BOSTON ‘ Senator Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell) and Representative Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown), chairs of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, will be conducting a listening tour in Gloucester on Monday, September 19th. The committee has visited Provincetown, Sturbridge and Lowell over the past few months.

The committee will hear testimony from various organizations and individuals from the Gloucester area in the fields of tourism, arts and culture. The day will begin with a hearing at Gloucester City Hall. The hearing is open to the public and will be from 10am to 12:00pm. The committee will continue their day with tours of Rockport Music and Rockport Art Association.

‘I am very pleased to have the opportunity to again visit Gloucester and Rockport to experience all the area has to offer and learn from the testimony offered by the region’s tourism and arts experts,’ said Representative Peake. ‘I am especially looking forward to viewing City Hall that has the potential to benefit from cultural facilities funding. Representative Ann Margaret Ferrante has filed legislation in support of this and I am happy to announce that it has received a favorable report from our committee today.’

‘I’m looking forward to visiting Gloucester and Rockport for the next stop on our listening tour,’ said Senator Donoghue. ‘This is another great opportunity to hear firsthand what we, as legislators, can do to best serve the cultural community.’

‘I’m looking forward to showcasing the cultural assets of our district including our most valuable assets, our artists,’ said Representative Ferrante. ‘This is a tremendous opportunity to let this committee know how critical tourism and the arts are to our local economy.’

‘Cape Ann has a vibrant and innovative arts and cultural community that is a resource for the entire state,’ said Senator Tarr. ‘This important visit by our committee will give it the opportunity to hear firsthand about the challenges the members of that community face, and the real opportunities that we can capitalize on by working together as partners.’

The committee will continue their listening tour across the state with a stop in North Adams in October.

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