CHATHAM – The Cape Cod Chronicle gained its first comic strip in 1977 when local author/illustrator Rosemary de Ganahl published The Gullibles, a single-panel cartoon following a group of seagulls than ran for nearly 25 years. In the late '80s, Chronicle editor Tim Wood wrote a strip called “Woodchucks” illustrated by then-production manager Chuck Stanko that ran for a short time, but after the Gullibles ended...

“Seussical the Musical,” playing at the Chatham Drama Guild this month, entertainingly covers Dr. Seuss’s optimistic philosophy from Yuzz to Hi! (more about that later). They’re not kidding when they call it a musical. All told, there are 33 numbers, accompanied by piano (musical director Geraldine Boles) and percussion (Cassie Lortie). The show is performed on a versatile set painted in primary crayon colors....

Skylark or frightened dove about to be devoured by a predatory hawk? Marriage, motherhood, petticoats, and romance on demand mark the four corners to Nora Helmer's city apartment, circa 1960. Her husband Torvald loves her so much he wants to keep her all to himself; a wife is a man's most treasured possession, he says. Monomoy Theater presents a captivating and heart-wrenching production of Henrik Ibsen's "A D...

What could be more Cape Cod than a day at the beach? The Academy Playhouse’s summer-long children’s show sees the return of the underwater classic, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.” An animated group of sailors, led by Laura Kaser, open the show with “Fathoms Below,” a lively shanty warning sailors against the siren’s call of mermaids. While out for a sail, Prince Eric (Ethan Ehnstrom) hears Ariel’s ...

Can Home Rule Work? Editor: Regarding a meeting of state department of transportation officials with residents of Wellfleet to discuss a roundabout solution at Main Street and Route 6: About 100 people in Wellfleet did what over 2,000 people in West Chatham could not do – got the state to back down and promised to come back with a design the town wants. Maybe we can meet with those same officials. They back...

We humans, for the most part, love our plants. We mist, feed, and espalier them, trim their leaves and even play music to sooth their little green souls. Not only are we omnivores and dependent on them for survival, but they are aesthetically lovely and generally fun to be around. They even clean toxins from the air in our homes.  But just as humanity is comprised of the good, the bad and the ugly, so goes the...

We're constantly amazed at the amount of activity that happens in our communities. Of course, since it's the high summer season, there's a lot more going on now than there was in January or March, when we were all sheltering in our homes hoping the power wouldn't go off again. And there are a lot more people around to take advantage of the opportunities, which creates the traditional double-edged sword: more to d...

When JoAnne Clancy of Harwich retired from her work as assistant town accountant for the town of Harwich in 2009, she thought she’d have loads of time to work on her craft of decorative painting on slates, mailboxes, plates, wineglasses and barrel staves. Not so. “I’m too busy,” she says. Clancy became a volunteer for the Harwich Cranberry Festival, managing the craft fairs as well as keeping the festival’s...

ORLEANS – “The Girl from Quanset,” an operetta written for the girls at Camp Quanset in 1908, has returned for another summer vacation at the Orleans Historical Society. This staged reading of the musical features volunteer actors as playful campers, Life Savers from the Orleans Station and mischievous pirates who sing their way through jaunty and cheerful tunes. Costume changes are signaled cheekily by differ...

ORLEANS — Jan Biondi's hands are on the oars of the Chester Yawl rowing craft she built this winter, powering herself and a rider across the sun-soaked calm waters of Town Cove. It's only the fourth voyage for Summer Rose, the 15-foot, 100-pound realization of a decades-long dream. Those hands on the oars have turned many of Biondi's dreams into reality. They have sculpted and painted, dug up clams, arranged...

ORLEANS — It seemed that from the ashes of Phoenix Fruit, affordable housing might rise. Paul van Steensel of Cape Dreams Building and Design met informally with the affordable housing committee June 6 to discuss a plan to build six two-family townhouses and four one-bedroom apartments at 14 and 18 Cove Rd., now vacant office space and the former home of Phoenix Fruit. According to draft minutes of the meeti...

The days are long now and if the tide is right, shellfishermen can head out to the flats of Monomoy, spend hours harvesting and return to shore with their limit as the sun sets and turns the horizon pink and purple. But then they would lose $500 and all their hard work, because the wholesale companies they sell to close hours before the sun goes down, and shellfishermen can’t keep their product overnight – not...

Winner in Wednesday's Fourth of July parade were as follows: Business 1st: Little Codders 2nd: The Farm 3rd: Orleans Yacht Club Sailing Camp   Non-Profit 1st: Orleans Firebirds 2nd: Eastham Brownies/Girlscouts 3rd: Sharing Kindness   Family  1st: Stewart Family 2nd: Coast-to-Coast 3rd: Birdsall Family Click here for a gallery of photos from Wednesday's July 4 parade ...

Thousands crowded downtown Chatham Wednesday for the town's annual July 4 parade. The Chatham Independence Day parade committee released the award winners on Thursday. In the overall awards, third place went to the Friends of Monomoy; second place to Bog Lane Farm; and the top award winner was Phillips Farm Family. Other award winners were: Best Youth: Monomoy Regional School District. Most Patriotic:...

CHATHAM – The board of selectmen has rejected pursuing private property for a new senior center. At an executive session Monday evening, the board declined two proposals from private property owners that were the result of a request for proposals the town put for privately owned parcels that might be suitable for a new council on aging facility, according to a statement released Tuesday. “Out of fiscal prud...

CHATHAM — Contractors are hoping that the most recent adjustments to the Mitchell River drawbridge will allow it to function properly, at least through this summer season. The two-year-old bridge has been prone to swelling during humid weather, causing the center span both to stick shut and to not close completely after being opened. Last week, crews from bridge contractor SPS New England, Inc., spent three ...