HARWICH — “Harwich is a beautiful community, a wonderful place to live and work,” Town Planner David Spitz said this week as he prepares to retire after more than seven years at the helm of the planning department. But he admitted his experience here has been equally frustrating and rewarding. Spitz will retire on July 8 and there will be some changes to the planning department once he is gone. Selectmen wer...

HARWICH — It doesn't take long for an artificial fish reef to turn barren ocean bottom into a thriving fish habitat. That was clear when the Cap'n Kid, a 50-foot party boat out of Saquatucket Harbor, began fishing over the reef created this spring 2.8 miles outside the harbor. The reef was created three months ago in partnership with the town of Harwich and the state Division of Marine Fisheries, using $146,00...

HARWICH PORT — Wednesday nights are going to be hopping in the 'Port this summer. The Harwich Chamber of Commerce has announced the lineups for Port Summer Nights, the weekly celebrations of art, dining, music and shopping, which start next Wednesday, July 6. “It looks great,” chamber Executive Director Jeremy Gingras said. “We've got eight weeks' of bands lined up and other activities.” Each Wednesday n...

ORLEANS — Harwich Selectman Jannell Brown has accepted nine months' pretrial probation in an assault case, admitting no wrongdoing and avoiding a trial by jury. Last November, Brown pleaded not guilty to an assault charge stemming from a domestic dispute with a man who is the father of one of her children. Under the agreement, Brown is ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim other than to arrange ch...

SOUTH HARWICH – Postponed once and canceled on another date, the auction of the mixed-use Sykes properties on Route 28 has been rescheduled for Friday. This time it will be an absolute auction, according to information provided by JJ Manning Auctioneers. “Selling individually and in the entirety with 815 Route 28 (adjacent 6,500-plus-square-foot mixed-use building) to the highest bidder, regardless of price,”...

CHATHAM ─ Sunday is a day that many in Chatham will long remember. It marked the first time that the steady rhythm of running feet beat across the Mitchell River Bridge since it recently reopened, heralding the return of the Chatham Harbor Run. After kicking off at noon from atop Crowell Road near Monomoy Middle School, runners and 5K walkers made their way along courses that took them through scenic Chatham, ...

HARWICH – Never underestimate moms with a mission. Seven years ago a group of Harwich moms with young children wanted to find a way to keep themselves and their children fit, so they started meeting in the early mornings for a walk/run, building up their endurance until they were ready for a full-fledged 5K. “The McCourt Race was the first race we ever ran,” said Joanne Logie, adding that disappointment set in...

HARWICH ─ It wasn't a no-hitter for the Harwich bullpen last Thursday when the Mariners hosted the Anglers, but it was sure close. In what became a 6-0 win for the home team, Harwich pitchers allowed just four hits in nine innings en route to their 11th win of the season. “They just flat-out beat us tonight,” said Angler manager John Schiffner. Indeed, the Mariners wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, ...

HARWICH — Charlie Sumner has traded in spreadsheets for mainsheets. The former Brewster Town Administrator of 29 years—Cape Cod’s longest serving town administrator—is the first executive director of Pleasant Bay Community Boating (PBCB). Founded in 2003, PBCB is dedicated to making boating, marine education, and environmental stewardship affordable and accessible to all—including residents and visitors to...

Local author Sara Pennypacker recently published “Pax,” a novel following the stories of a pet fox, forcibly abandoned by his boy’s grandfather, and the boy, Peter, who runs away from home to find his fox. The film rights have been bought by Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, who plan to make a movie in the coming years. Pennypacker, a former artist, has written some 20 books, ranging from picture books for young re...

When a theater company undertakes a show that’s very familiar to many, it adds another layer of difficulty to the production. The audience has so much to compare it to, and an audience of children who adore the story can be the most discriminating. Then add in that it's a dramatization of a Disney cartoon with all those cute beloved characters, and the bar is just a bit higher. Nina Schuessler, producing artis...

“Hamilton” might be all the rage today, with their 11 recent Tonys fueling the fire, but before this latest Broadway sensation, Hamlisch and Kleban’s “A Chorus Line” reigned supreme for 15 between 1975 and 1990. Even with its record-breaking run and nine Tonys, “A Chorus Line” is rarely performed locally. Simply put, the dance-intensive musical is difficult to produce, and even more so for amateur theater...

How did playwright Sir Tom Stoppard pen Tony Award winning plays (“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Travesties,” “The Real Thing” and “The Coast of Utopia”) and screenplays (Oscar winner “Shakespeare in Love,” plus “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Brazil” and “The Russia House”)? Perhaps he’s revealed how in his play “Rough Crossing,” Cape Rep’s current production. It's a madcap romp of non-s...

Much was made of the incident at the Chatham Airport Commission meeting two weeks ago when Chairman Peter Donovan stopped the video taping of the session while police were called to restore order at the annex meeting room. Those two actions – stopping the taping and calling the police – were noteworthy in that no one could recall either happening before. They also raise the question of whether the actions were ju...

It's All In The Details Editor: Riding around the roads off Queen Anne Road in East Harwich presents many questions and certainly tests the safety of drivers! Detours abound with seemingly no reason as to where barriers are placed and inexcusable lines of traffic abound with no officer details to exercise safety and caution. When experiencing one of these numerous delays I called the Harwich Police dispatc...