Around Cape Ann: 'Chow down,' school band concert set for tonight

Two events tonight will usher in a winter weekend that has many options for locals and visitors alike.

First, a benefit "Chow Down" is set to support the Gloucester Dog Park at Stones Pub and Eatery, where a portion of all food sales for lunch and dinner today will be donated to the dog park project.

The new local eatery is at 242 Main St. To keep up with the latest dog park news, visit www.gloucesterdogpark.org. The park is now under construction in Stage Fort Park.

Then, for free entertainment, locals can check out the Gloucester Public Schools band and string ensembles that will perform a winter concert tonight, Jan. 26, at 7 at Gloucester High School. All are welcome, organizers say.

These are just a sampling of what's going on around Cape Ann this weekend.

Art show, auction, announcement

Cape Ann Art Haven will hold its annual art show and lobster buoy art auction Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.

This year, the auction will include family entertainment and an announcement outlining Art Haven's future plans.

The event offers the opportunity to purchase a buoy that adorned the 2011 Lobster Trap Tree.

Charlee Bianchini will perform at the event. The benefit event is the follow up to the community buoy painting day held the weekend of the Middle Street Walk.

This year, more than 350 families came to paint buoys for the tree. In addition to the buoys, artwork will be on display from all of the classes offered at Art Haven, including darkroom photography, pottery, clayworks, painting and drawing, and printmaking.

Appetizers for the event are being donated by local restaurants. Admission at the door is $25 for a family, $15 for adults, or $5 with a student ID.

For more information, visit www.arthaven.org or call 978-283-3888. Advance tickets are available online at www.mktix.com/ah or can be picked up at Art Haven's 180B Main St. studio.

Symphony anniversary

The Cape Ann Symphony orchestra will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at Cruiseport Gloucester.

The nonprofit Cape Ann Symphony is celebrating 60 years of bringing the joy of music to Cape Ann with a Diamond Anniversary Celebration featuring music from the Soft Touch Dance Band, a live auction moderated by state Sen. Bruce Tarr plus special prizes throughout the evening.

The event will also feature hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, champagne and birthday cake. A cash bar will be available throughout the evening. Tickets are $50. To reserve tickets or for further information visit: www.capeannsymphony.org or call 978-283-6750.

Two filmmakers visit

Cape Ann Community Cinema at 21 Main St. in Gloucester continues its "Film Festival That Never Ends" programming with two filmmaker events in the coming week.

On Tuesday, director Ron Wyman visits with his film, "Agadez: The Music And The Rebellion." The film depicts the lives of the Tuareg, an ancient Saharan nomadic tribe who, since the 12th century, have linked North Africa and West Africa, guiding camel caravans across the desert, spreading art and music from Egypt to Mali. Wyman will answer questions after the film.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, director Zach Levy visits with his film, "Strongman," a documentary about Stanless Steel, the self-proclaimed "Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal."

The presentation, set for 5 p.m., will also feature Levy fielding questions after the film.

Tonight, Jan. 26 at 7:30, the cinema, in conjunction with Temple Ahavat Achim of Gloucester, will present the documentary "Inside Hana's Suitcase." The film is a story of power and hope, wrapped in the mystery of a young girl's suitcase that came from the Auschwitz Museum.

For information, including trailers, visit the website at www.CapeAnnCinema.com.

'Rededication' concert

The Manchester Community Preservation Committee will present a special rededication concert at Crowell Chapel on Sunday, featuring classic American songs performed by Donald Wilkinson, baritone, and Robert Humphreville, piano.

The program features the works of Loesser, Foster, Ayer, Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Harline, Sondheim, Rodgers, Loewe: and Kern.

The event is celebrating the rededication of the Benjamin Franklin Crowell Memorial Chapel (May 28, 1904-Jan. 29, 2012).

Wilkinson enjoys a distinguished career in concert, opera, oratorio, recital and contemporary music, and has appeared throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Humphreville studied piano, organ, and music theory with Graham Steed. Equally at home with both popular and classical music, he accompanies silent movies all over New England. He graduated from Harvard in 1980 and splits his time between New London, Conn. and Cambridge.

The majority of the $25 tickets have been sold but there are about a dozen remaining. For ticket information, call Christopher Kelly at 617-755-9299.

Music and poetry

The Gloucester Writers Center invites the public to attend an evening of music and poetry with Michael Gregory next Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The Writers Center is at 126 East Main St. in Gloucester with parking across the street. For more information call 978-283-7738 or visit gloucesterwriters.org.

Lee Gatch exhibit

Lee Gatch (1902-1968), a member of "The Ten," a group of American modernist painters in New York in the 1930s, is a featured artist at the Mercury Gallery in Rockport.

Gatch is known for blending aspects of expressionism and abstraction, rendering works in a uniquely personal style. Gatch paintings were widely shown in the United States and abroad.

The Guggenheim Museum, The Phillips Collection, the Smithsonian, and MOMA, are among museums to exhibit his works.

The gallery is at 20 Main St. in Rockport. For information, call 978-546-7620 or visit www.mercurygallery.com.

Bank artist reception

BankGloucester at 160 Main St. is holding an artist reception for Gloucester native Theresa Wonson on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the bank's lobby.

Wonson's work is on display through March 9. She will be available at the reception to answer questions regarding her work. Light refreshments will be served.

For the past 50 years, Wonson has been attempting to capture the beauty of Cape Ann in her watercolor and oil paintings. Her love of nature is also shown in her floral studies and in the shapes and textures in her still life paintings.

In 1975, her interest to art was sparked when, as assistant to the head librarian at The Sawyer Free Library, she assisted in planning monthly exhibits of local artists. She has been an associate member of the Rockport Art Association and a member of the Cape Ann Watercolor Painters.

Shakespeare casting

The Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe is casting for its fifth annual "Shakespeare Celebration" to commemorate the April 23, 1564, birth date of William Shakespeare.

The program will consist of scenes from the plays, sonnets and songs with this year's theme being clowns and comedy.

Performances will be April 27 and 28 at the Rockport Congregational Church's Old Sloop Coffeehouse, 12 School St. Anyone interested in participating should contact Joseph Stiliano at cast2008@prodigy.net for further information.

Youth acting class

Gloucester Stage Company's youth acting workshops will kick off their winter session Feb. 3 for children ages 6 to 19.

The six-week session meets Fridays and Saturdays for a total of four hours per week.

Through funding from The National Endowment for the Arts and other sources, the workshops are able to expand the hours of instruction, lower tuition and offer limited scholarships for the winter session. The students are divided in classes according to age.

Taught by award-winning actress Heidi Dallin as well as guest instructors, such as music teacher Helen Greene and artist Rokhaya Waring, the workshops are designed to provide young people an outlet to nurture their creative potential through developing self-confidence, communication and teamwork skills to use in their daily life as well as introduce them to the skills necessary for professional theatre.

Class size is limited. To register, call 978-283-6688.

Around Cape Ann is a column devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. If you would like to submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-283-7000 x3445, or gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com. Items should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the event.

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