HARWICH — The pet cemetery project was put to rest Tuesday after town meeting voters approved a petitioned article that took the 2.25 acre parcel out from under the jurisdiction of the cemetery commission and returned it to the board of selectmen for general municipal purposes. The cemetery commission had a hard night, with voters also rejecting an article that would establish a revolving fund that would have ...

CHATHAM – Saturday is “Free Locals Day” at two museums. As long as one person in a party has a driver's license with a Cape Cod address, the entire group gets free admission to the Atwood House and Museum and the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11. “It's our way of making the museums accessible to local families across the Cape that might not be able to come otherwise,” said Dani...

CHATHAM – The annual town meeting begins Monday at 6 p.m. at the Monomoy Regional Middle School on Crowell Road. Voters should prepare to settle in for a longer-than-usual annual legislative session covering a number of significant topics, including funding for a new council on aging facility, a controversial accessory dwelling unit bylaw, funding for a shark barrier at Oyster Pond, bans on plastic bottles and st...

CHATHAM – As a way around a 164-year-old state law that prohibits municipalities from contributing public money to private institutions, the town will buy a portion of the Chatham VFW property on George Ryder Road, with the purchase price going toward renovation of the post building. At a single-article special town meeting next Tuesday, voters will be asked to purchase an L-shaped lot around the perimeter of ...

CHATHAM — Town Manager Jill Goldsmith’s job performance is good and getting better. That’s the word from the board of selectmen, which issued her annual evaluation this week. Board members rated Goldsmith on a four-point scale in each of six broad categories, giving her a composite score of 3.89, up from last year’s score of 3.64. The ranking “indicates strong collective praise from the selectmen for her ong...

WEST CHATHAM — Facing sticker shock over what could be up to $1.15 million in additional expenses for enhanced lighting, landscaping and sidewalks, selectmen will not be asking town meeting voters to pay for enhancements to the West Chatham roadway reconstruction project. But they will be asking the state to consider meeting some of the costs. The board included Article 60 on the May 13 warrant as a placehol...

CHATHAM – Nominations are now being accepted for the grand marshal of the town's Independence Day parade. Grand marshal nominees must be a year-round or summer resident who has made significant contributions to the town. The marshal leads the parade and is a position of special honor, the Chatham Independence Day parade committee said in a press release. Chronicle publisher Henry C. Hyora was last year's Ju...

CHATHAM – “Do Your Part – Recycle Smart!” is the mantra adopted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to promote recycling as part of its overall strategy for addressing solid waste management issues facing the Commonwealth. Others include the 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—and the unabridged 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle.  Many Cape Cod residents recycle a portion of their s...

HARWICH — Approximately 75 people attended Saturday's candidates forum sponsored by the Democratic and Republic town committees at the newly restored South Harwich Meetinghouse. The three candidates vying for the two seats on the board of selectmen are incumbent Michael MacAskill; Thomas Sherry, who lost by a narrow margin to Selectman Ed McManus last year; and Stephen Ford, a retired banker and congressional ...

HARWICH — The ribbon-cutting for the new Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Harbor drew a crowd last Friday morning, with a number of speakers indicating that the six new artisan shacks show that Harwich is emerging as one of the more exciting arts and cultural communities in the commonwealth. The dedication at the newly renovated marina was one of many local events celebrating ArtWeek, a statewide effort to f...

HARWICH — It seems almost everybody on the Lower Cape has a story to share about a friend or family member with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and there's a growing need for support, counseling and programs. This weekend, a special fundraiser will take place to support the grassroots Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod , which offers a range of services, all free of charge, covering the full range ...

HARWICH — Voters sent a strong message on the first night of town meeting that they want less spending and a better control of their tax dollars. In Monday's session voters rejected the $4.5 million reconstruction of Lower Country Road and came within 34 votes of defeating the $39.6 million operating budget. Voters also made an early statement on the use of town funds for continued construction of the controve...

HARWICH – Most athletes appreciate the sports they play, but talk to Monomoy's Aoife Daly about field hockey and you'll quickly learn that she has more than just a fondness for the game. When Daly talks about the sport she's played since childhood, there's a gleam in her eye and an enthusiasm that can't be beat, which will no doubt serve her well when she joins the team at Colby-Sawyer College in the fall. Dal...

HARWICH – Typically in high school tennis, a team's singles players are often the key to success, but in Monomoy's case, the doubles teams have been the ones to watch. That was certainly the case when the boys varsity tennis team hosted Cape Cod Academy on May 2, playing to a 3-2 victory in Cape and Islands League action. Though a passing shower left the courts a little slick at the start of match play, the ho...

Bestselling author Anne D. LeClaire’s new novel “The Orchid Sister” (Lake Union Publishing, 2019) explores, in part, how things go wrong when people defy nature and seek the fountain of youth. “What kind of a culture have we become that we pursue anti-aging in such a fear-filled way?” LeClaire asked during a recent interview in her South Chatham home. Yet “the desire for eternal youth is eternal.” The germ ...

Some musicals endure the test of time better than others, and Eventide Theatre Company’s “She Loves Me” is one of them. This delightfully charming romantic comedy is sure to warm the heart and leave you singing all the way home. Although lesser known than some classic musicals, “She Loves Me” is a 1963 adaptation of the 1937 play “Parfumerie,” which also inspired the popular 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail.” Bot...