Bestselling author Leslie Meier of Harwich has just celebrated the publication of her 25th mystery, appropriately called “Silver Anniversary Murder” (Kensington Books, 2018). “I feel very fortunate to have the success I’ve had with my books,” Meier said during a recent email interview. “I’m immensely grateful to my readers and hope I can keep writing books that people will want to read. Writing is the best job...

Ever wondered how William Shakespeare came up with “Romeo and Juliet?” Surely only a man in love could have conceived of such a love story, right? Marc Herman and Tom Stoppard creatively wrote the screenplay “Shakespeare in Love” with such an idea in mind. Their script, with Lee Hall’s adaptation for the stage, incorporates Shakespearean dialect with a contemporary flair. The play, on stage now at the Cape Rep...

Their name is pronounced DIE-squith, and for sure a whole lot of D’Ysquiths die during the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans' regional premiere of Tony Award winner “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. This funny show that comes complete with slamming doors, clever music and one actor who plays nine D’Ysquiths, male and female, many of whom meet their ends by vari...

Friday, Oct. 26 Chatham Costume Parade . Open to Chatham Elementary School students, families and friends. Meet at the community center at 3:35 p.m.; parade begins promptly at 3:45 p.m. Followed by a cookout in the community center parking lot from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. and the Fire Department Pumpkin Drop. Sponsored by Polhemus, Savery and DaSilva, Chatham Wayside Inn, Chatham Fire Department, Chatham Police...

Not everyone finds Shakespeare’s plays approachable. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Folger Theatre (which is under the umbrella of the Folger Shakespeare Library and is “home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection”) are trying to change that through a shared effort in their play “Gravedigger’s Tale.” Since almost everyone dies by the end of “Hamlet,” the creator and director of t...

Most of the time when I head out for a day of exploring outdoors I pack a small bag with a sketchbook, some drawing pens, sunscreen, bug spray and my camera. I also bring my binoculars and water bottle. In the car I keep an assortment of field guides and something to nibble on. These simple things prepare me for a day of observation, wandering and simple enjoyment. I rarely have a plan but rather let the d...

Mission Paved The Way For Moon Landing CHATHAM – “It was 0430 when the helicopter pilots and Navy SEALSs gathered in the ready room of the USS Essex to be briefed for their mission. By 0630 four helicopters lifted off the aircraft carrier. The CSM splashed down at 0711. At 0820 its three astronauts landed back on the Essex.” In the den of his home in the Riverbay section of town, Don J. Broderick recalled t...

It was a “light bulb moment,” an “aha!” thought that sparked Bill Wilson to take the first step to create a program that would save so many people, relationships and even entire families. That spark was so simple yet so innovative: “Who knows how a drunk thinks more than another drunk?” He knew he needed to talk to another alcoholic to stay sober. The idea that in order to maintain sobriety if you are afflicte...

It happens quietly while most of us are doing other things. In the spring we eagerly await the arrival of the first migrant birds, the first hesitant blooms of wildflowers. In the fall we are so giddy about the cooler air and the smaller crowds that we don’t notice the once heralded birds slipping away. Flowers fade but we have moved on to other things, like the changing of the leaves. One day the yard is ...

CHATHAM – How often does a woman get to wear someone else's bridal gown just for fun? If your answer is "never," then you might be surprised by Saturday's Bridal Fashion Show and High Tea from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Chatham. Seventeen gowns, originally worn between 1908 and 2018, will be modeled by women of all ages in a historic church decorated for a wedding. The fashion show, whic...

From Oct. 11 to Nov. 11, Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre (CCT/HJT) will present a humorous, heartwarming play about two alcoholics who joined forces in 1935 to create Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the original 12-step organization which today helps some two million members in 180 countries worldwide. “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” written by Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey, has received international critica...

Editor's note: This week we debut a new weekly column, “Nature Connection,” by Mary Richmond, a writer, artist, educator and amateur naturalist who grew up in Hyannis. For more information about her work visit www.capecodartandnature.com. After a hectic morning filled with appointments and people I headed toward the beach. The day was cloudy and windy but also warm and humid. A few people sat in their cars w...