Making a Difference
Our Members. Our Community. Our Region.
Community Leaders Join Cape Ann Chamber and Cape Ann Community Foundation for Opening of New Office and Visitor Center

Event at New Location on Gloucester’s Harbor Loop Marked by Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, Placement of Time Capsule, and Community-Wide Online Broadcast

The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Ann Community Foundation celebrated the official opening of their new office and visitor center on Gloucester’s Harbor Loop on August 28.
Cape Ann community and business leaders, city and town officials, and the region’s state legislators joined with the Chamber team and board members from both organizations for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and placement of a time capsule. Guests also toured the new offices, which include a Community Collaboration Center in addition to an expanded Visitor Center. Read More
CEO and President Update

Good Golly Miss Molly – where did the summer go?! The cooler air is rolling in, the humidity is rolling out, and the trials and tribulations of summer 2020 on Cape Ann – and signs of renewed prosperity – are leading us into the fall.

Government Affairs Council Update

The Government Affairs Council since April has held its monthly meetings via Zoom.
At the Council’s most recent meeting on August 11, Peter gave an update on the Chamber operations, including staff participation on Gloucester’s and Rockport’s reopening advisory groups. 

Tourism Council Update

Summer 2020 was an extraordinary time for Cape Ann’s visitor-based businesses, and this was a topic of conversation for our Tourism Council, which met on August 14.

Chamber Team Welcomes New Office Administrator

We are thrilled to welcome Dylan Fowler to our team as the Chamber's new Office Administrator. Born in Albany, New York, Dylan has moved around New England for most of his life and received a BA in History at the University at Albany before moving to Gloucester over a year ago.

Dashboard for August 31: The most recent daily Dashboard of Public Health Indicators continues to report encouraging trends. The positive test rate (7-day weighted average) has remained below 2% since early July and is now down to 1%, its lowest observed value since data collection began. The 3-day weighted average number of hospitalized patients ticked up slightly to 303, one above its lowest observed value, with 314 patients reported hospitalized as of August 31.

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Launches ‘MyLocalMA’ Campaign. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) recently launched a campaign to promote shopping local to support small businesses across the Commonwealth. For additional information and tools visit FindMyLocalMA.com.

Colorado, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia added to exempt list for Travel Order. On August 28, the list of exempt states was updated and expanded to include these four additional states. Visitors arriving from or Massachusetts residents returning from exempted states are not required to fill out a travel form or have a negative COVID-19 test. For further information and updates about the travel order, please visit here.

Information Resources:

For comprehensive COVID-19 information please visit the Chamber’s special Coronavirus page.

To view the most recent (August 28) weekly COVID-19 Command Center Situation Report from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), please click here.

For the latest COVID-19 news and information for Massachusetts, please visit www.mass.gov.
Call or Visit the Chamber Office to Purchase Tickets
Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and our affiliated Cape Ann Community Foundation Office

The Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of our new location took place on Friday, August 28. We are thrilled to finally welcome visitors and our community to Harbor Loop.

Sale By The Sea

We celebrated local business this tax free weekend by hosting Sale By The Sea in Manchester. Although the event looked very different this year, we were thrilled to be able to continue the event while ensuring all safety precautions were followed. Thank you to all of the participating businesses and to those who shopped local this weekend!

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Seaview Farm's New Wine and Craft Beer Store

We celebrated Seaview Farms’ NEW wine and craft beer store with a ribbon cutting on August 14. Seaview Farms is located in Rockport so be sure to stop by! We are so happy for owners Ken and Regina Lane for expanding their business, and for Paige Farrell, for carefully curating the wine selection.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at The Cove at Rockport


On August 24, we celebrated the Grand Opening and renovation of The Cove At Rockport. Nestled along the coast of the Atlantic, The Cove at Rockport offers the perfect blend of New England charm and modern amenities.


Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
at The Cornerstone Creative

The Cornerstone Creative officially opened their doors on Monday August 17th! The Cornerstone Creative is a non-profit mentorship program that utilizes craftsmanship and woodworking to shape the futures of the young men and women in Gloucester. We are proud to welcome an amazing organization to our community, congratulations!

New Website For Local Artists

Capeann MADE is a new online site featuring New England Artists and Makers. It was created to help promote sales during this challenging time. Come visit, browse, shop, and support local art.

*Interested Artists and Makers go to the “participate” link on the website for details.

Please Show Your Support For Our Community and #ShopSmall

Make a single purchase of $10 or more
directly with an eligible U.S. small business
on the Shop Small Map by 9/20/20, and
get a $5 statement credit back.

Attention Professional and Recreational Photographers

The Gloucester Rotary Club is now taking submissions for their 2021 Raffle Calendar. Three entries are allowed per person, and $50 will be paid for each winning entry, as well as photo credit.

Sawyer Free Library Presents: A Cape Ann Conversation on Climate Change with Bill McKibben on September 22

David Abel, Pulitzer-prize winning Boston Globe reporter, will interview Bill McKibben, environmental advocate, author and founder of 350.org, about lessons learned and future solutions concerning the climate crisis.

Backyard Growers 5th Annual Great Gloucester Growdown Virtual Fundraiser on September 29

The 5th Annual Great Gloucester GrowDown has gone virtual. On September 29, support their school, community, and backyard garden programs while enjoying a delicious picnic-to-go from Short & Main and Backyard Growers movie premiere in the comfort of your own home.

Cape Ann Artisans 2020 Fall Open Studios, October 10 - 11

Appointments with each artisan are strongly encouraged, and will be given priority access.

Featured Artists:



Beech Tree B&B Receives 2020 Travelers’ Choice Award from Tripadvisor

Beech Tree B&B is in the top 10% of lodging accommodations worldwide. Every year, Tripadvisor combs through reviews and ratings from travelers everywhere, and uses that information to award the very best.

We would like to extend a big thank you to our supporting sponsors.

If you are interested in promoting with the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and sponsoring this newsletter, please contact Ken Riehl at ken@capeannchamber.com
Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce capeannchamber.com