Mid-April Snow Storm in Provincetown Actually Brought a Pleasant Tranquility

Looking beyond the clothesline to gardening pots at the edge of the snowy forest.

About 6:15 this morning I awoke to about an inch of snow on the ground and in the trees, giving a sort of surreal, black-and-white look to the patch of forest where my back yard ends. The only bits of color visible today, in this normally verdant scene of green grasses and treetops against a bright blue sky, were now just the row of big clay pots and the barely-yellowish birdbath at the back of my yard, which lies just along the edge of a lovely, tiny patch of conservation lands.
The sun was up, but invisible behind the thick layer of clouds that were slowly dropping huge, wet snowflakes over Provincetown and beyond. I watched for about 40 minutes as snowflakes the size of tiddlywinks, (remember those?) and even a few poker chips, drifted silently down to cover my back yard in about an inch of whiteness that felt a bit surreal, but somehow kind of comforting, even soothing.
I knew I wasn't going out in it, so I didn't resent this mid-April (and hopefully the last) snowfall in PTown till next winter. It actually made my day a little better somehow, and I'll take all of these little bits of serenity I can get these days.
Stay hopeful, stay safe, and, please, stay indoors. You can still enjoy the view.

As Coronavirus Cases Begin to Show up in PTown, This is NOT the Time to Visit Us!

Ironically, our Chamber of Commerce was just getting our new invitation ready
to welcome visitors back to Provincetown once this is all over, just as our
first virus cases were being reported. And we were doing so well ....
Folks, we will joyfully welcome visitors to Provincetown once again, after
this extreme health emergency is all over, but for now, friends, please don't come.

We who have chosen this spot to live, or who were born here, certainly understand the appeal of Provincetown, and we can't blame people for wanting to hunker down in this gorgeous, serene setting filled with warm, wonderful people who normally embrace all who want to visit, but right now, we simply can't do that. Our governor has issued a stay-at-home order throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has declared that anyone coming into Massachusetts MUST self-isolate for a period of 14 days, including residents returning home from a trip. A parking ban is in effect in order to further discourage visitors from trying to come to Provincetown. There's NOWHERE to go out to dinner. Dining rooms are closed in all 92 of Provincetown's restaurants. Eggs are being rationed at the supermarket, and there's not a jug of spring water to be found.

You know we love all of you guys, but this
is NOT the time for a trip to PTown. 

All non-essential businesses are closed. There are restaurants offering meals to take out, and the Stop&Shop supermarket remains open, but it is short on many items and completely sold out on others. With so many of us staying home and cooking our own meals all day long, and most folks trying to stock up on enough groceries to last at least a couple of weeks at a time, some are panic-buying when they find the stock on the shelves getting low, and that leaves very few grocery alternatives for so many of us who can't afford a 48-pack of Charmin.

UPDATE 3/31/22: Our governor has announced a short-term rental ban on accommodations.

That means that no hotel, motel, Airbnb or similar rentals are currently available to the public anywhere on Cape Cod. Any short-term rentals still permitted to operate will be serving medical or emergency workers only,  along with some satellite facilities being authorized and adapted in various locations throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

in order to care for medical patients.

We are all making sacrifices in order to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. As New York zooms toward the peak of its infection, and people leave that city in great numbers, it doesn't make sense to travel to Provincetown, from anywhere! Our numbers are rising here as well. They will rise exponentially faster and higher if we have an influx of people coming to stay indoors here rather than staying indoors at home.

In the summertime we have extra police officers, paramedics, ambulances, doctors 

and sanitation staff on hand, to make sure this little village can look after all of the 

extra people coming into town. In the wintertime, we don't have any of that.

We all know that a certain percentage of people traveling anywhere throughout the nation at this particular time will be carrying the virus, whether they know it or not, and whether they
feel fine at this moment or not. Our closest hospital is 54 miles away, in Hyannis, serving many other towns as well. Boston hospitals are 127 miles away, and already feeling the crunch as virus cases are ramping up more quickly. Groceries are in short supply, and, again, there's

not a jug of spring water to be found. And we all know what Provincetown water tastes like.

We're all staying indoors and reading cookbooks, trying to figure out what we can

make for dinner with whatever we could get at the grocery store this past week,
and doing our very best to keep our little town from blowing up.

We're not saying you can't come here. We get it. But at the same time, if we get

a big influx of people, a greater number of us will get sick, and it will take us much longer to clean up and get ready to welcome everybody back again when it's all over. 
In that scenario, we would definitely have more businesses, as well as more people,

going under, literally, and permanently. The face of Provincetown could be

changed forever, and nobody wants that.

I'm just sayin' ...

This is not the time to come to Provincetown.

Stay safe at home, wash your hands, protect those around you, wash your hands,
get plenty of sleep, wash your hands, eat well, wash your hands, and wash your hands.

We love you, and we'll see you again, when it's all over.

And don't forget to wash your hands.


The stunning photo of the tidal flats along Provincetown Harbor were taken by Randy Jansen,
a frequent contributor to the Provincetown Photography Page on Facebook.
If you're jonesing for a bit of Provincetown, find many great photos in various  corners of Facebook to help tide you over until  we're ready to welcome you all back again.

Provincetowners Find Ways to Keep our Sanity in the Crisis.

Peter Donnelly put on a great concert from home last Sunday, streamed
live on Facebook, and folks were able to interact through their comments.

So all of Provincetown has been officially asked to stay at home, and even though it's really only been a couple of days, people are understandably getting a little twitchy as they are completely disrupting their lives in order to try to stem the rapid rise of the Covid-19 virus throughout the US.

A lot of folks have been going to work, maybe going out for a few drinks or dinner with friends, all the while being cautious, washing their hands, and trying really hard to remember to stay 6 feet away from everybody else on the planet.
Well... that was all well and good while we were clinging to the notion that our little community, isolated from the rest of the world by sheer geography, might be spared altogether from the talons of this often mild, yet potentially lethal, new virus.
That little pipe dream ended last week when two of us here in PTown tested positive for coronavirus. Today I was told that there are now two more new cases here in our little burg. We're in the stage where we can really help to keep the number of new cases here  low, but that can only happen if we all STAY INDOORS! PERIOD!! THAT'S IT!!!

Confinement is a very difficult thing to deal with, especially in Provincetown, where many people already feel isolated in the off-season, when our fairly deserted streets show a sharp contrast to the busy, boisterous display of  a PTown summer. We're used to being in a crowd of people happily walking arm-in-arm, greeting friends with a kiss, or at bare minimum a big, heart-felt hug and a warm conversation lasting several minutes, ending with another lingering hug or kiss goodbye. That's how we do it around here, even among the few of us who are here year-round, but all of that must change, and right now, even if only temporarily.

We all know that we're responsible not only for our own health, and for doing all the things that we know are helping to slow the spread of the virus, but we also know that we each have a duty to our friends, loved ones, and to strangers as well, to keep them as safe as possible by doing what we know are the right things, challenging as that might be.
We have to get a little creative to come up with ways to amuse ourselves while shut away from friends and even relatives, and there are lots of folks who are finding ways to entertain us, on TV, in print, and particularly online. On Sunday afternoon I just happened to stumble onto Facebook at the right moment to catch local singer/songwriter/musician and all-around good fellow Peter Donnelly, putting on a concert from home, entertaining all of us who are in great need of connection with our fellow humans. "Aunt Steve" was on hand to amuse us as well. This wonderful bit of entertainment was so greatly appreciated, by me, and by so many who watched it live on Facebook, their comments rolling up on the screen in real time.
You might be able to look this up on Facebook. I hope so, because I'd really like to see it again. I couldn't find it on YouTube, but I did find a number of short videos of Pete singing some of his great original songs, a lot of which paint vivid pictures of life in Provincetown. I also found an amazing "America Strong" moment on network television...
Click to watch Dr. Elvis Francois singing, accompanied by Dr William Robinson on the piano, after they had finished their hospital shift at the Mayo Clinic. You can find some remarkable performances all over the internet, and I'll share more of these as I find them. By the way, Pete said something about legendary Provincetown entertainer Zoe Lewis  doing a show tomorrow night, Thursday, March 25th, at 6 PM. Check Facebook to see if I got this right.
Do the right thing: Be safe, watch out for your fellow humans, and live well as we all weather this storm.

See (or Be) the UU Meeting House Annual Talent/No-Talent Show on Sat., May 12th

Come and see the show at the UU Meeting House, at 336 Commercial Street, or sign up to be part of the show yourself. Whether you are quite talented, or, not so much, you can perform before a supportive audience of folks who are likely to applaud anything. Groups as well as solo acts are welcome.
Are you secretly a comic? Do you sing a little, dance like a dream, read poetry, or have no discernible talent whatsoever but want to play your banjo solo anyway? Sign up by calling Char at 508•487•4193, or e-mail her at chartone@aol.com.
You'll want to be there by 6:00 PM with dessert or finger food to share in the "bistro" that will be set up for the evening, but don't be late because the show starts at 6:30. Come even earlier if you want to help set up the bistro and theater.
The evening will also feature an auction for services that will be sold to the highest bidder. You can offer a service yourself by e-mailing Will at Will.Hildreth@gmail.com, or call him at 310•486•2900. Or perhaps you'll win the bid for someone to come and clean out your rain gutters, or do your grocery shopping, crochet an afghan or bake you some cookies. There's no telling what sort of services might be auctioned off.
So get to the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House on Saturday and have some fun. Those folks are among the most vital champions of just about every Provincetown group or cause you can name, and they certainly deserve our support.

Happy 167th Birthday to Seamen's Bank, Founded in PTown on April 14th, 1851

Treasurer William H. Young and assistant treasurer Myrick C. Young in Seamen's Bank lobby, Provincetown, ca1910. Seamen's built this new building in 1892 at 274 Commercial Street, now Cabot's Candy. In 1964 they built new facilities again, at 221 Commercial Street, now also serving as headquarters for their five branches.

On April 14th, 1851, at 99 Commercial Street, the store at the head of Union Wharf became the birthplace of Seamen's Savings Bank. It was founded as a mutual bank, meaning it was more or less owned by its members rather than a corporation seeking to make a profit from stock sales, or interest rates and fees charged to its depositors. The primary goal of this incorporation was not to amass vast profits for stockholders, of which there are none, but rather to actually serve the bank's members in their best interests. It was the first bank on Cape Cod, and it was designed to serve the needs of a burgeoning fishing industry.

Bones for the dogs, lollipops for the humans from friendly tellers at Seamen's.

The first deposit was made by Leander Rockwell, a sailor who had come here from Nova Scotia. He had entrusted 36 of his hard-earned dollars to this newfangled bank and its fledgling board of trustees.
In those days, the living of practically every Provincetown resident was tied in one way or another to the whaling and fishing industries.
Whether you actually went to sea, or made the barrels that carried the fish to market, or ran a store providing the goods to outfit various sailing vessels, your income was dependent upon the fish in the sea.
Initial depositors would prove to be mostly fishermen, sailors and whalers, and others of fairly modest means. These were average working people, often without a lot of money to put aside or to invest, despite the growth of the fishing industry, which really wouldn't hit its stride for another decade or so. These folks worked hard for every nickle they had.
When the trustees received their first complete report from the treasurer, on January 15th, 1853, depositors numbered 30, with total savings among them amounting to some $3,295. It would be about 130 years later, in the 1980s, that the bank would finally open a second branch, in Truro. Seamen's now has 5 branches stretching from Provincetown to Eastham, with more than 17,000 accounts and deposits of $275,000,000 put to work in serving the people of the entire Outer Cape.

This 1978 ad provided funds to help in documenting our trap fishing industry.

Seamen's Bank has a philanthropic bent, standing ready to support many local organizations, and particularly those helping to preserve the history and traditions of our early seafaring days, such as the annual Portuguese Festival and Blessing of the Fleet.
At the left is a simple ad that Seamen's Bank placed in Provincetown Trapboat Fishing - The End of an Era, published in 1978 by the Provincetown Historical Association. By that time this once-thrivng industry that caught schools of fish near the shoreline was all but dead. This 77-page booklet preserved methods, stories and photos of the trap fishermen, keeping this unique, important part of our coastal fishing heritage alive and vital in our collective memory.

In Charles Kaselau's painting, lifesavers rescue shipwrecked sailors.

Seamen's Bank also sponsors many community events, and supports the arts in all of its forms. From their website to their ATMs and annual reports, anything used to communicate with their customers uses local photography to enhance our experience with the bank. Whether it's an antique photo displaying a bit of history as we use the cash machine, or a sublime contemporary seascape that greets us as we log on to check our account balances online, we always come away enriched.
Every trip to the bank feels like a visit to an art gallery. Each wall seems to be graced with the works of local artists, with most paintings portraying some part of our seafaring heritage.
We thank and congratulate Seamen's Bank and its amiable, dedicated employees, and celebrate their 167 years of outstanding service to Provincetown and the Outer Cape.

This Photo Captures Provincetown's Amazing Sand Dunes at Their Finest

At Dune Shacks Trail, by Mark Anthony Lynett, Provincetown Photography Page, Facebook.

This stunning photo is among the most remarkable images of Provincetown's spectacular dunes that I have ever seen. It was taken by Mark Anthony Lynett as he was hiking over a windswept hill, the first to make the trek since the blowing sands had last erased the evidence of any other beings who had walked this way.
He was kind enough to share it on Facebook, on the Provincetown Photography Page, where amazing photos of the harbor beaches, wildlife in the forests, the sun rising and setting, or a thousand other splendid, poignant images routinely appear, reminding us of the many reasons we live here, or visit when we can.
The Provincetown Photography Page is a public group with more than 12,000 members who range from amateurs to hobbyists to professional photographers who, together, have posted more than 106,000 photos of this place we all love. It is well worth looking up.
Warning - bring a cup of coffee or drinking water with you when you visit this page, and you may even want to pack a lunch, because you'll be here much longer than you can imagine, unable to stop looking at "just one more..."

30th Annual Swim for Life in Provincetown This Weekend

The first weekend after Labor Day always brings the annual Swim for Life to Provincetown Harbor. It's a challenging 1.4 mile swim, in open water, from the lighthouse on Long Point to the shores of the Boatslip Beach Club, on the edge of the harbor in Provincetown's West End neighborhood. Click to read about Swim for Life history. To date, the event has raised some $4 Million for AIDS, women's health and our community. It is perhaps the most joyous outpouring of love, energy and spirit in Provincetown every year. We invite you to join us!

The Celebration of Life is the year's most anticipated concert.
It is perhaps the most uplifting event in PTown every year.

Whether you are a swimmer, a volunteer, or a "cheerleader" on the beach, hooting, hollering and applauding the swimmers as they reach the shore, you'll want to be a part of this. Many people will participate by attending the lovely Celebration of Life on the night before the swim. This marvelous, free concert, produced by John Thomas, will take place at 8 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street, tonight, Friday, September 8th, 2017. Dozens of performers, singers, musicians and others will definitely raise the spirits of a packed house, so go early to get a seat. The UU is wheelchair accessible.

Swimmers and paddlers will assemble at Long Point Light
for the 11 AM start of Provincetown's annual Swim for Life.

The Swim will begin at 11 AM on Long Point, with boat rides provided to get swimmers to the starting point. Kayakers, paddle boarders and folks in boats will accompany the swimmers safely across the harbor. Click to find out about registering as a swimmer or a volunteer, which happens Saturday morning at the Boatslip. Whether you're a swimmer or are cheering them on, it's exhilarating.

The first swimmer reaches the Boatslip, greeted by a cheering
crowd. The Mermaid Brunch and awards follow on the deck.

The Mermaid Brunch, a free buffet catered by Far Land Provisions, will be held at the Boatslip from noon until 2 PM, with Zoë Lewis and friends entertaining. Around 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer safely reaches the shore, Swim founder Jay Critchley will lead the awards ceremony for swimmers who have raised the most money in pledges or have participated in the most swims. This is another inspiring event giving all a feeling of community, even those who have joined us from other parts of the world. Many people return to PTown every year to participate in the Swim for Life.

It all started with 18 swimmers raising $6,000.
This photo shows Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty registering two unknown swimmers  at a makeshift desk on the beach in the first Swim, in 1988. 
This year we'll see over 150 volunteers making it happen, and more than 400 swimmers taking the plunge. Come and join us for some or all of these events and be a part of the 30^th, the 2017 Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, September 8^th and 9^th in Provincetown!

Three PTown Events This Weekend Offer Great Food, Shopping and Entertainment

Get homemade baked goods today at the Methodist Church bake sale in PTown.

There's a bake sale today at the United Methodist Church in Provincetown, at 20 Shank Painter Road, from 10 AM to 2 PM. There's no telling what kinds of tasty baked goods will be offered.
You're bound to find homemade cookies, brownies and a variety of holiday treats and festive goodies made by parishioners, with proceeds going to the church's student education fund.

See the Outer Cape Chorale and Chamber Singers
free concerts in PTown and Orleans this weekend.

The annual holiday performance of the Outer Cape Chorale got underway last night with the first performance of this year's program "O Be Joyful" at Town Hall in Provincetown.
There will be another performance of this free concert (goodwill donations are gratefully accepted) tonight at 7 PM at Town Hall, with one last chance to see this highly anticipated event on Sunday afternoon at 3 PM in Orleans, at Nauset Middle School.
Traditional holiday tunes will also be featured. Go a bit early to either venue, as this event generally plays to a packed house.

The Canteen brings a European style holiday festival to
Provincetown with food, fun,  entertainment and shopping!

The Canteen's very popular Holiday Market returns for weekends through New Year's Day. Fridays through Sundays until January 1st, from 11 AM till at least 7PM each night, you'll find this winter festival both indoors and outdoors at The Canteen, at 227 Commercial Street.
You'll find hot food and drinks, live music, theater performances, exhibits, local vendors, booths filled with crafts and gifts made by skilled artisans, and the list goes on…
This wonderful event was inspired by traditional European Christmas and New Year's festivals, providing food, fun and entertainment for the community and its visitors.
This year, an ice skating rink has been added, and Cape Cod Beer will be on hand, presenting a new winter brew, available only at this event. The beach at The Canteen will be a great spot to watch the fireworks, and a free champagne toast for all will celebrate the New Year.

Souper Saturday Warms Provincetown, Body and Soul

Delectable soups from favorite Provincetown restaurants highlight
Souper Saturday, a benefit for Provincetown's remarkable soup kitchen.

The Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) will host its annual “Souper” Saturday lunch on Saturday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, at Tin Pan Alley, located at number 269 Commercial St, directly across from Town Hall.

More than two-dozen local restaurants and businesses will offer delicious, hearty soups for a donation of $5 per serving in this wonderful fundraiser that has become a favorite event during Holly Folly, PTown’s annual holiday celebration.

Enjoy live music by pianist Jim Brosseau and other area performers along with your delicious lunch, with all proceeds helping to provide roughly 13,000 meals for Outer Cape residents over this coming winter. SKIP merchandise such as T-shirts, caps and mugs will also be available for purchase.

Weekdays from November through April, SKIP serves hot, nutritious meals at the United Methodist Church on Shank Painter Road. Lunch is free and open to all. Guests begin gathering as early as noon for the 12:30 PM lunch, spending time with friends or browsing the adjoining thrift shop. Many will linger afterward for socializing amongst a wide cross-section of local residents.

These meals can help to fill the gap in an economy that stretches the budgets of people who may have little or no income during the winter months. For others, joining friends for lunch can provide a feeling of community and a much-needed gathering place in a season that can feel rather desolate without the pace of the summer and the crowds in the streets.

Join us at Tin Pan Alley on Saturday for this great fundraising lunch, and if you’re in town over the winter, join us weekdays through April at The Soup Kitchen, for a good meal and a bit of fellowship. If you can’t attend, you might consider sending a check. Donations are tax-deductible and can be sent to SKIP at PO Box 538, Provincetown, MA 02657.

Provincetown's Famous Soup Kitchen Reopens Monday for 2016 Season

SKIP volunteers serve up a warm welcome along with a tasty meal, and, of course, their legendary soups!

As much for the feeling of camaraderie and friendship as for a great bowl of soup, folks will begin flocking to the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) on Monday, November 7th. Their 25th season providing nutritious, hot meals and a sense of community for Outer Cape residents will begin around noon that day, as a crowd begins to gather in the dining hall of Provincetown's United Methodist Church.
Lunch won't begin until 12:30 PM, as usual, but there will be plenty of folks hugging, handshaking and conversing with friends they may not have seen for months, since the Soup Kitchen closed for the season at the end of last April. People always gather early and stay late, talking with friends and socializing a bit, which is equally as important as having the meal itself.
Every weekday from now until April 28th, SKIP will be serving lunch from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at the Methodist Church, at 20 Shank Painter Road. They serve about 80 meals on the average day, so if you do the math, you'll realize that amounts to a figure somewhere around 10,000 meals prepared and served by volunteers during their annual six-month season.
There is no charge for this hearty lunch, and everyone is welcome. Many diners are regulars who come from other Outer Cape towns to mingle, converse and enjoy a meal together. It's easy to become isolated in the solitude of the off-season on Cape Cod. Many also depend on this wonderful community resource to help make ends meet at a time of year when a lot of us have little or no income.
Come and join us in ushering in the new season for our wonderful Soup Kitchen.

With More Than 58 Gender Identities Currently Recognized, Provincetown Welcomes Fantasia Fair 2016

Provincetown welcomes Fantasia Fair, celebrating
gender diversity here every October since 1975. 

Fantasia Fair is underway, welcoming transgender people of all stripes to Provincetown. Among these folks we'll find a full spectrum of people who are pushing past the gender identity barriers traditionally foisted upon us all from birth.
This conference/fair/festival/celebration has grown both in scope and attendance ever since its first gathering here in 1975. It is the oldest and longest running event of it's kind. The week brings dozens of seminars, workshops, keynote addresses and panels, led by more than 40 presenters and experts in gender issues and topics.
As much a social event as a conference, the fair affords attendees the opportunity to experience "full immersion" as they feel free to spend the entire week, 24 hours a day, presenting their gender just as they choose. Provincetown offers a safe space and supportive community for those exploring gender identity. A number of partners, spouses and significant others also attend Fantasia Fair, with many of their own workshops and events, and a chance to develop friendships and create their own feeling of community as well.

Erin Spencer is wonderfully funny and original.

These visitors give back to PTown by raising funds for our local charities and community organizations while they're here, and in other ways, as well. One of those was last night's "Dinner and a Show" event, held at the Provincetown Theater. This annual function is free, and open to the public. It's a chance for local people and fair participants alike to meet each other and socialize together, and get to know each other.
The evening began with a sort of social hour. Standing at the bar, waiting for my turn to order, I met Barbara, active in the fair for many years, and the current director of the event. I met Sherri Gray, a therapist making a presentation today, but perhaps better known for the YouTube video of her song about marriage equality, called (What If We Are) Just Like You? It's been seen by some 77,000 people.
A nice buffet supper was catered by Angel Foods. Of course, I tasted everything, from the pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables to the lasagna with garlic bread. There was a great baked mac and cheese, and a very tasty shepherd's pie. At the same time there were interesting conversations going on in every corner. I've attended a few of these dinners over the years, and each time I've come away with a little greater understanding of this complicated, immense topic of gender diversity.

Jaye McBride said she had gone "too far, too far…" as bruising, hilarious
jokes about her family and difficult dad left the crowd roaring between gasps. 

Next came the entertainment, which began with a few numbers performed by several members of the Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus. This Boston based choir is among the first all-transgender singing groups in the nation.
The chorus was followed by Boston area comic Erin Spencer, who has a ready supply of material based on "the oddities of living as a transgender woman in the city." Boston comic Jaye McBride rounded out the evening. She has opened for comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, Aziz Ansari, Bobcat Goldthwait and many others. She also won the Times Square Comedy Showdown. Both of these women were laugh-out-loud funny, and the audience loved them.
After the show there was dessert and coffee (thank you, Angel Foods,) and another chance to meet and mingle. This event will definitely be on my list to attend next year, and it should be on your list as well. Other events open to the public include tonight's Fashion Show, at the Crown & Anchor, 8 PM, and the Fantasia Fair Follies on Friday night, also at the Crown.
The Follies combine both professional and amateur talents, ranging from lip synch to dramatic readings to original songs served up through voice or musical instrument. Any kind of performance might be found here. This is always a fantastic show, bringing folks from far and wide to enjoy this very entertaining production. It will also give many people (some of them rather shy,) a chance to shine during their moment in the spotlight.
This is a fundraiser for SKIP, Soup Kitchen In Provincetown, where around 10,000 hot meals will be served over the coming winter, with a place of community offered to anyone who drops in. Over the years, Fan Fair participants have raised more than $50,000 for Provincetown and Cape Cod charities, nonprofits and community organizations.
Doors open at 7 PM, so you can get a good seat, maybe have a drink, and meet more people before the show starts at 8 PM. Have your dinner at the Central House at the Crown and they'll reserve priority seating for you, so you don't have to rush, or wait in line to get a good seat for the show. Let the restaurant staff know that you have show tickets and they'll take care of it for you. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended. Call the Central House at 508 487-1430.
Take plenty of dollar bills with you to the show, to tip the performers and show your appreciation. Proceeds from ticket sales and all tips will be donated to SKIP, so be generous as you reward performers for their courage in getting up on stage.

Enjoy Far Land's Townie Winter Dinners While You Can

Far Land's dinner specials for this week offer
great diversity, something for everyone,
and reasonable prices, as always.

There aren't many nights left to get in on Far Land's popular dinner specials, unless we can persuade them to extend their Townie Winter Dinners into the spring…
Monday through Thursday, till the end of March, Far Land Provisions, found at 150 Bradford Street, offers special dinners to eat in or take out, with a choice for meat-eaters and one for vegetarians.
This week's menu is at the left. I'm torn between Tuesday's Mediterranean Night selections, and the Wednesday night choice between Southwest Favorites.
I crave ethnic foods, and I don't know why more PTown restaurants don't offer more culturally diverse foods like these. But then, I'm also a sucker for a good Yankee pot roast, and the mushroom fettuccine Alfredo sounds delicious, too… Add a dessert, with a different one featured every evening, for just $5 more.
Of course, you can choose from their entire deli case of prepared foods as well, and desserts available usually number about two dozen, so that might make your choice easier if you have a favorite, or maybe harder if you want to taste everything, the way I always want to.
It's been great to have these dinners available this winter, for weeknight choices when very few restaurants open beyond just the weekends, and we thank Far Land for their innovative, creative support of PTown's little year-round community.

Don't Miss the 2015 Provincetown Year Rounders Festival

This poster by Zachary Luster details some of the events and performers to be found at this year's
annual Provincetown Year Rounders Festival, to be held on Saturday, on March 14th at Town Hall.

The 2015 Provincetown Year Rounders Festival will be held this Saturday at Provincetown Town Hall, at 260 Commercial Street. This terrific community event always includes displays and information about many local nonprofit and service organizations, town committees, and this year there will be a greater presence of artists, writers, photographers and crafts people of all sorts. This event runs from 11 AM to roughly 4 PM in the Town Hall auditorium, which will then be converted to a banquet hall for the free buffet dinner, beginning at 5 PM, followed at 7 PM by entertainment. Don’t forget the Pet Parade (after all this is Provincetown) at 2 PM, in the auditorium as well.

This year’s dinner will include dishes donated by local eateries such as Angel Foods, Sage Inn and Lounge, Fanizzi’s, Twisted Pizza, Mac’s, Kung Fu Dumplings, George’s Pizza, Far Land, Ciro and Sal’s, Napi’s, The Squealing Pig, and perhaps others as well.

The evening’s entertainment will include live music, drag and other performances by local entertainers, with raffle drawings spread throughout the evening. Raffle tickets will be available throughout the day, along with a silent auction, with the proceeds helping to pay for this wonderful, day-long celebration of life and community in Provincetown.

Don’t miss it!