Marblehead Reads Program to co-sponsor Ye Mariners All with the me&thee coffeehouse
Ye Mariners All will perform at the me&thee coffeehouse on Sunday, March 25, at 2 p.m. The performance — free for all ages — is part of the Marblehead Reads program and co-sponsored by the Abbot Library and the me&thee coffeehouse.
Ye Mariners All includes John Roberts, Larry Young and John Rockwell, who perform sea chanteys, maritime songs and nautical music from America and Europe. The group is highly acclaimed and has played for many years throughout New England. In addition to guitar and violin, members also play the mandolin, bodhran (Irish drum) and bones.
The group was engaged for the Marblehead Reads program to give the audience a flavor for the music of the bygone whaleship era in America. Marblehead Reads is a program which encourages all residents of Marblehead to read the same book, In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick. The book tells the true story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex by an enraged sperm whale and the subsequent struggle to survive by the whalemen who were lost at sea.
Marblehead Reads is a month-long series of events in March, 2007, made possible by a competitive Federal grant awarded to the Abbot Public Library. The events coincide with the reading of In the Heart of the Sea. Philbrick also wrote a young adult version of the book entitled Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex. Author Jil Fine wrote a book for grades 4–7 entitled The Whaleship Essex: the True Story of Moby Dick.
The library has been working with several Marblehead organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society, Marblehead Schools, the Spirit of ’76 Bookstore, and the Friends of Abbot Library as well as other organizations and individuals to co-sponsor events for the month.
The me&thee coffeehouse is located at 28 Mugford Street, Marblehead, MA 01945. Find it on the web at www.meandthee.org. The Abbot Public Library is located at 235 Pleasant Street, Marblehead and on the web at www.abbotlibrary.org.
