Contents

Calendar of Events

Year-round:

  • Sedgwick Gardens tours, Long Hill, 572 Essex St., Beverly. Self-guided tours, sunrise to sunset. (978) 921-1944.
  • 1781 John Cabot House, 117 Cabot St., Beverly. Open Wednesdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $4 adults, $1 children 5 to 12. (978) 922-1186.

    • Through Sept. 23: "Letters From Nam" at North Shore Music Theatre; starring award-winning singer/actress Maureen McGovern. Tickets $18 to $56. Call the box office at (978) 232-7200, or visit Web site, www.nsmt.org.

    Through Sept. 30:

  • "Painted with Thread: The Art of American Embroidery," an exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem. (800) 745-4054.

    • Through Oct. 31:

  • "Dory Fishing in Old Marblehead," at the JOJ Frost Folk Art Gallery, 170 Washington St., Marblehead. Free. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. (781) 631-1768.

    • Through November:

  • Salem Trolley hourly narrated tours of historic Salem, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, from National Park Service Visitor Center, Liberty Street, Salem. Last tour leaves at 4 p.m. Tickets good for whole day. $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for children 12 and under, $25 for family (2 adults and children 12 and under). (978) 744-5469.
  • Salem 1630: Pioneer Village. Costumed guides demonstrate 17th century cooking, carding, spinning, needlework, gardening at a living history museum recreating English settlement established in 1626. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Forest River Park, on Salem Harbor. $5 to $7. (978) 744-0991.

    • Sept. 14-16:

  • Gloucester Seafood Festival. A celebration of the port and its principal product, featuring a food pavilion, harbor and boat tours, marine arts and crafts, entertainment, fishing contests and demonstrations, and related events. (978) 283-1601.

    • Sept. 15:

  • Walking tour of historic Marblehead, 6 to 8 p.m. $15, $10 Marblehead Historical Society members. Reservations, (781) 631-1069.
  • Peabody International Festival Road Race, 9:30 a.m. from Peabody Square. (978) 532-3000.
  • Classical music concert, featuring Music at Eden's Edge, the North Shore's resident chamber music ensemble, 8 p.m., at the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., Marblehead. $17. (781) 631-2608.
  • Farmer's Market at the Topsfield Fairground, Parking Lot A, 7 a.m. to noon. (978) 922-1648.

    • Sept. 16:

  • Peabody International Festival Kids Day, 1 p.m., at Leather City Common. (978) 532-3000.
  • Harvest Festival at Green Meadows Farm, Hamilton, (978) 468-3720.
  • Clambake by the Sea, 5 p.m., at Seaside Lawn at The House of the Seven Gables, Salem. Catered by Woodman's of Essex, includes lobster, clams, chicken, etc. Proceeds benefit The House of the Seven Gables Settlement & Neighborhood Center programs. Tickets start at $60 and have a tax-deductible portion. (978) 744-0991, Ext. 103.

    • Sept. 20:

  • "Stitched & Stenciled, Pieced & Patchwork: Cotton Bedcovers on New England, 1775-1850," 10:30 a.m. at the Cushing House, 98 High St., Newburyport. Lecture by Lynne Bassett, curator of textiles at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. Bassett will trace the history of quilts through the social and artistic desires of their makers. Call (978) 462-2681 for information.

    • Sept. 21-Dec. 14:

  • Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre performed at Hammond Castle: Sept. 21, Oct. 4, 5, Nov. 16, and Dec. 13 and 14. Call (978) 283-7673 for information and tickets. www.hammondcastle.org

    • Sept. 22:

  • Farmer's Market at the Topsfield Fairground, Parking Lot A, 7 a.m. to noon. (978) 922-1648.
  • Walking tour of historic Marblehead, 6 to 8 p.m. $15, $10 Marblehead Historical Society members. Call for reservations, (781) 631-1069.
  • Essex ClamFest. Chowder-tasting competition, arts and crafts, games, entertainment, Memorial Park, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sponsored by the Essex Division/Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, (978) 283-1601.
  • Family Harvest Festival at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Newbury, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Celebrate the harvest with farm-related activities including artisan demonstrations and pumpkin decorating, horse-drawn wagon rides, cider pressing, waiving and metal working, basket making, chair canning and fiddle music. Free to members, $4 for non-members, $3 for children. Call (978) 462-2634 for information or visit www.spnea.org.
  • The Rockport Lodge on South Street hosts the Chamber of Commerce's eighth annual Auction and Taste of Rockport. The chamber's biggest fund-raiser of the year kicks off with the opening of a giant yard sale at 8 a.m., and culminates in a reception and auction in the evening at 5. (978) 546-6575.

    • Sept. 23:

  • Concours d'Elegance, vintage cars, jazz, house tours, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Castle Hill, Ipswich. $20 adults, $10 children; Trustees members $15, $8. (978) 356-4351.
  • Peabody International Festival, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Peabody Square. (978) 531-0384.

    • Sept. 24:

  • Peabody Chamber of Commerce Fall Classic Golf Tournament, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Thomson Country Club, North Reading. Cost is $135. To register, call (978) 531-0384.

    • Sept. 25:

  • Sesquicentennial lecture, "The Great Gale of 1851: Newburyport's Worst 19th C. Disaster," by Carl Panall. The hair-raising story of the catastrophic storm that destroyed much of New England's fishing fleet. 7:30 p.m. at the Custom House Maritime Museum, Newburyport. (978) 462-8681.

    • Sept. 29:

  • Walking tour of historic Marblehead, 6 to 8 p.m. $15, $10 Marblehead Historical Society members. Call for reservations, (781) 631-1069.

    • Sept. 29-Oct. 8:

  • Topsfield Fair, open daily. $7 weekdays/$8 weekends and Columbus Day. Children younger than 8 admitted free with an adult. (978) 887-5000 or (888) RT1-FAIR.

    • Oct. 1:

  • Commodore Invitational Golf Tournament, shotgun start at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Essex Country Club. Sponsored by the Boston Private Bank and Trust, proceeds benefit the North Shore ARC. Fee is $225-$275, including breakfast, lunch and a prime rib dinner. (978) 762-4878, Ext. 270.

    • Oct. 2-21:

  • "Zorba" to be performed at the North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, $18 to $56. (978) 232-7200.

    • Oct. 6:

  • Archaeology Family Day at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm. Families participate in hands-on activities that teach the archaeological process using a mock site, straitigraphy display and artifacts. House tours emphasize the use of archaeology in understanding the history of people and buildings on the farm. Free to members, $4 for non-members, $3 for children. Call (978) 462-2634 for information or visit www.spnea.org.

    • Oct. 6-8:

  • Cape Ann Artisans Studio Tour. Artisan studios open to the public, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meet the artists and see their newest work in the places where it is created. Maps available at Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Gloucester/Rockport Visitor Information Centers. Call (978) 281-3347 for details and information. www.capeannartisans.com

    • Oct. 7-8:

  • Newburyport's 26th annual Fall Harvest Festival, in the historic downtown. Juried crafts, hay rides, farm stands, live entertainment, shopping and food. Call (978) 462-6680 or visit www.newburyportchamber.org.

    • Oct. 8:

  • Great House guided tour at the Crane Estate, Ipswich, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of Trustees of Reservations admitted free. Cost for nonmembers is $7 for adults, $5 for children, seniors and students. Tickets available at the gate only. (978) 356-4351.

    • Oct. 12-27:

  • Eerie Events 2001, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to midnight, at the Phillips Library and historic houses. Eerie Events explores macabre themes inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan Poe through music, film, and original theater. Ghost stories are brought to life by Boston actors clad in period costume amid the dimly lit parlors and bedrooms of the museum's historic houses.

    • Advance reservation $10; $12 at the door, children $5. Call (978) 745-9500, Ext. 3214 for reservations.

    Oct. 13:

  • Third annual Gloucester House Tour. Tour of private homes with proceeds benefiting the Sargent House Museum. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (978) 281-2432 for information. www.sargenthouse.org

    • Oct. 14:

  • Loretta Laroche to perform at the North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, $45 to $38. (978) 232-7200.

    • Oct. 18-27:

  • Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," opens Thursday, Oct. 18, with performances Oct. 19 and 20, and Oct. 25 to 27, at 8 p.m., in the Callan Studio Theater at Salem State College. Admission is $20, $15 for seniors and students. (978) 542-6290.

    • Oct. 19-29:

  • Experience a spooky, haunted castle with Hammond Castle's annual haunted house, Fridays through Sunday and Monday, Oct. 29, 7 to 10 p.m. Call (978) 283-7673 for information. www.hammondcastle.org

    • Oct. 19-31:

  • Salem Haunted Happenings, at various locations throughout the city. (978) 744-3663.

    • Oct. 20:

  • Pumpkin Festival at Green Meadows Farm, Hamilton, (978) 468-3720.

    • Oct. 26-28:

  • Theatre in the Pines, with Nan Webber director, will present "The Boys Next Door" by Tom Griffin; 7:30 p.m. at the Firehouse Trust in Dock Square in Rockport. (978) 546-2770.

    • Oct. 27-28:

  • Boston Poultry Show at the Topsfield Fairground. (978) 694-9669.

    • Oct. 30-Nov. 18:

  • "Miss Saigon" to be performed at the North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, $18 to $56. (978) 232-7200.

    • Nov. 9:

  • Junior Aid Society's fall ball, 7 p.m., at the Tedesco Country Club, Marblehead. Light buffet, dancing, auction and raffle.

    • Nov. 23-25:

  • Peabody Essex Museum Antiques Show, Leigh and Leslie Keno, stars of the popular PBS program "Antiques Roadshow," headline the show Nov. 23-25, at the O'Keefe Center at Salem State College. Preview party from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring the Keno brothers, a wine tasting and special raffle. Guests may also enjoy "Dealer Chats" with individual dealers throughout the weekend. General admission is $10.50, museum members $7.50. For tickets, call (800) 745-4054, Ext. 3061.

    • Nov. 24:

  • Lecture and book signing, 1 p.m., O'Keefe Center, Salem State College. Leigh and Leslie Keno will deliver a talk on their recently published book, "Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture." Tickets are $30, which includes a brunch sponsored by Kaminski Auctioneers and Appraisers. Also, representatives from Kaminski will be offering appraisals.

    • Nov. 25:

  • Lecture and tea, 1 p.m., O'Keefe Center, Salem State College. Gerry Arcari of Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting will host a tea and present a lecture on oriental rugs. Tickets are $20. Appraisals will be offered by Ronald Bourgeault, Northeast Auctions.
  • Kent Circle Treelighting. Enjoy hot chocolate, holiday carols, and a beautiful tree lighting at Kent Circle on Gloucester's harborfront, 4:30 p.m.
  • Santa's Arrival and Tree Lighting, 3:30 p.m. at Newburyport's Waterfront Park. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by U.S. Coast Guard boat and parade up to Market Square to light the city tree.

    • Dec. 7:

  • Invitation Night, 6 to 9 p.m. Join the merchants of Newburyport for holiday cheer and refreshments. Live music fills the streets of downtown.

    • Dec. 8:

  • Middle Street Walk. Middle Street and Pleasant Street, Gloucester, 1 to 4 p.m. Stroll through the middle of Gloucester's historic district and see period homes decorated for the holiday season. Open houses, music, and refreshments.
  • Holiday House Tour. Ten historic buildings decorated for the season and open to the public. Tickets available for the Custom House Museum, to benefit the Newburyport Maritime Society.

    • Dec. 8-9:

  • Open house at Green Meadows Farm, Hamilton, (978) 468-3720.

    • Dec. 8-16:

  • Victorian Christmas at Hammond Castle. Saturdays and Sundays, celebrate the holidays in the old-fashioned way. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (978) 283-7673 for information. www.hammondcastle.org

    • Dec. 13-30:

  • Theater in the Open presents, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." This classic tale has been adapted for the stage and will be at the Firehouse Center for the Arts. Show times and admission TBA.

    • Dec. 14:

  • Invitation Night, 6 to 9 p.m. Join the merchants of Newburyport for holiday cheer and refreshments. Live music fills the streets of downtown.

    • Dec. 15-16:

  • Open house at Green Meadows Farm, Hamilton, (978) 468-3720.

    • Dec. 22:

  • Annual Christmas Pageant. A torchlit re-enactment of the Nativity. Starting at 5 p.m. along Dock Square and Main Street, Rockport.

    • Return to:

    Fall Guide to the North Shore

    The Salem Evening News | The Daily News of Newburyport
    The Gloucester Daily Times | NorthShoreOnLine