PTown's Award-Winning Farmers Market: Fresh Produce, Eggs, Jams, Crafts, More

Freshly picked produce has greater flavor and nutritional value than store-bought.

Provincetown Farmers Market has once again been named as the best farmers market on the Outer Cape.
Every year, readers and editors of Cape Cod Life magazine vote for their favorites among hundreds of restaurants, shops and attractions throughout Cape Cod, and 2018 is the second year in a row that our own farmers market in Provincetown has been granted the "Gold" award in our region.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs are just the beginning here. Selection might vary a bit from week to week, but you'll always find a great array of specialties made by local farmers, like organic meat products, homemade preserves, a splendid, aged, balsamic vinegar or pure, unadulterated, local honey.
Find the farmers market on Ryder Street, next to Town Hall, every Saturday from May 12th to November 17th, from 9 AM to 3PM.

Provincetown First Responders Had a Busy Memorial Day Weekend With Three-Alarm Fire, and Rescue of 44 Hikers

Firefighters on the Lobster Pot's beach pump
water through the window of the Red Shack.
Photo by a capecodtoday.com reader

Memorial Day weekend turned out to be very busy for folks in Provincetown who are charged with looking after the safety of the public. These are not only police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, but in PTown we also depend on the harbormaster and the US Coast Guard to keep us safe in an emergency in any of the huge bodies of water that surround us.

We actually have 21.3 miles of shoreline surrounding this little town of maybe 3,000 year-round residents, with a summer population of 30 to 60,000 on any given day of the week. Holidays like July 4th and Carnival Week, we’re told, can bump those numbers well over 80,000 residents and visitors.

It’s also a wooden town, with homes and apartments, restaurants, shops and galleries in very old buildings, some of them dating back to the middle of the 1700s. Many of these buildings stand only inches apart, making us even more vulnerable to the sort of fire that could literally destroy the town overnight. Just such a blaze occurred a week ago, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Ladder trucks shot water down onto the rooftops of four Lopes
Square restaurants. Photo by a capecodtoday.com reader.

Fire broke out during the dinner hour in the kitchen of the Red Shack, a busy takeout restaurant in the very heart of Provincetown, at Lopes Square. As in most spots in Provincetown, a fire in one building can spread to others in mere moments. 

This fire was in the very center of a single building occupied by several tenants. The Red Shack occupies a space in a very long, slender building. It sits smack in the middle of the structure, between three other restaurants, a large gift shop and a bit of office space. There are apartments adjacent as well.

When the fire was noticed, in the roof and ceiling of the Red Shack, a call to 911 brought firefighters within minutes. Provincetown, by the way, has the last all-volunteer fire department on Cape Cod. Fire Chief Michael Trovato began directing his crew before he even arrived on the scene. When he turned the corner at Standish Street, driving from Shank Painter Road, just a few blocks away, he could see that the fire was already through the roof of the building, so he called for working fire assignments, which immediately brought more local firefighters to the site. In moments, this blaze would send flames rising some 20 feet into the sky.

The Red Shack's roof was destroyed, while others fared much better. Firefighters
did a remarkable job of containing this fire, Photo by Orleans Fire Department.

A few minutes after his arrival on the scene, Chief Trovato put in a second alarm, which began mobilizing firefighters and equipment from other towns, heading to Provincetown to join the battle. Shortly after that, the chief called a third alarm, bringing more personnel and equipment to town, and moving fire fighting personnel from nearly every Cape Cod town to cover other stations left short-handed as their firefighters drove equipment to the tip of the Cape.

This was a three-alarm fire, which could have had disastrous results, yet the town actually suffered very little damage, given the possible outcome we might have had.

I took this photo from Lopes Square the day after the fire. Structural damage
may keep the Red Shack and Tatiana's from reopening till the autumn season,
while the Surf Club may open sooner. The Coffee Pot aims for July 4th or sooner.

The rapid response and skillful work of our fire department, along with the mutual aid of others who joined us, truly minimized the damage done by this very serious fire. Our police department expertly managed the safety of the dozens of thousands of people here for the first big holiday of the summer, while still allowing people on foot and in their cars to move through the center of town and go about enjoying themselves. We applaud the delicate balancing act pulled off that evening by the Provincetown Police.

So that was Saturday.

Then, on Sunday, just moments after PTown’s rising tide reached its peak at 1:43 PM, a 911 call came into the Provincetown Police Department, asking for help at the West End Breakwater.

The Provincetown Harbormaster's boat loads up with several of the
44 hikers stranded on the breakwater during am exceptionally high
tide over Memorial Day weekend. Photo by Provincetown Police. 

Several people were reported actually in the water. A number of parties of hikers had walked out onto the granite barrier that slows down the waves and tides coming into the wetlands in the far west end of Provincetown Harbor. On their walk out toward the spit of sand leading to the Long Point Light, 44 people had failed to notice the steadily rising tide that now had them trapped more than a mile from terra firma.

The high tide was approximately 11.7 feet that afternoon, splashing over the breakwater in spots, making it slippery and rather dangerous to walk on. There were likely spots where hikers couldn’t walk forward or back without getting wet. Had a few people slipped and fallen in, or did some of the hikers foolishly think they could swim back to the shoreline? With the water temperature around 52 degrees, it was imperative that anyone who might have ended up in the water get out of it as quickly as possible.

Provincetown Police and Fire Departments, along with our EMS & Rescue crews and the Provincetown Harbormaster all responded, as did the US Coast Guard and TowboatUS Provincetown. Flyer’s Boatyard sent their water shuttle to join the other vessels in quickly getting the hapless hikers back to safety. Five people required treatment by EMS personnel.

During an "average" high tide, even the low spots in the breakwater are still about
about three feet above the water level, so these fishermen had no trouble this day.

The hike along the breakwater and out onto Long Point is one of the most popular recreational activities in Provincetown, rewarding hikers with gorgeous, uncrowded beaches and a panoramic view of our busy waterfront and spectacular harbor.

There are, however, potential risks in taking this walk. For example, the extremely high tide that day was unexpected to most hikers, rising well above the average high tide line visible along the breakwater. The high tide the weekend before had been about two-and-a-half feet lower, at just 9.2 feet, so the casual observer might have had no clue to the possible danger at hand. A tide chart could have helped hikers avoid being caught off guard amidst the rise of very deep water.

This fisherman didn't know what to do when he realized he was
trapped by rising water. He must have been in a low spot. This
tide was three inches lower than Sunday's, stranding 44 hikers.

To help folks safely enjoy this marvelous walk and amazing view, I wrote about it in June of 2012. It’s probably time to review these tips for fun and safety on this walk, so here’s a link to my post Hike The West End Breakwater to Wood End Light. Be careful and have fun, and remember, no flip flops on the breakwater. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes, at least for that part of the hike. And if your legs and feet aren’t used to walking in soft sand, a few gentle, thorough stretches of all these muscles after your hike, and again before bedtime, will help prevent sore muscles the next day, especially if you’ve walked barefoot in the sand for a fair distance. This walk, all the way to the lighthouse and back, will use a whole new set of muscles that you never knew you had.

Another way to get to Long Point Light is to catch the shuttle boat operated by Flyer’s Boatyard. Weather and demand permitting, the Long Point Shuttle is running daily, every two hours, from Flyer’s dock, at 131A Commercial Street. That’s actually down a little alley called Good Templar Place, between Joon restaurant and the Provincetown Antique Market. Flyer’s is behind the restaurant. Times and departure location will change for the summer season on June 23^rd. I’ll write about this great way to get to Long Point in another week or two.

In the meantime, once again, we sincerely thank all the men and women who are PTown's First Responders: our police department, harbormaster and coast guard, as well as firefighters, rescue workers and emergency medical personnel in Provincetown and beyond, who work so diligently to keep us safe here at the tip of Cape Cod.

It's PTown's 28th Annual Swim for Life!

The 28th annual Swim for Life is this Saturday, September 12th, 2015

Some 400 swimmers will take the plunge at 11:00 tomorrow morning, swimming 1.4 miles across magnificent Provincetown Harbor from Long Point to the beach at the Boatslip Resort in PTown's West End. Paddlers in kayaks and canoes will begin making their way across the harbor as well, while others in swimming pools will begin swimming laps equivalent to the distance across the harbor.
All of these folks have taken pledges, and will be raising money for local organizations that assist people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as women with chronic and life threatening illnesses, and a number of other community agencies serving Provincetown and Cape Cod. The first Swim for Life, in the summer of 1988, involved 18 swimmers, raising $6,000. To date, The Swim has raised some $3 million for health and wellness services on the Outer Cape.

Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty register two
unknown swimmers at the first Swim for Life in 1988.

The event evolved over the years to include people who are "harborly challenged" but who still want to participate, doing so by swimming laps in local pools, while folks in kayaks paddle across the harbor, guiding and assisting swimmers, if needed. Swimmers are aided and looked after by myriad volunteers ensuring their safety and wellbeing during the event, with others working at dozens of jobs that pull this huge event together.
150 volunteers perform countless tasks like registering swimmers, transporting them to Long Point, providing moral support, giving first aid, cheering on swimmers as they near the finish line, serving food at the Mermaid Brunch, and providing splendid entertainment for the swimmers and supporters alike, both at the party after the swim and at the Celebration of Life at the U. U. Meetinghouse on the Friday night before The Swim.
It's not too late to get involved yourself, whether you'd like to swim, volunteer, make a pledge or contribution, or cheer on the swimmers as they near the finish line at the Boatslip. On Saturday you'll want to applaud and cheer for the swimmers and paddlers as they reach the shore, then enjoy the food and entertainment at the Mermaid Brunch, and the awards for swimmers, paddlers, fundraisers and volunteers.

The annual Celebration of Life concert on Friday night kicks off The Swim.

You'll certainly want to attend the annual Celebration of Life, considered by many to be the concert of the year, tonight, at the Universalist Unitarian Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street.
This wonderful, free event brings dozens of performers to entertain and inspire us with music, song and the spoken word.
I'll see you at the
U. U. tonight at 8 PM, and at the Boatslip tomorrow, at 161 Commercial Street, to cheer on the swimmers who begin their odyssey out on Long Point at 11AM, followed by the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck from noon till 2 PM, with the awards, beginning about 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer makes it safely to the shore. All events are free of charge and open to the public. Come and join us!

Mmmm! PTown Farmers Market...

I had these gorgeous fresh black raspberries for lunch last Saturday,
from one of the stalls at Provincetown's fabulous Farmers Market.

Provincetown has a Farmers Market next to its Town Hall every Saturday from 11 AM till 4 PM, from May through November, and perhaps beyond.

Find not only this beautiful, fresh local produce and fresh-cut flowers, but some unexpected items, as well as treats made from other farm-fresh articles, too. You'll often even find meats and seafood.

You'll routinely find things like honey from local beekeepers, jams, crafts like sachets made from flowers and herbs grown without any pesticides or poisons, and many other things that are better for us than typical supermarket foods, and things that are grown in a way that's better for the planet, as well.

A reviewer on yelp raved over an expensive balsamic vinegar, saying it was absolutely worth every penny. Another reviewer there suggested people taking the ferry back home to Boston should shop here and support these small farmers while saving money over city prices for beautiful produce.

I can still taste the strawberries I bought from one of these farmers last summer, and a couple of times I've even had freshly shucked oysters for my lunch, as a shell fisherman shucked each oyster just for me from a crate of ice in the back of his pickup truck. It just doesn't get any fresher than that.

You never know what you'll find at our Farmers Market, but there's always a variety of things that may be unexpected, as well as impeccably fresh, beautiful fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs from nearby small farmers, women and men who have tenderly grown these things with love and care. Show them some support, and be a bit healthier, too, when you choose things from these wonderful, small independent farmers.

Chair Massage Will Invigorate You

Since I've been writing this blog over the past couple of weeks, I find myself encumbered with a backpack full of stuff I have to lug around town with me all day, and night, because I never know what compelling stories or serendipitous photo ops I might find along the way, and my back often suffers for it. I try to always carry a camera with me wherever I go, and a notebook, and, these days, my trusty laptop, which seldom will leave my side (or my back, more accurately) and a cell phone full of phone numbers for roughly a gazillion businesses and friends so I can check my facts as I'm writing. And, of course, I'm carrying all the wires and cables that connect these various electronic marvels together, and cables to recharge everything, or to run it all if I find myself near an electrical outlet, and batteries for when I end up on the beach with no outlet nearby, so now this backpack is getting pretty heavy. Throw in a small video camera (I'll be putting a bit of video on this blog periodically, once I figure out how to do it) and, of course, spare batteries for everything...
So the other day, as I was walking down Commercial Street, I stopped in at pTown Massage and Bodywork for a chair massage. It doesn't take long, it doesn't cost much, and in a few minutes I was brand new, and ready to take on the world again.

I got myself settled into the chair and Tim went to work on me, using many different techniques to treat various trouble spots he found as he worked. He treated my neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands, right down to my fingertips. If you've never had a chair massage, you owe it to yourself to get one soon. Look after yourself. Melt away the stress of the day.
Treat yourself well. Your body will thank you for it.
For more than twenty years, pTown Massage has been providing therapeutic massage using techniques of Sweedish, Deep-Tissue, Sports Massage and other methods combined to provide the best possible treatment for each individual. In fact, pTown Massage is named on this year's Cape Cod A-List as the best massage on the Cape. (Look for an upcoming post about another half-dozen businesses in Provincetown also making the A-List this year.)
Phone pTown Massage at 508 487-3411, and visit them at 182 Commercial Street, right next to Snip Salon. Tell them TheYearRounder sent you. They'll take good care of you.