Churches Key To First Night  Editor: We should all be thankful for the support given to First Night Chatham by the churches in Chatham that provide venues for the events. Roughly half of the locations this year were town-owned properties with the balance being offered by our community organizations that provide venues for a very high level of artistic and entertaining performances which were enjoyed by all ...

The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard pride themselves on being semper paratus , or always ready. At sea, they answer the call when lives are on the line. In addition to their search and rescue function, the Coast Guard has taken on a variety of other duties, from securing our ports and responding to oil spills to monitoring endangered whales and intercepting drug traffickers. And year after year, come al...

Good Deeds Confirm Faith In Town Editor: I am writing to tell the story of the man and Chatham residents who saved my Christmas and confirmed my faith in the joy of living in Chatham. I was shopping on Main Street on Christmas Eve Day and lost my wallet. I discovered this when I went to pay for an item at the Candy Manor. The salesperson, Robbie Carroll, kindly told me to pay the next time I was in the stor...

Most people are exposed to live theater at the community level, through amateur or semi-amateur productions that are always high in enthusiasm, even if the quality may vary widely. On the Cape, we are blessed with many theaters, from scrappy amateur community companies to professionals presenting everything from classic musicals to cutting-edge dramas. The future of two of our region's most venerable theaters, ho...

The New Year – 2019 – there will never be another, what does it mean, other than to remember to write the new date on checks and documents, or to purchase an amusing doggie yoga calendar to organize ourselves for the next 52 weeks.  But even as wizened and weary Father Time ushers in the tiny diapered one, each new year we sense a change, a subtle shift of time. Jan. 1 gives us another chance to begin anew,...

Though a special place, Cape Cod has problems that towns, their institutions, and above all its residents need to fix. Complex and difficult to understand, faced with conflicting and sometimes self-serving solutions, the problems often make me feel lost. Learning their nature and getting a handle on proposals to address them can set my head spinning. Official activities of town meetings, boards of selectpersons a...

It's A Wonderful Theater Editor: I would like to publicly thank the Chatham Orpheum Theater for their generous gift. My husband and I were one of 147 guests of the Orpheum at the free showing of the classic "It's a Wonderful Life." It clearly was not something the theater "had" to do, but to offer what was a "sold” out free performance was very much appreciated. It solidifies my feeling that we are very luc...

We're skeptical of decisions made on the regional or even national level that directly involve facilities or operations locally, particularly when there is little or no input from the people directly impacted. An example is the dispute over the western boundary of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Had U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials had detailed discussions about their decision to assert jurisdiction...

If A Tree Votes In The Forest... Editor: In response to Beverly Nelson’s recent letter, I pose this question:  Let’s imagine I am a full-time Chatham resident with a hideaway cottage on a lake in Natick (because I cannot afford the townhouse in the Back Bay). What voice and vote do I have to affect change according my specific needs and whims in  Natick? Linda Simonitsch Chatham   A Plea For You...

As of this writing, The Cape Cod Chronicle and its readers have contributed about $23,500 toward the $60,000 goal for our Helping Neighbors campaign for the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. It’s a tremendous accomplishment. But we know we can do better. Perhaps it’s been the crush of holiday errands and travel, or maybe it’s the jittery stock market. Or maybe we’ve been focused lately on a certain letter to the editor ...

This time of year is both joyous and sad; we celebrate being together with family and friends, and as the year winds down, we also remember those who won't be celebrating with us. In 2018 we lost a number of folks who dedicated much of their lives to helping run our communities. Thomas R. “Tim” Pennypacker served as a police officer and selectman in Chatham and as a deputy sheriff and was well known for his co...

“Bye Bye Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing this will be the day that I die This will be the day that I die.”   Don McLean had a huge hit with American Pie in 1971. Don wrote it and sang it and the entire popular music industry was stunned when it reached number one in the country. Eight minute songs ha...