The first Whalefest Gloucester takes its first bow this evening, when Cape Ann Community Cinema presents a 7:30 p.m. screening of "WhaleDreamers" a film acclaimed as a must-see for those who treasure our oceans' most beloved inhabitants.
Just how beloved whales are these days has also been very much in evidence at Art Haven this past week, as Gloucester's junior brigades of artists have prepared for Whalefest by crafting a giant papier mache whale sculpture they'll parade down Main Street at Saturday night's Downtown Block Party.
According to festival coordinator Erika Hansen of Cape Ann Business Incubator, the inaugural Whalefest "is more by way of seeding the idea as a grassroots celebration that can grow organically into an exciting annual event."
Hansen and her husband, David McCarley, first hatched the idea of a whale festival last fall. And together with their core group of Block Party organizers — including Janice Lufkin Shea, City Council President Jackie Hardy and Joey Ciaramitaro of GoodMorningGloucester.com — the first festival has come together with some fast-forward planning over the past few weeks.
"We saw it as a natural extension of the Block Party," Hansen said Wednesday, "but we wanted it to be much more than just a theme, we wanted it to be an educative celebration of Gloucester as 'the whale capital of the world.'"
That is how Gloucester is billed on the newly launched web site, "Discover Gloucester." The city's proximity to Stellwagen Bank, a national marine sanctuary listed among the world's top 10 whale watching sites, and Jeffreys Ledge, another whale feeding ground even closer to its shores, has also landed Gloucester a prime position on USA Today's list of top whale watcher destinations, with several whale watching companies catering to thousands of tourists to plow Cape Ann's waters in search of hump-backs, finbacks, and norwhals, among other indigenous species.
But Gloucester's pre-eminence in the whale world is not just defined by its popularity with tourists. As home to the Whale Center of New England and Ocean Alliance, it's an important center for scientific observation and research.
Both organizations are founding sponsors of the first annual Whalefest Gloucester, and will be represented at a free program organized for Friday, 12:30 p.m. at The Gloucester House Restaurant. There, guest speakers Mason Weinrich, executive director of The Whale Center of New England, and Roger Payne of Ocean Alliance, will be joined by Congressman John Tierney in covering various whale-related topics with a lunchtime crowd.
"It's come-one, come-all," Hanse says of that event, which will be hosted by the Whale Center. "You pay for lunch and you get an education in sea science in general and whales in particular."
Also on hand at The Gloucester House will be representatives from Cape Ann Whale Watch, Captain Bill & Son Whale Watch, 7 Seas Whale Watch, and Yankee Fleet, all participating partners — and representatives from the fest's primary fiscal sponsors, Gorton's of Gloucester, BankGloucester and Cape Ann Savings Bank.
Hansen says the response from downtown has been terrific — though the actual organization, coordination and launch of such an ambitious multi-venue plan has not been easy.
Originally scheduled for the 18th and 19th to coordinate with the weekend block party, the fest was announced last March, and since then went through many visions and revisions before arriving at its final, extended four-day schedule.
It's been quite a learning curve, says Hansen, adding that the costs of starting up such a venture are like the startup costs of launching a new business. That meant a few reality checks and downsizing the agenda to something more along the lines of the spontaneous celebration being launched this weekend with very little fanfare.
With no budget for real promotional activities, it was down to necessity being the mother of invention.
"Basically," says Hansen, "all our promotional activity is being handled by the kids at Art Haven, who've been creating banners and posters all week."
Art Haven had, in fact, declared it "Whale Week" and devoted its kids' summer workshops entirely to inventing visual themes for the Block Party.
At 5 p.m. on Saturday night, the kids will still be creating whale-themed hats and costumes in which to parade their giant papier mache whale sculpture through the Block Party crowds on Main Street, where it will be joined by Yankee Fleet's "Doodles the Whale," and giant Sea Creature puppets.
Last but not least, Gloucester's four whale watch carriers will offer Saturday and Sunday morning whale watch trip discounts, with $10 off adult and $5 off children's ticket.
Joann Mackenzie can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3457, or jomackenzie@gloucesterimes.com.
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
