PROVINCETOWN — The Sun came out for Provincetown’s 78th annual Blessing of the Fleet on June 29. Boats of all sizes mustered in the harbor, decked in festival flags, as the Sunday procession made its way from St. Peter the Apostle Church down the hill to MacMillan Pier. Dancers twirled and festival flags flapped in the breeze as … ▶
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TOP STORIES
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Seasonal Communities Outreach
Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at … ▶
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Walsh Advisers
Meetings Ahead
Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join. Thursday, … ▶
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Board and Committee Reappointments
Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for … ▶
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
More Water Issues
Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for … ▶
TOWN HALL
Clark Is the Only Finalist for Truro Town Manager
Select board says 9 years as assistant made her the best of 16 applicants
TRURO — The select board voted unanimously on July 1 to interview only one of 16 applicants for the job of town manager: current acting Town Manager Kelly Clark. She … ▶
PUBLIC HEALTH
The Lone Star Tick Settles In, Bringing New Risks
As the species becomes widespread on the Cape, prevention is key
PROVINCETOWN — There’s a newcomer on the Cape’s tick scene. It bites hard, reproduces fast, and, in some cases, leaves victims allergic to red meat. It’s the … ▶
THIS WEEK ON THE OUTER CAPE

THE COCKTAIL
Raising a Glass to Revolution and Resistance
A blackberry-thyme version of the French 75 to stave off relocation

FOOD
The Edible Abundance of the Forest
In Feed Us With Trees, Elspeth Hay tells the story of food before farming

GOOD FENCES
A Dead Hedge Brings Life to an Orleans Garden
Hard work turns yard debris into an intriguing organic border

THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Perfect Fourth, Except for the Boaters
Striped bass are in an old spot that’s new again; blues are nowhere to be found

CAPE COD BASEBALL
Firebirds Impressive in 5-2 Win Over Bourne
College teammates Murdock and Potestio lead the way

NATURAL SELECTION
Love Is Like a Butterfly Weed

RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings

ICE DREAMS
Two Outer Cape Figure Skaters Head to National Excel Festival
After a full season on the ice, they’re still training (and smiling)

WEATHER
Long-Term Data Confirm: It’s Getting Muggier

FOUND AT THE FARMERS MARKET
Early Heat Can Be Sweet

DATE AND TIME
Fresh Studies of This Quaint Old Town

VIEWFINDER
Summer Sights

I SCREAM
The Annual Outer Cape Ice Cream Report
Independent writers dare to share on dairy

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
A Universe Full of Potential
Be ready to roll with the punches

GRACE GOUVEIA SERVICE AWARD
Bruce Mason Goes Forth Into the World, to Rejoice and to Protest
Spreading peace and love, he says, ‘I receive more than I give’

I SCREAM
The Annual Outer Cape Ice Cream Report
Independent writers dare to share on dairy

THE SEASIDE GARDENER
The Bewildering Beauty of Foxgloves
Learn the ways of biennials to grow these lofty stars of the late June garden

GOOD HUMOR
Eastham’s Ice Cream Lady
CURRENTS
SHERIFF’S DEPT.
Barnstable County Jail Has Brought Health Care In-House
Almost two years after ending Wellpath’s contract, Buckley has hired counselors and case managers
PROVINCETOWN — When Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley announced her campaign for that office in March 2022, she told the Independent that “the sheriff’s responsibility is not to do law […]
DEMOLITION WATCH
Wilson Says Peace Valley Road House Can’t Be Saved
A long-neglected antique got a savior, but it may be too far gone
WELLFLEET — When Helen Miranda Wilson spent $900,000 to purchase the 3.7-acre property at 177 Peace Valley Road in late May, she hoped to restore at least part of the […]
PLANNING DEPT.
Provincetown Sets a Long List of Goals
Alongside housing and flooding are new efforts on road safety and health
By Paul Benson
PROVINCETOWN — Every year in May, after town meeting and the annual town election, the select board scores the town manager’s progress and writes a new set of “goals and […]
PLANNING
Wellfleet Board Denies Waivers for Sexton’s 10-Lot Subdivision
A long road, no stormwater plans, and exasperation scuttle Sexton’s plan
WELLFLEET — After nearly two years of review, the planning board unanimously denied site plan approval for a 10-lot subdivision sandwiched between Dow Drive and Somerset Avenue. The 8-acre property, […]
BEACH/HOUSE Spring 2025

A Cottage Garden in the Dunes
Spring blossoms brave a windy perch above the bay
Hidden behind a rustic wooden fence tiny spring treasures abound: Nodding bluebells, arching ferns, dainty forget-me-nots, and self-sown alexanders in a glowing … ▶

In the Mood for Wallpaper
Letting layers, textures, and scale deliver design that feels just right
Few things make me happier than adding color to walls. As a decorator, I know that nothing else creates the same effect so quickly. But recently, I’ve had a lot of … ▶

A Lofty Lineage in North Truro
How a space once used for storing sails came to house an artistic legacy
Sometimes you just know when a place is the one. It was 1978 when Anne Webb Johnson and her husband, David, found themselves looking at an unusual house on Hughes … ▶

One Strong Table
Peter McMahon’s design can be as fancy or plain as its materials make it
Peter McMahon is not going to brag about his tables. They are what he calls “a Flintstones solution” to a practical problem. After McMahon founded the Cape Cod … ▶

Bathtime Under the Stars
Old clawfoot tubs find new purpose nestled in open-air oases of ferns and succulents
Kai Potter discovered outdoor bathing at 13, when he visited friends who lived in Harwich. “They had this bathtub out in the woods,” Potter says. A fire under the … ▶

Mini Makeovers
Deep colors and a warm glow bring calm to children’s bathrooms
Kids’ bathrooms are surely not at the top of most people’s home-improvement wish lists. As long as it’s a room that’s functional and ready to withstand some wear and … ▶

The Tire Swing Grows Up
Jeff Soderbergh’s ring chair is made of history
The wood floors of Jeff Soderbergh’s furniture workshop in Portsmouth, R.I. were salvaged from the box cars of old freight trains. The beams that support the … ▶
Stories from Beach/House 2024