Books, music, cats & cocktails: 13 top things to do on Cape Cod May 20-26
Book-lovers have multiple choices to see authors this week, including award-winning Kwame Alexander Sunday in Hyannis; and, on May 26, Ben Shattuck and Julia Glass May 26 in Provincetown; B.A. Shapiro in Sandwich; and Liz Michalski and Lindsey Palmer in Brewster.
Other highlights for the week include the Hyannis Art Shanties opening for the season, an art exhibit calling attention to climate change, a movie about cats and their dads, a comedy show on Nantucket, a talk about birds, and a bartender contest to crown a top Cape Codder cocktail on Cape Cod. Concerts include a vocal ensemble and a pop singer. Take a look:
Film explores men and their favorite felines
The Woods Hole Film Festival will present a virtual screening opportunity over four days (available in the Northeast only) of “Cat Daddies,” a documentary feature by Mye Hoang about a man living on the streets of New York City who is determined to stay together with his beloved cat, Lucky. That becomes even more challenging because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a medical diagnosis. The film intersperses his story with portraits of other “cat dads” and their own challenges, including a group of firefighters, a stuntman, a truck driver, a tech worker, a schoolteacher whose cat becomes a viral sensation, and an actor/Instagram influencer.
When: May 19-22 (purchase can be viewed throughout the Thursday to Sunday period)
Where: virtual
Tickets: $14 per person, $20 per household
Reservations and information: https://www.woodsholefilmfestival.org/
The Hyannis shanties are open
Hyannis HyArts Artist Shanties will open for the season with a first weekend of artists and craftspeople showing their wares at 12 seaside studios around Hyannis Harbor. There will be new artists each week through the fall, with the shanties open weekends (and Memorial Day) through June 19, then seven days a week in the summer.
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Where: Walkway-to-the-Sea at the Harbor Overlook, 51 Ocean St. and Bismore Park, 180 Ocean St., Hyannis
Admission: Free
Information: https://artsbarnstable.com/destinations/hyarts-shanties/
Contra dance to feature fiddling duo
Outermost Contra Dance will hold its monthly gathering, this time with Eastham caller Pat Nash a variety of contra dances and mixers. Each is taught with a thorough walk-through before the live music starts, with the intent of making all beginners feel comfortable. Music will be provided by the Celtic fiddle and multi-instrumental duo of Billy Hardy and Beth Sweeney, playing music from the Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, Bluegrass, and Appalachian fiddle traditions. Contra dancing is considered “the older cousin to the square dance” and all dances are taught and called.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Admission: $15, $10 for under age 30, $5 with student ID
Precautions: Vaccination cards are required, and local mask protocols will be observed.
Information: http://outermostcontra.org/, outermostcontra@gmail.com
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Calliope’s Call welcomes the spring with music
Boston-based Calliope’s Call vocal ensemble will present an evening of songs in celebration of spring, the change of seasons and the sea. The group includes founding member and mezzo-soprano Megan Ross, a member of the Grammy Award-winning Skylark Vocal Ensemble; soprano Jennifer Bates; and pianist Christina Wright-Ivanova. Featured will be works by Brahms, Chausson, Price, Bonds, Grieg and New England-based composers Adam Jacob Simon and Steve Danyew. A spring display of “Plant Weavings” by local artist Shannon Goheen will be on exhibit in the gallery.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: The Yarmouth New Church, 266 Main St. (Route 6A), Yarmouth Port
Tickets: $25
Reservations and information: https://www.eventbrite.com/
Pop singer to perform house concert
Fresh from releasing the new single and music video “Sugar My,” South African pop singer and new U.S. citizen Jann Klose will perform a rare house concert as part of the Brick Hill House concerts in Orleans. Klose was born in Germany, was raised in South Africa (where his music also has airplay), Kenya and Cleveland and became based in America during the pandemic. He has released six albums and two EPs, and two recent singles, "Love You the Most" and "Pilot Light" have accumulated over 5 million streams across all platforms. Klose is also an ambassador for Desmond Tutu's TutuDesk campaign and Brick by Brick Uganda.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: details upon reservation
Reservations: 508-255-3864 or chezdi@yahoo.com.
Information: https://bit.ly/35ZP3ut; on Klose, https://jannklose.com/ and social media
Pro and student comedy shows on Nantucket
The Nantucket Comedy Festival will present a stand-up show both by its executive director, professional comedian Kevin Flynn, and by the students that the festival’s “Stand Up and Learn” program has taught. Flynn performs at clubs and colleges across the country and is currently touring with his autobiographical one-man show, “Fear of Heights,” which he will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. He also hosts a weekly sports podcast, “Over the Ball."
When: Flynn at 8 p.m. Saturday; students at 5 p.m.
Where: White Heron Theatre, 5 N. Water St., Nantucket
Tickets: $35, free for the student show
Reservations and information: https://ci.ovationtix.com/
Award-winning author Kwame Alexander to talk about his books
Kwame Alexander, an internationally known bestselling author of 35 books and a poet, educator, publisher, producer and regular contributor to NPR’s “Morning Edition, will speak about his work at an event co-hosted by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod and the Barnstable School District. There will be a book sale to support the cultural center’s youth programs, and he may sign books afterwards, depending on the COVID-19 situation. Alexander’s books include the Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade novel “The Crossover” (and is writer and executive producer of “The Crossover” TV series on Disney+), the Newbery Honor-winning picture book “The Undefeated,” “Swing,” “Becoming Muhammad Ali” (co-authored with James Patterson), “Booked” (long-listed for the National Book Award), and “Rebound” (shortlisted for the UK Carnegie Medal and The Caldecott Medal).
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Alexander's other honors include The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he founded the publishing imprint VERSIFY and opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded.
When: 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center, 744 W. Main St., Hyannis
Admission: $20 for adults, $10 for age 18 and under
Registration and information: https://www.cultural-center.org/ or 508-394-7100
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Bartenders compete with hometown cocktails
Who makes the best Cape Codder cocktail on Cape Cod? A contest Monday will have five local bartenders mixing vodka, cranberry juice and garnishes as they compete in the “Cape Codder Cocktail Classic.” The votes and proceeds are a way to benefit the Art Westfall Foundation that financially assists hospitality workers in the region who face tragic, unforeseen situations.
When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Outdoor Pavilion at Cape Cod Coffee, 53 Market St., Mashpee (Mashpee Commons)
Admission: $10; $35 for VIP Fast Pass Admission and swag bag
Information: https://bit.ly/CapeCodder2022; https://www.artwestfallfoundation.org/
Bird expert to talk about spring migration
Naturalist Phil Kyle will present a talk on “Spring Migrants,” a term that describes 80% of birds that can be seen on Cape Cod. Kyle will use a lecture and slides to share information about the birds physiology, what migrants look like, their categories, and why they don’t stay in the tropics. Kyle’s background includes being a teacher at Barnstable High School, director of education for the South Shore Natural Science Center, president of the Cape Cod Bird Club, head naturalist at Green Briar Nature Center and Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, and interpretive park ranger at Cape Cod National Seashore.
When: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 25
Where: The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main St., Brewster
Admission: $10
Reservations and information: https://www.ccmnh.org/
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Climate activism spotlighted through art exhibit
The Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative and the Cultural Center of Cape Cod will debut “Climate Emergency,” a fundraising exhibition of 58 new paintings by climate activist Barry Margolin of Yarmouth. Margolin is on the collaborative’s board of directors and says that “threats from extreme weather and coastal flooding make Cape Cod ground zero in the climate crisis,” making it “a defining challenge for this and future generations.” The show, which advances the center’s activist stance of using art as a powerful tool for change, is free to view, with proceeds of the art sales benefiting the work of the Climate Collaborative. The opening reception will also celebrate other concurrent art exhibits: “The Chi of Cape Cod,” acrylic abstracts with Chinese characters by Donald Gauland; “New Works 2022,” paintings by Joyce Frederick; “Out of Order,” four consecutive solo exhibitions in four weeks, by Nate Olin; and “See What I Mean?,” a collection of work by Mashpee artist Ric Haynes and the black-and-white images of Woods Hole photographer Mark Chester.
When: open reception 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 26; climate change exhibit on view May 25-June 18; artist’s reception 2 to 4 p.m. June 4
Where: Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth
Admission: Free
Information: https://www.cultural-center.org/
Local authors launch new books
“An Evening with Authors Liz Michalski and Lindsey Palmer” will celebrate the recent launch of new books by both local authors as part of the “Books and Buzz” series co-hosted by Brewster Book Store and Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters. The two authors will discuss their journeys in the literary world, their writing process and their latest novels, Michalski’s “Darling Girl” (a magical modern-day reimagining of “Peter Pan”) and Palmer’s “Reservations for Six” (a page-turned about modern marriage and a tight-knit group of friends navigating their 30s and beyond). There will be a Q&A and book-signing.
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 26
Where: Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters, 2624 Main St., Brewster
Cost: $20 (includes admission and a drink)
Information: 508-896-6543, brewsterbookstore.com
Shattuck and Glass to talk about books at FAWC
To celebrate the publications of Ben Shattuck’s new book, “Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau” (Tin House), and Julia Glass’ “Vigil Harbor” (Pantheon), Twenty Summers and Fine Arts Work Center, both in Provincetown, will co-host a conversation between the authors. In his debut nonfiction work, Shattuck took a loaf of bread, a brick of cheese and a notebook and followed the path that writer Henry David Thoreau took in 1849 on the Cape’s outer beaches, from the elbow to Provincetown’s fingertip. In Glass’ “Vigil Harbor,” two unexpected visitors threaten the equilibrium of a coastal village already confronting climate instability. Glass is the National Book Award–winning, best-selling author of “Three Junes,” and her other books include “A House Among the Trees,” and “The Widower’s Tale.”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 26
Where: Fine Arts Work Center, 24 Pearl St., Provincetown
Admission: Free
Information: https://www.eventbrite.com/
Shapiro to talk about Cambridge-set book
Titcomb's Bookshop and the Sandwich Public Library will present author B.A. Shapiro to talk about her latest novel, “Metropolis,” and sign copies of her book. Shapiro, bestselling author of “The Art Forger,” has written a novel of psychological suspense that follows six people whose lives intersect when a harrowing accident occurs at a storage warehouse in Cambridge and they must reevaluate their lives.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 26
Where: Sandwich Public Library, 142 Main St.
Cost: Free
Registration (required): https://www.titcombsbookshop.com/event/ba-shapiro-metropolis, 508-888-2331
To submit an event for consideration as a Best Bet, contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod things to do: Books, music, cats, cocktails, shanties, dance
