Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra will hold a holiday season benefit concert, “A Mostly English Holiday,” on Sunday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m, at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port.  Proceeds from the performance benefit in part the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod.  A pre-concert talk by conductor and founding artistic director Matthew Scinto will be held at 2:15 p.m. The concert features English music...

The cold has crept in, frosting the ground with its icy fingers as it moves along the morning trails left by the mist. Trees, stripped of their leaves, now stand with their branches bare, stabbing into the sky in all directions. Darkness has won over light. We spend much of our time now in the crepuscular hours, filled with gray, dusky light. We scuttle about, avoiding the damp as much as we can, shaking the wet ...

In his new book “Cape Cod Nights: Historic Bars, Clubs and Drinks” (History Press, 2019), Christopher Setterlund picks up where his 2017 book “Historic Restaurants of Cape Cod” left off. Both books lead the reader on a nostalgic trip of dining, clubbing and drinking across Cape Cod of yesteryear. “I began by asking my family, parents, grandparents, etc. where they had enjoyed going and amassed a huge list o...

HARWICH – There is a wealth of holiday bazaars and craft fairs on Cape Cod during the holidays, but the newest one at Monomoy Regional High School aims to raise money for a great cause. On Dec. 6 the Sandscript Club will host its first Holiday Market and Coffee House/Open Mic event to raise funds toward future writing adventures. For those unaware, Sandscript, a creative writing club, is one of the oldest club...

Does the commercialism surrounding the Christmas holidays make you feel more like "Bah, Humbug!" than "Joy to the World?" If so, you may have company. Maybe what we all need is just what Cape Cod Theatre Company is offering, the Cape Cod premiere of "Elf, the Musical." Based on the classic 2003 movie that starred Will Ferrell as Buddy, "Elf" is the tale of a young orphan who accidentally crawls into Santa's...

PHILADELPHIA – Think you know the truth about Thanksgiving? Think again. As people across the nation prepare to sit down to another turkey dinner, David Silverman has an important message for them: it's all a lie. If you want the truth, read his new book “This Land Is Their Land,” which aims to eradicate what Silverman calls the Thanksgiving myth. Silverman, a historian, college professor and author of four pr...

These days of craziness in the world are leaving me sad, worried and just plain upset. Everyone’s talking but no one’s listening. We might as well be a big old flock of bickering grackles swaggering about in the backyard looking for the best treats and tidbits while pooping wherever we want, when we want, with no regard to anyone or anything else. We’re making a racket and making a mess and we don’t care. Som...

Chatham Elementary School Attendance Improvements In 2018, Chatham Elementary School received zero out of four points from the state accountability system for attendance. In 2019, due to efforts both at home and at school, the data showed positive trends and CES earned three out of four points. However, with CES' lowest performing scores, the data still reflects the need to continue the focus on how abs...

Over the past 30 years, thousands of people in this country and abroad have been treated to the music and dance of the renowned fiddle ensemble Childsplay. The group's repertoire ranges from Celtic to Irish to Appalachian and bluegrass, with styles bridging jazz, swing and classical music. After more than three decades, the group has embarked on their final tour and a Nov. 21 Harwich performance at Monomoy Reg...

There’s absolutely nothing rotten about Cape Rep’s production of “Something Rotten!” Madcap high jinks, double entendres, crazy asides and outright silliness abound in this Broadway hit. Director Stephen Sposito and an incredible cast are up to the task in the final production of the Cape Rep’s 2019 season. Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick, a screen and songwriter for Disney Animation, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, ...

Even after reviewing hundreds of shows, I’ve never critiqued a near sold-out show right at its opening. Eventide Theatre Company, the little theater that can, was one of a dozen playhouses around the country lucky enough to be given the performance rights to Aaron Sorkin’s new, currently running Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”—hence, all the hype and fast ticket sales; the entire run ...

There’s a lot that’s shiny and new out there in the world, both real and virtual. There are places we dream of visiting, books we long to read and things we hope to do. It can be easy to feel dissatisfied. An unprecedented and constant chatter of news buzzes around us, subjecting us daily to insults and lies, arguments and nasty confrontations. It’s wearing on the heart and soul as well as the mind, I thin...