When the Rev. Thomas Leinbach was growing up in Greenwich, Conn. in the 1950s, his father told him one day that he had “the perfect personality to be a pastor.” Decades later, on Christmas Eve 2017, Leinbach retired after serving for over 11 years as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Harwich in Harwich Center. “If you told me in my early 20s where I’d be today, I wouldn’t believe it,” Leinbach sa...

Harwich Author's Book Teaches Meditation Techniques To Children by Debra Lawless Now that the busy holiday season is behind us, does anyone need to be reminded that we live in a complex and chaotic world? Children live in this frantic world as much as adults do. Michelle Renee Pelletier has released a new book to help children take a step back into a calmer place. “Golden Child: Meditation for Childr...

Nick Nickerson, owner of Chatham Coastal Creations, has a problem that most business owners would probably envy: His new line of handcrafted ornamental sea scallop shells has taken off to the point that he can barely keep up with orders. “If I was 40 years old again I’d be in this head-over-heels,” he says. This morning Nickerson, 70, is standing out in his new 14-by-24-foot barn where tools hang along a wa...

Let’s put it right out there: First Night Chatham needs additional volunteers this year and next. Needed immediately is a coordinator for the Kids Art Studio, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on the afternoon of Dec. 31, First Night. This is a message from First Night’s director of communications John Reed and his wife Alice, who works alongside him. During a recent interview in their South Chatham home the p...

A new, affordable preventive dental care program sponsored by the Chatham Health Department will be held on four Thursdays through March in the community center. “Since we have so many elders and a lot of working people who may not have health care or dental insurance here in Chatham, we saw a need,” says Judith Giorgio, the town’s health agent. “We’re really excited to be able to offer this program.” The f...

Do a little research on the lifespans of typical family-run businesses, and you will find that they last, on the average, for 24 years, and only in 30 percent of the businesses will the second generation succeed the founding generation. This makes it all the more remarkable that the Robert B. Our Co., Inc., (RBO) at 25 Great Western Rd. in Harwich is celebrating its 60 th year in business this year and boasts...

In 1920, when American women were given the right to vote, Florence Seldin’s mother was a 15-year-old for whom this historic victory was of vast significance. “She voted religiously and taught her kids to vote religiously,” Seldin recalled during a telephone interview last Saturday. “Maybe my roots in activism start there.” Seldin, now 86, served from 2009 to 2015 on the Chatham Board of Selectmen and is cu...

Jena Clough, owner of DreamFyre Pole Fitness, believes that studying pole dance does as much for the mind and attitude as it does for the body. “I’m here to empower women,” she says. “Moms come to me—they can’t stand to look in the mirror.” Through pole dance they have “gotten physical strength and confidence back. The pole means confidence.” Clough, 30, offers classes at Bodystrong Fitness in Orleans and p...

Harwich Elementary School The newly formed 18-member HES School Council had its first meeting recently. The next meeting will be on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m, in our activity room. Members include administrators Sam Hein, co-chair, and Mary Oldach; parents Gregory/Marcie Gogol, Jean Copeland, Martha Anne/John Larivee, Adam Capen, Teresa Sprague, Justin/Holly, Tavano, Mariah/Greg Tillman; community represent...

For three hours every Wednesday afternoon for the past four years, Avis Drucker of Chatham has answered the telephone and greeted clients at We Can in Harwich Port. “I take incoming calls from women trying to cope with many challenges,” Drucker says. “They’re overwhelmed and emotional. It takes a lot of courage to make that first call.” When the women come into the office they’re “nervous and quiet,” and Dr...

HARWICH – As people grow older, connecting with others is essential. Judi Wilson, the new director of the Harwich Council on Aging, and her executive administrative assistant, Marie Carlson, have always worked in fields that involved connecting with others. They have been motivated by the desire to help other people. Said Wilson, most recently director of the council on aging in Orleans, “I love the work. T...

Greg Horne of Chatham has written a brave and honest memoir about his struggles with mental illness, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). “I wanted to educate people about OCD,” Horne said during a telephone interview last week. His book, “I Chose Life: A Struggle with OCD, Anxiety, and Depression,” was published in time for International OCD Awareness Week, Oct. 8 to 14. Horne, now 31, grew up...