They were mad for it. One commentator called it “ice boat fever.” In the late 19 th century, when temperatures dropped below freezing in December, residents had reason to rejoice: Harwich’s Long Pond and Chatham’s Oyster Pond froze solid with a foot of ice that could linger through March. During the 1870s, ’80s and ’90s, frozen ponds lured residents onto the ice in droves in both daylight and moonlight wit...

HARWICH ─ There are 620 students at Monomoy Regional High School, and since its inception, Principal Bill Burkhead has been looking for ways to let each of them know they matter. Recently the school kicked off its latest initiative with that goal in mind, and this time the hope is that it spreads to the local community and beyond. The 620 initiative has at its heart the number of students that pass through the...

HARWICH — In a sparsely attended meeting last week, officials fielded lots of questions about the $22.5 million East Harwich sewer system plan. But they’re the first to admit that they don’t yet have all the answers. Having been fully constituted for only around a month, the new wastewater support committee held an informational meeting at town hall last Thursday, and provided a progress update. The town’s w...

HARWICH — Having answered the planning board’s concerns about the shortage of parking, Outer Cape Health Services got the green light last week to build a medical center at the former Thompson’s Farm Market in Harwich Port. Construction is expected to begin shortly on the clinic, which will include 16 examination rooms, a lab and a pharmacy. Outer Cape Health holds a long-term lease on the building at 710 Ro...

HARWICH — A careful study of Island Pond Cemetery will show more than just rows of headstones. There is history, art, science, and a rich variety of trees. When Robbin Kelley looks out across the cemetery, she sees potential. The town’s cemetery administrator is leading an effort to create an arboretum that includes Island Pond Cemetery and an adjacent tract of conservation land. Arguably one of the town’s m...

HARWICH ─ Three years ago Dillon Murphy had something of a crisis. Though he loved his job as owner/operator of the Land Ho! in Harwich Port, he didn't love the time it cost him with his wife and children. Longing for a life beyond Cape Cod, Murphy knew it was time to make a change. Fortunately, change can be good. Not only has Murphy's family embarked on a new adventure, but the Land Ho! has found itself an enth...

HARWICH PORT — The board of directors of WE CAN has chosen a new executive director to lead the women’s advocacy group. Cape native Dianne Gauthier is a development consultant with Lower Cape Outreach who worked previously with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts; she is set to begin work later this month. Gauthier will succeed Andi Genser, who will retire later this year. “I am greatly inspired by W...

HARWICH — Town Administrator Christopher Clark has proposed a balanced omnibus budget of $65.4 million for fiscal 2019, which has some modest service increases but otherwise holds the line on spending. The lean budget is one part of a larger plan to help the town boost its bond rating, which could save taxpayers millions when it comes to building a sewer system. Clark’s plan includes a $23.8 million operatin...

HARWICH — Sam Hein’s father was a missionary in Africa, traveling from village to village teaching tribal elders to read and write. He told all of his pupils the same thing: when you’ve mastered the language, pass on those skills to another person. As principal at Harwich Elementary School, Hein draws a parallel between his father’s experience and his own 12 years of mentoring educators. “When they can do it...

HARWICH — There is a fairy name Finley who hangs out in the community center, and she has 11 additional friends who will be coming to town and taking up residence in other town buildings across the community. With school vacation approaching, the folks at the community center are hoping people in town, especially kids, will help seek out the fairies to mark the center's 18 th birthday, director Carolyn Carey ...

HARWICH — Selectmen will be putting two articles on the warrant this spring related to the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Plan, including the establishment of an intermunicipal agreement for a regional watershed permit with the towns of Chatham, Orleans and Brewster. Pleasant Bay Alliance coordinator Carole Ridley has been before selectmen a couple of times in the past few weeks defining the steps the town m...

HARWICH — In a 3-2 vote, selectmen approved a change in the Monomoy Regional School District agreement designed to streamline the decision-making process on grade configuration of the two elementary schools. Opposition to the proposal centered on concerns that the voice of residents was being removed from the process. “This language is negating the process of public involvement and putting it in the hands o...