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The town of PIttenweem, the picturesque fishing village just south of St. Andrews, in Scotland, where the story of the Manchester by the Sea Museum clock begins.

From Scotland to Manchester: The Musical Clock with Royal Ties

What does the King of England and the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum have in common?  Both have musical clocks made by Scottish master craftsman John Smith. Our story starts in Pittenweem …

Update on Harbor Projects, Moorings, Mandated Boat Safety Certification, Hurricane Season, and More

Greetings boaters.  We’re already well into the boating season, now that July is here.  There’s a lot going on to report from the Harbormaster’s office in Manchester right …

Essex Edition: FinCom Appointment Drama, Septic Loans, Chebacco Blooms

This week, there is much to report in Essex, with breakouts (a cheeky septic system reference) with a Board of Selectmen’s vote to fill a vacant Finance Committee seat, a low interest loan to …
Singing Beach, Manchester by the Sea, Tuesday, June 24.

Singing Beach on a Scorcher

Temperatures in Manchester and on Cape Ann reached the low‑ to mid‑90 °F range last week, with Manchester peaking at 102 °F, shattering the previous June record of …
Current board of the Hooper Fund.  From left, Abby Considine, Bob Fulford, Lynda Surdam, Tyler Kneisel, Anne Kneisel, Bob Garlitz, Muffin Driscoll, Adam Scott, and Sue Kent.

Hooper Fund: 25 Years of Local Impact

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hooper Fund, a Manchester-based nonprofit that has become a quiet force for good in the lives of local children and families.   Since its founding in …
Manchester Town Administrator Greg Federspiel last week in front of Town Hall, where he’s worked since 2013.  He retires this week.
After 12 Years of Steady Leadership, Greg Federspiel Retires
In his first three months on the job back in 2013, Manchester Town Administrator Greg Federspiel was met with a pile of decidedly “local” issues.   A grant application for sea wall …
Former Bollettieri Tennis Academy/Manchester director Francisco Montoya was one of four US Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame inductees.  Earlier this month, Montoya received the 2025 Gardner Ward Chase Memorial Award from USTA New England’s Geoff Swire.
Manchester Coach Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award in Newport
Longtime Manchester tennis coach Francisco Montoya received the 2025 Gardner Ward Chase Memorial Award—lasting recognition for outstanding lifetime contribution to New England …
A replica of this original “Forster Flag,” America’s earliest known flag that was created by Samuel Forster of Manchester in 1775, will be raised at the Town Hall Common on July 1.  This photo is of the original flag, which is on permanent display at the Museum of the American Revolution.
America’s Earliest Known Flag, and Its Manchester Roots
On July 1, Manchester’s town flagpole will raise a replica of the earliest known American flag, the “Forster Flag,” to mark America’s 250th anniversary of Independence. …
Lifestyle
The Essex County Greenbelt Trail Run

Greenbelt’s Annual Trail Run Returns August 23 to Vineyard Hill

It’s time for the Essex County Greenbelt’s 17th Annual Trail Run on Saturday, Aug.t 23, at Vineyard Hill Reservation in South Hamilton. The popular race is part of the North Shore Trail …

Gloucester Stage Company Presents Regional Premiere of The Garbologists

Gloucester Stage Company is kicking off its summer season with the regional premiere of The Garbologists , a rousing new buddy comedy by Lindsay Joelle. Directed by Producing Artistic Director …

Vivien Tapsoba Returns to Side Street Gallery for Special Artist Meet & Greet

Gloucester’s Side Street Gallery, located at Hughes Bosca on Rocky Neck, will host a special meet-the-artist event on Thursday, July 17, from 4 - 7 p.m., featuring acclaimed West African painter …
Right, “Copper Paint” a mixed-media photo montage, 12″ × 9″, by Gloucester multimedia artist (right) Judy Robinson-Cox.

Tiny Worlds, Big Vision: Judy Robinson-Cox Featured at The Salted Cod Gallery this Month

The Salted Cod Gallery will spotlight the playful and poignant work of Gloucester multimedia artist Judy Robinson-Cox throughout the month of July as its featured guest artist. Robinson-Cox, a …

Six Ways of Seeing: New Group Exhibition Opens at Cove Gallery in Gloucester

Starting this week, the Rocky Neck Art Colony’s Cove Gallery will present Six Ways of Seeing the World , a group exhibition curated by Gabrielle Rossmer that brings together six acclaimed …
Home and Garden
SENIOR LIVING

Uncle Jim is coming to the BBQ. Issues?  Too many to count.

The song says, "and the livin' is easy."   The fish might be jumpin’, and the cotton may be high… and then there are those family occasions—weddings, graduations, and …

When I was little, there was always a big to-do with my sister and me around our “Sunday shoes.” Each year we got a new pair around Easter.   They were usually MaryJane’s and …
Pets and People

CBD Use in Dogs and Cats

There is probably some confusion about the difference between “CBD” and “THC” … To simplify the difference, THC is commonly called marijuana and is usually used …

Books

Manchester Library Notes | June 30

This week at the Manchester Public Library, we have the Diversity Matters Book Club, the Mystery Book Club, Escape from Man-catraz and much more.  Come on down! …

Columnists

Fishing, Flounder, and Friendship: A Manchester Childhood by the Harbor

Bob Flanders, proprietor of Manchester Seafoods on Central Street who ran the business with his wife, Vi.  The couple taught young Pete Willwerth how to boil and pick lobsters, skin fillets, chip blocks of ice, and set up the showcase just so. 

I remember being a kid no more than six or seven years old, digging up sea worms and clams at low tide in the flats behind our house at 4 Ashland Avenue, overlooking the inner harbor.   Rubber …

Sports
Jim Bildner’s boat, “Summer,” left, and George Putnam’s “Laris,” center, by the starting mark.

North Shore Sailors Compete in 72nd Running of the Patton Bowl

How do you set a race course that appeals to the two kinds of sailboat racers?  Boats that fly spinnakers want a “Windward – Leeward” course, because they can tack upwind …

Measured Progress: Despite State Final Loss to Ham/Wen, ME Girls Tennis Makes Its Mark

he Manchester Essex girls tennis team spent more than half a season attempting to find its groove. Once the team did, that groove brought them all the way to the state title match against one of the …

Different Methods, Similar Results for ME Lax Teams in Tourney

Charlie Thurlow charges the net against the East Bridgewater Vikings during MIAA D4 Round of 32.  The Hornets prevailed 17-4..
While the end result was essentially the same, both Manchester Essex lacrosse teams found different ways to earn decisive wins in the first round of the MIAA Div. 4 Tournament this past …
Obituaries
Patricia L. Fairhurst (Northridge)
Patricia Fairhurst, a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 29th. Born in 1926 in New Rochelle, New York, Pat spent most of her …
Joseph “Skeeter” Maurice Brideau
Joseph “Skeeter” Maurice Brideau (75), died peacefully at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House on June 22, 2025, surrounded by family.  Born in Fitchburg, MA, he was the son of Estelle …
Anthony Narciss Bullock III
Anthony (94), born Mother’s Day May 10, 1931, died on Father’s Day, June 15, 2025, at home surrounded by his family.  Born in Media, PA, he was the son of Anne Elizabeth Lumley and …
Nita Michelini White
Nita Michelini White, a longtime resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, died on June 7th, 2025 at the age of 95 at Heron House in Cumberland, Maine.  Nita was born in Reading, …
John Everett Glovsky
John Everett Glovsky, aged 81, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 23, 2025, surrounded by family and friends.  Born to C. Henry and Natalie Glovsky in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 23, …
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Former Navy SEALs are diving to save the ocean
Reasons to be Cheerful reports on Force Blue, where veterans use their skills for marine conservation, healing both ocean and themselves.
How to power the AI economy while supporting local communities
Bloom Energy reports on how onsite power, like fuel cells, can support AI's energy needs while minimizing costs and pollution for local communities.
Variety is the sauce of life.
3 basic ingredients, a million possibilities: How small pizzerias succeed with uniqueness in an age of chain restaurants
While economic forces have streamlined many global dishes into uniform, predictable formats, pizza continues to thrive in all its messy and delicious variety.
5 ways to help make more affordable (and sustainable) choices at the pharmacy
(BPT) - Health care essentials like over-the-counter (OTC) products can quickly add up and eat into your budget. Whether you're buying pain medication to manage headaches or antibiotic ointment for …
'I'll have a coke – no, not Coca-Cola, Sprite.' Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via The Conversation
Pop, soda or coke? The fizzy history behind America’s favorite linguistic debate
An expert in American dialects explains how a ‘health drink’ from the early 1800s spawned so many names and variations.