WELLFLEET –– On Main Street, there isn’t much to do if you’re under 10 years old. Sure, there are art galleries, coffee shops, and clothing stores, but those are pretty […]
Visual Stories
LOCAL LORE
On Outer Cape Cod, Legends Buzz
A review of three of the most enduring tales
From pirate ships to alien sightings, folklore is part of life on the Outer Cape. The tales have long traveled from person to person, and it’s a tradition to bring […]
YOUNG VOICES
Hope For Local Journalism
Student stories in this week’s issue: We’ve written about how local businesses and town governments are coping with the coronavirus pandemic, but Garrison Guzzeau reached out to nonprofits from Eastham […]
BACKYARD PANTRY
Wild Cherry Cough Syrup
Collect native black cherry bark now for a homemade winter cold remedy
Earlier this summer, I discovered a wild cherry tree growing off my back porch. I noticed one variety, then a second, and learned from a friend and Cape Cod National […]
MEET THE MAKER
Chair Caning for the Generations to Come
A seat weaver matches the material and weave to the chair designer’s vision
My great-grandmother Bernice Newcomb did chair caning out of her home in Wellfleet in the 1920s and ’30s. I grew up in that house, where my mother did chair caning, […]
VIEW FROM THE HIVE
Late Summer Jobs for Field Bees
Carrying water in a dearth, then making white wax for the new nectar flow
Most people know that honey bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers. But field work for honey bees is much more diverse than that. Field bees suck nectar from the […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 11, included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Good Bite on the Backside
The bonito are bigger, and the fluke just might be back
The dog days of summer blaze on, bringing water temperatures up to the mid to high 70s. The lack of rain also contributes to the almost tropical feel of our […]
THE COURT WILL RISE
Provincetown Tennis Serves Up a Tourney During Covid
Fans may be absent, but participation is more popular than ever
PROVINCETOWN — The Provincetown Tennis Club members’ tournament is underway this month, and the format looks a little different this year due to coronavirus protocols. Usually, the tournament would be […]
HYPERSHARKTIVITY
Swim at Your Own Risk
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy reported 25 separate ocean beach closures because of shark sightings on the Outer Cape in the week ending Tuesday: 5 in Provincetown, all at Race […]
THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY
‘Fake News’ Cry Is Fake
It’s fine to hate the press, but do it for the right reasons
“Fake news” has become President Trump’s favorite counterpunch when challenged by reporters doing their jobs. He uses that phrase when he is caught with nowhere to hide. Any piece of […]
WHILE I WAS SLEEPING
Don’t Riot, Dance
In a time of disparagement, we need resistance fired by love
Some folks are legends, some are magic, some magnificent. Terry and Jo Harvey Allen, longtime residents of Santa Fe, N.M., are all that and more. A brilliant songwriter, Terry has […]
HELMSMEN AT PLAY
Wind Cooperates, at Times, and PYC Gets Back to Racing
‘A bad day of sailing is still a better day than sitting on the beach’
PROVINCETOWN — It’s been a while, but the Provincetown Yacht Club’s summer racing season is back on course. The hiccups started July 11, when excess wind postponed the third leg […]
PERSONAL HISTORY
‘Who Have I Doomed?’
Timeline of a coronavirus scare
TRURO — As my close friend and neighbor calmly explained to me on the phone that he had a high fever and was showing potential coronavirus symptoms, my eyes drifted […]
IN MEMORIAM
The Poet of the Dunes Brought Down to Earth
Recalling Harry Kemp on the 60th Anniversary of His Death
Fewer and fewer people these days have a clear idea of who Harry Kemp was. Some might recognize his name from Harry Kemp Way, the road in Provincetown where Outer […]
