Last week the Board and Chamber team met for the afternoon at Bass Rocks Golf Club to review elements of a new strategic plan. The Board also voted unanimously to approve our 2022 Board Slate. Pursuant to Article V of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce bylaws, we are notifying you, as a member of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, that the Nominating Committee has unanimously approved a slate of nominees to replace the directors and officers whose terms will be expiring at the end of 2021. Please view the attached document to review the 2022 Board Slate.

The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce invites you to join us for a ribbon cutting at Shore Nutrition on Gloucester's Main Street. Shore Nutrition opened amidst the pandemic and was never able to celebrate its opening like imagined. Come out and celebrate Shore Nutrition now and give them the warm welcome they have deserved all along. This event was originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 26 but was postponed until October 28.

The Cape Ann Regional Grant Team presents Merchandising for the Holiday Season, a free workshop with Brand & Merchandising Consultant Jenna Aiello on Wednesday, November 3, 11am-12:30pm at the Beauport Hotel, Gloucester. A complimentary lunch will be served. The presentation will include a discussion on setting the right holiday scene, merchandising for gift giving, holiday scenes from the outside in, and winter themes beyond the holidays. Preregistration is required. To register in person, email Anne at anne@capeannchamber.com. Use the link below to register for Zoom. And don’t forget to check out your business listing at the new Cape Ann Online Business Directory. Update your listing, add promotions and much more.

Coffee & Connections

Occurring on the first Thursday of the month at

9 AM, the Greater Cape Ann Chamber hosts Coffee & Connections, a virtual networking event! We will continue holding these via zoom so that anyone may join us from anywhere. Meet new people, expand your business connections and stay in touch with friends and colleagues.

Join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating Betsy Frost Design in Ipswich. Betsy Frost Design is celebrating 5 years in business. Over the last 5 years, Betsy Frost Design has become a one-stop shop for all your jewelry and design needs in downtown Ipswich. Please join us in celebrating Betsy Frost Design's 5 years in business!

Just two weeks remain until the Chamber’s biggest fundraiser! With over 200 attendees, the auction is one of the largest on the North Shore. This is a wonderful way to support the organization and help build a stronger Cape Ann region. With 100 Live and Silent items and many door prizes, you will not want to miss this terrific opportunity to celebrate our region and find those special gifts for you and your loved ones!

Presenting Sponsor: Fish Shack Restaurant

Platinum Sponsors: Beauport Hospitality, Institution for Savings

Gold Sponsors: Bank Gloucester, Brookline Bank, Engel & Volkers

Silver Sponsors: Applied Materials, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Intershell Seafood Corporation, Johnson O’Connor, Manchester Athletic Club

Bronze Sponsors: Beauport Law, Cazeault Solar, Carol Steele, Style Snoop, Horvitz & Frisch.p.c. and our Supporting Sponsors. 

The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce has once again teamed up with the Manchester Atheltic Club to offer its members an exclusive benefit. If you're a member of the Chamber, you can sign up with the MAC and receive a free month and a discounted corporate membership. You must sign up before 12/31/21 to take advantage of this exclusive chamber member benefit. For more information on benefits included in your membership, see below.

We are thrilled to announce that our 2022 advertising opportunities are now available. Take advantage of early bird 10% discounts on our display ads by signing up now to advertise in our publications. You can also increase your web presence by advertising on our three websites CapeAnnChamber.com, CapeAnnVacations.com and/or RockportUSA.com

The current editions of our publications are still being widely distributed and are available for pick-up at our office and visitor center.

Summer may be over but our visitor centers remain busy. A free benefit of membership is the ability to display your business's brochures, menus and rack cards in our visitor centers. We are currently running low on these promotional items after a busy summer. Please bring them by our office at 24 Harbor Loop, Gloucester or contact info@capeannchamber.com for pick-up.

Beverly Hospital and Addison Gilbert are conducting their triennial Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The primary goal is to identify the priority health needs in the community, including various social, economic, and environmental factors that impact the ability to achieve optimal health and healthy equity, i.e. economic insecurity, transportation, access to care, housing insecurity, employment, economic development, education, etc. We greatly appreciate if you could provide your input on the most pressing needs in your community where you live and/or work by taking approximately ten minutes to complete the survey below.

The goal of the Gloucester Racial Justice team in issuing this survey is to gather the perspective of our BIPOC Gloucester community members and/or all that love and/or support them. We hope the results will help us to focus our attention on the areas where we can make the most impact. Thank you for your time.

Volunteers work about two hours in the late morning, picking up and delivering meals to older residents. This provides several benefits—the elder receives a nutritious meal (sometimes the main meal of their day), they get a quick visit from a friendly volunteer (sometimes the only person they see that day), and as the volunteer gets to know the elders on their route, the volunteer sometimes notices when the elder’s circumstances and/or status changes and can have SeniorCare check-in with the elder to make sure everything is all right.

For more information visit our volunteer section at www.seniorcareinc.org

Have you seen Essex's new Halloween residents? Take a drive around town and see the creativity of our residents and businesses! Some are truly SCAREcrows, others will put a smile on your face! The Friends of the COA will award a $50 gift certificate for the funniest, scariest, best character and best Essex theme.

Take a tour this fall and see if you can solve the real murder the game Clue is based on! A murder that involved the highest levels of government and those who pulled their strings. A murder that inspired Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. A murder that Nathaniel Hawthorne reported on in 1830 of the death of Captain Joseph White! Also, learn about the secret tunnels in town that were involved. Public and Private tours from Oct. 5th-Nov. 5th at 3 pm and 8 pm. Tour lasts 2hrs. Meets at the Custom House on Derby Street. Each ticket comes with suspect and weapon cards.

Join the Cape Ann YMCA for a free family event. Get in on the fun and decorate your trunk, wear a costume, and hand our candy or prizes. The winner of the best trunk will receive a special prize. Trunkers must preregister - contact Celia Sanfilippo at sanfilippoc@northshoreymca.org

Join Beauport Cruiselines for their "Back to the 80's Halloween Cruise" this Friday. Dine, dance and throwback on this 80's themed cruise. Dressing up as your favorite 80's trends is encouraged.

Matt Nakoa is an award-winning songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. A modern troubadour, he makes his home on the highways and concert stages of America and appears regularly with folk music icon Tom Rush.

This fun and educational program is open to players of all levels, ages, and abilities. Weather permitting, those interested are welcome to gather in the Library’s Amphitheater anytime between 11 am and 1 pm to learn and play chess with the last games beginning at 12:45 pm. No reservations or advanced signup is needed.

Saturday, October 30 | 4 - 6 PM

Drive Through Trick or Treat: Sunday, October 31 from 3 PM to 5 PM behind Town Hall. Register online at https://manchesterma.myrec.com/

Manchester Trick or Treat: Sunday, October 31 from 5 PM to 7 PM town-wide. Streets in the Village will NOT be blocked off. If you feel more

comfortable, leave candy out in front of your home.

Beauport Boutique is beginning to spread the holiday cheer! Join us November 4 from 3 to 10 PM for an early holiday shopping event, featuring a fresh holiday merchandise collection! Shop an array of gifts including new seasonal home decor, clothing, cashmere, jewelry and accessories, Beauport branded apparel and more. Featuring Colby Davis of Boston, Mitchies, Linda Richards, Lilly Pulitzer, Alashan, Skida and Mariposa. Light sips and bites will be provided. Gift Cards will also be available.

Enjoy an evening at the Emerson Inn, featuring wines perfectly curated with each of the courses starting with a sparking wine during the apero of passed appetizers before sitting down to enjoy a perfect evening of music, fine dining and new friends. Make your reservations now for a dinner you won't soon forget.

Join Hammod Castle as Hello Friends Productions brings Knights, Maidens and Moor to their Great Hall with a cabaret of Broadway songs all relating to life in a castle or to the many famous guests Hammond entertained.  With two Masters of Ceremony for the evening, they'll have you humming along to classics including Gershwin, Disney and more. The cast includes: Tom Edmonds, April Baldwin Foley, Andrew Hankinson, Rebecca Kenneally, Bobby Kerrigan, Kelly Murphy, Sean Murphy, Thomas Smoker and Crystal Van Artsdalen. Accompanying the cast on the Hammond's original, 1920s Chickering piano is Chris Lawnsby. Shows begin at 7pm on Friday and Saturday night and at 6pm on Sunday night.

Hammond Castle Museum is once again teaming up with Cape Ann Cinema as we present a “ Fall Movie Series” of four classic movies. Internationally acclaimed silent film live accompanist, Peter Krasinski returns to perform during three silent movies this season. Doors open at 6:45 PM and the show begins at 7 PM. Parking is always free.

Watch the two candidates for Gloucester's Mayor, Incumbent Sefatia Romeo Theken and Gregory P. Verga give statements ahead of the November 2nd election. Statements are unedited and shown in ballot order.

The Foundation of a Successful Business Series consists of 10 webinars that will identify all of the key areas that startups and existing businesses should understand and address to have the best chance of achieving a successful and profitable business. Upcoming workshops include: Creating a Budget for your Business, Learn how to Sell Better, Cashflow Management for Your Small Business.

The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center provides small business owners and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts with the highest quality, no-cost, confidential business counseling, training and business research. They work with real people and real businesses. their assistance helps people like you achieve real success, as it has for more than 30 years.

If you wish to schedule an appointment with a business advisor, please complete the online Request for Counseling form with the link below.

There is no cost to the business and no out of pocket cost to the recipient. Conley's Drug Store can offer either the Pfizer Vaccine (Ages 12+) or the Johnson&Johnson (Age 18+).

The GCACC serves the 4 Cape Ann communities, including Boxford, Ipswich, Hamilton, Middleton, Topsfield and Wenham. Vaccines are free to all Massachusetts residents age 12 and above. Identification and health insurance is not required. Walk-ins will be accepted while supplies last at each clinic.

Backyard Growers (BYG) is a grassroots community-based organization in Gloucester, MA. We are a small but mighty group of committed people who love what we do, and have fun while we work hard. As our Development Director, you are responsible for our vital revenue streams, which allow us to achieve our mission and maximize our impact in the community. You plan and organize fundraising activities, manage the development budget, and assemble team members to raise funds.

Senior Care offers ongoing training, supportive supervision, great team relations and a sense of challenging, worthwhile work within the local communities they serve. This position is an important part of an Agency that has been in operation for over 45 years and is devoted to multiple programs supporting people’s ability to live in the setting of their choice as they age.

ABC Home Healthcare is a local, family-owned home care agency providing services to the Greater Boston, North Shore, Cape Ann and Merrimack Valley communities for over 15 years. Opportunities exist in all communities they serve!

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