Elizabeth de Veer, Author at Newburyport Area

NAA Auction – Newburyport Art Association Art Auction & Party

By Elizabeth de Veer, Newburyport.com Correspondent
Elizabeth de Veer is a writer who lives in Georgetown, MA. Her hobbies include organizing her elementary school-age daughter and chasing her labradoodle. Favorite coffee: hot. Favorite Beatles album: Sgt. Pepper. Favorite naughty food: lobster roll and fries. Her first novel is due to be published in winter 2019.

NAA Auction, Newburyport Art Auction & Party

The 21st annual Newburyport Art Association Art Auction and Party will take place in the NAA galleries and under a spacious tent adjacent to the Sculpture Garden on Saturday, September 24th from 5:30 – 10:30 pm. The NAA auction is the largest fundraiser of the year and has grown in popularity causing organizers to expand preparations and bidding options for this exciting annual event. The NAA auction is a wonderful opportunity to help support a critical organization that serves as the foundation and inspiration for Greater Newburyport’s passionate community of artists and art lovers. Come view and bid on works by local artists, while enjoying delicious food and drinks at one of Newburyport’s top annual social events. This year’s theme is the “Venetian Carnival” featuring a venetian cocktail and cuisine, as well as venetian decor and music. If guests are feeling festive they are welcome to showcase their Venice inspired masks or carnival garb.

The Newburyport Art Association art auction and party is a great way to discover beautiful local art. Plan your bids ahead of time by previewing artwork in the NAA Live Auction Online Gallery and the NAA Silent Auction Online Gallery! The auction art will be exhibited in the NAA galleries from Saturday, September 10th through Wednesday, September 21st. The exhibition is free and will be open for viewing during NAA business hours. From 5 pm on the 21st until the auction opens on Saturday the 24th, the NAA gallery exhibition will be closed in preparation for the auction. The online galleries will remain open during this time giving everyone a chance to preview art and plan bids.

The NAA Auction is always an exciting evening and a wonderful opportunity to highlight the amazing artwork of the NAA artist members! The Silent Auction, featuring over 50 lots of art, will take place from 5:30-7:15 along with the art preview for the live auction, cocktails and Venetian Carnival inspired cuisine. The Live Auction, featuring over 60 lots of art, will take place from 7:30 – 10:30 and cocktails and dessert will be available during this time. At 7 pm, experience “live painting” with local artist, Alan Bull and enjoy the chance to bid on this painting during the live auction.

Purchase tickets in advance, as the Newburyport Art Association art auction and party is a sell out every year! Tickets will be sold at the door the night of the Art Auction if they are still available.

VIP tickets are $150 and General Admission tickets are $100. VIP tickets include: reserved seating, dedicated registration and check-out area, special gift and an invitation to the VIP Artist Opening Reception which will be held at the NAA Gallery on Friday, September 9th from 6-8 pm.

If you are unable to attend the Newburyport Art Association Art Auction and Party, consider purchasing raffle tickets for a two night cabin stay in Maine. The drawing will be held during the live auction but you do not need to be present to win the raffle.

You can also support the NAA with the purchase of a Venetian-inspired glass mask. Each of these 7 unique hand-made mask’s were made by NAA Executive Director, Lisa Naas. 100% of sales proceeds will go towards supporting a future Arts Intensive Youth Initiative at the NAA.

Video from 2018 NAA Art Auction & Party:

Kids Day in the Park – An Exchange Club Family Event

Mark your calendar for Kids Day in the Park 2022, scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd from 10 am – 2 pm in Atkinson Common Park. Kids Day is one of the many family focused annual events hosted during Yankee Homecoming week. Atkinson Common Park! This free event hosted by the Exchange Club of Newburyport, is one of the highlights of Yankee Homecoming week for many kids, featuring all the best stuff from childhood. Kids Day in the Park in an opportunity to create lifelong memories with your children. For many families this event has become an annual tradition, along with Olde Fashioned Sunday and Family Day.

Kids Day in the Park starts with a parade for decorated bikes and doll carriages, with prizes for the best ones! After that, kids can get their faces painted by volunteers from the high school art department, experience Theater in the Open – featuring the famous giraffe! – relax with a story organized by the Newburyport Library, participate in a sing-along with Steve Swochak, Music Director at the Immaculate Conception, and watch a police department K9 demonstration. Kids Day in the Park also lets youngsters see what it feels like behind the wheel in official vehicles from the City Fire Department, the Police Department and the Department of Public Works. There’s also food! Boston Sports Club of Salisbury will bring and grill an assortment of burgers and dogs and the folks at Polar Seltzer are sending cans of bubbly water. On top of that, there will be watermelon, ice cream, and what else? It’s all free!

Kids Day in the Park is hosted by the Newburyport Exchange Club, a service organization that has existed since 1976 and focuses on four service areas: youth services, preventing child abuse, honoring America and community service. Kids Day in the Park has been organized as part of the Yankee Homecoming events since 2005, and Exchange Club members enjoy working with other community organizations to make this special day lots of fun and free for families.

Parks Fest 2022 – Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival

Check out Newburyport Parks Fest 2022 also known as the Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival at Waterfront Park on Saturday, July 2nd, from 12 – 6 PM. Bring your picnic blanket and experience the Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival for free, or purchase VIP tickets to experience Best of Newburyport live music. VIP ticket holders can sit on the balcony of the Firehouse Center for the Arts while enjoying free food, wine and beer or be front and center, dancing on the grass in front of of the stage. All proceeds support the Newburyport Parks.

Make sure to arrive early in downtown Newburyport for a free Pre-Concert Shopping & Brunch Event. Local retailers will be hosting complimentary brunch inside their shops from 10 am – 12 pm, an amazing kick off to Parks Fest 2022! Enjoy brunch and and feel good about Shopping Local in Newburyport!

Who’s playing at the 2022 Parks Fest – Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival, you ask? Check out the impressive line-up and if by chance you’re not familiar with these nationally know bands, check out their Youtube videos.

2022 Parks Fest Lineup:

12:00 pm Opening Remarks
12:15 p.m. Quentin Callewaert
1:00 p.m. Darin & Brooke Aldridge
2:10 p.m. Rosie Flores & The Talismen
3:15 p.m. Ward Hayden and The Outliers
4:00 p.m. NH Academy of Performing Arts Dance Act
4:30 p.m. HEADLINE: Amythyst Kiah

The Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival supports the Newburyport Parks Conservancy, which maintains several parks and playgrounds around Newburyport including Cashman Park, Mosely Woods and Atkinson Common, to name a few.

VIP Coverage from Prior Year Newburyport Parks Fest – Americana Rhythm & Roots Festival

Yankee Homecoming Paddle the Port Kayak & Sup River Races

Paddle The Port, Kayak and Sup River Races will not be hosted during The 2022 Yankee Homecoming Festival. We hope to see the return of this event by next year.

This year, Yankee Homecoming will kick off with the fourth annual Paddle The Port, Kayak and Sup River Races on the Merrimac River, on Saturday, July 27. Contestants in the Kayak and Sup River Races must be at Cashman Park to check-in between 8-9 am and the race will start promptly at 9:30. Online registration should be done prior to race day. All registrants will receive an event t-shirt, designed by Paddle Paddle Surf Apparel, and names will be entered into a drawing for tickets to attend the Yankee Homecoming Brewfest, happening that night. Organizers are working hard to make Paddle the Port as fun to watch as it is to participate in, so grab your kayak or stand-up paddle board and join in, or watch from shore and cheer on your favorites; a great time is guaranteed.

Competitors will launch kayaks and stand-up paddle boards into the Merrimac River at the Cashman Park boat ramp off Merrimac Street and after a safety review, paddle up river past Ram Island, Carr Island and around Deer Island, then back to Cashman Park and the finish line for a total of 4.6 miles. This year’s Kayak and SUP River Races has several divisions: kayakers will compete for Elite, Recreational, Tandem, and Over Age 60, first, second and third places, male and female. Stand-up paddle boards will compete for first, second and third places and winners will receive a medal.

New to the Kayak and Sup River Races this year are some complimentary fitness as well as food options to round out the event for both spectators as well as participants. New sponsor this year, Pure Barre, a boutique barre studio in town, will offer free barre classes throughout the day while. At 11 AM there will be the chance to enjoy a SUP YO Demonstration/ Class. On the culinary front, food trucks on site this year to add ease to your picnic plans. The Sacred Cod with be offering up fresh breakfast items while Flor de Cafe will be nearby with both with fresh hot coffee as well as yummy pastries. If you are in the mood for something a little stronger or cooler on the summer day, be sure and check out Floyd’s Spiked Ice Tea & Lemonade tent.

Race Wire is handling all registrations and providing professional timing for racers. This means that competitors in the Kayak and SUP River Races will get their time and photos sent to them moments after they cross the finish line. Participants come from all over New England to join in this fun and exciting event, and organizers are expecting around 150 competitors. The event also has some new sponsors this year, including REI who will have a tent with give-aways and lawn games in the park. The course should take the average kayaker or stand-up paddle-boarder around 30-40 minutes to complete, so spectators have time to enjoy a picnic lunch by the river and play games while they cheer on the contestants.

Organizers put safety first and enlisted the help of the US Coast Guard to pick the safest time for racers to take on the rushing Merrimac River. On race day, there will be several motor boats in the water to supervise and assist boaters and paddle-boarders who need it. Alcohol is prohibited, and all participants must have a USCG approved flotation device and a race whistle. Inspectors will review all equipment before they allow racers to launch.

Waterfront Music Festival – Newburyport Students Perform

Saturday, June 8, starting at 11:00 am, pack up your family and picnic blanket and head to Waterfront Park, behind Sea Level Restaurant, for the second annual Waterfront Music Festival where students from schools in the Newburyport school district will perform music, dance and dramatic pieces through the day. The district Performing Arts Department is presenting the second annual Waterfront Music Festival to highlight performing groups from all schools, and students of all ages across the district, including all range of music, dance and theater arts. Performances begin at 11 am and go through the day until 2:40 pm. Performances from the youngest students will start in the mid-morning and the day will end in the afternoon with Newburyport High School students. The Waterfront Music Festival is free and open to the public, and attendees are welcome to join for one or two performances or stay for the whole day. At 1:00, there will be an intermission for families to enjoy their picnics, explore offerings from local vendors, or stroll through town.

Enjoy our full video here and for other great short clips go to the Newburyport VIP Instagram profile and view under the VIP Kids & Family Highlight. You do need an Instagram login in order to view the hightlights. https://www.instagram.com/newburyportvip/

Check the schedule to see when your favorites are performing, or just come by and see what’s on! Note the original schedule posted below has been amended. The event will begin at 11 am and end at 2:40. Times may change slightly.

11:00 – 11:20 Bresnahan Grades K-1 Chorus
11:20 -11:30 Molin Orchestra
11:35 – 11:50 NHS Theatre & Dance
12:00-12:30 Molin Grades 4-5 Chorus
12:30 -12:45 Nock Grades 6-8 Chorus
12:50 – 1:10 NHS Chorus
1:10 – 1:25 Nock Orchestra
1:25 – 1:35 Bresnahan Grades 2-3 Chorus
1:35 – 1:45 NHS Theatre & Dance
1:45 – 2:00 Molin Band
2:00 – 2:20 Nock Band
2:20 – 2:40 NHS Band & Strings

The mission of the festival is to feature groups from all schools in Newburyport – the Bresnahan Elementary School, the Edward G. Molin Upper Elementary School, the Rupert A. Nock Middle School, and the Newburyport High School. The district is especially excited to give the students in the new orchestra program a chance to demonstrate all they have learned.

Jamie Sokolowski, chorus and orchestra teacher at both the Nock School and the Molin School, is also the festival’s organizer. She hopes to create a fun-filled day program that brings together the community with the students, allowing community members to see all that the young people in the Newburyport school district have achieved in the performing arts. “We’re putting the festival out to see how it does, see what happens, and to collect community feedback,” Sokolowski said. “We’d like to make this an annual tradition for the performing arts. We hope that each year it grows more.” The NHS band director, Steve Cohen, has also been working hard to help the kids prepare. He has been collaborating with the younger grades as part of our district wide effort to make connections across grade levels. Both Jamie and Steve are featured working with the Molin 5th grade band in preparation for the big event!

Video and Pictures are from 2018.

Waterfront Music Festival, Newburyport

Explore Greater Newburyport Breweries – Local Craft Beers

Greater Newburyport Breweries, Newburyport

People may not realize it, but there are many Greater Newburyport breweries offering the kind of local craft beers we usually associate with Vermont or Oregon. Whether you’re an area native or visiting from out-of-town, here are a few Newburyport breweries where you can find just the right craft beers to fill up your frosty mug. All of these Newburyport breweries are as unique and individual as the people who run them, and all offer taprooms where you can explore and sample the different offerings. So, relax, hang out for a bit, gather with your friends, sample brews, bring the kids if you want, and take in the vibe.

RiverWalk Brewing Co. 40 Parker St. Newburyport
In 2012, Riverwalk started brewing beer in 3 gallon pots in a garage along the Riverwalk Trail in Amesbury, MA. These folks describe their vision of beer as “worldly,” and such craft beers as the “Rustic Pils,” a Czech-style pilsner, and “Uncle Bob’s Session Ale,” made in the British brewing tradition, and “Tricoastal,” a Belgian-style ale. They have an outdoor beer garden that welcomes dogs and an indoor Taproom (service dogs only) with a fun but limited menu including a pretzel served with ground mustard, a charcuterie board, a grilled cheese bar, sandwiches, and a couple of offerings for kids.

The RiverWalk facility is 2,000 square feet, which lets them brew a wide variety of beers. The company is also investing in renewable, sustainable energy, revealing a corporate focus on responsibility to the community. The building uses a wind turbine that supplies power to the building and a 500-kw rooftop solar array. Even the grain is recycled – at the end of a day of brewing, the grain is sent to Artichoke Farms, a dairy in West Newbury, to feed the livestock.

Plus, RiverWalk offers some fun events. As of this writing, these include: a Zombie Luau, live music, and “Bootcamp and Brews,” featuring a high intensity workout followed by a beer tasting.

Newburyport Brewing Company – 4 New Pasture Road Newburyport, MA
Located on New Pasture Road, just off Graf Road, this brewery offers free tours on Saturdays at 5:00. (Children under 12 are not allowed on the tour.) Newburyport Brewing offers a selection of beers that are available year-round, including an IPA, a pale ale, and a series of limited release small-batch beers. At this writing, that includes a New England IPA, a Yankee Blue brewed with blueberries, and a full-bodied stout. There’s no restaurant on site, but snacks can be attained using one of three methods: 1) you can purchase snacks -pretzels, beef jerky, chips 2) you can bring your own food, or 3) Hello, delivery! The bartender keeps a stack of delivery menus on hand for Newburyport restaurants that will deliver to the taproom. Check out the calendar of events in their tasting room, including Pats Games and Trivia Nights. Then come on down and give these suds a try!

House Bear Brewing 3 Graf Rd. Unit #15 Newburyport, MA 01950
Run by friends Beth Borges and Carl Hirschfeld, House Bear brewing creates a brew that’s a little different – mead! Mead is made by fermenting honey with water, or other fruits, spices and grains. This creates an alcoholic beverage that can be either dry or sweet, flat or bubbly. House Bear offers a variety of meads, ranging from a simple honey and water-based mead to lemonade mead, to the more exotic chocolate hot pepper mead. Check their Facebook page for information about events, including tastings in their Graf Street location on Thursdays from 4-7, paint nights, and many others throughout the Boston area.

BareWolf Brewing 12 Oakland St, Amesbury
BareWolf is a family beer business run by father/son team Paul & Stevie Bareford and their friends Matt Neff and Wyeth Bednar. This group is committed to beer. On Saturdays in the tap room – a place that welcomes both dogs kids – you can find live music. BareWolf doesn’t have a menu, but they do offer snacks, welcome you to bring your own, or there’s a pizza place around the corner that delivers.

Ipswich Ale 2 Brewery Place Ipswich MA
This one’s a little father afield from Newburyport, but it deserves a mention since it was doing small-batch brewing before it was cool, back in 1991, and they have a great brew pub. You can find Ipswich Ale not only in area stores and restaurants, but also at loads of festivals and events throughout the area. Brewery tours cost $3 for those over 21 (free for everybody under 21) and are offered Saturdays and Sundays: 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, and 5 pm and include beer tasting for participants over 21, soda tasting for all, and a talk about the brewing process and the brewery’s history. In addition to beer, they also make a wide selection of soda pops with fresh flavors like birch beer, black cherry, cream soda, raspberry and watermelon and, of course, root beer. The restaurant offers live music every Thursday and Friday nights, and “Breakfast for Dinner” night on the third Wednesday of each month. Check the calendar for the music schedule.

If your looking for fun things to do, and you enjoy quality craft beers make sure you pay a visit to our local Greater Newburyport breweries. Enjoy!

Newburyport Recycling – Simple Tips to Help Save Money for Our City!

Newburyport Recycling provides an important service that allows community members to actively participate in minimizing our waste and, in turn, reflects how much we value a healthy environment. However, due to shifting policies overseas, the neighborhood recycling rules are changing, and Newburyport Recycling needs citizens to learn the new guidelines. Take a few minutes to become aware, and adjust the way you recycle. When the community supports the recycling process by following the rules, we save the city money that can be invested elsewhere.

Did you know … recycling companies assess carts of materials submitted for recycling? If more than 10% of the materials are considered trash, the city is subject to an additional 10% contamination fine on top of the recycling cost per barrel. That adds up fast!

Curbside recycling carts LOVE: empty bottles, jars, and containers made of metal, plastic and glass from the kitchen, laundry and bath, and paper and flattened cardboard. All of these things must be CLEAN – carefully rinse out food containers, like yogurt cups. Pizza boxes that aren’t too greasy and have no food or liners in them can be recycled.

Curbside recycling says NO THANKS to: recyclables in bags, loose plastic bags and plastic wrap, containers still containing food or liquids, clothing and linens, and “tanglers” – hoses, wires, chains, strings of lights, etc.

Some things can’t go into curbside recycling but can be brought to the Newburyport Recycling Center on Colby Farm Lane on the first Saturday of every month from 8 am to noon. This list includes: metal/aluminum siding, scrap metal, pots & pans, utensils (silverware, cooking utensils) and tools. If in doubt, throw it out!

Try at home:

Review this flyer showing what goes into curbside recycling and what does not. If anything on that list surprises you, make a list to post above your kitchen recycling bin, download a reference postcard or pick one up at City Hall.
Get the kids involved! Invite them to pitch in by reading the flyer and helping around the house to make sure that recycling not only gets done but gets done right.
Talk to your neighbors. The community wins when everybody makes the effort to become more aware of the DOs and DON’Ts.
Set up a backyard composting bin for vegetable scraps and garden waste. These can be used to create “compost tea” that can really help your garden. If you don’t know where to start, try this composting guide for beginners. Composting bins are available from the city at a great discount – and Newburyport has a subscription curbside compost program.
Sign up for a free home visit! Contact City Hall’s Recycling, Energy, and Sustainability Office at (978) 465-4410 or email TowardZeroWasteNewburyport@outlook.com and a member of the recycling team will come with a short presentation and be able to address all your questions for all members of your household.

Newburyport Recycling has employed a team of cart checkers to review curbside recycling carts and make sure all are complying. Team members will let residents know what they are doing wrong by leaving tags on carts. If a cart has multiple infractions, that cart will not be picked up until it is brought into compliance. For more information, check out this list of hard to dispose items, and recycling program basics.

Let’s become aware, get active, and get busy recycling the right way. Recycling Right benefits the whole community! Make sure to mark your calendar for the Newburyport Green Expo, on April 11th where you can lean many ways that we can all help protect the environment.