CHATHAM – The town's First Night celebration is a survivor. As it heads into its 26 th year, the annual event has left New Year's Eve celebrations in other communities in the dust, and still reliably sells out its 7,500 admission buttons. Mounting First Night Chatham is a massive effort, however, that takes many hours of planning and help from hundreds of volunteers. “To put on something like this, it real...

CHATHAM – The municipal fish pier will be packed with young fans of Santa Claus Sunday as the Jolly Elf himself arrives in style on the historic Coast guard motor lifeboat CG36500. Santa will be pulling in to the north jog at the pier at 1:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 4, accompanied by a contingent of active Coast Guard members from Station Chatham as well as the operators of the lifeboat boat made famous by the ...

CHATHAM – A resident is calling for the chairman of the conservation commission to apologize and step down following a confrontation over a skiff stored on the shore of Oyster Pond. Resident Elaine Gibbs said Conservation Commission Chairman James “Buck” Upson showed up at her home on Oct. 26 and questioned her about a skiff on her private property on Oyster Pond along Stage Harbor Road. She said Upson identif...

CHATHAM – The following council on aging events are scheduled this month. Most take place at the Stony Hill Road senior center and require registration or reservations. For information or to register for a program, call the COA at 508-945-5190. Monday, Dec. 5, Holiday Extravaganza Lunch and Show, “Making Spirits Bright,” featuring Tom Madden. Noon, tickets $9. Space is limited, reservations are required. Fr...

A 50-year-old Chatham man died in a crash in Boston early Sunday morning, according to state police.  The man was identified by state police late Sunday as Daniel P. Lee. According to a state police press release, troopers responded to a call at 12:40 a.m. in South Boston.  A 2014 Volvo S60 had left Interstate 93 northbound near exit 14. The vehicle went over the guardrail, became airborne, rolled over and ...

More than 2,000 runners, walkers and strollers flocked to the Chatham Turkey Trot Thursday morning.  Bags of groceries donated as part of the registration fee filled the back of a truck, destined for local food pantries via the Lower Cape Outreach Council. Watch next Thursday's paper for more information and photos.

CHATHAM – For some 20 years, the Chatham Candy Manor has offered a selection of hand-made chocolates at the holidays to benefit a local non-profit organization. The “Generous Indulgence” gift box provides a way for the downtown shop to give back to the community. This year, to help boost the proceeds that will go to this year's beneficiary, Monomoy Community Services (MCS), a special Candy Manor T-shirt is als...

CHATHAM – After very little sleep, illustrator Bob Staake awoke on the morning of Nov. 9 to an email from the art director at The New Yorker magazine looking for ideas for the following week's cover reflecting the outcome of the election. Staake had already developed some concepts for a cover assuming Hillary Clinton was the victor, so he had to shift gears and wrap his mind around the previously unthinkable f...

CHATHAM – A boundary dispute prompted the planning board to reject a subdivision plan for a key parcel in the West Chatham village center. Eastward Companies, which purchased the former Sibley property at 1610 Main St. earlier this year, filed a preliminary two-lot subdivision plan in May to freeze zoning on the 87,082-square-foot parcel. At the May annual town meeting, the West Chatham flexible development ov...

CHATHAM — When a bus overturns, a mass shooter strikes, or a car plows through a crowd of pedestrians, it can do more than cause lots of casualties. It can overwhelm the regional network of responders, ambulances and hospitals. Working under a new statewide emergency medical services plan for mass casualty incidents, Lower Cape firefighters are learning how to quickly size up an emergency and call in additio...

CHATHAM – Due to ongoing construction work, the boat launching ramp at the town-owned Old Mill Boatyard will be closed Monday through Friday beginning this week. The ramp will be open over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Nov. 24 to 27, but will close again on Monday, Nov. 28. Thereafter, it will be open on weekends through mid February, when the Old Mill Boatyard construction project is expected to be comple...

CHATHAM — New water conservation rules for swimming pools and in-ground sprinkler systems are working their way down the pipeline. The draft regulations call for all new residential irrigation systems to be connected to private wells, where they are available, starting on April 1, 2018. Property owners who have a private well suitable for irrigation will be required to use it, rather than using town water, for...