Newburyport Today

"The Colors of Sanctuary – Changing Seasons at Mass Audubon,”

The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Joppa Flats Education Center announces the opening of an exhibit featuring the oil paintings of Janis Sanders of West Peabody.  The show, entitled “The Colors of Sanctuary – Changing Seasons at Mass Audubon,” will be held in the Center’s Juliet Kellogg French Room from November 8, 2009, through January 3, 2010. The artist will introduce his work at an opening reception on Sunday, November 8, at 2:30 p.m. at the Joppa Flats Education Center.

Sanders’ inspiration for this collection of paintings was the natural beauty of Mass Audubon landscapes from across the state as they change from season to season. Many of his paintings are of the salt marsh and river views at Newburyport’s Joppa Flats.  All works were painted outdoors, in oil, with a palette knife rather than a brush in order to emphasize strong blocks of light and color. Some paintings are exhibited as individual works; others are in a series of up to five.  The smallest of the paintings measures 6 ½ square inches.  All stand on their own as complete vignettes of Mass Audubon sanctuary sites.

As a member of the Newburyport Art Association, Janis Sanders has won numerous awards for his work.  He is also a member of the Copley Society of Boston and the Provincetown Art Association.  Sanders’ work is shown in distinguished galleries throughout New England as well as in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more information on Janis Sanders, please go to his web site at www.janissanders.com.

The reception on November 8 is open to the public free of charge.  Those wishing to visit the exhibit at another time should contact Joppa Flats Education Center in advance at 978-462-9998. A portion of all purchases made during Sanders’ show helps to support Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats.

Mass Audubon is the largest conservation organization in New England, caring for 34,000 acres of conservation land and providing education programs for 200,000 children and adults annually.  Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center, located at One Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport, is a natural history education center that is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday and Monday holidays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Call 978-462-9998 for information about additional programs and events, or visit the website at www.massaudubon.org.

Trick or Treating in Downtown Newburyport

Downtown was alive last night with princesses and pop stars, super heroes and messengers from the dark-side, and a wide array of adorable fuzzy creatures.  The merchants were smiling, and parents and children enamored with the good cheer that abounded everywhere!  So nice that the weather cooperated, never a sure thing in New England...  The Chamber of Commerce coordinated a great showing, nice to see so many members of the community out for such a fun night.

Newburyport Today & WNBP: This Week in the Port

Click here to HEAR our Radio feature 10-30-09

Newburyport Today is pleased to be working with WNBP to promote our calendar listings on a weekly basis.  Listen for our promos to start running today and and every Friday and Saturday from now on.  We'll try to keep you informed on all that's going on.  If you are a community group or non-profit organization in the Newburyport area, please send us your listings, talk@newburyport-today.com

We hope you get down to the library for the Fall Great Old Book Sale, as the weather is getting chilly there is nothing better than curling up with a great book and a cup of something warm and sweet.  Why not stock up on some books and give to a great cause at the same time.  The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library, all proceeds will benefit the Newburyport Public Library collections and programs.
If you have also at the library, it's National Novel Writing Month.  All area teens are asked to join them for a kick off party and to challenge themselves to write one novel in one month, Nov. 1st - 31st. 
 
Between 4:00 and 5:00 tonight (Oct. 30th) head downtown tonight and over to the Tannery for trick or treating.  Coordinated by the Newburyport Chamber of ommerce, area merchants will welcome you into their shops for treats and heer.  What a nice way to kick off the weekend, and the early time and easy walking should be great for little ones. 

The Newburyport Art Association is opening a show for Linda Siwak and Sue Burton, their works include pastel, acrylic, and carved gourds.  Their artwork will be in the Hills Gallery and the reception opening is tonight from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

It wouldn't be Halloween with Rocky Horror!  We'll be heading down to the Firehouse for the picture show.  The Firehouse is handing out a bag of props with every ticket and the time warp begins at 11:00PM. 

Joppa Flats has a variety of programs including, A Sparrow Workshop, A Million Black Birds, Introduction to Digital Photography programs are running both Saturday and Sunday.  Joppa does require pre-registration, please call them at 978.462.9998. 

This is the final weekend of the season for the guided tours at the Whittier Home.  The home and association acts as steward for the preservation of the collections, structures, and grounds of the John Greenleaf Whittier Home in Amesbury.  The tours run from 12:00-4:00 on Saturday. 

On Sunday, we hope you'll head out to the first Fall Market of the season, which is running from 10:00-1:00 PM.  The Fall Market will be held indoors and out and will feautre the "market lounge" a place to relax, enjoy live music and chat with friends. 

This is just a sampling of all there is to do this weekend in the Port, we hope you'll check our City Wide Calendar for a complete listing of events around the city. 

The Newburyport's Chamber of Commerce - "Chamber Chat"

Welcome to the weekly post from the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce! I have the great opportunity to post every Thursday on all that is happening in and around the business community here in greater Newburyport. How lucky am I!

I had the great fortune of interviewing a veteran Newburyport businessman, Arthur “Bill” Page. I talked to him for an hour about how the chamber was started in our great community more than forty years ago. It was an enlightening way to spend a morning. Look for my full article in the December edition of our Navigator newsletter.

Today, we welcome a fashion and business icon – the first lady of fashion – Yolanda Cellucci. I have known Yolanda for more than 25 years and she will join us for our Women’s Leadership Connection today at Mission Oak Grill. It should be real teat to hear her philosophy on life, business and fashion!

It’s time for trick or treating in downtown Newburyport and the Tannery. Tomorrow, October 30th from 4 – 5 PM many businesses downtown will offer treats to your favorite ghost or goblin. Also, trick or treat in Newburyport will be held on Saturday from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

Our next breakfast forum is next Thursday, November 5th at 7:30 AM and will feature Steve Cone, author of “Steal these ideas” a marketing how to book for small businesses. This breakfast is sponsored by TD Bank. For more information go to www.newburyportchamber.org.

And finally mark your calendars for our next event “The Seacoast Business and Green Expo” to be held on Thursday, November 19th at Tupelo Music Hall in Salisbury.
For more information on this event and other chamber happenings go to www.newburyportchamber.org

And follow us on Twitter and become a fan on FaceBook! 

Jack - O - Lanterns and Beyond from Robin O'Malley

It’s Halloween season!!!  Once visual contact is made with a pumpkin in the early fall, all my kids can think about is Jack-o-lanterns.  We have made it a ritual of going to the pumpkin patch for everyone to pick their very own pumpkin (you have to be able to carry your own pumpkin to make it truly yours!).  I like to have the pumpkins just propped on the doorstep as the perfect fall adornment, maybe with some Mums if I can get to it.  However I am usually ‘pushed’ into carving them five minutes after we get home.  This will explain why we go through so many pumpkins each season, (… You’re welcome farmers!). 

Not only did we carve the traditional jack-o-lanterns, and toast the seeds, but also we baked pumpkin bread and drank warmed cider to get the full effect.  The scent of the pumpkins made one of my little ones leave the site immediately, leaving my other daughter insistent that she could manage the big knife all by herself (NNNOOO!!!).  My son on the other hand touts his “profession” in this family as the guts separator and ‘seed seeker’. (Yes I am quite proud.). 

Since jack-o-lanterns are an activity that my kids want to do over and over again, I needed to get creative --- since I don’t want to clean up this mess on practically a daily basis.  Again I have to ‘thank’ the farmers for this idea … As members of the Community Farm Share at Arrowhead Farms, we have been collecting our produce weekly.  We love it!  And although I usually get something that I may not know what to do with, I am eager to find a recipe to use it in.  Gourds on the other hand have me stumped!  Beyond filling the cornucopia for the dining room table centerpiece, I don’t know what to do with them.  Yet the farmers insist that I need them and they always end up in my bag.  My kids think they are balls, and why not since they are round, (roundish), colorful and attractive.  The centerpiece at our house has been so ‘loved’ that the gourds have been looking pretty worn.  AAAAHHHaaaa!!!  Let’s decorate gourds!

Pipe cleaners, stickers, feathers, yarn, glue… I dragged it all out of the craft box and let the kids have at it.  It was a tough sell at first but it picked up and everyone loved it.  I poked some random holes to help the kids stick in stuff, but overall, they went to town decorating and designing.  Easy clean up too.  And guess what, I’ve got plenty more gourds to go.