The Chatham Town Band and Chatham “A’s” Anglers play on the same day four (4) times in 2026, a so-called “Double Play.”
“Summer Fridays at 8:00pm means one thing; it’s band time in Chatham.” The same can be true, albeit different times and days, in Brewster, Yarmouth, Harwich, Barnstable, Falmouth [with their respective town bands]. Summer days (and nights) also mean Cape Cod Baseball League games. And wouldn’t you know it, there are many opportunities to catch a “Double Play” (band concert and baseball game on the same day in the same town) all summer long!
Here’s your guide to Double Plays this summer (while the bands play at the same time weekly; game times vary and are subject to change).
by Jeff Shaw
FridaysinChatham. The Chatham Town Band plays at Kate Gould Park in Downtown Chatham at 8:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the Chatham A’s at nearby Veteran’s Field, first pitch 7:00pm. Double play dates (4): June 19, June 26, July 10, July 24.
Sundays in Brewster. The Brewster Band plays at Drummer Boy Park off Route 6A in Brewster at 6:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the Brewster Whitecaps at Stony Brook Field, first pitch 5:00pm. Double play dates (4): June 14, July 5, July 12, July 26.
Mondays in Yarmouth. The Yarmouth Summer Concert Series is located at Parker’s River Beach at 6:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the YD Red Sox at Red Wilson Field, first pitch 5:00pm. Double play date (1): July 20.
Tuesdays in Harwich. The Harwich Town Band plays at Brooks Park in Harwich Center at 7:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the Harwich Mariners at Whitehouse Field, first pitch at 4:30pm, 5:30pm or 6:30pm. Double play dates (5): June 16, June 30, July 14, July 21, July 28.
Wednesdays in Barnstable. The Barnstable Town Band plays at Hyannis Village Green at 7:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the Cotuit Kettlers at Lowell Park, first pitch at 4:30pm and/or Hyannis Harbor Hawks at McKeon Park, first pitch at 6:00pm, respectively. Double play dates (1-Cotuit: July 18) (3-Hyannis: July 8, July 15, July 29).
Thursdays in Falmouth. The Falmouth Town Band plays at the Lin Whitehead Band Shell at 7:00pm. Prior to the music (or even after), catch a few innings of the Falmouth Commodores at Guv Fuller Field, first pitch at 6:00pm. Double play dates (3): June 18, July 7, July 16.
The month of April has long been designated National Volunteer Month. In that spirit, this post highlights a wonderful volunteer program in Chatham – Water Watchers.
But first, a brief history lesson. National Volunteer Week began in 1943 in Canada and debuted in the United States in 1974. The week was dedicated to paying tribute to the unwavering contributions of women during World War II who would collect supplies and help wounded soldiers. It was in the early 20th century that organized volunteering reached its peak, with countless humanitarian service organizations, such as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and others, culminating in National Volunteer Month in 1990.
In Chatham and in other coastal communities, the health of local waterways – the ocean, kettle ponds, lakes or streams – is arguably the most important challenge facing every Cape Cod town. The responsibility to protect our natural resources is shared by government, businesses, residents, and visitors alike, yet the day-to-day protection efforts are handled by volunteers.
Lauren Thonus collecting a water sample in the Mill Pond using a Niskin sampler. Photo credit: FCW website.
One of the signature programs of the Friends of Chatham Waterways, in partnership with the Town of Chatham and the Pleasant Bay Alliance, is their salt water monitoring program, aka, the Water Watchers. During the high tourist season of July and August, when the population quadruples, these volunteers collect and test water samples in Chatham’s estuaries at least five times every 14 days. Should a water sample show a higher than safe level of bacteria, access to that area will be closed.
In 2022, 38 FCW Water Watcher volunteers monitored 15 stations in Chatham’s estuaries, completing the 23rd consecutive year of the Coastal Water Nutrient Monitoring Program.
Volunteers are trained by Dr. Robert Duncanson, Director of Chatham’s Department of Health and Natural Resources, to directly assess water quality by measuring water clarity, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen content and taking water samples at varying depths. Collected data and water samples are analyzed by the UMass School of Marine Science and Technology in Dartmouth.
The volunteer program began in 1994, the first on Cape Cod, which became a model for other towns. The first water samples were collected in 1999, modeled after the program in Buzzards Bay.
The Friends of Chatham Waterways also hosts an annual CoastSweep in September. Coastsweep deploys volunteers to collect trash along Chatham’s shoreline, to keep potential pollutants out of the waterways.
Bill Hayes, Dick Hoyt, Barbara MacLean, and Jean Hoyt at Coastsweep 2022. Photo credit: FCW website.
FCW provides volunteers with debris grabbers and CZM contributes trash bags and gloves for collection. The Ocean Conservancy supplies data cards for recording site findings, which are forwarded to the CZM and then sent to the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. for analysis and publication. The data provided helps in the development of programs to reduce marine debris worldwide.
In 2022, 52 volunteers participated in Chatham’s 34th annual Coastsweep cleanup, collecting approximately 250 lbs. of debris filling 25 large trash bags. The most numerous items picked up included: small plastic pieces (345), small foam pieces (632), food wrappers (115), plastic bottle caps (106), plastic beverage bottles (121), and plastic bags (116). The most interesting items found were: a backpack complete with a BB gun, shotgun shells, a neoprene clamer’s suit, a derelict canoe and Sunfish, a mooring and chain, a wooden pallet, foam cushions, and swimming paraphernalia.
So, if you love playing in Cape Cod’s many waterways, please dedicate a few hours to help protect it. And in so doing, you’ll be able to enjoy these waters this summer, next summer and many summers ahead.
“…the pungent aroma of baking bread, with a hint of garlic, will continue to waft through the air,” noted a SouthCoastToday article from 1997. The article covered the then-recent sale of Cape Cod based-Chatham Village Croutons to Lancaster Colony Corp., an Ohio firm. Fortunately, the then-company’s food division, Marzetti Foods, did not uproot the Wareham site and those delicious smells continue to waft through the salty Cape Cod air, albeit slightly off-Cape, all these years later.
I tracked down the above mentioned article because I did not know the back story of Chatham Village Croutons – and it was bothering me. I also had some suspicions. Was using the map of Cape Cod image and town name on the packaging just shameless marketing by some evil conglomerate, or was there a grain of sandy truth to the crouton’s local origins?
As it turns out, the latter. Phew. The year was 1980, but the food was not croutons, it was potato chips. As it also turns out, the founders of Cape Cod Potato Chips also created Chatham Village Croutons! Two favorite foods for so many.
Those founders – Stephen and Lynn Bernard, both Chatham residents, operated a small, 800-square foot sandwich shop in Hyannis. The potato chips came first, so successful an experiment, that Bernards eventually sold the potato chip company to Anheuser-Busch to get the financial backing needed to go national with the product. (Talk about the phrase, “and as they say, the rest is history!”)
As the crouton story goes, Bernard sold croutons made from the leftover bread at the sub shop. This so-called second experiment evolved into a business selling packaged croutons under the brand name Chatham Village Market. The crouton company slowly grabbed a larger share of the national market every year that the Bernards moved the operation from their sandwich shop to its current Wareham site. The company is now branded as Chatham Village Foods.
As mentioned earlier, the crouton company has been owned by Marzetti Foods for the last twenty-five years. And yes, the same Marzetti brands known for their salad dressings and dips.
The croutons continue to do well in a multimillion dollar industry. Bernard once quipped, “You laugh at croutons making money, but just think how many salads there are between restaurants and homes.”
He was right, I have a healthy dozen or so Chatham Village Croutons in my salad right now. You can’t miss with the Caesar flavored croutons.
An early photograph of the seasonal, take-out only restaurant from 1968. Photo credit: Cape Cod Chronicle.
Author’s Note: Looking back at over fifty posts in two years, a noticeable pattern emerged. I like to eat – and Cape Cod is a great place to dine. Restaurant reviews, pictures of plates and a recipe or two, dominates HappyCapeCod.com, and a full stomach may help explain my “Happy Cape Cod” experience. While most food-related content features popular or new restaurants pumping out business, a couple articles, dubbed ‘Throwback Thursdays,” were fun stories and short histories of a few favorite restaurants no longer in operation.
I’ve decided to embrace the “throwback” theme, re-launching that series. Now dubbed the “Lost Restaurant Series,” tell tales of favorite lost restaurants of Lower Cape Cod. These establishments, many with a strong local followings in their heyday, were the home to vivid childhood memories; birthday celebrations, secret ice cream stops and special events.
Most of the restaurants that come to mind ended their runs while I was a young, so my recollection of their existence is limited to memories of myself, family and friends, old newspaper articles, and grainy photographs. Initial conversations with my parents have morphed into heated debates about menus, uneven tables, original nautical decor (versus cheap knockoffs found in box stores) and delightful radio jingles. I’ve reached out a former owners or their family members, but have yet to connect.
While most lost restaurants in mind are not historical or ever sniffed a “five star rating,” they lasted longer than most (at least a five year run) and made an impression on my family.
Enjoy a trip down memory lane – the lost restaurant edition.
Sea in the Rough, 1077 Main Street, Chatham (Also formerly known as Marley’s Restaurant, Longshore, and now Knot’s Landing)
An artists rendering of Sea in the Rough Restaurant. Photo credit: HipPostcard.
The story of Sea in the Rough Restaurant started in 1966, with the Eldridge Family. Mr. Oren Leon Eldridge and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Jane Eldridge, along with their four daughters, opened the small, seasonal take-out only restaurant at the 1077 Main Street Chatham location on weekends during the summer.
The early menu of the restaurant consisted of true summer favorites; hotdogs, hamburgers, seafood plates, fried clams and other short order foods. A patio with picnic tables allowed diners to not just enjoy their food fresh and outside, but also to “come as you are” (i.e., sandy and wet), likely from the beach, boat or golf course. The seasonal restaurant took phone orders, even boasting the use of special wrapping to ensure the food remained hot. But the Eldridge family did not stay in the restaurant business for long.
In 1972, the Eldridge family sold the business to Helen and Frank H. Tobin, who would go on to become long-time owners. The new owners attracted more business by expanding the small, take-out only business into a full service restaurant, with indoor dining, an outdoor patio, take-out and larger menu (“from King Neptune’s Garden”).
Advertisement in the Cape Cod Chronicle from 1973. Photo Credit: Cape Cod Chronicle.
Expansion led to people from all over the Cape pronouncing Sea in the Rough as “one of the finest eating places to be found anywhere in the area.” The dining room was decorated with captains tables and chairs with an open, airy, comfortable vibe. The outside patio also had ample seating under yellow umbrellas. The term “Meet me at Sea in the Rough” became commonplace.
Frank was active in the community. He was a member of the Chatham Rotary Club, and hosted the Annual Scallop Fest at Sea in the Rough from 1976-1985. He was also an avid runner, having sponsored and organized the Chatham Harbor Run for decades. For years, race t-shirts for participants were distributed at the restaurant. It probably comes as no surprise to learn Frank closed the restaurant early the night of the Annual Town Meeting so he (and other residents) could attend (participate in local affairs).
In the summer of 1986, Sea in the Rough launched a Sunday Brunch consisting of coffee, danish, fresh fruit bar, juice and one of the following entrees eggs benedict, lobster quiche, prime rib and eggs, seafood crepes, chicken a la king and omelet du jour.
Marley’s Restaurant as it appeared in a real estate listing. Photo credit: Realtor.com
By the late 1980s, it was time for a change and the Tobin’s needed a successor. It did not take long to find one. Tammy DePasquale worked in the restaurant and her husband David, was a regular at the counter. The DePasquale’s assumed the role of new owners. The menu continued to feature freshly caught fish from Chatham fishermen, of the fried, broiled, and baked variety. There was even a 10-ounce strip steak for the carnivores, a children’s menu and head-turning desserts, such as Boston creme pie, key lime pie, and banana splits.
By the mid-1990s, many of the 37 employees not only lived nearby, but started working there at age 14 in the take-out area, later “graduating” to servers in the dining room.
In 1998, Audrey and William Gray, who ran the Bradford Inn & Champlain Restaurant for 23 years, purchased the Sea in the Rough Restaurant and re-opened it as Marley’s Restaurant. The restaurant, named after their family cat literally kept the family friendly atmosphere previously built…their children Rob and daughter Lara were chefs. Marley’s had a 15-year run until it was purchased by Robert and Roz DeLong of Eastham in 2012.
The 1077 Main Street restaurant in August, 2018. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
The DeLongs opened Longshore in 2012, which enjoyed a 7-year run. Due the declining health of Robert DeLong, the business was sold to Philip and Sophia Malita of New England Pizza fame.
In 2019, Phil and Sophia opened Knot’s Landing Bar & Grill. With an expiring lease on the pizza restaurant down the road, they decided to merge the pizza business into Knot’s Landing Bar & Grill. The result, an Italian, Greek seafood restaurant, which remains open to the present day (2020).
A tribute to the godfather of modern day skiing, somewhere on AJax (Aspen Mountain), Colorado.
Author’s Note: Winter on Cape Cod gets a raw deal (pun intended) from most people since the days are cold, short, and many businesses close for the season. The quiet, gray, chilly days contribute to that desolate feeling that makes us dream of spring. While seeing your favorite restaurant shuttered until flowers bloom can be a bummer, most people would agree it’s completely appropriate as business owners need to re-charge their batteries for the ensuring spring, summer and fall tourist seasons. As Mr. Clement Moore would suggest, winter is the time to settling in for that long winters nap. Let us embrace winter, and one way to do that is skiing from Cape Cod. Huh?
I know, there are no downhill ski hills, resorts or mountains on Cape Cod. The closest mountain is a good 2-hour drive. Distance being what it is, means you may need to be creative with your approach to “dual-planking,” either by cross country skiing, skinning rolling hills or just dusting off some classic skiing movies (Ski School, Aspen Extreme, Warren Miller annual film, etc). To my knowledge, the Cape Cod Rail Trail path is not plowed after a snowfall, so even modest accumulation would provide enough base to cross country ski. While usually thought of for sledding, area golf courses have some steep hills perfect for a quick hike and ski (Hole #6 at Eastward Ho! comes to mind, finishing the run at the shoreline of Pleasant Bay would be quite a thrill. A few years back following a big overnight storm, I actually saw ski tracks on Ridgevale Road from Shady Lane to Pine Drive (down hill section) during an early morning walk. Those examples may seem utterly ridiculous, but with a little creativity, one can find a way to ski on Cape Cod. But for the downhill “Powder Hounds,” you have to head northwest to get those coveted first chair and tracks. Hence, “Skiing from Cape Cod, and the Cape Cod Ski Club can help you do just that.
Peek-a-boo view from somewhere off Temerity, Aspen Highlands, Colorado.
Skiing from Cape Cod
First, thank you to Rob Conery, who’s January 2, 2020 article “Head for the Slopes in January,” introduced me to the Cape Cod Ski Club. The Cape Cod Ski Club has been around for over 40 years and is currently 400+ members strong offering a mix of day trips, weekend overnights, and destination “fly” trips to higher elevations and vertical out West. This ski season, Cape Cod Ski Club will be descending Aspen/Snowmass (Colorado), Taos (New Mexico) and Park City (Utah) for their fly trips, Sunday River, Bretton Woods and Jay Peak for overnight trips; and a mix of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont mountains for day trips. Membership costs $45 (before October 1, $50 after) is open to anyone 21 or older – whether or not you live on Cape Cod. Family members less than 21 years old can join trips as guests with a signed permission slip and adult guests can buy a single day membership for $15, which can be applied to full membership.
The Cape Cod Ski Club season is just beginning. Photo credit: Cape Cod Ski Club.
Ski Clubs are a great value because membership fees are usually inexpensive and end up paying for itself within a few trips. The ski club model is also attractive to ski resorts, as they will offer group rates (on lodging, lift tickets, etc) and/or discount “Awareness Days” for club members to ski/ride a specific mountain on a specific date. These scheduled Awareness Days (clubs essentially buy bulk lift tickets) can be helpful to plan your travel and lodging ahead of time, since you will know the exact date you will be at a certain mountain. As an example, a weekend lift ticket at Killington Resort is $129 “at the window”, though the cost of the same lift ticket on a discount “Awareness Day” through the Connecticut Ski Council is only $65. Joining the Connecticut Ski Council is just $30. In this case, the membership pays for itself after just one day skiing! Point being, even if you just want to ski a few times during the season, membership still makes financial sense.
A sunny, groomer day at Solitude, Utah, is just what the legs needed after crushing 29 inches of powder at Snowbird, Utah, the day before. Photo credit: Funny Snowboard Stranger.
Of course not all ski clubs are the same, but all share the goal of enjoying the great outdoors with friends. The social benefits of ski clubs cannot be overstated. What started out in high school with the “OGs,” carving southern and central Vermont morphed into a collection of groups, the “OGs”, the college crew, Powder Hounds, Team Shred and others. My current “club,” the New England Powder Hounds, has about a dozen members, who are spread out in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecticut. You can’t even find us online; we exist within the GroupMe App with a secret headquarters near Site 1 in Ludlow, Vermont. Admittedly, our club is more of a group of friends/hilarious pranksters/ski family, but we share the same purpose as CT Ski Council, Cape Cod Ski Club, and others, skiing and riding as much as possible, in as many places as possible, for as little money as possible.
The college crew catches up at Brewforia Beer Market & Kitchen, Incline Village, Nevada. Photo credit: Cool waiter.
There is no way around it, skiing is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that expensive. Through my high school buddies/OGs, I struck platinum at Snowbird for the best day of skiing in my life, an expected 12 inches overnight ballooned to 29 inches and the pass to Little Cottonwood Canyon was open on time. We also caught Mineral Basin a few minutes after the area opened following avalanche mitigation. In just a few weeks, I’ll be joining fellow OG at Big Sky, Montana. An extended family member who is a volunteer ski patrol club at Winter Park has guided me to locally known stashes in Mary Jane (“living room”) and Eagle Wind areas for some of the most consistently powdery runs. Thanks to the Powder Hounds, I’ve gone to Squaw Valley, California for the 2nd best day of skiing ever (first tracks on Siberia after it was closed for 4 days for avalanche mitigation); Steamboat, Colorado, first time skiing bare chested at 6,700 feet and potentially Valle Nevado, Chile, South America, this August if “everything goes perfectly.” Many of us haven’t known each other all that long, but man, skiing and riding brings people together.
Powder Hounds pose for a close-up at the Four Points Lodge in Steamboat, Colorado. Photo credit: Happy Stranger Skier.
Ski clubs also allow you avoid this new phenomenon of picking your ski friends every May. Hear me out. Avid skiers – and even beginners – are all too familiar with the horrors of lift ticket pricing and do everything possible to find the cheapest price. Enter “Ikon” versus “Epic” season passes. The two titans of the ski industry, Vail and Alterra are gobbling up ski resorts as well as mountains to participate in their multi-resort season passes. Not surprisingly, these season passes, which contain a range of lift ticket days at various mountains with or without blackout dates, go on sale in the spring (May) prior to the upcoming season, which usually starts the following November for North American resorts. The question becomes, which pass has access to your “go-to” mountain(s) AND are you flying to a ski destination mountain, thus, which pass is that mountain on? So those decisions/plans have to be made in May, 6-8 months in advance. Indeed, your ski pass dictates which friends you see during ski season. Ski clubs Awareness Days don’t work like that, and can shield you from all that noise.
The sign, located next to the Sugarbush, Vermont access road, might as well be made for our club. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
There are many other ski passes and or discount prices such as Mountain Collective, Liftopia, Ski Vermont, Peak Pass, Four Packs, etc. I’ve bought passes through every one of these sources, and highly recommend doing so as you’ll save a lot of money compared to ticket window pricing, exponentially increase your ski area access, and receive discounts on lodging, food and merchandise at participating resorts. Of course, maxing out all your lift tickets on a season pass or pre-purchased lift tickets becomes the priority, rather than say, an impromptu trip to Mad River Glen that got the most snow from a nor’easter overnight, considering a fly trip to Sun Valley who is not a participant on any collective season pass, or spend a day in the solitude of the back-country. Yes, you can still do those things, but the pass keeps your focus on using up your lift tickets for mountains on your pass first. Okay, I’ve aired my laundry, damp as it may be.
Team Shred meets the New England Powder Hounds at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. Photo credit: Mildly annoyed waitress.
Regardless of your ability, joining a ski club will pave the way for a great snow season experience. You will meet new people, travel to new places and get better, and likely more passionate about doing the sport you love. And who knows, you may also find yourself part of a ski family.
The early stages of wiping out in the woods off Scott Peak, Alpine Meadows, California. Photo credit: Nolan Wheeler.
See you on the slopes!
Thumbs up from the top of Siberia Bowl at Squaw Valley, California. The area was closed for four days due to heavy snow and wind. On my last day skiing – thanks to a cancelled flight due to snow – the snow gods kept me around and opened up the top of Squaw Peak! Photo credit: Jeff Shaw
