HARWICH ─ There are plenty of sharks in the waters off Cape Cod, and then there's the one on Jay Hannon's front lawn. No, it's not real, but it has had many passers-by slowing down for a second look, which suits Hannon just fine. “He loves the attention,” said his wife, Michele. The shark's name is Bruce, based both on the character in “Finding Nemo” and the legendary mechanical beast in “Jaws,” and he's ...

HARWICH — Decoys and bird carving were center stage at the Elmer Crowell barn last week as carvers and collectors came to examine the workshop in which Crowell, considered the father of modern bird carving, conducted his work. “This is so beneficial for the town of Harwich. There is so much history here,” said bird carver Paul Phillips, a West Harwich resident. Phillips has assisted with setting up the new loc...

HARWICH PORT — After three and a half years under the leadership of an interim minister, Pilgrim Congregational Church has hired a full-time pastor, The Rev. Dr. Susan Cartmell. Church leaders carried out a national search, but in the end, didn't have to look very far. An author and scholar, Cartmell is also the wife of the interim minister, the Rev. Peggy O'Connor. “The people in this church have been ju...

HARWICH — The Bell's Neck ring was completed on Friday with a chainsaw-cutting ceremony which removed a wooden barrier along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, creating a passage way to the former Hall property and connecting the loop of public trails around the West Reservoir. The Bell's Neck Conservation Area is one of the town's premiere nature preserves and encompasses a large stretch of the Herring River, which lea...

HARWICH PORT — Two boaters are lucky to be alive after a fishing trip off Allen Harbor went badly awry last Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a man aboard a 28-foot center console boat radioed the Chatham harbormaster to report an empty inflatable motorized boat south of Allen Harbor. Chatham's 21-foot patrol boat, which was patrolling off Harding's Beach, diverted to the scene. Assistant Harbormas...

HARWICH — Because of a problem with the building's emergency lighting system, Brooks Free Library will be offering reduced services for the next few days, officials announced this morning. Most of the library building itself is closed to the public but limited services will be available in the lobby, where patrons can check out books and movies from a small collection; they can also pick up items on hold.  Chi...

HARWICH PORT — Two boaters are lucky to be alive after a fishing trip off Allen Harbor went badly awry Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a man aboard a 28-foot center console boat radioed the Chatham harbormaster to report an empty inflatable motorized boat south of Allen Harbor. Chatham's 21-foot patrol boat, which was patrolling off Harding's Beach, diverted to the scene. Assistant Harbormaster B...

Muddy Creek has a new bridge, better water quality, and a new group of devotees who are visiting by canoe and kayak. Chatham resident George Olmsted thinks it's time for the waterway to get a new name, as well. Olmsted says he'd someday like to drive across that bridge and see a little “Monomoy River” sign where the Muddy Creek sign used to be. “Muddy Creek is not an attractive name. And furthermore, at thi...

EAST HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Marini family to acquire 17 acres of land with 1,400 feet of frontage along Muddy Creek. The acquisition is seen as important in protecting the headwaters of the creek that feeds into Pleasant Bay. “This gives us a window to raise the funds to purchase the property,” Harwich Conservation Trust Executive Director Mi...

HARWICH — Parking and inclusion of a restaurant are among the issues that need to be worked out before the Harwich Port Plaza proposal makes its way before the planning board for Village Commercial Overlay District site plan approval. Attorney Michael D. Ford detailed changes proposed for the 28,008-square-foot parcel in the center of Harwich Port during a pre-conference meeting last week. The focus was not o...

HARWICH — Town officials have begun examining the draft final report on the nitrogen attenuation potential in Cold Brook in the Bank Street Bogs. The evaluation assesses the waterway's ability to naturally absorb nitrogen as a way to improve water quality and reduce the need for costly sewer construction. The study was prepared by the Coastal Systems Group from the School for Marine Science and Technology at U...

HARWICH — Phase three of the Brooks Park recreation department expansion will be heading to the planning board this week for site plan special permit approval. The plan is to add tennis and basketball courts, more parking, a picnic pavilion and new restrooms while providing better connections to the bike trail. The project was funded in the annual town meeting in May with $188,000 in Community Preservation Act...