WBZ News Radio: Third Annual "Gloucester's So Salty" Festival Takes Over Cape Ann Museum

January 21, 2024

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Gloucester's So Salty festival began during the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge in late 2021 and early 2022 as a way to keep community spirit alive.

"Everyone was trying to figure out, how do we still celebrate where we live and who we are and come together," said Miranda Aisling, Head of Education & Engagement at Cape Ann Museum. "And our friends down at Salem have done (chocolate and ice sculpture festival) Salem’s So Sweet for decades, and it’s a hugely popular event. So we thought, well Salem’s So Sweet, but Gloucester’s So Salty."

Now in its third year, the festival took over the museum this weekend with live sea shanties, capoeira and tap dancing performances, salty treats, kids' art activities, and more.

"For us, it’s all about fun. Museums can sometimes be a little serious," Aisling told WBZ NewsRadio Sunday.

Mayor Greg Verga did a live reading of "Katy and the Big Snow," a 1943 children's book written by Gloucester author Virginia Lee Burton.

"This is a world class museum right here in our hometown," Verga said.

Also on display was an exhibit called "Above the Fold," which showcased decades of photojournalism from the Gloucester Daily Times.

"It’s a beautiful display of artistic and documentarian photographs," the museum's head librarian and archivist. "0.02% of the collection is on the display. It was estimated 1 million photographs."

WBZ's Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.

Listen to the radio segment here.