Tourism Council April Meeting Update: Looking Ahead to Exciting Times for Cape Ann Tourism

While spring is an exciting time for tourism on Cape Ann, this is also when we begin to set our sights on the seasons ahead – and that was the focus of the April 19 meeting of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber Tourism Council.

Our busiest tourism seasons got off to a great start thanks to Mother Nature – winter passed quietly, and in the early weeks of spring we enjoyed some summer-like weather.  That was welcome news for accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and others across our visitor-based economy that benefit from warmer temperatures.  

We’ve already seen activity around the early spring holidays and school vacation weeks – and watched as flowers blossomed across Cape Ann.  We also saw businesses that closed for the winter months reopen their doors.

There’s still much to celebrate this spring – including holidays like Mother’s Day and events like Motif #1 Day (May 18) – and even more when summer arrives. In our April 19 meeting, we turned our attention toward some of the happenings ahead.

Ipswich is planning a celebration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 8, and one of the organizers, Larry Jordan, joined us to provide a preview of the parades, commemorations, and other activities planned to mark this special day.

Later in the summer – over Labor Day weekend – the Schooner Festival will unfold again, this time with more activities along with all that we’ve come to expect from one of Cape Ann’s traditional celebrations.  Michael DeKoster of Maritime Gloucester, one of the organizers, was on hand in our meeting to spotlight some of the plans for this year – the 40th anniversary of this festival.  In 2024, there will be additional activities on the Thursday before that weekend and more Schooner Festival happenings on Sunday.

These two events bookend what promises to be Cape Ann’s most exciting summer season ever, with events and activities like St. Peter’s Feast, downtown Block Parties, Culture Splash events each Thursday, the Waterfront Festival, Manchester’s Festival By The Sea, and so much more. Visit the Chamber’s Cape Ann Vacations website to learn more about all that’s planned for tourists and residents alike.

A new celebration is a June 6 event planned by the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF), the group responsible for the popular Cape Ann license plates, which help to promote the region with a graphic representing Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester by the Sea.  The Foundation uses funds from plate sales to support community programs and non-profit organizations, and on June 6, friends of CACF will gather at Cape Ann Lanes to celebrate those programs and non-profits. Visit the www.lovecapeann.com website to learn more about the event, the Foundation, and the license plates.

All of these plans for the late spring, summer, and fall – and beyond – will be the focus of the Council’s annual Spring Tourism Mixer, on May 14 at Hammond Castle Museum. This will again be an opportunity for the tourism community – and those who support us – to come together to learn all we can look forward to in the seasons ahead. For more of the Mixer, download this flyer – and register here.

We also invite anyone who is involved in or has an interest in Cape Ann’s visitor-based economy to join us for our monthly Council meetings. We gather on the third Friday of each month at the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce offices — and via Zoom.  If you’d like to be part of these discussions, please reach out to me or contact the Chamber staff.

Tony Sapienza
Co-owner, Blue Shutters Beachside Inn
Chair, Tourism Council
tsapienza@gmail.com