Harbor Loop music series kicks off

Gloucester’s longest-running waterfront music series kicks off its 2012 season tonight.

It’s the Harbor Loop Concert Series, which opens tonight from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring the group Groove Therapy. The series runs through Aug. 30, with music each week running in the same 6-9 p.m. Thursday time slot. Inge Berge will open the event.

Gloucester singer and guitarist Mark Pelosi leads Groove Therapy, with Jeff Arnold on guitar, Dennis Monagle on drums, Vincent Briguglio on bass and vocalist Brian O’Connor.

The band has been around since the mid-1990s as a trio and has evolved into the current band.

“It’s very special and the band is looking forward to this gig,” said Pelosi. “I love these concerts because it’s a chance for adults and children to listen to music together in a family friendly environment.” Magnolia Library Art Show

The Magnolia Library Center will host its 35th Annual Art Show this upcoming weekend, with this year’s show featuring more than 70 local artists from across the Cape Ann area.

The show will feature art work in acrylic and oil, watercolor, photography, mixed media and sculptures, and kicks off with an artist reception on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. The public is invited to mingle with the artists and enjoy refreshments and light fare donated by the Magnolia Women’s Club. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10:00am to 7:00pm and 10:00am to 4:00pm.

All art work is for sale, with proceeds going to benefit the Magnolia Library Center. Admission is free.

“The artists have really outdone themselves this year and the Library appreciates their participation in our show each year,” said Jamie

O’Hara, president of the Magnolia Library Center board.

Scott Mulcahey of Circa Chairs, a regular exhibitor at the Art Show said he “wanted to do something different this year -- and soon it became my obsession,” he added.

Mulcahey submitted a 7 1/2 foot-handcrafted birdhouse made of reclaimed wood, including a 100 year old piece of an old ironing board.

This year’ s show includes rising artists from Grades 8-12 from the surrounding schools. Fallon Queeney, Meghan Kelliher and sisters Emma and Kate Beaulieu have all submitted to the art show.

This year’s show is being judged by Adriana Mederos, Steve Black and Martha Swanson.

More information about the Show as well as a list of participating artists can be found on the Magnolia Library website at www.magnolialibrary.org.

Big Band opener

The 2012 Summer Concert Series continues at the Antonio Gentile Bandstand in Stage Fort Park at Gloucester’s waterfront with the 20-piece Compaq Big Band on Sunday at 7 pm.

Their repertoire honors the classics from the 30s and 40s as performed by the bands of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, as well as honoring great vocalists with vocal numbers such as those popularized by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bobby Darin, Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, and others.

Their repertoire includes swing numbers from the 50s right up through the hottest big bands of today including Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.

The weekly concerts run through Aug. 28. Ample free parking is available for the concert series. Restrooms are available. Concertgoers are urged to bring picnic dinners, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the concert in comfort. For more information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.davidlbenjamin.com.

Mother Earth gets billing at Annisquam Concert

Annisquam Village Church kicks off its 26th concert season Saturday night with “A Jazz and World Music Celebration of Our Extraordinary Earth.”

The 8 p.m. concert features vocalist and poet, Greta Bro, with saxophone/flautist Stan Strickland, pianist Mark Rossi, and Brazilian percussionist /violinist Ricardo Frota.

Bro and Strickland are long-term collaborators who combine their work with philosophy and the healing arts, taking both jazz and poetry in new directions. Their recently released CD, “Love’s Song,” features a number of well-known jazz figures.

The concert benefits the music programs at the church. The suggested donation is $20. at the door, and students are $10. The historic village church is located at 820 Washington St. in Gloucester. For additional information, visit www.gretabro.com or www.annisquamvillagechurch.org or call 978-283-6416.

Outdoor big band concert

UU Summerfaire

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport will hold its Summerfaire on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church at 4 Cleaves St. in Rockport.

The festive day features food and crafts, plants and booksle, and a silent auction. There will be supervised games and activities for children in the side yard of the church.

A Party of Gold offers evaluation and purchase of gold and silver brought by fairgoers. There will be a 50-50 raffle and a raffle for a watercolor painting by award-winning artist Judy Metcalfe. All are invited to this mid-summer community gathering.

Joy Dai Buell exhibits new work

Gloucester artist Joy Buell is showing 13 new paintings at an ongoing exhibit at the Topsfield Town Library through July 28.

The public opening is Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit also includes paintings by Carol Anne White, a former teacher in Gloucester’s elementary schools. Buell’s work in this show features collage and mixed media.

“Open Spaces” show

Eventide Art Gallery will hold a public reception for the opening of its Summer Group show titled “Open Spaces” on Saturday July 14, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The gallery is at 63 Main St. in Essex. For more information, call 978-890-7198.

Carnival continues

The magical world of the musical “Carnival” continues at Gloucester Stage tonight, throughout this weekend and through July 22.

The story about the small town girl has both spirit-lifting melodies and soul searching ballads. One familiar tune is “Love Makes the World Go Round.”

For reservations and information, call the box office at 978-281-4433 or visit www.gloucesterstage.org.

Documentary explores empty nests

Arts-funder turned filmmaker Lyda Kuth will appear with her film “Love and Other Anxieties” on Monday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Cape Ann Community Cinema at 21 Main St. in Gloucester.

After two decades of giving grants to artists and filmmakers as the executive director of the LEF Foundation, Kuth contemplated making a film herself.

In her mid 50s, and around the time her only daughter was preparing for college, she took the step. Kuth decided to talk with young people in her daughter’s generation about their expectations for marriage and long-term commitment. The interviews helped launch and are part of Kuth’s debut documentary.

Kuth interviewed Stephanie Coontz, marriage scholar and the author of “Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage,” which challenges today’s concept of the traditional marriage. What Kuth didn’t expect was that she’d become a character in her film. An audience discussion with the filmmaker will follow the movie. For tickets, visit capeanncinema.wordpress.com.

New works at NSAA

North Shore Arts Association will present the openings of its Associate Member and Small Works shows beginning today, with a public reception for both shows will be held on Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The galleries are located at the historic building at 11 Pirates Lane in East Gloucester. For more information. call 978-283-1857 or visit www.nsarts.org. Rummage Sale for Old Sloop The Old Sloop Fair at the First Congregational Church of Rockport, 12 School St., will begin with a rummage sale Saturday, July 14, featuring what organizers are calling “gently-used” women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, footwear, and accessories, as well as bed and table linens.

The rummage sale runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair continues the next two weekends and will include a silent auction, white elephants, jewelry, art, handcrafted goods, books, baked goods, pet corner, and snack bar on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21.

The fair concludes with a giant yard sale on July 28. The Old Sloop Fair is one of the oldest and largest church fairs in the region, and has been a popular Rockport summer attraction for more than 50 years. For more information, visit oldsloopfair.org, or call 978-546-6638.

New work in Essex

Award-winning North Shore artist Joan van Roden is now exhibiting her work at The Marketplace at Muzio Designs in the newly constructed barn located at 55 John Wise Avenue -- Route 133 -- in Essex.

Van Roden is showing her oil paintings from her popular Coastal Collection as well as her newest larger oil paintings featuring images of children. For more information, call 978-890-7160 or visit www.vanRoden.com.

Sunset cruise for Cape Ann Animal Aid

Cape Ann Animal Aid’s benefit sunset cruise will take place on July 21 from Captain Bill’s on Harbor Loop.

Tickets are on sale at the Cape Ann Animal Aid at its new location at 4 Paws Lane and Animal Krackers at 232 Main St., Gloucester.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 16 and under. All proceeds will go to Cape Ann Animal Aid, a no-kill shelter.

There will be raffles, cash bar, and food for purchase along with a cruise around scenic Cape Ann. For more information, call 978-283-6055 or email info@capeannanimalaid.com or visit www.CapeAnnAnimalAid.com.Sunset cruise/kayak rally benefit

Benefit kayak event, lighthouse tour

The Thacher Island Association is holding two benefit events -- one of special interest to kayakers, the other is for everyone.

The first event on Saturday, July 21, features the third annual kayak-a-thon, which raises money for the restoration and maintenance of Thacher Island.

Participants will launch from Old Granite Pier in Rockport at 11 a.m. and paddle to the island, a National Historic Landmark and home of the Twin Lights, where they’ll be feted by association volunteers.

The grand prize for the most money raised is a two-night stay on the island for up to four people. Paddlers who collect at least $75 in donations, including the $25 registration fee, will receive a gift bag. Those raising more will be awarded gift certificates ranging in value from $25 to $250. For registration, visit thacherislandpaddle.com.

The second event on July 27 is a three-hour narrated tour of Cape Ann’s six lighthouses aboard the 100-foot vessel Miss Cape Ann.

The boat will cruise up the Annisquam River and around Halibut Point, and pass all of Cape Ann’s lighthouses before returning to Gloucester Harbor via Eastern Point. Snacks and sandwiches are available (or bring your own), and there’s a cash bar. The cost is $30. For tickets or details, call Sharron Cohen at 978-283-7223 or e-mail thachercruise@gmail.com. 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.

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