Lobsterman Rob Martin was out with a crewman years ago when the fellow tried to gaff a seagull that landed on the boat. Martin told him to cut it out. Not only was it illegal, it was bad luck. Moments later, the stern man was gone. “He went flying out the back of the boat,” said Martin, adding that he told him “I told you so” after fishing him out of the water. Martin is not superstitious, for instance h...

CHATHAM – The Women’s Club of Chatham got a crash course in women’s safety in September, and also learned a little about what it’s like to be the only female officers on the Chatham and Harwich Police Departments. Sergeant Sarah Harris of the Chatham Police and Sergeant Amy Walinski of the Harwich Police Department joined forces on Sept. 23 during a special meeting of the Women’s Club where they spoke with rou...

ORLEANS – Surf's up! Surf films, that is. The 2019 Orleans Surf Film Festival kicks off Friday with a slate of events celebrating surf culture. The two-day festival will be held at the Hog Island Brewery at 28 West Rd. Celebrating the surf culture of Cape Cod, the festival includes a selection of surf-related films, including local shorts and features. As of late last week, a list of films was not yet av...

It doesn’t take much to make me feel humbled by nature. Standing by a sea riled up by wind and current, listening to tall trees swaying and creaking or watching rivulets of rainwater spread and flow anywhere they want, when they want; all these things give me pause. Throw in a sunset or two, a starlit night or the flight of birds through the dunes and I’m convinced. This nature thing is way, way bigger and more p...

It’s not often that you have the opportunity to be present when someone’s dream comes true. Maureen Condon wanted to write a play that made a difference. “Crude, The Climate Change Musical” is Condon’s dream, because she “believes in the power of the arts to shape the future.” She’s already seen her musical as an official selection of the New York Musical Festival, and now the world premiere has been held at the ...

Anyone who grew up with the Addams Family can recall the characters, music, costumes, and humor. This famous family has returned to the Chatham Drama Guild for several encore performances that are sure to bring laughter, fun, and families together this month. “It’s a true family affair because we spend so much time together,” said Rebecca Banas, who stars as the smart, classy and often funny Morticia Addams. T...

If pleas from our children, warnings from the UN, and daily evidence of increasing weather disruptions don't convince us of climate change, how about a musical? That's what inspired Cape Cod playwright Maureen Condon to write "Crude—the Climate Change Musical," which has its world premiere Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Cape Cod Theatre Company, home of the Harwich Junior Theater. With a background in science wri...

As the weather becomes colder, our attentions turn to seasonal treats like mulled cider, fall foliage, and spooky Halloween tales. A classic American ghost story is Washington Irving’s 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and the Academy of Performing Arts’ adaptation, by Vera Morris, is more fun than scary, making it ideal for the whole family. The Dutch-settled village of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., is i...

If there's one subject Cape Codders can relate to, it's water. Our lives cycle in and around local rivers, ponds, bays and sounds. How we connect to water is a subject as varied as the people. Next weekend the Blue Institute of Cape Cod will host two programs in Harwich that illuminate our connection to water. The first, on Friday evening Oct. 18, showcases the winners of the recent "Words on Water" writing co...

Just in time for Halloween comes the pleasurably creepy debut novel “In the Midst of the Sea: A Novel of Paranormal Horror” (Pace Press, 2019), set on off-season Martha’s Vineyard. “Both the Cape and the Islands are so full of history, culture and time, that I almost feel like you can’t help but feel the ghosts around you,” author Sean Padraic McCarthy of South Plymouth said in an email interview last week. Mc...

Is it surprising that to photograph ducks and shorebirds, you may well have to creep along ice-covered rocks or lie down on your belly in the sand or mud? These are commonplace activities of award-winning wildlife and nature photographer Sarah E. Devlin of Chatham, who will show her exquisite bird photographs at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge from Oct. 4 to 14. “I lie in a prone position,” Devlin said...

Recent books by local writers examine life in New York City, Cape Cod and during Neanderthal days. Skip Rozin of Harwich, who made a career as a freelance writer in publications as diverse as Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and Audubon, has now turned his considerable talents to memoir in “The View from Apartment Four: On Loving and Leaving New York” (77 Street Press, 2019). At the heart of the memoi...