Learn calligraphy and chat with Hank Phillippi Ryan: Nine things to do Feb. 24 to March 3

Take a look through our "best bets" for things to do between Feb. 24 and March 3.

Just a waddle away

Nature Screen at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster will present "March of the Penguins" at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, as school vacation week draws to a close. The G-rated film runs 80 minutes and is suitable for all audiences.

"March of the Penguins" follows the Emperor penguins' annual quest in the Antarctic to find the perfect mate and start a family.

"'March of the Penguins' tells the story of one year in the life of a flock ― focusing on one couple in particular ― as the penguins trek across the Antarctic on an annual journey that invokes just about every major life experience: from birth to death, from dating to mating, from comedy to tragedy, and from love to fighting for survival," according to museum publicity.

The film is free with museum admission of $7 for children 3 to 12 (free for 2 and younger) and $15 for adults. More info: 508-896-3867, ext. 133.

Food, drink, calligraphy class and New England-based novelists Kristan Higgins and Lucy Keating at Wequassett Resort

To celebrate Wequassett Resort’s re-opening as a year-round hotel, the resort is hosting a Revel in Romance Literary Weekend.  Love Letters advice columnist and podcast host Meredith Goldstein will moderate a weekend of romance novelists and more at Wequassett Resort & Golf Club from Feb. 24-26. Guests will hear Goldstein chat with New England-based romance novelists Kristan Higgins and Lucy Keating, whose books focus on love and HEAs (that’s “happy ever afters” in romance speak). The Treat Yourself to Romance Novels experience will also feature food, drink and a calligraphy class.

Black History Month free virtual screening: Before Oprah, Before Arsenio, there was Mr. Soul!

The Woods Hole Film Festival’s winter film series continues with a free virtual screening of the award-winning feature documentary "MR. SOUL!" by Melissa Haizlip. The free virtual screening is available from Feb. 25 through March 3, as part of Black History Month. The screening is made possible in part by a grant from the Falmouth Cultural Council.  Tickets are available by registering at www.woodsholefilmfestival.org.

The festival's description of "MR. SOUL!" is that it "tells the story of SOUL! the variety show devoted to the African American experience, and of Ellis Haizlip, the producer whose broad vision helped to define it. Haizlip was the host and executive producer of SOUL!, the first 'Black Tonight Show.'"

Launched as a local, New York broadcast in 1968, it spoke to the "vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement" and was picked up a year later to play nationwide on PBS. "By 1973, Haizlip had produced over 130 hour-long shows featuring a dazzling array of A-list guests: Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, James Baldwin, Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou, Ashford and Simpson, Nikki Giovanni, Al Green and Muhammad Ali (and) even a 16-year-old Arsenio Hall doing magic tricks."

Melissa Haizlip, Woods Hole Film Festival alumnus, is an award-winning filmmaker who in 2009 founded Shoes In The Bed Productions, an independent film company producing non-fiction with an "emphasis on diverse new voices and filmmakers of color."

Talk with author Hank Phillippi Ryan at the Sandwich Public Library

Titcomb's Bookshop and the Sandwich Public Library will host author Hank Phillipi Ryan ("Her Perfect Life," "Trust Me") to talk about her new novel, "The House Guest" at 6:30 p.m. March 2 at the library. This is a free event; registration is required and space is limited. Registration can be completed on titcombsbookshop.com or by calling the store at 508-888-2331.

Volunteer at the butterfly house or mud kitchen with Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster is holding a volunteer fair from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. Participants may sign up for field guide training, learn about summer opportunities in the butterfly house and mud kitchen, and year-round positions like Science Shop cashier, aquarium docent, Science Lab attendant, and bee or bird interpreter. Some volunteers also help with grounds maintenance and special events. !

To register, call 508-896-3867 ext. 133. For more information, email Barbara Knoss at bknoss@ccmnh.org

Orleans exhibits student artwork from Nauset Middle School, Nauset Regional High School and Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School

The Annual National Youth Art Month Exhibit will be held at Orleans Town Hall March 4–31 during regular business hours. The show, sponsored by the Orleans Cultural Council, will showcase artwork created by regional students. Featured schools are Nauset Middle School in Orleans, Nauset Regional High School in Eastham, and the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Harwich.

Curated by art teachers from each of the schools, the exhibit will feature student work in a variety of media, from painting and printmaking to drawing and jewelry-making. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Orleans Town Hall to celebrate the students, teachers, and their accomplishments. The public is invited to attend the free event, which will include light refreshments.

The show, started 11 years ago by the Orleans Cultural Council, returns after a two-year hiatus because of COVID.

Hyannis Film Festival kicks off late winter Movies on Main Street

The Hyannis Film Festival kicks off its late winter series of Movies on Main Street March 2 with the 1979 coming-of-age film "Breaking Away." The series is focused on themes of obsession and passion with every Thursday movies that include: "Wild Rose" (2018), the story of a Scottish woman’s passion for country music; the explosive and groundbreaking drama "Boyz N the Hood" (1991), the heartwarming story "The Way" (2018),about a grieving father’s pilgrimage to honor his son; and the acclaimed thriller "Day of the Jackal" (1973).

Movies will be shown at 7 p.m. each Thursday in Friendship Hall at the Federated Church, on Main Street in Hyannis. Discussion follows each movie. Advance tickets are $12 for each movie or $50 for a series patron's pass. Students 18 and younger are free with an ID. Tickets: hyannisfilmfestival.eventbrite.com, or at the door.

Retirement, making friends and finding medical providers: Men helping men at Wellfleet Adult Community Center

The Men's Group at the Wellfleet Adult Community Center is regrouping after winter break and new members are welcome.  The group gathers next from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Thursday, March 2.

"We are a group of guys who support one another in adjusting to the usual stresses of life. We talk about being retired, making friends, finding medical providers, caring for elderly family members, etc. Even if you are without worries, life has a way of throwing us curve-balls," organizers write in a notice about the group.

More info or to enroll: 508-349-2800

Gardening and landscape knowledge in Brewster and Dennis

Janice Dill, curator of the Shirley G. Cross Historic Wildflower Garden at Green Briar Nature Center, will host the 2023 Gardening for Life series with experts in gardening and landscape design. There are four Sunday programs at 1 p.m., with all at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster except the March 19 session.

The series kicks off March 5 with the PBS documentary, "Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes," which explores the life of America’s first female landscape architect. Following the film there will be a Q&A with Dill.

Sunday, March 12: "Friends with Benefits: Helping Native Insect Pollinators in a Residential Landscape"with Blake Dinius, entomologist extension educator

March 19 at the Cape Cinema, 35 Hope Lane, Dennis: "The Life and Gardens of Beatrix Farrand," a 40 -minute documentary film by Karyl Evans, six-time Emmy Award winning director, writer, editor, and producer of more than 100 historical documentaries over the past 30 years. The film takes viewers across the country exploring Farrand’s most spectacular gardens including Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Bar Harbor, Maine. Following the screening there will be a Q&A with Evans. (Weather date: March 26)

Sunday, April 2: "Ecological Land Design"with Alex Kent of Kent Land Design in Wellfleet. As owner, creator, and manager of design projects, Kent specializes in creating artful spaces that reflect local ecology, provide habitat, manage storm water, and regenerate natural systems.

Tickets, which do not include museum admission, for the series are $75 or $20 for each event: www.ccmnh.org

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Things to do on Cape Cod: Penguins, gardening, movies and art