PROVINCETOWN — The man responsible for the longest running show in Provincetown died at home in his sleep on Dec. 7, 2019. Donald “the Dancing Cop” Thomas, who lived with his daughter, Donna, in Eastham, was 92. Perhaps more than any other street spectacle in this colorful town, Thomas’s graceful steps and spins, done to […]
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DEVELOPMENT
A Hotel on the Beach Gets Past the ZBA
Former Old Reliable Fish House is one step closer to becoming a hotel, bar, and restaurant
PROVINCETOWN — The zoning board of appeals on Dec. 5 granted a variance and the special permits necessary for a new hotel, bar, restaurant, and pier to be constructed at the former Old Reliable Fish House. Chris Snow, the attorney for an abutter, called the plan “the largest and most ambitious project that has come […]
CLIMATE
Another Winter Without a Dune Protecting Gosnold St.
Shifting sands and legal tangles lead to temporary measures
PROVINCETOWN — The Jan. 4, 2018, nor’easter brought a storm surge with it that seemed to lift water out of Provincetown harbor and pour it down Gosnold Street like a river. Salt water rose up over the beach and flowed along Gosnold to Bradford Street, where it formed a deep pool around the Bas Relief […]
CURRENTS
Fire Cause: Woodstove, Electrical, or Portable Heater
PROVINCETOWN — The state fire marshal and Provincetown Fire Chief Michael Trovato have determined the cause of the Nov. 21 fire that killed John Eder was accidental. According to an announcement from state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey’s office, the fire had three possible causes: an electrical failure, a woodstove fire, or a portable heater malfunction. […]
Hired
Film Society Hires New CEO
PROVINCETOWN — After a national search, Rachael Brister has been hired as the new CEO of the Provincetown Film Society (PFS), the umbrella organization for the Provincetown International Film Festival, the Waters Edge Cinema, and the Gabrielle A. Hanna Provincetown Film Institute, PFS announced on Tuesday. Brister will also serve as the film festival’s executive […]
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
Move to Alter VFW Plan Fails in Close Vote
Voters lament ‘Sophie’s choice,’ want both housing and public safety
PROVINCETOWN — By a margin of just 19 votes, 157 in favor, 176 against, Monday’s special town meeting rejected Fire Chief Mike Trovato’s plan for the former VFW site on Jerome Smith Road. The sole article on Monday’s warrant — initiated by Trovato’s petition, signed by 203 citizens — would have designated the town-owned 1.3-acre […]
LIFE & DEATH
Creating a Caring Place to Die
Lily House would offer round-the-clock care so residents won’t have to die alone
PROVINCETOWN — Ever since Dawn Walsh arrived in Provincetown she has been working to take fear and ignorance out of the experience of death. She founded the Day of the Dead Festival in 2016 and soon after that began organizing “death cafés” to foster conversations on the taboo topic. (The next one is Dec. 11 […]
PUBLIC ART
Frances Raymond’s Portrait Will Return to Fisherman’s Wharf
PROVINCETOWN — The larger-than-life photographs of five Portuguese women on Fisherman’s Wharf are now down to only three images, but that will change this spring. The installation “They Also Faced the Sea” has suffered from the same harsh elements that have weathered the real-life faces of local fishermen. The portrait of Almeda Segura was destroyed by […]
ARTS LISTINGS
Holly Folly Highlights
The Canteen’s Holiday Market and Winter Lodge, which returned on Thanksgiving weekend, will be operating weekends through New Year’s. The lodge is a pop-up chalet-style restaurant, in front of and behind the Canteen’s regular counter service, with a special winter menu. It’s open Friday-Sunday, 5-10 p.m. The market is in the Canteen’s beach back yard, […]
SQUID PRO QUO
All of Us Are Casualties of the Squid Wars
A proposal to restore Provincetown’s fishing culture
England vs. Argentina (2012). South Korea vs. Japan (2019). These matchups read like a history of World Cup competitions, but in fact they were clashes where countries have gone to the brink of war over squid. It is no surprise that we, too, fight over squid and have been doing it at MacMillan Wharf for […]
OBITUARY
Artist Elspeth Halvorsen Vevers, an Alchemist in the Studio, Dies at 90
PROVINCETOWN — Elspeth Halvorsen Vevers, an icon of Provincetown’s art community and a resident since the mid-1950s, died peacefully at home on Nov. 17, 2019, her daughters Stephanie and Tabitha holding her hands. She was 90 years old. She was known for her luminous box constructions, finely wrought from the humblest of materials. Until being […]
development
Old Reliable Proposal Would Exceed Building Height Limit
Boutique hotel project on beach would replace condemned fish house
PROVINCETOWN — A hotel that’s taller than Whaler’s Wharf and would include a nearly 264-foot pier was heralded as “bold” and derided as “ugly” on Nov. 21 at a zoning board of appeals hearing. Christine Barker is proposing to redevelop 227R Commercial St., the condemned former Old Reliable Fish House, which still has rights to […]
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
New Station or Housing? The VFW Parcel’s Long, Winding Road
Six years of town meeting votes led to the current moment
PROVINCETOWN — The 1.3-acre parcel of town-owned land that was the former VFW post is once again the subject of debate. A petitioned article from Fire Chief Mike Trovato and 203 voters has triggered a special town meeting in the town hall auditorium at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2. The petitioners want the parcel […]
loss
Leather Craftsman John Eder Dies in Provincetown House Fire
PROVINCETOWN — A fire at 86 Atkins Mayo Road on Thursday, Nov. 21 killed the home owner, John Eder, the sole occupant of a house set far back in the woods off Bradford Street. The alarm at 2:33 p.m. brought as many as 40 firefighters to one of the most remote locations in Provincetown, said […]
THE SEARCH
Town Manager Candidate Took $400K Buyout; Another Was Fired
PROVINCETOWN — There are times when consensus is impossible, according to Robin Leal Craver, who is one of three finalists for the town manager’s position. In her case, one of those times was earlier this year when she approved a host community agreement for the largest marijuana cultivation and processing facility in the country, greatly […]
