Lower Cape News Podcast

While classical music often suffers from an image of ancient dead white men, this month music lovers had a chance to hear an alternative to that stereotype. During Open Mic Classical's February performance at the Cultural Center in Yarmouth, guest ensemble Linking Legacies from Oberlin College and Conservatory celebrated Black History month with music from Black classical composers.    https://www...

A charming old firehouse on Banks Street marks the entrance to the Cold Brook Preserve in the town of Harwich on Cape Cod. In a unique collaboration, the Harwich Fire Association and the Harwich Conservation Trust combined forces to not only restore the old bog at Cold Brook Preserve, but to also bring that old firehouse back to life ... and incorporate housing to boot. The rehabbed new facility,...

If proponents have their way, this fall Massachusetts voters will see a ballot initiative calling for the legalization of entheogenic, or psychedelic, substances (aka "magic mushrooms") for therapeutic use. We visited with James Davis of Bay Staters for Natural Medicine, the group pushing for the change to find out more about both why and how this might happen.   https://www.lowercapenews.org/mass...

Art Nickerson, a.k.a the Turnip Man, grew the iconic Eastham turnips into his nineties for his love of Eastham. The purple heirloom put Eastham on the map as the number one vegetable exporter in Cape Cod, until war and tourism changed it all. The Turnip Man's daughters took us on a tour of a slice of the Cape's history.   https://www.lowercapenews.org/the-turnip-man-and-his-legacy

The wait is over; the empty storefront at the former Christmas Tree Shops will soon be adorned with a new sign. Orleans' lost businesses have left a gap the new tenant is aiming to fill.   https://www.lowercapenews.org/former-christmas-tree-shops-gets-new-tenant

More than 100 bright-eyed guinea pigs - aka cavies - are frolicking at the Animal Rescue League of Boston in Brewster, waiting for their fur-ever homes. A slew of surrenders and piggie population boom has the center offering a sort of adoption guinea-pigfest, with adoption fees waived. 

Harwich, a town with deep roots in cranberry cultivation, faces challenges as oversupply in other regions drives down prices. Local growers, unable to turn a profit, are seeking alternative solutions to preserve the historical significance of cranberry farming.

For 124 years bird enthusiasts all over America have participated in the Christmas Bird Count, the worlds oldest citizen science project.  The numbers help scientists spot trends and protect vulnerable species. 

Seaside Cannabis Co. opened its doors to the public during a two-day grand opening event, which took place on Dec. 22 and 23. Located at 14 Lots Hollow Road, the recreational dispensary strives to engage with the community and promote the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, according to COO Spencer Knowles.   https://www.lowercapenews.org/orleans-cannabiz-opens

Truro's 2023 fall special town meeting now sits scheduled for May 2024 - on the same weekend as the annual town meeting. This upcoming double dose of democracy in action rose from voter registration challenges and heated debates over housing, land use, and municipal projects ... and may very well reflect a growing reality within many Cape and Island towns.   https://www.lowercapenews.org/truro-ten...

Revisit Lower Cape TV's 10 most viewed stories published over the past year. The 2023 top-10 list includes various ArtsLight features, community news shorts and climate stories. Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/lctv/2023toptenstories?share=copy

As a society, we struggle to share and support grief. In response, the Brewster Ladies' Library began running a spouse survivors group to help people navigate their loss, a loss that can feel especially acute during times of public celebration.   Full Story: https://www.lowercapenews.org/grief-in-a-death-avoidant-society

Dr. Greg Skomal says 2023 seemed to be a slower shark season on Cape Cod than 2022 - and scientists have been looking at the data for clues why. Full Story: https://vimeo.com/lctv/sharks-update?share=copy

With the average Orleans home selling at $1.15 million, the Town of Orleans is moving forward to provide different options on multiple fronts. Susan Vaughn Harris sat down with Alan McClennan, Board Chairman of the Orleans Housing Trust Fund to discuss the crisis situation of housing in Orleans.

Keeping it local touches more bases than what first meets the eye when it comes to shopping. Local businesses and consumers are contributing to the Cape Cod economy on more than one level, and the numbers might surprise shoppers. But further joint effort is needed in the Cape Cod seasonal communities with restricted opening hours and online giants competing for the customers.

One of the significant changes Sheriff Donna Buckley made during her first year in office was the way the office delivers addiction and mental health services. Returning to an in-house model lets the office deliver these key elements in preventing future crime efficiently, as well as enabling the agency to better compete for essential employees in a competitive labor market.

New Cape Cod National Seashore superintendent Jennifer Flynn returns to her roots on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod depends on tourists ... who increasingly arrive in electric vehicles. But the Cape lacks the needed infrastructure to support those vehicle, which raises the question: can the region remain competitive without investment in chargers?

Women over 64 years of age are working to save the planet one pond at a time, starting on Cape Cod. OLAUG (Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage) is a quirky, fun organization of feisty females founded by 84 year old, Susan Baur who are focused on collecting garbage found on the bottom of ponds. Banding together with her friends who swim, Baur grew a program that has picked up more than garbage.

At Eddy Elementary School in Brewster the Holidays are looking green. For the students in the Earth Club, a clean planet is on top of their wish lists. This season they are raising money by breathing new life into the old.  

Preservation Hall and ArtPeace Makers address themes of war, peace, and social justice through works by artists from Cape Cod and across the country.

In honor of Veterans Day - and the 248th birthday of the Marine Corps - veterans connected for a first-ever breakfast for veterans hosted by nonprofit Massachusetts Military Support Foundation. The meeting also unveiled the organization's plan to develop emergency housing for veterans on Cape Cod.

An annual Cape Cod holiday tradition of "lighting the monument" now happens on November 11, the date the Mayflower landed in Provincetown harbor. But make no mistake, the Pilgrim Monument 3-2-1 holiday count down and holiday light up continues as festive as ever.

The fifth annual Take Care Cape Cod summit wants to help tourism and food service businesses transition to sustainable serviceware. During the day-long regional event in Harwich, the organization and businesses shared pilot programs and approaches that delivery both business and environmental sense.

Maybe you can't avoid death and taxes completely, but under new tax legislation signed into law last month by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy, mere mortals without a conga line of tax advisors can avoid a little of each. The multi-faceted $1 billion tax package includes changes to the Estate Tax, aka the bill that comes due from the tax collector when someone dies. We met with state senator Jul...