September is here, and as we ease into the new season, Galley West Art Gallery in Orleans marks the arrival of fall with a new exhibition titled “Welcome Autumn.” The show, which features the work of 17 artists from the eight towns of the Lower and Outer Cape, will run from Sept. 3 to Oct. 29.      In this sixth exhibition since the gallery’s debut in October 2021, the artwork includes two dimensional art ...

CHATHAM — A residential tax exemption like ones adopted in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet and Nantucket could provide some relief to year-round working families by shifting some of their property tax burden to summer residents. But would it achieve the select board’s goal of helping year-rounders stay in town, or even attracting new young families to Chatham? The board hopes to have a clearer picture before it...

Town clerks are preparing for a higher-than-usual turnout for the Sept. 6 state primary, based on requests for mail-in ballots and on early voting, which began Saturday and continues through Friday. But with election day coming the day after Labor Day, it remains to be seen how heavy in-person voting will be. “It's not the most ideal date,” said Chatham Town Clerk Julie Smith. Numerous state-wide races are ...

Despite recent short-lived rainstorms, the Cape Cod region remains extremely dry, leading the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force to upgrade the drought status from “significant” to “critical” last Wednesday.   Though issuing mandatory water conservation measures is up to individual communities, the task force urges people to cease all non-essential outdoor water use. Essential uses include ones tha...

CHATHAM — For Dave DePasquale, being a good fire chief has meant building a strong team, going the extra mile, and putting the community first. And now, it means knowing when to step aside. After nearly 33 years as a Chatham firefighter and a long tenure as a line officer, DePasquale will retire officially on Nov. 30. “I love being chief. It’s kind of hard to walk away,” he said. DePasquale’s contract expir...

Colonial Building, Pentimento Under New Ownership CHATHAM – Two more iconic downtown buildings have been sold. The sales come after one of the long-time anchors of the downtown business district, the Chatham Wayside Inn, was sold in April for $18 million. The Colonial Building at 647 Main St. was purchased Aug. 1 by Colonial Building LLC for $3 million. The building that previously housed the Pentimento ...

In the boom-and-bust seasonal economy of the Cape, the time for earning is just about over for those who work in the hospitality and service industries. Ahead lies what can be a long, lean winter, and the Family Pantry of Cape Cod stands ready to help. But it can’t do that without community support, and The Cape Cod Chronicle’s summertime Helping Neighbors campaign is in danger of falling short of its goal o...

HARWICH – Town Clerk Emily Mitchell spent last Thursday afternoon checking the town’s voting machines to assure accuracy in the count before they are put to use in the state primary election on Tuesday. New tabular voting equipment approved by town meeting in May for $75,000 won’t be purchased until after the state election in November.  “The vendor said these machines are working well,” Mitchell said of the c...

HARWICH – The planning board has given its unanimous approval to the Main Street HP LLC mixed use development in Harwich Port.  The proposal still has one detail related to parking that must be worked out before an occupancy permit can be issued. But the last major vacant property in the heart of the village may soon have a two-story structure containing restaurants, retail shops and five one-bedroom apartment...

HARWICH – There is consensus among the board of selectmen and the bylaw/charter review committee that a comprehensive charter, general, and zoning bylaw review is necessary, and that a consultant should be hired as soon as possible to begin the process. Voters will be asked in the upcoming special town meeting to appropriate $75,000 to be used to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the town’...

HARWICH – The Harwich Conservation Trust honored Ann and Peter Lambertus as the 2022 Conservationists of the Year at the trust’s annual meeting at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Aug. 22. The trust has been active this year, pursuing several major land acquisition projects. It accomplished its fundraising goal for the purchase of the 31-acre Hinckley’s Pond preservation acquisition, is making major prog...

NORTH EASTHAM – The Nauset girls soccer program doesn’t want to take its foot off the accelerator. Not during practice, and certainly not during games. As long as the Warriors are on the soccer pitch, they want to give it their all. The was one of the big takeaways for Nauset after the team suffered a 4-3 double-overtime loss to North Middlesex in the preliminary round of last year’s Division 2 state tourna...

NORTH EASTHAM – Longtime Nauset boys soccer coach John McCully has the recipe for success mastered at this point. Rather than carry a small team full of upperclassmen, McCully prefers to build a large squad with a combination of seniors and returning youngsters; that way each preseason centers around building where the previous team left off. “We try to do that every year,” McCully said of his roster config...

BARNSTABLE – Monomoy boys soccer coach Keith Clark understands that patience is going to be paramount this season. “We’re probably going to start five sophomores, so we’re going to be young and it’s going to take a little while to come together,” Clark said Monday night during the team’s scrimmage at Barnstable. Although the Sharks will count on underclassmen to contribute as impactful players, some of them...

The Lower Cape Curling Club is offering two Learn to Curl instructional programs to teach the basics of curling, America’s fastest-growing winter sport. The programs will be held on Sept. 11 from 4 until 6:30 p.m. and Sept. 14 from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the club’s home rink, the Charles Moore Arena in Orleans. Instructions will include the basic fundamentals needed to throw stones with the traditional “slidi...

NORTH EASTHAM – It’s hard enough to perform well under the radar. It’s even harder to perform well with a target on your back. Although Nauset boys soccer striker Nate Watring has commanded attention from every team the Warriors have played in recent years, he’s still managed to establish himself as one of the best players in the state. “He’s got no weakness,” Nauset junior midfielder Charlie Cushing said o...