A Carnival Thief
To the editor:
For decades, I visited Provincetown as a tourist. I felt that P’town was a very special place, almost magical. Everybody seemed nice. People from all walks of life got along.
Then I retired to Provincetown. I turned my passion for painting into a second career and started showing my work at the Kmoe Gallery on Commercial Street.
My favorite week in Provincetown has always been Carnival. Each year, I would create a special painting that tied into the Carnival theme. Last year, I painted a portrait of Glinda the Good Witch of the North from The Wizard of Oz. I dropped the painting off at Kmoe, the gallery owner placed it in the window, and, within a few days, it sold.
This year, I followed the sinister side of the Yellow Brick Road and painted the Wicked Witch of the West. I was so enamored of this painting that I contemplated keeping it for myself. But on Saturday, Aug. 13, right before the start of Carnival, I brought the painting to Kmoe and the gallery owner proudly displayed it in the front window. I was hoping it would be purchased by a Wizard of Oz fan who would appreciate my labor of love in creating this work.
The painting did not sell during Carnival. On Tuesday the 16th, the painting was stolen right out of the front window of the Kmoe Gallery. I am devastated. It sickens me to think that the Wicked Witch of the West may now be hanging in a thief’s den.
This experience has taught me a lesson: Provincetown, like everyplace else, has good people and bad people. I was a fool for believing otherwise. For me, the magic is gone.
Brian “Old Fool” Morris, M.D.
Provincetown
Misogyny in Provincetown
To the editor:
Thanks to Stefan Piscitelli for calling out misogyny (in its various forms) in the Provincetown gay community in his astrology column “Virgo Offers Tough Love” (Aug. 18, page B8). I am impressed that he took it on so succinctly in one paragraph, naming it, speaking up for his lesbian sisters, and reminding people that a queer space is an inclusive space.
Max Lewis
Provincetown
Unleashed
To the editor:
This October will be my 20th anniversary living in P’town year-round. For all but two of those years, I have been a dog owner.
One of those dogs, Otis, was a golden beach bum and loved to wade for rocks and run on the bay. He was a lover, not a fighter, and got into only one scrape with a dog in all my years with him. There was a predatory dog in town who used to have it out for him. His owner walked him on a long rope, and for years the dog would lunge at Otis. Once, the dog raced up from the bay and attacked us on Commercial Street.
My current dog, Gilda, adores people but has only a few dog friends. If you’re not one of those friends, chances are she won’t like you and, being 12-percent boxer, she has aggressions. I walk her carefully in the early morning down to the pier or on the back roads above Bradford.
All summer long, we have been avoiding dogs off leash. Not on the bay, but on the street. Almost all these dogs are owned by people who live here and who know better. Only they don’t care. They are special. Laws don’t apply to them. When confronted, they are arrogant and hostile.
I have been verbally abused, sworn at, and told to “drop dead” simply for asking someone to please put their dog on a leash as they come charging at us. I do this in order to protect my dog, but mostly to protect theirs. I am a dog lover at heart — but these days, not so much people.
Myra Slotnick
Provincetown
Believing in Peake
To the editor:
Sarah Peake has served the Outer and Lower Cape well since she was elected in 2006. Over the years, no matter what was needed, she has been there to help us.
When a business needs help cutting through the red tape to get a liquor license or health-care coverage or navigate paid family medical leave, Sarah and her staff help with those important bread-and-butter issues.
When Covid hit, Sarah’s relationships with our federal delegation were invaluable. She facilitated access to Paycheck Protection Program funds that helped businesses in the district survive the pandemic and pay their employees, which helped support our local economy through a difficult time.
Sarah understands what is needed because she owned a bed and breakfast in Provincetown for 23 years. In all the years that she has held the 4th Barnstable District seat, Sarah has always listened to her constituents, helped them, and worked hard to make sure their concerns are addressed.
Sarah is the right person, at the right time, to help guide us as we address housing instability and climate change, two of the most pressing issues we face. I believe in Sarah Peake so much that I volunteered to be her campaign treasurer.
Please join me in voting for her on Sept. 6.
Steve Roderick
North Truro
