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Catch the Holiday Spirit on Cape Cod

The lobster trap Christmas Tree in Provincetown. Photo credit: Ptown Tourism.

by Jeff Shaw

The holiday season is upon us! And Cape Cod is a wonderful place to experience authentic Christmas cheer, “where modern amenities and Victorian charm casually coexist.” (Boston Magazine)

So in an effort to spread some Christmas cheer, check out these holiday events on Cape Cod. You may just catch the holiday spirit!

Christmas by the Sea, Chatham

Christmas by the Sea weekend, December 13th – 15th, is full of events that have leapt right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The celebration kicks off on Friday night with a children’s light parade that escorts Santa down Main Street on a fire truck to the tree lighting ceremony at Sears Park (intersection of Seaview and Main Streets).

Activities continue in shops up and down Main Street as well as free horse & carriage rides and visits with Santa in the Chamber Information booth (next to Yankee Ingenuity gift shop). Saturday brings plenty more events in the businesses around town, including a special movie screening for the little ones at the Chatham Orpheum Theater and Breakfast with Santa.

Christmas Parades, Falmouth, Hyannis & Mashpee

Christmas Carolers in Falmouth. Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Falmouth has one of the state’s largest Christmas parades (Sunday, December 8), featuring floats, costumed characters, marching bands, Clydesdales and plenty of Christmas cheer.

Also that weekend is Hyannis’ highly anticipated harbor lighting and illuminated boat procession through Hyannis Harbor (December 7).

Also, Mashpee’s Christmas “Season of Illumination” Parade on Saturday, December 14th is sure to dazzle as the Cape’s only nighttime walking parade featuring colorfully lit floats.

Gardens Aglow, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich

Gardens aglow! Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Gardens Aglow at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich celebrates the season with over nine miles of holiday lights. Stroll through the illuminated grounds, while also taking time to pose with Santa in a 1914 Ford Model T, take a ride on a vintage carousel, roast marshmallows, and participate in a reindeer scavenger hunt.

Drive through Sandwich and try to spot all of The Giants, over two dozen illuminated sculptures along 6A.

Polar Express, Cape Cod Central Railroad, Bourne & Hyannis

One of Santa’s little helpers. Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

All aboard! Magic is in the air on the Cape Cod Central Railroad’s Polar Express, where passengers will sing carol over cookies and hot cocoa. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, passengers will relive the magic of the classic story as they are whisked away for a festive trip to meet Santa.

Trains depart out of the Buzzards Bay depot from late November through December.

Lobster Pot [Christmas] Tree, Provincetown

There is quite possibly nothing more quintessential New England than a Christmas Tree made entirely out of lobster traps. Provincetown’s Lobster Pot Tree is made using over 100 of them – all borrowed from local lobstermen – and is accentuated by 3,000+ LED lights and colorful buoys. Visit Provincetown’s Lopes Square anytime during the holiday season.

The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce also has their picks of ways to catch the holiday spirit on Cape Cod!

What is your favorite holiday event or activity on Cape Cod?

December 2, 2024

Movie Review: A Cape Cod Christmas

by Jeff Shaw

Last month, the Chatham Orpheum Theater held a screening of the 2021 holiday film, A Cape Cod Christmas, including a meet and greet with the Cape Cod-based director, John Stimpson. Somehow [perhaps in the midst of pandemic chaos] I missed this movie announcement all together, and just the other night, watched it.

As Jennifer Sexton-Riley wrote in The Chronicle, “A Cape Cod Christmas,” promises an opportunity to rediscover romance with an ocean view. Margot, a children’s book author, comes down to Cape Cod for one last Christmas dinner with her disagreeable siblings before they have to sell their family beach house – a home base of family tradition while their parents were alive. Margot doesn’t want to sell, the other two siblings do. Further, her sister Meredith is in a tough financial situation faced with a looming college tuition bill for her son. A plan is devised to try and get the sister and brother to change their minds as well as a childhood romance is rekindled.

The film was shot in Falmouth during the pandemic, and features many prominent locations throughout town.

I am not a movie critic, in fact, I don’t recall ever reviewing one, but a few observations stood out. Please feel free to agree or disagree:

Props

A reindeer-themed throw blanket on the couch was a little too Green, White or Rocky Mountains. I would bet 9/10 beach house homeowners have a marine-themed holiday throw.

B-Roll Shots

The brief aerial shots of the people walking the beach* was so Cape Cod. Same for the (quiet) shots of the harbor. Nailed it.

Storyline(s)

While the story circled back around to the original premise neatly, I cannot help but think a secondary plot line should have been established, about Meredith, the sister. Her character was underdeveloped, but you could see a path where she, not Margot, was even more torn between the emotions tied to losing a connection with your late parents/happy beach house memories and the practical reality of using a third of the house’s sale price to pay for your child’s college tuition.

It wasn’t clear where Meredith and her family were currently living, but she recalled not being at the family beach house in two years, so that seed of longing was planted early. Since the painting ended up being for Meredith, not Tom, the older brother, or somehow split among both siblings, this would have made the painting unveiling scene twice as powerful as well as the second-to-last scene, a bit more joyful [Spoiler alert…knowing that Meredith could have it both ways].

A Little Life Advice

I love the in-your-face message Christian delivers during the sunrise walk along the beach…to paraphase…put down your friggin’ phone and look around and actually see, dare I say appreciate, the natural beauty that surrounds many of us! Indeed, we’re the lucky ones.

Word Play

Later in that scene, Margot and Christian run to the dock where their initials were carved and…to paraphrase…he says something to the effect of, after all these years, it’s still there. “It” being their love/connection, which gets a bit lost as Margot recoils at his advance.

Bottomline

If you have a soft spot for Cape Cod, it is going to be hard to turn off the movie once started. The brief b-roll shots of coastline, downtown shops, and holiday decorations, especially of a cozy, waterfront beach house, are satisfying. Like all Hallmark- or Lifetime-esque movies, there is plenty of cheesiness, but endless coffee runs keeps you grounded [coffee bean pun intended].

While far from a holiday classic, it may be sniffing the rewatchable conversation. Regardless, there is an important lesson, hard to ignore, for many families who will find themselves in a similar situation – what to do when multiple children inherit a family [or beach] house and do not agree with what to do with it [keep or sell]. For that reason alone, the film may be worth watching.

*I know of no one who wakes up before sunrise regularly to walk the beach. Do you?

January 1, 2024

Visit All 10 Cape Cod Baseball League Parks in One Weekend

by Jeff Shaw

The distance between the teams located farthest from one another is 47 miles. Photo credit: Google maps.

The month of June is known for many things; graduations, maximum daylight, outdoor concerts and endless replays of Alice Cooper’s Schools Out [for summer]. But on Cape Cod, the month of June means the beginning of a wonderful tradition and summer rite of passage: the Cape Cod Baseball League.

If you need a refresher, ten teams located between Wareham (just off-Cape) and Orleans, (Lower Cape), compete annually in this officially NCAA sanctioned summer league. (Though, as many books point out, the origins of organized baseball on Cape Cod are local and amateur.) Most professional scouts love to be assigned to the Cape League because of the concentration of teams. As an example, the distance between Wareham and Orleans, the two farthest outposts of the 10-team league, is a mere 47 miles. Conversely, teams in leagues in larger geographical areas may be separated by 47 miles each!

Indeed, closeness and geography makes the Cape Cod Baseball League special. So why not see for yourself and visit each team’s ballpark this summer? Below is a plan to do just that…in a single weekend. You read that right, it can be done:

Double Header Weekends. The weekends of June 17-19 (Father’s Day) and June 24-26 both have double headers on Sunday. The earliest double header begins at 2pm (at Cotuit) and the latest double header begins at 5pm (at Chatham). Meaning you can easily catch three complete games and probably see even more games if you only stay for a few innings and move along. Watching three complete games sounds like the ultimate ‘summer catch’ [Cape League-based movie pun intended]!

Last Weekend. The July 29-31 games are the last regular season weekend games. If you are savvy, you can catch games (heading East) at Hyannis (6pm) Harwich (6:30pm), Orleans (6:30pm) and Chatham (7pm) on Friday; start Saturday in Brewster (4pm) and then proceed West to Wareham (6pm—crossing the bridge should be okay on a Saturday), then head back over the bridge and down to Falmouth (6pm). On Sunday, start in YD at 4:30pm, then head West to the second half of the Cotuit game (4:30pm) and then the middle of the game at Bourne (6pm).

Unique Game Locations. Four Cape League teams will travel off-Cape for regular season game play. The first game between YD vs. Hyannis will be Wednesday, July 20 at 11:00am at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, home of the Class AA Hartford Yard Goats, affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. The second game between Bourne vs. Wareham will be Monday, July 25 at 6:45pm at Polar Park in Worchester, home of the Worcester Red Sox. And of course, don’t forget the All-Star Game on Saturday, July 23 at 6:00pm in Wareham.

Pinned locations of all ten Cape Cod Baseball League teams, color coded by West and East Divisions. Photo credit: CCBL.

Below are the addresses to the fields of all ten teams.

Fields: https://gatemen.org/schedule/directions-to-ccbl-fields/

Brewster Whitecaps (Eastern Division)

Stoneybrook Elementary School, 384 Underpass Rd, Brewster, MA 02631

Chatham Anglers (Eastern Division)

Veteran’s Field; 702 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633

Harwich Mariners (Eastern Division)

Whitehouse Field; 75 Oak Street, Harwich, MA 02645

Orleans Firebirds (Eastern Division)

Eldredge Park; 78 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans, MA 02653

Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Eastern Division)

Red Wilson Field; 210 Station Avenue, So. Yarmouth, MA 02664

Bourne Braves (Western Division)

Doran Park, 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne

Cotuit Kettlers (Western Division)

Lowell Park; 10 Lowell Avenue, Cotuit, MA 02635

Falmouth Commodores (Western Division)

Guv Fuller Field, Main St., Falmouth Center

Hyannis Harbor Hawks (Western Division)

McKeon Field; 120 High School Road, Hyannis, MA 02601

Wareham Gatemen (Western Division)

Clem Spillane Field, Rte. 6, Wareham Center at 54 Marion Road and Viking Drive

June 3, 2022

Apple Season on Cape Cod

Oh, so many apples! Photo credit: Pinterest.

by Jeff Shaw

I hope you are enjoying fall on Cape Cod, the best season; sparse crowds, outdoor festivals, crisp air, and ocean/pond temperature just warm enough for a quick dip. Mix-in those fall flavors and smiles all around! Speaking of flavors and smiles…

…Last week at Cape Cod Doxie Day, I was the big winner of an Octoberfest raffle prize package – featuring, you guessed it, a mix of Octoberfest-style beers. Like, a lot of beers – too many beers – 48 to be exact (no joke, four 12-packs in addition to pint glasses, bottle opener, t-shirt, etc.). Talk about kick-starting ‘Fest season!

The family and I are now regularly hopping around festivals, farms and bakeries, and my self-control is waning with all the tempting food and drink choices. My kitchen (and refrigerator) is now home to bags of freshly picked native apples, boxes of “famous” apple cider donuts, and pumpkins and gourds galore. There are also pies, baguettes and cold apple cider. Last night, I even caught wind of a famous apple fritter on the Vineyard. Apple addiction, admitted.

Apple Picking

Crow Farm, Sandwich

Crow Farm is a 50-acre family farm located outside of historic downtown Sandwich. While they are no longer operating the farm stand, they have expanded their pick-your-own-apples program. Check out their Facebook page for the latest pick-your-own dates and times. The details: Macoun, Empire, Jonagolds, Cortland and Cameo ($25 per bag), pumpkin picking ($0.75 per pound) and a corn maze ($5 per person).

Crow Farm Stand, Sandwich. Photo credit: Crow Farm.

Cape Abilities Farm, Dennis

Cape Abilities Farm is one of three innovative social enterprises established by Cape Abilities⁠—a nonprofit providing jobs, homes, transportation, social and therapeutic services for people with disabilities across Cape Cod. “Fall at the Farm,” includes pumpkins, gourds, mums, straw decorations, but for this purpose…apple butter, local apples, and organic apples are also available in the farm store.

Hart Farm Nursery and Gardens, Dennis Port

The Farm Stand at Hart Farm, open daily (including Sundays), not only offers produce standards, but also fresh apple cider and native apples. If you are a first-timer, check out their “famous” face-painted decorative pumpkins. Fun!

Hand painted pumpkins at Hart Farm. Photo credit: Hart Farm.

Coonamessett Farm, East Falmouth

Coonamessett Farm a 20-acre working farm, agricultural research center and general store located in Falmouth. The store is open from 9 am to 5 pm through fall, and carries freshly grown seasonal produce, native plants, homemade pies, sandwiches, and snacks. Purchase pick-your-own day pass and roam the fields for produce galore! (Alas, no apples.) The farm also holds seasonal activities, including pumpkin decorating for kids. For members, a Jamaican Buffett is offered Wednesdays and they’ve partnered with Buffalo Jump Cafe to offer farm to table breakfast, lunch and reservations-only dinner on the farm.

Farmer’s Markets

All four regions of Cape Cod are well stocked with farmer’s markets. While fresh, often locally grown produce is the main attraction, you never know what seasonal or surprise product may be available. Case and point, take the Falmouth Farmer’s Market, “the market features just-picked produce, local fish, artisanal cheeses, breads, handmade pasta, and such freshly baked treats as apple cider donuts.” The best part, the is a farmer’s market every day (in season), somewhere, on Cape Cod!

Now that’s a catchy ad! Photo credit: Jack and the Beanstalk.

Apple Cider Donuts

Jack in the Beanstalk, Falmouth

It is rare to find a Cape Cod bakery menu have this menu choice: “our famous Apple Cider donuts.” But exist it does, on the Upper Cape. Located next to Falmouth High School, Jack in the Beanstalk is a locally-owned produce and gourmet food store. They started making apple cider donuts in 2016 to much success and fanfare.

Apple Fritters

Back Door Donuts , Oak Bluffs (Martha’s Vineyard)

Anything but your typical donut shop. From their website, “If you happen upon our back door during the daytime, you wouldn’t think much of it. Just a random, non-descript purple door in the parking lot of a supermarket. However, once the sun sets, the back door swings open. With it, the sweet smells of sugary summer pour out.”

Another hot take: “Everyone from The New York Times to Condé Nast Traveler has waxed poetic about these [Back Door Donuts] sweet treats, and for excellent reason: Fresh, cheap, and available between 7 p.m. and 12:58 a.m. in-season from the rear door of Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Café & Bakery, these doughnuts might just be the island’s worst-kept secret (as demonstrated by the nightly long lines). Raised and cake varieties are on offer, and favorite flavors include maple-bacon and butternut crunch.”

Top of the menu. Photo credit: Back Door Bakery.

You know what other item is on their menu, “Famous Apple Fritters.” I too, am pacing with anticipation. Just don’t “fall” (seasonal pun) overboard on the ferry ride!

What is your favorite apple product/place on Cape Cod?

Free Beach Parking Part 2

“Sun”day at Forest Beach in May. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.

The calendar says June which means we are on the cusp of beach parking fee season. A little-known fact about Cape Cod is that there are actually over a dozen beaches spread throughout the Upper, Mid, Lower and Outer Cape where you can find free beach parking. That’s right, no stickers, no passes, no fees, no tickets, do exist!

Sure, these beaches are not on any Top 10 lists. Most, you probably never heard of. But if you are looking for a new adventure, a reason to check out a new Cape Cod town or just want to save a few bucks, the beaches listed below do not charge fees to park/enter.

Of course, you can always visit the beaches that do require a sticker before or after the enforcement hours, generally 9:00-4:30 p.m. or park elsewhere and walk, bike or ride-share back.

Whatever your preference, enjoy the sun and sand!

Free Beach Parking Exists on Cape Cod

Chatham

Forest Beach: Public beach, limited parking, no restrooms, no fees.

Jacknife Harbor Beach: Public beach, no fees, no restrooms.

White Pond: Public beach, no fees, limited parking

Oyster Pond: Public beach, lifeguards, restrooms, no fee, medium sized parking lot (50 spots)

Clear water at Mayo Beach, with ample eating and shopping options within walking distance. Photo credit: WeNeedAVacation.com

Falmouth

Grew’s Pond: toilet, bath house, ice cream truck, lifeguards

Wellfleet

Mayo Beach: Medium-sized parking lot (90 spots), walkable playground, restaurants and harbor

Yarmouth

Bay View Beach: No lifeguards, beach area, seasonal Porta-John, small parking lot (20 spots) calm, shallow water

Colonial Acres: Small beach, marina, no lifeguards, wooden bridge, small parking lot (15 spots), seasonal Porta-John, nearby Mill Creek is a good spot for fishing and crabbing

The crossing to Colonial Acres Beach in Yarmouth. Photo credit: CapeCod.com

Dennis Pond: Parking area, seasonal Porta-John, no lifeguards

Englewood Beach: No lifeguards, beach, marina, jetty, small parking lot (20 spots); good sunset spot

Gray’s Beach (Bass Hole Beach): Good views, amenities including pavilion with picnic tables, charcoal grills and playground; Unpaved boat launch for kayakers, boaters and anglers; Good sunset spot; Medium-sized parking lot (50 spots)

Long Pond (Wings Grove): Parking area, small playground, wooded area, basketball court, seasonal Porta-John

Sandy Pond: Small beach, no lifeguards, recreation area, softball field, soccer field, tennis courts, basketball court, playground, picnic area (first come first serve), seasonal bathrooms, parking areas

Wilbur Park Beach: Picnic area, boat ramp, parking lot, seasonal Porta-john

Windmill Beach: Small beach, historic windmill, small parking area

Do you know of other Cape Cod beaches with free parking? Please let me know!