CHATHAM – Protect Our Past, a Chatham-based group focused on saving historic properties on Cape Cod, delved into some of the background and origins of historic preservation recently, welcoming internationally recognized architect Gunny Harboe as guest speaker at the group's fourth program in its online lecture series. What we have called historic preservation is perhaps best thought of as cultural heritage, fo...

A red-tailed hawk lives in my neighborhood. Many of you probably also have one for a neighbor, whether you know it or not. Red-tails are large hawks and prey primarily on small mammals such as mice, chipmunks, rabbits and squirrels. I’ve seen a few grab a bird in the lean winter months, but usually they stick to furrier meals. On a recent sunny but cold morning my hawk, as I fondly refer to it, was sitting ato...

Are you ready for an escape down the rabbit hole? Grab your top hat and a cup of tea, as Monomoy Regional High School presents an innovative virtual theatrical performance of “Alice in Wonderland” via Zoom. The production will be livestreamed March 18, 19, and 20 at 7 p.m., and the public is encouraged to attend virtually. The experience of auditioning, planning and performing a high school play is somethin...

A year ago, local theaters had to face the same challenges the rest of us did, as COVID-19 arrived and ran roughshod over plans for summer seasons, auditions, events and opening nights. At that time, tough choices had to be made. Auditions were postponed, then canceled. Seasons were suddenly filled with question marks instead of dates. Some venues decided to experiment with virtual versions of their planned offe...

With the advent of spring comes hope of growth and renewal. It seems as if every living thing is feeling it, just waiting to bust out of winter doldrums and get going and growing. Plants are anxious to break through the soil and push out leaves and blossoms. Animals and birds are thinking of courting and reproducing and even we humans are feeling that natural sap rising within us. Our time of dormancy and hanging...

How do we know what routes are taken by migrating birds? We may know where they start their migration and where it ends, but exactly how do they get there? These were some of the questions answered by Wildlife Biologist Pamela Loring of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service last Thursday evening when over 90 people tuned in to learn more about tracking shorebirds in the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center's Virtual ...

When we first saw our house 37 years ago, it was about this time of year. It was a traditional Cape built in 1929 and occupied by only one family all that time. We fell in love instantly. There were old lilacs and many trees even with the tiny lot. The house itself was old and very small, rundown and in need of a lot of work. We didn’t care. It was in a neighborhood I had played in many times as a child, was with...

Cape Rep Theatre in Brewster, with support from the community and the state, is in the midst of transforming the property's historic Crosby Barn from a storage space for scenery and props into a fully restored performance space which will double as a venue for rehearsal, classes and community events.  The Crosby Barn, the final building on the Cape Rep campus to be renovated, was built in 1889 by one of Brewst...

Brian Porter still recalls how he felt when he began his first job in the boatbuilding shop at Arey’s Pond Boat Yard while he was attending Nauset Regional High School. “I was like, ‘This is awesome. It’s like woodshop all day and I’m getting paid for it,’” recalls Porter, who also spent a couple of his teenage years interning for the now defunct Pleasant Bay Boat and Spar Company in his hometown of Orleans. “...

A year ago, back when the idea of global isolation due to a pandemic was still just the stuff of sci-fi, or so we thought, most of us weren’t too concerned with having to constantly adapt to new situations. And then, March 2020 came along and changed everything. Most of us have had to adapt to all sorts of things we couldn’t have imagined. As time goes on, some of those adaptations have become our norm. Watchi...

Sixty-nine years later, to the day, more than 80 people tuned in online to hear the story of the Feb. 18, 1952 loss of the tankers Pendleton and Fort Mercer off the coast of Chatham. The session was sponsored by the Chatham historic preservation group Protect our Past (POP). Joseph Smith, an author and professor of humanities at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, was on hand to recount what happened on that stormy...

As we approach the anniversary of COVID-19's arrival on Cape Cod and the beginning of its devastating effect on local businesses and gathering places, the inventive ways that arts venues adapted to health and safety protocols remain impressive. Do any of them intend to keep a remote component even when in-person gathering gets the green light? Determined to continue offering access to films, performances, exhibi...