Walks, sharks, Ukraine concerts & a famous author: 10 (-ish) top things to do on Cape Cod June 3-9
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Some top ideas for things to do this week are widely varied. If you feel you want to do something to help the troubles in the world, musicians continue to rally to help the Ukrainian people, with two concerts this weekend as benefits for those affected by the Russian invasion.
If you want to get outside, Barnstable is celebrating National Trails Day all weekend with lots of options for hiking or biking around town. Other highlights include art shows, a Phish tribute, an exhibit by rug hookers, a show on jazz history, a night of improv comedy, a shark talk by a top expert, and a chance to meet and learn from bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick. Take a look:
Walks and more to mark National Trails Day
Two groups in Barnstable will mark Saturday’s National Trails Day with three days of events centering on enjoying conservation areas around town. Those include eight hikes guided by members of the Barnstable Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee that include native pollinator gardens at Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, the Marstons Mills River Headwaters Restoration, Barnstable Village, sites in Cotuit, and a Hyannis path to the beach. Barnstable Land Trust will host a talk Friday night about its work, and on Sunday will hold the 38-mile Tour de Barnstable Charity Bike Ride with a seven-village route that passes by many Trust trails.
When: various times Friday through Sunday
Where: conservation trails and roads around Barnstable
Admission: varies
Information: https://blt.org/events; https://tourdebarnstable.com/; 508-862-4678, https://www.townofbarnstable.us/boardscommittees/LandAcquisitionandPreservation/
Artists open new Provincetown shows
The busy art scene and gallery stroll in Provincetown will include new shows this weekend by Chris Firger at Gallery 444, Maggie Simonelli at Gary Marotta Fine Art and Peter Chao at Captain’s Daughters Sundries & Tea Bar. Firger’s work will be a pop-up exhibit of contemporary Cape Cod life that includes "Woods Hole Workday," "Commercial Street Gold" and "The Rescue of the Carrabassett" that depicts the New Bedford fishing vessel that was grounded in Truro for a week in December 2021. Simonelli's translucent "Water & Pearls" paintings use paints handmade from beeswax. Chao’s “Waves and Dunes” includes 20 fiber art pieces, contemporary abstract seascapes made with yarn, inspired by Taiwan and Provincetown.
When: Firger’s exhibit Friday, June 3 through Tuesday, June 7; reception for Chao from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, with show continuing through June; reception for Simonelli's work 7-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, show runs through June 30
Where: Provincetown: Gallery 444, 444 Commercial St.; Gary Marotta Fine Art, 162 Commercial St.; Captain’s Daughters, 384 Commercial St.
Information: https://www.gallery444ptown.com/; https://garymarottafineart.com/; www.peterchao.art and https://www.captainsdaughters.com/
Beer garden concerts include tribute band
We Are Hydrogen, a Phish tribute band, will make its debut at the Cape Cod Beer beer garden Friday as part of a summer concert series. Beer and BBQ will be available. All ages are welcome.
When: doors open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, concert at 7 p.m.
Where: Cape Cod Beer, 1336 Phinney’s Lane, Hyannis
Tickets (standing room only guaranteed for general admission): $15 per seat; $10 general admission in advance, $15 at the door
Reservations and information: https://capecodbeer.com/
Skylark to perform Rachmaninoff as Ukraine benefit
Three-time Grammy-Award-nominated Skylark vocal ensemble will perform Rachmaninoff's Vespers in Sandwich as a benefit for Ukrainian refugees. Assisting will be soloists Jonas Budris (tenor) and Luthien Brackett (alto), as well as basso profundos Glenn Miller and Eric Alatorre. There will be a pre-concert talk with artistic director Matthew Guard. The concerts and those Skylark is performing off-Cape this weekend mark the third time the group has performed what it says is “widely regarded as the a cappella masterwork of the 20th century.” Skylark will be singing from a new edition completed by Guard, and Skylark soprano Fotina Naumenko this spring after nearly a decade of work.
Guard notes that Rachmaninoff composed the piece in 1915 during a time of gathering violence of WWI and fled Russia for America two years later, never to return. “I believe that it could be a particularly meaningful performance for Americans who are firmly against the actions of Putin’s government,“ he says.
When: 7 p.m. Friday (talk at 6:15 p.m.)
Where: Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Road, Sandwich
Tickets: $60 premium / $40 general admission / $20 students and music educators
Reservations and information: https://www.skylarkensemble.org/rachmaninoffvespers2022.html
Coming up: 'A beacon of hope': A Jackie Kennedy portrait, a summer music series and more arts news
Rug hookers hold exhibit and demonstrations
The Cranberry Rug Hookers will hold their biennial rug show, offering an exhibit of hand-hooked rugs, demonstrations, opportunities to try rug-hooking, vendors and refreshments. The group is celebrating its 30th anniversary as members of the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists with a special exhibit of small rugs featuring cranberries.
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4
Where: Harwich Community Center, 100 Oak St.
Information: 707-299-7430, cranberryrughookers@gmail.com may be listed.
Learn about the history of jazz
Drummer Bart Weisman with his band (Steve Hambleton on guitar and Ron Ormsby on bass) will present a talk and performance on “A Century of Jazz (1922-2022)." The event will include all styles of jazz with audience participation, based on the Provincetown Jazz Festival — Jazz in the Schools Program. Weisman performs across the Cape with various jazz groups and is executive director and performer for the jazz festival.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Cape Cod Museum of Art, 60 Hope Lane, Dennis
Tickets: $18, $15 for members, free for age 17 and under
Reservations and information: https://www.ccmoa.org/
Where to walk: Hiking Cape Cod: The Great Island Trail in Wellfleet
Concert aims to help Ukraine victims of war
Ana Glig & Friends will perform a "Benefit Concert for Ukraine" as a way to try to help relieve the “anguish, horror and suffering for the people of Ukraine” caused by the ongoing Russian invasion. The program will include music by Fauré, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Barber and Zhivotovskaya. Performers will include Ana Glig, piano; Timothy Paek, cello; Marya Rindenello Spraker, harp; Alex Borkowski, piano; Kristin Howard, voice; James Rosenblum, piano; Carl Gutowski, flute; and Jared Mcmurray, piano. The musicians say they are advocating for peace and solidarity with the victims of the war as they condemn the actions of the Russian government. Funds raised will be donated to the U.S.-based nonprofit Nova Ukraine. Donations may also be made online.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church, 625 Main St., Chatham
Admission: $25
Tickets and information: https://www.eventbrite.com/
To donate: https://www.facebook.com/donate/538072587730016
Coming up: A Broadway/TV star, CCTP's female writers, a big dance anniversary & more arts news
Audience steers the comedy at Wellfleet improv show
The IMPROVincetown improv comedy troupe will present its Spring Fling Comedy Show, using audience suggestions to create original skits. Performers are locals Katie Pentedemos, Eric Scholl and Justin O’Connor.
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 8
Where: Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Admission: $15 (tickets from canceled April 16 show will be honored)
Author Philbrick to discuss ‘Travels with George’ in Mashpee
Bestselling Nantucket author Nathaniel Philbrick will be the guest and speaker for a fundraiser luncheon for the Friends of Mashpee Library. He will talk about his most recent book, “Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy,” which was just released in paperback. The book chronicles Philbrick’s own travels in fall 2018 to retrace the first president’s visits to all 13 former colonies and reflects on Washington’s legacy. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event, courtesy of Titcomb’s Book Shop, and Philbrick will sign books after his talk. Philbrick’s other books include “In the Heart of the Sea,” winner of the National Book Award; “Mayflower,” finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; “Valiant Ambition,” winner of the George Washington Prize; and “Bunker Hill,” winner of the New England Book Award.
When: noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 9
Where: Willowbend Country Club, 100 Willowbend Drive, Mashpee
Tickets: $75
Reservations and information:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nathaniel-philbrick-luncheon-tickets-344872120797 and titcombsbookshop.com.
Shark expert to discuss summer ahead
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will present a “White Shark Research Update” with Greg Skomal, who leads the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. For the last 13 years, Skomal has been studying the life history, ecology and behavior of white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod and beyond and has tagged more than 280 white sharks with a variety of new technologies. There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres for the first half-hour, followed by the talk.
When: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 9
Where: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main St., Brewster
Tickets: $60 (proceeds benefit museum’s education programs)
Reservations (required) and information: https://www.ccmnh.org/; information: 508-896-3867 ext. 133
To have your event considered for Best Bets, send information to bestbets@capecodonline.com at least two weeks before the CapeWeek publication. Contact editor Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod things to do: Walks, sharks, Ukraine, Nathaniel Philbrick
