It's Still Halloween in Provincetown

PTown Halloween displays traditionally range from whimsical to clever to frightening. Take a tour!

Even though the big Halloween ball, Spooky Bear and PBG events were held last week, you can still find the spirit of this great holiday in spots throughout Provincetown. When Halloween actually falls on a Saturday, all stops are pulled out for a huge celebration, while elaborate costumes and unparalleled reveling run rampant on PTown streets and in our clubs, but when the big day falls in the middle of the week, parties and events of all kinds mostly occur on the weekend before.
Even so, there's a lot of fun to be had just by watching for all of the die-hards who are still celebrating on the actual 31st of October, no matter what, and by spotting decorations of all sorts as you make your way through the town.
I happened into the Seamen's Bank branch on Shank Painter Road today, where every teller was in costume or elaborate makeup, or both, with trays full of sandwiches and cupcakes set out for anyone stopping in. They were combining their annual customer appreciation day with the chance to dress up and have a little fun, giving out tote bags, calendars and several handy little gifts that let customers feel the trick-or-treat spirit of the day.
I also found cashiers and various other employees at the Stop and Shop wearing some sort of costume, or attempt, as well. I didn't stroll down Commercial Street today, but I'll guarantee there were a few costumes to be found there, and likely in a number of our restaurants and shops as well.
The big surprise for me today was at the Quest lab at Outer Cape Health, where Mary, the woman drawing my blood this afternoon, had big spiders in her hair, and a pair of very tiny skeletons dangling from her ears and dancing as she turned her head, each bone swinging with her every movement. I thanked each of these folks for getting into the full spirit of the occasion, and putting little smiles on my face as I went about my day.
As for decorations around town, one place I always look is the corner yard where Cemetery Road meets Conwell Street. They always have a great Halloween display that takes up most of their yard. They've built a huge spider web with a big, black, tarantula-looking creature and other decorations all around the place.
One of this year's funnest Halloween displays has been the gorgeous antique car filled with skeletons and spooks, seen either parked at the Clarendon House, at 119 Bradford Street, or spotted tooling around the town.
Hats off to all of those who use any excuse to celebrate, decorate, or dress up, and who make it so much fun to live and visit in Provincetown!

PTown Holiday Displays

Provincetown's Christmas Tree made of lobster traps is built around the giant anchor at Lopes Square.

For a number of years now, the Popko family has been building, and lighting, the "Lobster Pot Christmas Tree" in the heart of Provincetown, on Lopes Square. The now-traditional annual lighting of this huge, festive holiday decoration draws more people every year. This "tree" even has its own Facebook page, and you can watch a video on the building and lighting of the Lobster Pot Tree. Related merchandise is available online, such as the Lobster Trap Pillow, as well as a Provincetown Holiday Photo featuring the "tree," and now there's even an illustrated children's book about it available on the Internet. 
This massive work of art is built around the giant anchor that sits in the center of Lopes Square, using 112 lobster traps, 120 red bows and 46 plastic lobsters. The "tree topper" is made from 58 different lobster buoys, each representing a different lobsterman. All of this is illuminated with some 3400 lights, bringing to life this annual holiday tradition and artistic endeavor that celebrates our seafaring heritage while it reminds us all just how unique Provincetown really is.
There are some wonderful lighting displays found around town as well. You'll want to take a spin down Commercial Street, of course, for all the shop decorations and the moving reindeer display at Seamens Bank, and there are some pretty extravagant spectacles of light to be found in yards on a number of side streets, as well. You'll want to visit Standish Street above Bradford Street, for example, with thousands of lights and over a dozen animated characters. Folks on Conwell Street have really gotten into the holiday spirit with their tremendous lighting displays this year, and a trip through the town will show you a number of others.
The weather tonight and over the next couple of days should be fair, warm and not too windy, so get out and enjoy these festive displays. Happy Holidays!

Holiday Decorations Light Up PTown

The lighting of the Pilgrim Monument signals the beginning of Provincetown's holiday season.

Every year, on the night before Thanksgiving, people gather at the Pilgrim Monument, or find another vantage point where they can watch the lights go on as the monument is lit up for the holiday season. Strings of thousands of white lights form a kind of cone from the top, widening out toward the monument's base, creating a sight that many people say resembles a giant Christmas tree, which can sometimes be seen from as far away as the shoreline of Boston on a good, clear night. These lights will be lit at dusk every evening from now on into the New Year.
Other lights and trimmings have appeared around town all week as businesses and homeowners have put up decorations which raise Provincetown's holiday spirits, as well as winning a little cash for those deemed the best, in our annual Holly Folly celebration.
A few stragglers will add more decorations around the town as Christmas approaches, missing the chance for that prize money but adding to the fun and the holiday spirit here at the tip of Cape Cod. People will make trips around town to see the lights and enjoy the sights, like the now-traditional lobster pot "Christmas Tree" display that lights up Lopes Square at this time of year.

Lopes Square's "Lobster Pot Christmas Tree" has become
a favorite holiday decoration of both Townies and visitors.

Touring the town in search of all these decorations has become a tradition of the Council on Aging, Provincetown's senior center, which sponsors its fourth annual light tour on Thursday, December 19th. Folks will gather at the COA's new facilities at 2 Mayflower Street (the former elementary school) at 3:30 PM for carols and refreshments, followed by a tour around the town to see the decorations from the COA shuttle bus. Call the COA at 508 487-7080 for information, or to arrange a ride to and from this event. Watch for more info on holiday events for seniors in upcoming posts.
As more lights and displays appear around town over the next week or so, go for a stroll or gather some friends and take a drive to see the sights. Sunset this week is at 4:09 PM, so by 4:30 it's dark enough to see many of these lights, though some may not come on until folks get home from work and turn on home decorations. One way or another, get out and enjoy the sights of Provincetown during this festive season.