients and those returning after more than two years can create an online shopping profile at FOODPANTRY.org/newshopper or call 978-283-6776. New profiles will be processed within one business day. Active clients can place orders at FOODPANTRY.org/order or call 978-283-6776. Translation services are available in many languages. Groceries will be ready for pick-up, with limited delivery available. Need food today? Visit the Gloucester Food Pantry at 28 Emerson Ave., during business hours for basic groceries. Ordering online or by phone for pick-up or delivery within one to three business days allows you more choice. The Open Door is open Monday through Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Need SNAP (Food Stamps)? One-on-one, confidential prescreening for application, recertification, and interim report available at 978-283-6776 ext. 201 or snap@foodpantry.org. Community Meals? Pick-up and delivery, 3 p.m. to close Monday through Friday. Extra meals available on Fridays for the weekend. For more information, visit FOODPANTRY.org.

    At CAM Green

    Beginning Oct. 11 and continuing through spring 2026, Cape Ann Museum’s CAM Green campus, will host a robust series of exhibitions and programs. This shift to year-round access, programs and exhibitions at CAM Green will include expanded weekly hours, free admission, and timed ticketing to welcome more visitors to the space while the museum’s downtown campus on Pleasant Street closes for extensive renovations. Located off Poplar Street in Gloucester, the Green campus has free parking and gallery access. Timed entry tickets are required by registering at the museum website. CAM Green hours will be expanded to Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New signature community events will be held within the James Center at CAM Green, with details soon to be announced. Visit https://www.capeannmuseum.org/

    Blood drives

    The American Red Cross urges blood and platelet donors, especially those with type O blood and donors giving platelets, to make and keep donation appointments now to help hospitals restock blood products for patients. As a thank-you, those who come give blood, platelets or plasma in August will get a $20 Amazon.com gift card by email. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Help.

    Monday, Sept. 23: 1-6 p.m., Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect St., Gloucester.

    Wednesday, Sept. 25: 2-7 p.m., Magnolia Library & Community Center, 1 Lexington Ave., Gloucester.

    Sept. 30: Noon to 5 p.m., at both Amaral Bailey American Legion Post, 14 Church St. in Manchester-by-the-Sea; and Our Lady of Good Hope, 1 Pineswamp Road, Ipswich.

    Appointments also are available at other locations and at the Danvers Blood Donation Center, 99 Rosewood Drive in Danvers, and by calling 800-733-2767, visiting redcrossblood.org or using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

    Tai Chi

    ROCKPORT — Amy Seabrook leads an Introduction to Tai Chi exercise each Tuesday, from 11 to 12:15 p.m., at Rockport First Congregational Church, 12 School St. This class focuses on simple, circling movements and the principles behind them. Participants will concentrate on weight transfer for balance and stability. Suggested donation of $7 pays for use of the hall and supports the church. Email Amy at seabrookarts@gmail.com for more information.

    Calling all artists

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Manchester Public Library’s second annual “Falling for Art Exhibit and Sale” is set to run Oct. 18-20. Artists are invited to submit 3-5 digital jpeg images by Sept. 30. Submissions should be emailed to fallingforartmbts@gmail.com and labelled “last name, first name, title of piece, price.” Fifty percent of the proceeds benefit The Friends of the Manchester Public Library. Manchester Public Library is located at 15 Union St., Manchester. Visit https://www.manchesterpl.org/.

    Chorus meets

    DANVERS — The Northshoremen Barbershop Chorus welcomes men of all ages who love to sing to join them. The chorus rehearses every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 46 Cherry St., Danvers. Come to the next rehearsal, or for more information call 866-727-4988.

    Rockport renewals

    ROCKPORT — The Rockport Public Library offers automatic renewals on most items checked out from the library. Items will automatically renew if they have not been returned three days before their due date. Patrons will no longer have to take steps to renew items, even if the items came from a library in Rockport’s network of libraries. Items that cannot be renewed include lucky day titles, items on waiting lists, items that have reached their renewal limit, items borrowed from outside the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC), items checked out from a nonparticipating library. By initiating renewals automatically, the library complements its existing fine-free model, under which the library no longer charges fines for overdue items. Patrons who have registered their email addresses with the library will get an email notifying them that their items have been automatically renewed — and reminders of upcoming due dates. To add your email for this service, email info@rockportlibrary.org, call 978-546-6934 or speak with a librarian. Drivers license or two other forms of ID are required at check-in. In most states age 16 must have parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health.

    Essex seniors

    ESSEX – The Essex Council on Aging offers events and trips for seniors. For more information or to register for an event, please call the office at 978-768-7932 or visit the Senior Center at 17 Pickering St. Also, tune in to the Cape Ann Virtual Senior Center for events and fitness opportunities on channel 67 sponsored by the Cape Ann Councils on Aging and the Friends of the Essex Council on Aging. Unless otherwise noted, events will take place at the senior center. Destination events require registration as noted for seat on CATA van.

    Walking Club, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., free at the Gordon College Bennett Center indoor walking track. Registration requested by calling Hamilton-Wenham Recreation at 978-468-2178. Transportation by CATA.

    Creative Connections, Mondays, 10 a.m. to noon. Bring art projects or start a new one. Supplies while they last.

    Arts Group, Tuesdays, 1 to 3 p.m. Paint, knit, crochet, or sew? Bring a project or help create items for the Friends Boutique.

    Computer & Technology Assistance, Wednesdays, 1 to 3 pm. Help with computer, tablet, phone? Drop in and ask for Curt or Bill.

    Games with Gil at the Senior Center, Wednesdays, 1 p.m. All ages welcome, for board games or Scrabble, Boggle, cribbage, backgammon. Join us or bring a friend and come play

    Mobile Market at the Essex Senior Center, first and third Fridays of each month, 10:30 a.m.

    Balance in motion, Tuesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m., $5 donation requested.

    Groove Fitness Video, Mondays, 9:30 a.m. Dance class to video, no instructor. $5 donation requested.

    Cape Ann Virtual Fitness Senior Center: Tune into channel 67 for fitness programs sponsored by the Cape Ann COA and the Friends of the Essex Council on Aging.

    Grab and Go Meals, Mondays and Thursdays, noon (must be picked up by 12:30): Monday meals provided by The Open Door, Thursday meals provided by Senior Care. Please register two business days in advance at 978-768-7932.

    Sit ‘n Knit

    ROCKPORT — The Rockport Public Library, 17 School St., hosts Sit ‘n Knit (formerly Which Craft?) on Mondays from 12:30-2:30 p.m., New name and new time! In the Trustees Room. Pull up a chair, break out your needlecraft, and join the conversation. For more information, call 978-546-6934, or visit rockportlibrary.org.

    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.

    Home upgrades

    Essex County Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair/Aging in Place program can — by using volunteers, donated construction materials and flexible sources of funding — offer very affordable house repairs to help Gloucester seniors age in place. The projects typically take a week, and the homeowner can usually continue living in the home while the work is done. Upgrades include wheelchair ramps, weatherization, handicap features, repairing structural rotting, stairs, roofing, etc. The program is not limited to elder and/or disabled homeowners, and does repairs necessary to maintain sound condition of the home, weatherization and energy efficiency, those needed to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations, and those that will help older adults age safely in their homes. Habitat staff inspects the property and determines financial qualifications based on total household income. If physically able, the homeowner must contribute sweat equity hours and the home must be owner-occupied. Learn more at https://www.essexcountyhabitat.org/critical-home-repair-program/.

    Cribbage

    A cribbage league plays Thursdays at 7 p.m., at the Pilot House, 3 Porter St, Gloucester. Cost is $5 a week and each round lasts ten weeks. For more information, call 978-491-8660.

    Informal Cribbage games happen Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m., at the Magnolia Library and Community Center. The library asks that players join the Magnolia Library. https://www.magnolialibrary.org/copy-of-about-us. There are no other dues to play. Contact Dot Sieradzki at Dotsieradzki@gmail.com for more information.

    Teen task force

    High school students of all faiths are invited to join Lappin Foundation’s Teen Antisemitism Task Force. Students will hear from experts about ways they can combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, as well as put into action what they learn. There will be opportunities for teens to share their experiences and ideas as well. Meetings will be held Tuesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., once a month. For the complete calendar and list of speakers, visit LappinFoundation.org. There is no cost to join the task force and students can attend meetings as their schedules allow. For more information email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org. The Teen Antisemitism Task Force is supported by CJP and the Jewish Teen Initiative.

    For job seekers

    If you need help with your resume, cover letter, or some job searching advice, contact jobseeker@sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500 to make an appointment for in-person resume and cover letter assistance with a librarian. Computers, Chromebooks, tablets, Wi-Fi Hotspots, printing, photocopying, scanning, and saving via email and flash drive are all free at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main St. Questions? Visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

    Writer’s Center

    The Gloucester Writers Center, 126 E. Main St., Gloucester, is a 501©(3) nonprofit founded in 2010. Its mission is to celebrate Cape Ann’s literary legacy and promote writing as an art and a tool. Here are some sessions coming up; find more details at gloucesterwriters.org.

    Open Mic Nights, first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m., 126 East Main St., Gloucester. Come early, sign up, enjoy refreshments and camaraderie. Bring five minutes of work to share! in low-key, supportive setting. Parking is at Chapel Street + North Shore Arts, just down the road.

    Volunteer at the Gloucester Writers Center, a small, community-focused nonprofit.

    Caregiver workshop

    The Savvy Caregiver is a free workshop is for caregivers of memory-impaired recipients. It meets via Zoom weekly on Mondays, through Oct. 21, and will help caregivers understand the impact of dementia, learn skills to manage daily life and communicate more effectively, and take care of themselves. To register, contact Abby Considine at SeniorCare, 978-281-1750, ext. 581.

    Museum, zoo passes

    Local libraries offer cardholders passes to many regional cultural attractions.

    Funded by the Friends, Sawyer Free Library, 21 Main St., offers cardholders passes to the Boston Children’s Museum, Cape Ann Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Maritime Gloucester , Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Peabody Essex Museum, New England Aquarium, Sargent House Museum, Zoo New England and new additions North Shore Children’s Museum and Historic New England properties. Library patrons can visit sawyerfreelibrary.org to reserve passes. Questions? Contact 978-325-5500.

    Manchester Public Library offers passes to the Cape Ann Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Museum of Science, Peabody Essex Museum and Zoo New England. Manchester Public Library patrons may visit www.manchesterpl.org and click on Museum Passes to begin the reservation process. Click on the museum you are interested in visiting and there you will see instructions to reserve a timed ticket. If you have any questions, please call the library at 978-526-7711.

    Stage for caregivers

    Caregivers are invited to enjoy a free night of theater. SeniorCare and Gloucester Stage will provider caregivers with two free tickets to a show in the 2024 season for themselves and a guest. See www.gloucesterstage.com for more information about shows. To register for free tickets for a date of your choice (subject to seat availability), call 978-281-1750 x591.

    Women artists

    On view at Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant St., Gloucester, is a major retrospective of a wealth of works by Cape Ann women artists, from 1870-1970, many of whom have gained national recognition. Drawing from the museum’s collection, the works of 42 women artists are organized around the themes of portraiture, summer on Cape Ann, illustrators and authors, new visions and the collaborative spirit. The show runs through Sept. 29. To register, visit: https://www.capeannmuseum.org/event/camtalk-exhibition-series-cecilia-beauxs-green-alley-days/.

    Food drive

    MANCHESTER — “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is the theme of the Manchester Knights of Columbus ongoing 24/7 food drive for The Open Door’s food pantry in Gloucester. The need on Cape Ann is greater now than ever before, so all are encouraged to leave food donations in the designated bins in the garage on Friend Street behind Sacred Heart Church, School Street, Manchester. Food items most needed are peanut butter; canned tuna, chicken, turkey; healthy snack items; breakfast cereal; 100% juice/juice boxes; hearty soups; canned vegetables and fruits; spaghetti sauce; macaroni and cheese; rice; noodles and pasta; and cake, muffin, and pancake mixes. (Please no glass items-jars, bottles, etc.) Knights of Council 1232 transport the donated food to The Open Door weekly. This food drive is an open-ended and on-going effort.

    Thrift Shop open

    ROCKPORT — The Unitarian Universalist Church thrift store is open every Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, through Sept. 28. Jewelry, art, toys and puzzles, indoor and outdoor decor, household wares, and beach reads. Donations gratefully accepted. More information available by calling the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport at 978-546-2989.

    Zoom in on arthritis

    Arthritis relief without pills? Exercises can help functional movement, increase range of motion and improve ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living), and you won’t have to leave the house to do it. PACE at Element Care is offering a free virtual exercise program over Zoom every Wednesday at 11 a.m. Sit, stand, and join us. All are welcome, and it’s absolutely free. Register for your Zoom link at: https://elementcare-org.zoom.us/j/83819924499?pwd=N1N6ZHNmbUxUaXRtWm1EWmR1bzF1UT09. Meeting ID: 838 1992 4499.

    At Essex library

    ESSEX — TOHP Burnham Library, 30 Martin St., Essex, has a full house of activities. Open weekdays until 7 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon. For all event requiring registration, sign up at essexpl.org/events. Questions? 978-768-7410.

    Regional social worker office hours, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in first floor meeting room. Free, private and confidential, learn resources, strategies and skills to assist in stress reduction and management. Call 978-983-1771 for appointment.

    Meals on Wheels

    Home-delivered meals might be for you if you are age 60 or older, and unable to prepare a balanced meal because of physical, mental, or emotional limitations, or lack of home assistance from family, friends, or neighbors, to prepare balanced meal. If this sounds like you, and you are unable to participate in the congregate dining program comfortably or safely, Meals on Wheels delivers daily to your door. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program. For more information call SeniorCare Inc. at 978-281-1750 or call toll-free 866-927-1050.

    Old Salties Jazz Band

    Dave Sags’ Old Salties Jazz Band plays jazz every Monday at 1 p.m. at the Rose Baker Senior Center, 6 Manuel F Lewis St., Gloucester. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy some great live jazz. Just tell them at the entrance desk that you’re there as a guest of the Old Salties Jazz Band. Questions? Call 978- 325-5800.

    ‘Falling For Art’

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — The Friends of the Manchester Library’s highly anticipated “Falling For Art” event will take place at the library, 15 Union St., beginning Friday, Oct. 18, with an opening meet-the-artists party from 6-8 p.m., continuing Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 20, from 1-4 p.m. The works of many local artists will be on view and 50% of all proceeds from sales supporting the library’s many programs, services, and improvements that enhance the experience for all patrons. For more, visit: visit manchesterpl.org or contact the organizers.

    Symphony season

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Cape Ann Symphony’s 73rd concert season starts Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at Manchester Essex Regional High School, 36 Lincoln St. in Manchester-by-the-Sea, under the direction Conductor Yoichi Udagawa. The season features guest artists cellist Owen Young and pianist Myron Romanul, and the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus under the direction of choral director Brittany Betts. Tickets are $50 adults; $45 seniors; $20 students with valid student ID; $5, 12 and under. For season subscriptions and more information, visit www.capeannsymphony.org, or call 978-281-0543.

    Music of the Kora

    ROCKPORT — Music of the West African Kora, a popular folk stringed instrument built from a gourd, Comes to Rockport Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 4-6 p.m. Sean Gaskell will present an educational performance on the kora, a 21-stringed West African harp. His journey with the kora began in 2006, inspired by a performance by Kane Mathis. This experience led him to West Africa, where he studied under Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh in Brikama, Gambia, and later with Youssoupha Cissokho and Mamadou Cissokho in Senegal. To register, visit rockportlibrary.org/events.

    At Rockport library

    ROCKPORT — Rockport Public Library, 17 School St., offers ongoing programming for one and all. Zoom and in-person events require registration on the library event calendar at https://rockportlibrary.org/events/. Questions? Call 978-546-6934.

    Sit & Knit Circle, Mondays, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the Trustees Room to work on your knitting and needlecraft projects while enjoying lively conversation with similar creatives. No instruction provided, but all are welcome to pull up a chair, break out your needlecraft, and join the conversation.

    ESOL English Conversation on Zoom, Mondays from 3-4:15 p.m., Wednesdays from 7-8:30 p.m., and Thursdays from 2-3:15 p.m. Requires basic English; must be a resident of Massachusetts. To register, email literacyservices@bpl.org, or leave a message at 617-859-2446.

    LEGOs and Crafting, 3:15-4:15 p.m. Mondays, in the Brenner Room to build with the library’s collection of LEGO bricks, or create with crafting supplies. Children under 9 must be accompanied by a caregiver. Registration required.

    Modern Drama Discussion Group, 4 p.m. Mondays, on Zoom and in the Trustees Room. Questions? email baudano@rockportlibrary.org.

    Essex Regional Social Worker Open Office Hours: with Jessie Palm, social worker for the Eastern Essex Regional Public Health Coalition, every first and third Tuesday of the month (note date change) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Trustees Room. Support, information. No appointment necessary.

    Art & Sensory Class in the Garden, Tuesdays, 3 to 4 p.m. with Sarah Brown. Preschoolers to upper elementary. Please register and plan to remain with your child for the class.

    Dungeons & Dragons, Wednesdays, 4:30-6 p.m. Youth Group role plays in the Trustees Room. Registration required.

    Harvard Law School Legal Services Virtual Drop-in, Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon, on Zoom. Consumer loans, criminal record sealing or expungement (CORI), disability rights, divorce, custody, child support, housing law and tenants’ rights, LGBTQ+ related concerns, military record corrections, Social Security, public benefits, SNAP and veterans, small claims court, tax issues. Register for Zoom link at: https://rockportlibrary.org/events/.

    Toddler Storytime, Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Stories, songs, and rhymes in the children’s room. Ages 18 months to 3 years with caregivers.

    Stitch and Snack, teen craft meetup, Fridays, 4 p.m. in the Trustees Room. Bring a knitting or craft project, or just snack and talk crafts. Supplies and snacks provided. Email Emily at esouza@rockportlibrary.org with questions, snack requests, or food allergies. For middle and high school students.

    Craft Saturdays, 10 a.m., a new craft each week at the craft table in the Children’s Room. No registration required.

    Transient moorings

    The Gloucester Harbormaster’s Office is taking reservations for the 30 transient moorings in the Inner Harbor, Southeast Harbor, and Western Harbor. Moorings include services and amenities such as WiFi, transient storage, floating docks, service and maintenance, as well as access to the state-of-the-art transient boaters lounge and launch services. A waitlist is also available. To reserve moorings through Columbus Day weekend, visit https://bit.ly/43DLyTQ.

    EMT training

    Beauport Ambulance Service Inc. is offering EMT basic training at a new training center at its office at 19 Pond Road in Gloucester. Classes typically run Wednesdays from 6-10 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. Signups are ongoing for the 144-hour course incorporating lectures and hands-on skills practice. Those who are interested in the course or who have questions can reach out to Beauport Ambulance Service’s education coordinator at sclark@beauportambulanceservice.com.

    Backyard Growcery

    The Backyard Growcery is Gloucester’s new farmers market, running every Wednesday through Oct. 16, from 2:30-6:30 p.m. at Burnham’s Field in Gloucester. Managed by food equity non-profit Backyard Growers, it features small-scale North Shore farmers, bakers, fresh Gloucester seafood, an artisanal pizza maker, and more. SNAP and Senior Coupons are accepted. Accessible via CATA bus, it’s near the Sheedy Park stop on the Gloucester Crossing & Business Express Loop. Visit backyardgrowers.org to learn more and purchase tickets.

    Manchester seniors

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — September is a harvest of happenings for Manchester seniors.

    These are all out-of-town events, so all require you to quickly reserve your seat on the senior van. Call the Council on Aging at 978-526-7500, or stop by the office, at 10 Central St., Manchester.

    Trip to Castle Island and lunch at Sullivan’s, Wednesday, Sept. 18. Trip to Castle Island and hotdogs or seafood at Sullivan’s. See South Boston houses Fort Independence, a five-bastioned, granite fort built between 1834 and 1851. Van pick up 10:30 a.m. Return around 2 p.m

    Lobster Roll lunch, Tuesday, Sept. 24, catered by Jeff’s Variety of Gloucester. With a choice of chicken salad roll, potato chips and cookie includd. Pick up your lunch up at the COA office, 10 Central St. at 12:15 p.m. or we can deliver. Lobster $14, chicken &6, To the first fifty who sign up. Drop advance payment off or mail a check to the Council on Aging, 10 Central Street, Manchester, MA 01944. Call 978-526-7500 by Sept. 19 to register.

    Trip to Beverly’s China Jade Restaurant, Friday, Sept. 20. Enjoy Asian cuisine, then head to Dollar Tree for shopping. Van pick-up starts around 11 a.m. Return by 1:30 p.m.

    Monthly mystery ride, Wednesday, Sept. 25. Bring your appetite for food and fun and hop on board the senior van. The driver will whisk you off to an unknown destination on the North Shore for ice cream, pastries, sandwiches or all of the above. Senior van pick-up starts/returns by 2 p.m.

    Trip to Merrimack Valley Quilt Show, Friday, Sept. 27. 150-plus quilts vendors, food, penny raffle, silent auction, demonstrations, boutique. Senior van pick up 10 a.m. / Return around 2 p.m. $10 admission at door. Call as above to reserve your seat.

    Chorus auditions

    Auditions for for singers for the 2024 Chorus are set for Sept. 23, under the direction of the new director of the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus, multi-talented musician Brittany Betts. If interested, please contact Betts at brittanybetts@gmail.com. Rehearsals will be Wednesdays, through Nov. 20, from 7-9 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington St. in Lanesville, along with two rehearsals with the orchestra during the week of the concerts. The Cape Ann Symphony 2024 Holiday Pops Concerts are Saturday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m. at Dolan Performing Arts Center, Ipswich High School, Ipswich; and Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m., at Manchester Essex Regional High School in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

    Creativebug

    ROCKPORT — The Rockport Public Library has Creativebug, an online database that offers more than 1,000 videos by artists and professionals detailing a wide variety of art and crafts projects for all ages. Videos cover painting, ceramics, knitting, quilting, jewelry-making, party crafts, and more. Some crafts can be learned in a single video, or skills can be honed over multiple videos. To get started, visit www.rockportlibrary.org, go to home page, enter your library card number and email address. After that, you’ll only need to enter your card number to get crafting! Questions? 978-546-6934.

    Indigenous Cape Ann

    Cape Ann Museum is presenting its exhibition of local indigenous artifacts from Cape Ann, on view in the downtown campus, 27 Pleasant St., Gloucester. The display also includes selections from the Annisquam Historical Society. For admission and information, visit www.capeannmuseum.org/event.

    At Rose Baker

    The Gloucester Council on Aging’s Rose Baker Senior Center has a full schedule of fun, free special events in store as we move into fall, as well as regular recurring activities listed in our monthly newsletter, Coastline News. To have Coastline News delivered to your home, call 978-325-5814. All events require pre-registration by calling 978-325-5812 or by signing up in-person at the Rose Baker front desk, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

    Monday Fun Day Bus Trips: Sept. 23, trip to Salem Willows, lunch optional. Sept. 30, trip to Liberty Tree Mall, lunch at Wendy’s in Danvers Wendy’s. All trips leave Rose Baker at 10 a.m./ return around 1:30 p.m.

    Pottery Sale

    Cynthia Curtis Pottery presents its 2024 Student & Studio Potter Sale, Oct. 19-20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 80 Pigeon Hill St., Rockport. The public is invited to a reception with the artists on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 4-6 p.m. A wide variety of student and studio potters’ ceramic pieces will be on sale, at prices you will appreciate! Curtis, who is celebrating 25 years of teaching and making pottery in Rockport, will be showing her own distinctive work in her gallery. For more information, email CynthiaCurtisPottery@gmail.com or visit cynthiacurtispottery.com.

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  • Cape Ann news in brief

    Cape Ann news in brief

    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.

    Furniture sale

    A One-Day, Outdoor Annual Furniture Sale will be held Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Annisquam Exchange, 32 Leonard St., Gloucester. Consignors and new consignors are welcome to bring items (furniture, mirrors, carpets, lamps, and/or artwork). Registration is 8-9 am. Unsold items picked up before 1 pm. Or just come visit us. The shop will be open as well from 9 a.m. to 2 pm. For more information, email info.annisquamexchange@gmail.com.

    Teen task force

    High school students of all faiths are invited to join Lappin Foundation’s Teen Antisemitism Task Force. Students will hear from experts about ways they can combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, as well as put into action what they learn. There will be opportunities for teens to share their experiences and ideas as well. Meetings will be held Tuesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., once a month. For the complete calendar and list of speakers, visit LappinFoundation.org. There is no cost to join the task force and students can attend meetings as their schedules allow. For more information email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org. The Teen Antisemitism Task Force is supported by CJP and the Jewish Teen Initiative.

    For job seekers

    If you need help with your resume, cover letter, or some job searching advice, contact jobseeker@sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500 to make an appointment for in-person resume and cover letter assistance with a librarian. Computers, Chromebooks, tablets, Wi-Fi Hotspots, printing, photocopying, scanning, and saving via email and flash drive are all free at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main St. Questions? Visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

    Run for the Trails

    HAMILTON — Registration is open for the Essex County Trail Association’s 20th annual Run for the Trails to be held Saturday, Sept. 21. Registration fee is 5 Miles: $20 member, $30 non-member; 10 Miles: $25 member, $35 non-member. Proceeds go toward ECTA’s mission of maintaining trails in its member towns of Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield, Ipswich, Essex and West Newbury for all types of passive recreation. Visit https://ecta27.wildapricot.org/event-5579436 for more details.

    Literary tours

    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, 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.

    Balance workshop

    “A Matter of Balance” workshop is an eight-week free workshop focusing on educating and supporting older adults around falling and the fear of falling. it will be held Wednesdays, through Aug. 21 at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester. Through group discussion, practical strategies and light exercising, older adults will reduce the fear and risk of falling, helping them to stay active and involved. For information and to register, call Abby Considine of SeniorCare Inc. at 978-281-1750 x-581.{div class=”elementToProof”}

    Museum, zoo passes

    Local libraries offer cardholders passes to many regional cultural attractions.

    Funded by the Friends, Sawyer Free Library, 21 Main St., offers cardholders passes to the Boston Children’s Museum, Cape Ann Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Maritime Gloucester , Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Peabody Essex Museum, New England Aquarium, Sargent House Museum, Zoo New England and new additions North Shore Children’s Museum and Historic New England properties. Library patrons can visit sawyerfreelibrary.org to reserve passes. Questions? Contact 978-325-5500.

    Manchester Public Library offers passes to the Cape Ann Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Museum of Science, Peabody Essex Museum and Zoo New England. Manchester Public Library patrons may visit www.manchesterpl.org and click on Museum Passes to begin the reservation process. Click on the museum you are interested in visiting and there you will see instructions to reserve a timed ticket. If you have any questions, please call the library at 978-526-7711.

    Manchester seniors

    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — The Manchester Council on Aging, 10 Central St., Manchester, offers a full schedule of activities. Learn more or to reserve a seat on the van, please call the Council on Aging at 978-526-7500, or drop by the office at 10 Center St.

    Trip to Prince Pizzeria in Saugus, Friday, Aug. 9. Pizza, pasta and all things Italian. Van pick up starts 11 a.m. Return is by 2 p.m.

    Trip to Beverly Farmer’s Market, Monday, Aug, 12. Farm fresh produce and more. Van pick up starts 3 p.m. Return around 4:30 p.m.

    Trip to the Stonewall Kitchen Store and Café in York, Maine, Wednesday, Aug. 14. Preserves, condiments, mustards, relishes, baking mixes, pancake and waffle mixes and more.

    Trip to Bearskin Neck in beautiful Rockport, Friday, Aug. 16. Check out the shops, look at the art, enjoy the view, or grab a snack at one of the many eating establishments. Van pick up seniors at 10:15 a.m., return around 2 p.m.

    Writers Center events

    The Gloucester Writers Center, 126 E. Main St., Gloucester, is a 501©(3) nonprofit founded in 2010. Its mission is to celebrate Cape Ann’s literary legacy and promote writing as an art and a tool. Here are some sessions coming up. Find more details at gloucesterwriters.org.

    Open Mic Nights, first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m., 126 East Main St., Gloucester. Come early, sign up, enjoy refreshments and camaraderie. Bring five minutes of work to share! in low-key, supportive setting. Parking is at Chapel Street + North Shore Arts, just down the road.

    Volunteer at the Gloucester Writers Center, a small, community-focused nonprofit.

    Women artists

    On view at Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant St., Gloucester, is a major retrospective of a wealth of works by Cape Ann women artists, from 1870-1970, many of whom have gained national recognition. Drawing from the museum’s collection, the works of 42 women artists are organized around the themes of portraiture, summer on Cape Ann, illustrators and authors, new visions and the collaborative spirit. On Saturday, Aug. 10, at 11 a.m., Sylvia Yount, Lawrence A Fleischman Curator in Charge of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will give a lecture exploring artist Cecilia Beaux’s Green Alley Days. To register, visit: https://www.capeannmuseum.org/event/camtalk-exhibition-series-cecilia-beauxs-green-alley-days/.

    At Essex library

    ESSEX — Stop by the T.O.H.P. Burnham Public Library in Essex for summer reading fun and programs for kids, teens, and adults. Visit essexpl.org for hours, events, and great new reads at the library.

    World’s Fair for children is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m. Register at essexpl.org.{div class=”elementToProof”}Regional social worker office hours, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in first floor meeting room. Free, private and confidential, learn resources, strategies and skills to assist in stress reduction and management. Call 978-983-1771 for appointment{/div}

    Food drive

    MANCHESTER — “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is the theme of the Manchester Knights of Columbus ongoing 24/7 food drive for The Open Door’s food pantry in Gloucester. The need on Cape Ann is greater now than ever before, so all are encouraged to leave food donations in the designated bins in the garage on Friend Street behind Sacred Heart Church, School Street, Manchester. Food items most needed are peanut butter; canned tuna, chicken, turkey; healthy snack items; breakfast cereal; 100% juice/juice boxes; hearty soups; canned vegetables and fruits; spaghetti sauce; macaroni and cheese; rice; noodles and pasta; and cake, muffin, and pancake mixes. (Please no glass items-jars, bottles, etc.) Knights of Council 1232 transport the donated food to The Open Door weekly. This food drive is an open-ended and on-going effort.

    Thrift Shop open

    ROCKPORT — The Unitarian Universalist Church thrift store is open every Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, through Sept. 28. Jewelry, art, toys and puzzles, indoor and outdoor decor, household wares, and beach reads. Donations gratefully accepted. More information available by calling the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport at 978-546-2989.

    jomackenzie@gloucestertimes.com (Joann Mackenzie)

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  • Cape Ann news in brief

    Cape Ann news in brief

    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.

    Arts Alive

    Cape Ann Arts Alive is a fun-filled choral and arts program for kids and teen mentors based at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Middle Street, Gloucester, from Aug. 19 to 23. From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. kids will be learning and singing about the “Rocky Veins of Granite Grains — the 400 million year story” with excursions to Cape Ann Museum & Halibut Point State Park Visitors Center. There are openings for kids ages 6-12. Registration, information and photos, visit www.capeannartsalive.org for details and photos, or call Kristina Martin, 978-509-4995.

    GHS Sail auction

    GHS Sail is holding is an auction fundraiser Wednesday, July 31, at Maritime Gloucester, from 5-8 p.m. With only one loss in the season of matches, this is a testament to Gloucester’s determination and skill on the water. GHS Sail works to keep the barrier to entry at nothing, relying on fundraising for youngsters to have a chance to learn the skills of sailing and teamwork. Sail GHS’s summer drop-in program is open to any local child whose middle or high school does not have a sailing program. The silent and live fundraising auction offers items including a scenic flight out of Beverly Flight Center, a four-pack of Red Sox box seats, tickets to North Shore Music Theatre, a police cruiser ride to school, and a harbor sightseeing tour with Jimmy T, plenty of local gift cards, and a 100 to 1 odds raffle for an inflatable Zodiak including motor provided by Brown’s. Tickets at $25, including food, fun, music and cash bar. RSVP to Unis.Kathleen@gmail.com.

    Republicans meet

    The Gloucester Republican City Committee will meet Thursday Aug. 1, at Gloucester Fraternity Club, 27 Webster St. Doors open 6 p.m.. Meeting starts 7 p.m. All welcome. For information, call 508-284-2418.

    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

    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.

    Music on the Green

    Music on Meetinghouse Green is underway with another summer of great free music concerts Fridays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. through Sept. 6. This Friday’s concert by Headlands will be held on the green in front of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church at the corner of Middle and Church streets. In the event of rain, concerts will move indoors. Each concert features a different musical ensemble and benefits a local non-profit organization — this Friday is Northeast Health Project — through 100% of the donations from the audience. Bring lawn seating and an appetite for some great picnic eats from Meat and Sweets Food catering truck. Details, www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org/summer-concerts.

    Stories under the Tree

    The Lanesville Community Center welcomes kids ages 3 to 8 to perk up their ears for some wonderful story telling at at the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage, from 10 to 11 a.m., on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The cottage is located at the community center, 8 Vulcan Ave, Lanesville, Gloucester. Visit lanesvillecommunitycenter.

    jomackenzie@gloucestertimes.com (Joann Mackenzie)

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