Construction on the pergola at Gloucester Dog Park’s main entrance in Stage Fort Park has begun and will continue over the next two weeks.
A crew of local vendors and volunteers are making the “roof-raising” of this
Friends of Gloucester Dog Park project a reality.
As their final project at the end of the last year,
Gloucester High School carpentry technology students, under the direction of Dana Griffin, built the boxes for the two sheds making up the pergola.
Volunteers
Chris Fogarty of CF Carpentry Inc. with Aaron Waybret, Bendan Fogarty and Phil Bazel
have framed the roof and pergola.
Greg Santos and David Dolloff of Glosta Builders volunteered their manpower.
Timberline donated materials and Precision Roofing is donating and installing the roof. The Friends are still need of a professional fundraiser and public relations person to help see this project through to the finish. Anyone interested may contact gloucesterdogpark@gmail.com. The Friends are building the park entirely by private donations. Checks out to The Gloucester Fund, earmarked in the memo line “dog park,” 45 Middle St, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Pancake breakfast at Stage Fort today
Speaking of Stage Fort Park, it will be busy there today.
It starts at 7:30 a.m. when Gloucester Rotary members start flipping pancakes for the club’s Annual Rotary Pancake Breakfast at the Antonio Gentile Bandstand.
They’ll be serving pancakes from 7:30 to 11 a.m. This fundraiser benefits the Rose Baker Senior Center and SeniorCare Inc.
Then, at 9 a.m., the Waterfront Festival opens, featuring arts, crafts and food. There will be musical entertainment throughout the day, and visits from “Mary Poppins” and “Ops the Cyclops.” The festival closes at 6 tonight.
The festival continues Sunday, again opening at 9 a.m., and closing at 5 p.m. Featured Sunday will
North Shore Old Car Club members displaying dozens of antique and vintage autos.
Numerous artisans will be demonstrating their crafts, including pottery, woodworking, glass blowing, basket making and oil painting, red work and tile making, on both days.
There will alos be a kids area with a bounce castle, maze, and face painting. With a little help from his friends Gloucester musician Fly Amero received an outpouring show of support from his hometown community in the wake of the news of the recent death of his bandmade Larry Hoppen of Orleans , a friend of more than 32 years. Hoppen was the singer of the Orleans mega-hits “Dance With Me,” “Still The One” and “Love Takes Time.”
Orleans, which has been performing for 40 years, will be performing at the
North Shore Music Theatre on Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. and will finish out its tour in Larry’s honor with Orleans co-founder John Hall, said Amero. It was Hall who penned “Dance with Me” and “Still the One.” The touring band is comprised of mainstays Lance and Lane Hoppen, Amero, Charlie Morgan
and Hall.
“A number of pop-chart luminaries have made generous offers of availability for surprise walk-ons and sit-ins along the way. There’s no way of telling who may emerge from the wings,” said Amero, who performed with Orleans for soldiers and their families at a U.S. base in Japan on the Fourth of July. Some guest musicians made special appearances there as well.
Amero wanted to extend a personal thanks to those who came out to his weekly
Rhumb Line gig in a standing room only performance the day after Hoppen’s death.
“It was an overwhelming show of support from a loving community that is utterly precious to me in every possible way,” he said. “Larry’s contributions to the world of music and to contemporary pop culture will stand throughout history. It occurs to me, having invited him to so many intimate shows here in the northeast over the years, Larry was a friend to a number of you folks as well. We all must now share in our grief, and be ever thankful for our lives and for what we have.”
The Orleans show, kicking off Labor Day weekend at the North Shore Music Theatre features special guests
John Cafferty and Michael “Tunes” Antunes of the Beaver Brown Band (“Eddie & the Cruisers”) with Gloucester’s Allen Estes
opening the show. In answer to those who ask “What’s next?” Amero said the answer is the same in the entertainment business — “the show must go on” or perhaps, he said, an even better reply may be found in the words of Larry Hoppen himself...“Let there be music.”
Good Harbor state’s best beach
Good Harbor Beach was named “Best Beach in Massachusetts
” this week in a poll of Boston.com readers, taking the top prize over 63 other Bay State beaches.
More than 64,000 votes were cast in the contest, which included six rounds of head-to-head competitions. Good Harbor defeated
Coast Guard Beach in Eastham in the semifinal round and beat last year’s champion, Crane Beach in Ipswich, in the championship. It was revenge of sorts for Good Harbor, which was knocked out of last year’s competition by Crane Beach.
“Good Harbor Beach has become a local favorite due to its white sand, great surf and stunning views,” Boston.com said in its description.
The
Good Morning Gloucester blog, run by Joey Ciaramitaro, and Matter Communications, a public relations agency that promotes Gloucester tourism, publicized and helped rally support for Good Harbor in the contest.
The Boston.com “Best Beach in Massachusetts” contest – with Good Harbor as the winner – can be found online at http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/specials/summer/special/beach_bonanza_new_england/
Honored veteran
The flag at the Veterans Center will fly this week in honor of World War II veteran Gil Anthony Roderick. Born Aug. 22, 1920, he entered the U.S. Navy on Sept. 22, 1942. A laundryman, the ship’s service man, third class served with Amphibious Assault Command Ship USS Panamint. He served in Newfoundland, and the Pacific, including Okinawa.
Roderick was awarded the American Theatre Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Medal with one Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
He was discharged Nov. 5, 1945, and died Feb. 17, 2002.
The flag was requested to fly in his honor by his family.
Anyone wishing to fly a flag in honor of a deceased veteran can call the Office of Veterans Services at 978-281-9740.
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