The holidays are a time for celebration, for gathering with friends and family and making the most of our time together. At least, that's often the Hallmark version, complete with tinsel and trim and holiday cheer. What's the reality? For Mandi Speakman, director of the Chatham Council on Aging, people react to the holidays along a spectrum from "full-blown Santa's elves to those who find themselves severely d...

The arrival of cold weather means that people are starting up their furnaces and fireplaces for the season. And when the snow flies and the power goes out, people find creative ways to cook their food and heat their homes. Together, these factors spell an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a product of all kinds of combustion, from candles and cookstoves to gasoline engines...

CHATHAM – Since its founding in 1942, the Chatham Chamber of Commerce has welcomed only those businesses based in town to join its ranks. Some out-of-town enterprises that didn't compete with locally-owned businesses were allowed to join on a case-by-case basis, but for the most part the chamber maintained a closed membership. In recent years it was the last Cape chamber to do so. Now the Chatham Chamber has j...

How do you retire to Chatham and pursue a vibrant life in the community? Trish and David Vincent seem to have unlocked the secret. They arrived here on Halloween 2001 and have been active ever since in their North Chatham neighborhood, in boating and in wildlife care. “You’ve got to respect where you’ve come to and not change it,” David Vincent said during an interview in their sunny home one afternoon l...

Perhaps you're in charge of preparing a church supper, a potluck dinner or your family’s Thanksgiving feast. But before you show off your culinary talents, consider taking some time to review some basic safety techniques for preparing and handling food. A poorly prepared holiday meal can have consequences that are more severe than dry turkey or a pie crust that isn’t flaky. Millions of cases of foodborne illne...

Chatham Elementary School   Winter Clothing Exchange The school's annual winter clothing exchange will take place Nov. 14 to 21 on the stage in the gymnasium. Items for the exchange are being collected now. Gently used, clean children's sweatshirts, coats, snow pants, outerwear, boots, sneakers, skates, gloves, mittens and hats for children of all ages are welcome. Items should be washed prior to donatio...

The magic began in 1952 when Eunisa Greenlaw Wordell decided to open Chatharbor Pottery and Gift Shop on Cockle Cove Road. Her husband, Dr. Arnold Edgar Wordell, built the seasonal shop and family vacation house as an extension of several “cottage colonies” that were handed down to them. Eunisa stocked the tiny shop with jewelry, home décor items, and prints while her 12-year-old son, Nathaniel B. Wordell, learne...

If you have already seen “Wrinkles, the Musical,” why should you see the new performance opening Oct. 18 at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT)? Let us count the ways. First off, the cast of the new production is made up of professional equity actors between the ages of 60 and 80 who have performed on Broadway, in award-winning films and on TV. The actors have been nominated for and awarded Tony and ...

CHATHAM – Curious about whether your skin has been damaged by the sun? Want to know more about tick-borne diseases, nutrition, or Alzheimer's disease? Maybe you'd just like to get a flu shot. If so, the board of health-sponsored Community Health Fair is the place for you. On Oct. 5 from 1 to 3 p.m., the community center will be turned into a one-stop shop for information, with participation from more than a ha...

Monomoy School News Monomoy Booster Club Golf Tournament There is still time to sign up for the annual Monomoy Booster Club Golf Tournament, as a sponsor, player or both. The event will be held at the Cranberry Valley Golf Course on Oct. 14, with registration at 7:30 a.m. and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. All funds raised will directly support Monomoy students via equipment, training, scholarships, and mo...

Business ideas come from many places and in many forms. And every once in a while, someone comes up with an idea that takes us by surprise and then...aha, of course! That was the case for Vangie Collins, owner of VC Lampwork Memorial Glass Beads, who makes cremation jewelry. Collins, a native New Yorker, has always considered herself a crafty person, traveling to craft fairs and making jewelry, including neckl...

CHATHAM - For Chatham's Jo Ann Sprague, staying active means continuing to serve. Ever since she enlisted in the Women's Army Corps right out of high school in 1950, serving others has been her secret to a happy, active and engaged life. From her days as a staff driver in the Pentagon through her years as a full-time wife and mother of six children, to six years as a representative in the Massachusetts House f...