Editor:

As so beautifully stated by William Shakespeare In “Henry V,” we few, we happy few, would like to thank the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House in Chatham for the generous use of their prominent lawn location (and surrounding environs) for the location of Saturday, Oct. 18 amazing local “No Kings 2” national demonstration. 

As noted in Matthew 25:35-40, kindness to strangers is not merely a social courtesy, but is a spiritual practice — welcoming others, feeding the hungry, and sheltering those in need. Scripture depicts friendship as mutual service rooted in humility, compassion and forgiveness. All present expressed their gratitude to and for the UU Meeting House for providing a platform, but most of all for creating the solidarity of unity in protecting and preserving the democracy that we all hold so dear.

We also want to thank the more than 1,000 Chatham residents for their enthusiastic participation, including with musical instruments and a drum band, as well as artistic signage and costumes. Our gratitude also goes to the many residents of Orleans, Harwich and Brewster that joined us.

We were literally surprised when many dozens of Chatham’s residents (and others), often with children and grandchildren in tow, showed up over two hours before the scheduled beginning, demonstrating to the next generations what protecting democracy means. The front lawn area was filled to overflowing, with the crowd extending along the Main Street sidewalk from the Cowell and Main Street intersection to the post office. Such enthusiasm is often celebrated with language reflecting our faith's emphasis on radical hospitality, gratitude for community, and the surprising ways that people of diverse beliefs are brought together. 

There was also a nonstop “parade” of many hours on Main Street as bumper-to-bumper cars filled to the brim with occupants passed by while signaling and calling out their support for the demonstration, adding many hundreds to the queue.

Across these spheres (friends, neighbors, the church and “strangers”) the unified message is one of active love. The faithful are called to compassion (Colossians 3:12), generosity (Hebrews 13:16), and community (Acts 2:42).

In an ironic commonality with current events, we are reminded that the Biblical prophet Micah (one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible) denounced the powerful and wealthy for oppressing the poor and exploiting the legal system. We should also do so. 

So here’s to you, UU — our steadfast supporter and cheerleader. May your days be filled with as much joy as you’ve given us, and may we keep making memories together for chapters yet to come!

Your unwavering encouragement keeps our spirits high — even when the plot twists get wild! You bring the energy, the ideas and the occasional meme that makes our journey unforgettable.

Thanks for your support. No Kings 2 continues to be a place where creativity rules. You remind us that teamwork really does make the dream work.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being such a shining light on this adventure.

Tom Clarke
West Chatham

Editor:

The 11th Frances Nickerson Lecture sponsored by the Brewster Ladies’ Library Association was a terrific success due in no small part to the community support we received.

On behalf of the association I want to thank our generous neighbors at the Brewster Baptist Church for hosting us, the Brewster Bookstore for being on site to sell books by our featured author, Brendan Slocumb, and the army of volunteers who assisted with everything from hors d'oeuvres for the reception to check in of attendees (the list goes on!).

Brendan Slocumb, a musician as well as author who received two standing ovations for each of his talks, loved Brewster. And to give a little bit more context for just how community driven this event was: Mr Slocumb performed a piece of music on a violin made here in Brewster by Don MacKenzie, father of the owner of the Brewster Book Store.

Lastly, a thank you to our Association members, whose financial support makes our programming and our ability to enhance library services possible.

Frank Schroth, president
Brewster Ladies’ Library Association

Editor:

The Harwich Children's Fund will be selling Rough Rider sweatshirts and T-shirts at the Teen Swap on Sunday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Harwich Community Center.

This is a great opportunity to purchase gifts for the holidays, special occasions, and upcoming reunions. 

Angie Chilaka
Harwich

Editor:

When I was walking to my car after the No Kings protest in Chatham, I was accosted by a very angry man in a car who yelled at me "lady, get a life!" Being an octogenarian female, walking alone, it was a little unnerving. I brushed it off as a sign of the times in this Trump world. Then I thought about what several people were talking about after the protest. Many were uplifted by the huge turnout but said, what next? What else can we do? It's hopeless! For the sake of the country, we must not settle for hopelessness!

Anne Peirce 
Chatham

Editor:

Temporary resident in Washington, D.C. begins teardown of iconic historic building. No permits applied for or received, no review of plans or financing, no local area impact study. The resident (not owner of the building) publicly promised that demolition would have no impact on the historic structure. Clearly a lie. Backhoe is presently destroying the East Wing of the building, familiarly referred to in the United States as The People's House and known globally as The White House. This destructive overreach must end. What is next? Mount Rushmore?

How would a Cape Cod municipality deal with this kind of unlawful behavior from a disrespectful member of its community?

Karen Watson-Etsell
Brewster

Editor:

The cost of renovating the old COA (now-called by the awkward term “Center for Active Living”) has gone through the roof.

And we still get an old building, inconveniently located.

Isn’t it time to return to the earlier, essentially-completed plans for the center to be built all-new in West Chatham? 

The proposed and up-to-date center there would have been built more centrally than in North Chatham. And the new site would be conveniently close to restaurants, doughnut shops, stores, a post office and walking trails.

The high cost and renovation for the old building and the abandonment of the West Chatham plans and site make me want to ask, “What were you thinking?”

J. Denis Glover
Chatham

Editor:

Recently, you published a letter from the chair of the Harwich Local Planning Committee (“Don’t Use Plans To Justify Project,” Oct. 9) expressing strong disagreement with the town planner that the Pine Oaks Village 4 project is consistent with the housing production plan (HPP) and draft local comprehensive plan (LCP). I am writing today to note her letter was based on her opinion and not a vote of the committee. 

I also am a member of the local plan committee, and it is my opinion the statements of the town planner are correct. 

The HPP is an analysis of the housing situation and states the nature of the problem those with lower incomes face in finding housing. The first HPP goal is to increase the amount of rental housing. The plan calls for 80 percent rental housing and POVH4 will exceed that at 100 percent. 

The HPP and the LCP call for increasing the supply of attainable or workforce housing. This housing is for those families who earn too much to qualify for affordable housing but are overburdened at the market rate. POVH4 will consist of 20 percent attainable or workforce units. 

Another goal of the LCP is to minimize the use of open space for affordable housing. POVH4’s cluster density will allow for less clearing of woods to accommodate a higher number of affordable and attainable units. With small scale projects, more land needs to be cleared to get the same number of units. 

The LCP also calls for facilities to remove nitrogen to our wastewater. POVH4 will build and operate a full-scale septic treatment plant to clean the wastewater before it is discharged into the ground. Smaller projects only need Title 5 systems which continue to inject nitrogen into our groundwater. 

Since POVH4 was presented to the community, it has been suggested this community has been proposed simply for the profit of a small number of people. The people who are proposing this, the directors of the nonprofit Mid-Cape Church Homes (MCCH), Inc. d/b/a Pine Oaks Village Homes, are all volunteers and receive no salary, stipend or per diem for their service. 

The MCCH board is comprised of folks who live, work or are connected directly to Harwich and many have lived here all their lives. They have made a commitment in their charity work to provide housing for those who are in need. 

Ed McManus
Harwich

Editor:

Having read the article in The Chronicle and watched the three-minute trailer, I was hoping that “The Hand That Holds The Line” might be available to watch by Chatham natives and others who have been residents of Chatham but no longer live there. It sounds like a work of love, not just for those who fish but for the people who created it. 

Barbara J. Stevenson
San Diego, Calif.

Editor:

Last week’s editorial stirred some thoughts for me of the valuable, possibly unrecognized contributions made by the seniors of Chatham to this community. Winter months find a core of senior full-time residents performing volunteer duties that make Chatham the beautiful, engaging, alive place we can call home. Senior volunteers of the Garden Club keep Chatham’s aesthetic beauty always attractive. Senior volunteers of the Chatham/Harwich Hospital Auxiliary work feverishly to raise funds to keep medical facilities available for us and provide educational opportunities to enrich our wellness. Senior volunteers of the Women’s Club offer their services in providing grants for numbers of community projects and creating a sense of healthy community for the members. Senior volunteers offer their time and service at the library, on town committees, at the Center for Active Living delivering Meals on Wheels and taking people to medical appointments. Seniors can be spotted serving lobster roll sandwiches to the thousands of happy summer tourists that support the economy of Chatham. Seniors can be found as docents at the Atwood house and the Grist Mill and other town landmarks enjoyed by visitors. Senior volunteers make the unique First Night celebration one of the few remaining celebrations of its kind on Cape Cod. And I know I am just hitting a few of the numerous ways the seniors of Chatham serve this town. 

Senior volunteers work tirelessly giving time working at the food pantries, the thrift shops and are willing to give to the community in which they live. To read that Chatham cannot find a way to care for this valuable population in providing a senior center and that we should go to another town where they serve breakfasts and lunches and have daily exercise programs is disheartening to those of us in this senior population who call Chatham home. We want to continue volunteering right here in Chatham.

We could have had a new, modern, well equipped building to house this deserving population. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but what are we going to do moving forward? This town owes a great deal to the many seniors who contribute their time, service and expertise and we need these seniors to continue to perform all these valuable services. There must be a way that we can ensure the health of our senior population and provide Chatham seniors with the appropriate home that all of our surrounding towns are providing for their seniors. I think the seniors of Chatham deserve more than a Band-Aid on an inadequate solution.

Gail Tilton
North Chatham

Editor:

By all accounts, this year’s Oktoberfest celebration in Chatham was one of the largest and most successful yet. The weather was perfect, and the community and our visitors showed up! All six bands were very well received, and the Kids Zone was a non-stop party with face painting, hair tinsel, glitter tattoos, dance parties, arts and crafts, and the biggest hit of all — hours of balloon art by Zachary Earle! Our food and beverage vendors stayed busy all day with some even selling out, and the artisan vendors all reported a great day.

All of this would not have been possible without the coordination, cooperation and support of all facets of our local Chatham community. As the festival has grown over the past few years, the CMA board has worked closely with town hall and the select board, and their support for the event has resulted in a successful event year after year. We are also grateful for the support and cooperation of both the police and fire departments as we have expanded our footprint. The DPW staff, especially Tom Barr, have been extremely helpful in preparing the event sites for the crowds and helping us get them right back to “normal” after the event. So many local businesses stepped up with much needed financial support in the form of monetary sponsorships or in-kind donations large and small. And we had a wonderful team of volunteers made up of chamber and CMA board members, local citizens and business owners, and a fantastic crew from Monomoy Regional High School. Some showed up at 6 a.m. to prepare the sites, others patrolled the perimeters throughout the event, and still others broke it all down in record time when the event ended. And some did all three! 

But the biggest thank you of all goes out to the greater Chatham community who showed up and had a blast! The crowds arrived early and stayed all day. It was so wonderful to see so many familiar faces enjoying a beautiful fall day on Main Street. We all know how lucky we are to call this place home, and a festive day like Oktoberfest is the perfect example of why we love it so much. We look forward to seeing you all again on the third Saturday of October, 2026.

All in all, we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all those who played a role in making this event such a success. Oktoberfest 2025 truly exemplified the adage that “it takes a village” and we are so glad to call this one ours. 

Chatham Chamber of Commerce
Chatham Merchants Association 
Boards of Directors

Editor:

Your editorial entitled in the Oct. 23 Chronicle is “right on the money!” After so many failed attempts to provide a new Chatham Center for Active Living, it’s time to look for solutions broadly and out of the box. We have underutilized facilities throughout Chatham including a cavernous police headquarters and annex in West Chatham, underused meeting rooms in the community center in town and a declining attendance at the elementary school. Why not look at combining the police with the fire station, as so many towns do, and converting the existing space into a senior center? Or look at relocating the elementary school to the middle school and adapting that space for the center? The community center has meeting rooms empty much of the time and some vacant land. Has the town seriously considered these alternatives or discarded them without really evaluating them? Lastly, is the land in West Chatham still available as a donation?

There are many attractive, factory-built buildings being used across the country to save on building costs. Not every town building needs to be built with bricks. Surely, the Pennrose affordable housing projects won’t be built that way. Hire experts at facilities planning and charge them to come up with a cost-effective solution.

John Sweeney
South Chatham