Summer on the North Shore is slipping away rapidly—but there’s still plenty of time to get out and enjoy the September weather with community events galore. And if you’re anything like us here at Northshore, you might argue that this month is the most glorious month we get all year. Below, find events that ease the transition from summer into fall, like seasonal festivals, along with can’t-miss art exhibits and theater performances. Read on for nine things to do north of Boston this September.
Herman and Bessie Hoover Wessel, 1991
Exhibits at the Cape Ann Museum
Through Sept. 30
The Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester has two exhibits closing at the end of September, so go and see them while you can. “Women Artists on Cape Ann 1870–1970” showcases work by female artists inspired by the area from the late 1800s through the mid-twentieth century, while “The Briny Deep: Augustus W. Bühler in Gloucester” features works by the painter who popularized the image of the “Gloucester Fisherman,” even creating the image that Gorton’s Seafood would acquire in 1905.
“The Hombres” at Gloucester Stage Company
Sept. 6–29
Beginning Sept. 6, Gloucester Stage Company puts on “The Hombres,” a new play by Tony Meneses. It’s a heartwarming show that follows the relationship between a macho group of construction workers and the Latino yoga teacher next door. The show plays at Gloucester Stage from Sept. 6 through 22, and then at Theatre Works in Chelsea from Sept. 27 through 29.
Rockport Celtic Festival
Sept. 12–15
Edinburgh-born harpist and composer Maeve Gilchrist presents the fifth annual Rockport Celtic Festival at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. The festival features a long weekend of music, from Sept. 12 through 15, celebrating Celtic music with an emphasis on Scotland and Scandinavia. Some of the weekend’s highlights include a “pub” sing on Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. and a ceilidh on Sept. 14 at 9:30 p.m.
rockportmusic.org/rockport-celtic-festival
Salem Vintage Lawn Party
Sept. 14, 12 to 4 p.m.
The 6th annual Salem Vintage Lawn Party Returns to Salem Common this Sept. 14. Folks are encouraged to don their best vintage outfits for an afternoon of live music, dancing, lawn games, food vendors, and artisans. The afternoon, presented by the Salem Common Neighborhood Association, runs from noon to 4 p.m. More details will be posted on the association’s Facebook page as the event approaches.
Farm Days at Appleton Farms
Sept. 14–15, 12 to 5 p.m.
Appleton Farms’ annual celebration returns this Sept. 14 and 15, kicking off the start of the fall season with a weekend of live music, wood-fired pizza, lawn games, children’s activities, and local beer vendors. Take a self-guided walk through the farm’s nature trails, take a hayride or meet the barnyard animals with the kids, or grab a bite from one of the food trucks while enjoying the weather. Nonmember tickets start at $30 per car, and the event runs from 12 noon to 5 p.m. each day.
thetrustees.org/place/appleton-farms
“Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums” at PEM
Sept. 14–Feb. 2
Get ready for spooky season at the Peabody Essex Museum with the opening of “Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums.” The exhibit explores the art and objects that mediums and magicians used during the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spiritualism movement in the States and Europe. Visitors can expect posters, stage apparatus, and costumes evocative of séances and magic shows.
pem.org/exhibitions/conjuring-the-spirit-world-art-magic-and-mediums
Children’s Business Fair
Sept. 21, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
The Acton Children’s Business Fair comes to South Hamilton this Sept. The fair gives kids ages eight through eighteen the opportunity to develop a product or service, come up with a marketing strategy, then serve customers on Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. Up to 50 teams or individual entrepreneurs will be selling their wares; the event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, and Salem State’s Small Business Center.
childrensbusinessfair.org/hamiltonwenham-ma
Salisbury Days
Sept. 20–22
Salisbury Days returns this Sept. 20 through 22, serving as the unofficial end to summer on the North Shore. The weekend-long festival includes plenty of family-friendly events like a car show on Sept. 21 at 10 a.m., a kite festival on the 21st at 11 a.m., the “Fair in the Square” on Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Fireman’s Muster on the 22nd from 1 to 4 p.m.
salisburyrecreation.com/events.html
Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
Sept. 20–22
The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival returns for its 20th year this Sept. 20 through 22. The festival brings to Newburyport the best in new thought-provoking and educational documentaries for a weekend each September. Many of the screenings are followed by discussions with the filmmakers and other experts. The festival also features films given the YES (Young Emerging Filmmakers Showcase) Award. A detailed schedule will be posted on the fest’s website in the weeks leading up the festival.