A collection of mouthwatering creations from SandwichFest 2016

What’s so great about SandwichFest? To begin, attendees can vote for their favorites in the “Best Sandwich in Sandwich” competition, where local businesses vie for the “Best Sandwich” crown. Appetizing entries over the years have included lobster rolls, chicken salad, pulled pork and other traditional offerings as well as savory creations like smoked duck and pear. It’s a sandwich-lover’s scene.

Next, the festival, which is hosted annually by the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce and scheduled for Saturday, June 24, is a lot more than simply bread-meats-bread. Throughout the festivities, Route 130 in Sandwich, near Shawme Pond, is pedestrian-only and vendors line both sides of the street to exhibit their artwork, crafts, and other wares.

Finally, according to Jay Pateakos, the chamber’s executive director, the festival always inspires a lot of laughs. He recalls the year Café Chew, a multiple-year winner, submitted a fun new creation: The Chewbaca. Another year, Ice Cream Sandwich presented an eponymous entry, which was certainly the year’s sweetest. And when the sandwich competition wraps up each year, attendees turn their attention to hot dogs— those marching in the annual pet parade that is. “People dress their pets up and there’s a judging competition,” Pateakos says. “The DJ plays “Who let the dogs out,” and the dogs march up Route 130.”

To get your taste buds primed for SandwichFest 2017, we reached out to a number of establishments that took part in last year’s event, asking them to provide the recipes for their inspired creations. The collection includes last year’s two contest winners and more that we think you’ll enjoy. In addition to the three recipes in these pages, we have posted five more to our website, stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud.

This year’s festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Three separate tasting sessions will be held, one each at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. For $20, participants can enjoy six good-sized sandwich portions, a bag of chips and bottled water.

Check out these recipes featured on the Cape Cod Life recipe page!

The BLTCB: Holly Ridge Golf Club

The Hercules: Tomatoes Italian Grille & Bar

The Sweet Elvis: Marshland Too Restaurant & Bakery

Curried Chicken Salad Croissant: Cafe Chew

Mini Tuna Burrito: Pilot House Restaurant & Lounge

The Crunchy Club: Meetinghouse Package Store

The Puritan: Beth’s Bakery & Café

Uncle Lumpy: British Beer Company

More information about SandwichFest can be found at sandwichchamber.com.

The post Recipes from the Best Sandwich in Sandwich competition appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

The historic Sandwich Boardwalk – Photo by Charles Sternaimolo

The town of Sandwich is a special place. From its picturesque homes and historic downtown to its incredible cultural venues and natural landscapes, Sandwich has much to offer. For two days in September of 2016, photographer Charles Sternaimolo and I set out to explore and experience as much of the town as we could take in. From daybreak to sunset, we explored the Sandwich Boardwalk and the Cape Cod Canal, perused the offerings at the Sandwich Glass Museum and Heritage Museums & Gardens, and visited fine restaurants and historic sites all over town. We shot more than 1,000 photos, interviewed 40 business owners, locals, and visitors, and learned a little bit about this unique Cape Cod community. Folks we met along the way described the town as “wonderful,” “friendly,” and “historic,” and Sandwich resident Colin Crane went a little further, saying the town “makes Mayberry look like a metropolis.” You be the judge. We hope you enjoy this photo essay on the town of Sandwich.

Our first stop was at the Sandwich Glass Museum, where Katharine Campbell, the museum’s director, gave us a tour. “Glass is one of those unique art forms that is both functional and beautiful,” Campbell says. “The glassblowing is probably the most popular part of our experience. You get to interact with the glassblower, ask him or her questions. It’s akin to watching a painter painting in an art museum.”

Alongside a bus group tour from Illinois, we learned that sand is the most important ingredient in glassmaking, and that the color of the finished glass is determined by the addition of metals, such as silver or copper, to the mix. Iron is used to make green or emerald-colored glass, which is rare and rather valuable, and Campbell adds that many people associate cranberry colored glass, which is made with a small amount of metallic gold, with Cape Cod.

Campbell says visitors are often surprised by how large the museum is, and that it’s accessible to children. “Kids,” she says, “find fire and molten glass just endlessly fascinating.” In 2016, the museum hosted “Glass Impressions,” an exhibit of glasswork created by local artisans with the goal of interpreting different paintings.

Just around the corner, we met Richard and Jody Horner exploring Main Street. The retired couple from Salem, Oregon was visiting the Cape for the first time as part of a lengthy road trip. “This is how we envisioned New England to look like,” Jody says of Sandwich. “And we’re pleasantly surprised.”

Dexter’s Grist Mill – Photo by Charles Sternaimolo

At Beth’s Bakery & Café, we eyed a number of treats including strawberry shortcake and cranberry apple bars. If patrons could try just one confection, we asked baker and executive pastry chef, Tom Lannan, which one should it be? Lannan suggested either a chocolate éclair or a Bismarck. “A Bismarck,” he says, “is a doughnut. They used to call them long johns. It’s split open—and filled with raspberries and whipped cream.” Lannan, who began baking at 14 and studied at Ecole Le Notre outside Paris, has been working in kitchens a teaspoon over 55 years. He describes Sandwich as a tranquil town with a healthy serving of tourists in summer. “It’s got the best of everything,” he says. “For me, working here every day is like a holiday.”

Sitting on a bench in front of The Weather Store on Main, we met three generations of one local family: Nancy Fitch, her daughter Trina Desruisseaux, and Trina’s son Jacob. Nancy moved to town in 1979. “I love the quaintness, I like the architecture, and I love the people,” she says. During the holidays the family often gathers at Nancy’s home, fishes in Shawme Pond, and listens to the town band perform at the Sandwich Bandstand. To celebrate birthdays, the moms in the family usually dine at the Dunbar Tea Room.

During our time in town we had the good fortune to eat at Fishermen’s View and Café Chew, and don’t forget, for a hearty breakfast, the Marshland Too! Nancy Fitch also recommended Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, which her other daughter, Carrie Yetman, owns, as well as Captain Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, The Pilot House, and The Dan’l Webster Inn.

Another tasty option is The Dan’l Webster Inn, which has three restaurants, including The Tavern, a cozy pub with a rustic, old-timey décor. It’s a good spot to enjoy a meal and watch a game, or sip on an Old Fashioned. “Customers like coming here,” says bartender Cheyne Keene. “It’s quaint, it’s been here for awhile, and it’s within walking distance if you’re staying in the village.”

Speaking of walking, mornings at the Sandwich Boardwalk are a fresh-air flurry of activity. There are runners and cyclists, and lots of walkers and dogs stretching their legs. The historic boardwalk, which allows visitors to cross Mill Creek and the marsh to get to Town Neck Beach, has sustained a good amount of damage in storms over the years, but replacement planks are always installed—most sponsored by local individuals and “dedicated” to certain groups or loved ones. Some fun ones we saw included “Hilda and Salty,” “Sandwich Dive Hogs,” “The Curtis Clan,” and “The Jackson 4.”

At the boardwalk, we met a group heading out with Justin Aldrich of ECOtourz. In the summer, the company rents kayaks at the boardwalk and hosts guided kayaking tours around the creek. The tours focus on the history of Sandwich as well as the ecology of the estuary the group paddles through. “This is a very special waterway,” Aldrich says, describing how the creek has components of both fresh and salt water environments, and is home to osprey, striped bass, razor clams, and various other wildlife species. While offering paddling instructions, Aldrich also comments on how the town was really built up around the creek. Aldrich started ECOtourz a decade ago with the goal of showing visitors what local folks do in town when they’re not working: “kayak” he says, “and beach it.”

A canal-side ride. The canal is a popular spot for cycling, walking, rollerblading and watching the sunset. Photo by Charles Sternaimolo

Located on Route 6A, Titcomb’s Book Shop celebrates its silver anniversary in 2017. Ralph and Nancy Titcomb founded the company in Connecticut in 1967, before moving the business to the Cape in 1969. “I think Sandwich is a wonderful community,” Nancy Titcomb says, “and we’ve been very much a part of it.” Originally, the business sold mainly rare and out-of-print books, but over the years the retail offerings have been expanded, and visitors today will find new releases alongside Cape Cod classics such as The Outermost House by Henry Beston.

Today, Ralph and Nancy’s daughter Vicky Titcomb runs the store, and granddaughter Rae Titcomb is on the staff. Vicky’s brother (and Rae’s father) Ted Titcomb sculpted the recognizable “Colonial Man” (check name of this) that stands on the front lawn when he was a student at Sandwich High years ago. The sculpture is one of the icons of Route 6A.

Traveling further east, we stopped at The Bird Barn Gallery, artist Alfred Glover’s studio and shop overlooking the marsh. The artist was not on hand, but his work was everywhere: on the roof we spied a colorful lineup of carved chickens with an alligator chasing them, and around the property we saw a carved blue snake climbing up a bird bath. There’s also a comfortable seating area for visitors to take in both the artwork and the marsh.

Searching for East Sandwich Beach, we found a row of cottages on North Shore Boulevard that stood out for two reasons: their appearance (attractive) and their size (miniscule). All sided in grey, the cottages each feature a different color for their shutters and trim, whether light blue, blue, lavender, yellow, white, mint green, and more.

Heritage Museums & Gardens is a colorful spot to visit any time from April through October, but we just happened to be visiting in summer, when everything was in full bloom. “We call ourselves a place where families can come,” says Amy Dean, Heritage’s director of marketing and communications. “It’s a way for families to make connections. There’s something here for everyone.”

We strolled around the property, which boasts 100 acres of gardens, trees and flowers, an extreme ropes course, and a magical flume fountain—which Dean says is a great spot to enjoy lunch. “This,” she says, “is a gardener’s paradise.” The various layouts are meant to inspire gardeners, and Dean says Josiah K. Lilly, III, the man who donated the land to establish Heritage in the first place, “wanted this to be an outreach museum for education.”

Town Neck Beach – Photo by Charles Sternaimolo

Another major draw is the museum’s classic car collection, most of which were autos from Lilly’s own collection. The 40 or so immaculate vintage automobiles—some more than a century old—are housed within an impressive replica Shaker Round Barn. Dean’s favorite is a 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster, and she enjoys watching visitors “interact” with the cars and often asks them what their first car was—“and they smile and remember.” While we spoke, a group of Maryland visitors posed for a photo in a 1913 Model T Ford.

At the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center, Samantha Gray, park ranger and the center’s manager, pointed out a display monitor that shows all of the vessels approaching and traveling through the canal—the Cape’s 103-year-old manmade waterway. “I like how dynamic the canal is,” says Gray. “It’s fun to be able to see what’s coming and going.” In addition to boats and ships, Gray says she regularly sees wildlife in the canal, from cormorants and seals to dolphins and whales.

The visitor center is open daily from May through October, and welcomes about 45,000 visitors per year. Exhibits include a timeline of the canal’s development over the years, a 3-D canal model featuring all three bridges, and educational displays on the international maritime alphabet and how to tie common knots used in shipping, such as the bowline. There’s also a gift shop with canal postcards, books, and other souvenirs.

In the marina, we stopped in at Fishermen’s View, the new-in-2016 restaurant and seafood market owned by brothers Robert and Denny Colbert. The Colberts are both Mass. Maritime graduates and well seasoned commercial fishermen. The company has a water tank that holds 26,000 pounds of lobster and crabs, and guests walking in the front door are welcomed by an attractive, custom-built wooden skiff. “This is a boat-to-table concept,” Robert Colbert says. “Seafood, if it’s fresh, is just unbelievable.” In the market, patrons can find everything from crab cakes and lobster meat to halibut and mahi mahi. Elizabeth Colbert, the company’s chief operating officer and Robert’s daughter, says one of the most popular dishes on the restaurant menu is the seared scallops in corn and crab risotto with basil oil. Another dish, the lobster fra diavolo for two, comes with a 2-lb. grilled lobster, shrimp, mussels, littlenecks, and homemade pasta in a spicy red sauce.

Pulling up to the canal to watch the sun set over the Sagamore Bridge, we navigated cyclists and walkers who had a similar idea. Eventually, we saw Brian Nunes and David Gerber, two recreational lobstermen, baiting their traps along the rocks. Their work is labor-intensive—and we observed it from a safe distance—but Nunes says he enjoys it, especially when he gets to transfer his catch to the grill as soon as he makes it home.

The post Sandwich Photo Essay: A slice of life in one of Cape Cod’s prettiest towns appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Photo by Henry and Mac Photo Company

If wedding bells are in your future, and you’re looking to save the date and then celebrate, flip through the following pages in our special 2017 wedding section. We’ve designed the section to be engaging, inspirational, and informative—and we think you’re going to enjoy it.

To begin, Maggie Corcoran Seitz shares a firsthand account of her wedding at Brewster’s Ocean Edge Resort last summer. Maggie and her husband, Eric, each spent a lot of time on Cape Cod growing up, enjoying many fun summers with their families. For their wedding, the couple dreamed of marrying on the Cape and celebrating their big day with a party—and all of their many family members.   

Next, we feature seven fantastic venues on Cape Cod, the Islands, and the South Coast that can offer couples the wedding of their dreams. From The Rye Tavern in Plymouth, to the Woods Hole Golf Club, to The Wauwinet on Nantucket, these resorts and establishments are stunning and serene—and they’re great spots for a celebration.

Finally, we highlight 12 additional “venues” that can make your wedding truly one of a kind. Ever thought of saying “I do” on the grounds of Truro Vineyards? How about getting hitched aboard the Cape Cod Central Railroad? Or setting out on your life’s next chapter, under sail, aboard The Black Dog Tall Ships? Intrigued? Read on. —Matthew J. Gill

Couple’s wedding at Ocean Edge was a celebration of loved ones, friendship, and food!

Seven local venues offer couples the wedding of their dreams

Twelve more Cape & Islands venues that can make your wedding truly one of a kind

Additional online content featuring more Cape & Islands venues

Seven local venues offer couples the wedding of their dreams

South Shore wedding venue

Rye Tavern: Toast your next chapter at the Rye Tavern

Nestled within Plymouth’s attractive Pinehills village, the Rye Tavern offers couples an authentic rustic experience for weddings and rehearsal dinners. The tavern, originally built in 1792 as the Cornish Tavern, is laden with history—John Adams once visited—and embodies old New England charm with its original exposed beams, wood flooring and brick fireplaces. To event director Molly Kivi, the Rye offers guests a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

“Because we’re in an intimate setting down a dirt road and in a historical building, everybody feels like they’re at home,” Kivi says. For weddings, she notes that the intimate nature of the tavern, which is sited on one acre of land, allows couples to fully enjoy their experience with family and friends. “Not only can people enjoy a wedding in the middle of the woods,” she says, “but there’s also an added sense of peacefulness here. It’s beautiful to see kids running around near the gardens and all of the flowers.”

The vegetable gardens on the property, along with seasonally fresh, locally sourced produce, provide a true farm-to-table culinary experience. Some of the tavern’s most popular dinner offerings include Hanger Steak with Herb Marmalade, Braised Bacon Potatoes, Grilled Cauliflower and Roasted Jalapeño Butter, and Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Caramelized Carrot Potato Cake. Kivi says the Rye is also known for its specialty cocktails, like the “Pre-Prohibition Old Fashioned” made with Pikesville rye whiskey. “Couples can rely on the fact that their food and drinks are going to be absolutely phenomenal,” Kivi says.

For wedding receptions, which are held on the lawn and can be tented, the Rye can accommodate up to 130 guests. Attendees can warm themselves by the heated outdoor bar and the patio fire pit. Ceremonies are also held outdoors, either in front of the tavern with the rye field across the street as a backdrop, or adjacent to the gardens.

Rye Tavern • 517 Old Sandwich Road, Plymouth • 508-591-7515 • ryetavern.com

Upper Cape wedding venue

Woods Hole Golf Club: Something old, something new: Woods Hole Golf Club hosts weddings, too!

Photo by Shore Shotz Photography

What’s old is new again at the Woods Hole Golf Club. After five years of planning and rebuilding, the private club opened the doors to its new and improved clubhouse in 2016, having rebuilt the 1921 structure into a first-rate gathering place for today’s members and guests.

“If you looked at an Adirondack chair and said, ‘I want to build a house around that,’ that’s what we accomplished here,” says general manager Michael Lawrence. “We took the simplicity of the Adirondack chair, a symbol of relaxation, and built a club that represents that but still has a lot of class.”

With a grand center staircase that beckons visitors to ascend, two separate dining wings with their own porches, an elegant arrival court that moonlights as a wedding ceremony space, and commanding views of the golf course and Buzzards Bay, the large clubhouse achieves modesty with its casual atmosphere. Further, it was designed to accommodate both club members and special events. “You can say we’re not in the wedding business, we’re in the member business,” Lawrence says. “But we want all of our guests to feel like members when they’re here and enjoy the same experience.”

To celebrate a wedding at the club, a club member must first sponsor a couple, and Lawrence says that his staff can help with this process. Receptions are held on the second floor and can accommodate up to 125 guests. The subtle décor, including nautical paintings, and an adjoining porch with heating and air conditioning, makes for an intimate, cozy environment that doesn’t feel like a ballroom.

“We refer to this clubhouse as ‘the new icon,’” Lawrence says. “We believe the whole experience here—the building, the view, the locally sourced food, and the arrival that establishes a sense of place—is the new standard for private clubs and venues for the next 50 years on Cape Cod.”

Woods Hole Golf Club • 130 Quissett Avenue, Woods Hole • 508-540-1899 • woodsholegolfclub.com

Mid Cape wedding venue

Cape Codder Resort & Spa: Weddings, restaurants, and a one-of-a-kind water park

For the ultimate wedding experience, brides- and grooms-to-be, as well as their families and friends, can enjoy all that the Cape Codder Resort & Spa has to offer. From the 30,000-square-foot water park and full-service Beach Plum Spa, to live entertainment and three onsite restaurants, the Hyannis resort offers a luxurious retreat for guests and a customizable, year-round wedding experience for couples.

“We can do anything couples want,” says Deb Catania, vice president of Catania Hospitality Group, which owns the resort. “We have a lot of flexibility, and we want to make their wedding fit their vision of their big day.”

To begin, couples can choose to have their ceremony at the Cape Codder—whether indoors in one of four function rooms, or outdoors in the new Garden Terrace, surrounded by hydrangeas and roses. “When you’re in the terrace, you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere else,” says Catania, who adds that the space can also be used to host rehearsal dinners and cocktail hours for up to 200 guests. Resort staff can even coordinate a beach ceremony to be held nearby, providing transportation to and from the Cape Codder. Prior to the ceremony, the staff at the Beach Plum Spa is available to help brides and their bridal parties look and feel their best.

For receptions, couples can dine and dance in the grand ballroom or in one of the resort’s smaller function rooms. Whether they’re looking for a casual clambake or an elegant meal featuring filet mignon or lobster, Catania says the resort’s executive chefs can create a culinary experience tailored to any couple’s taste. After the reception, guests can enjoy a nightcap at the resort’s Grand Cru Wine Bar & Grill.

Whereas some hotels offer limited guest rooms for weddings, the Cape Codder can reserve a block from its 260 rooms for any size wedding party. For newlyweds, Catania recommends the Presidential Suite, a one-bedroom suite that opens into the courtyard and features a dining room, sauna and Jacuzzi.

Cape Codder Resort & Spa • 1225 Iyannough Road, Hyannis • 508-771-3000 • capecodderresort.com

Lower Cape wedding venue

The Crosby Mansion: Save the date—and say ‘I do’ at the historic Crosby estate

If the walls of the Crosby Mansion could talk, oh, the tales they might tell. Albert Crosby, a wealthy medicinal alcohol distiller from Brewster, built the three-story, 35-room manor overlooking Cape Cod Bay in 1888 to please his second wife, Matilda. A Burlesque queen, Matilda was 21 years Albert’s junior and a socialite who loved to entertain. Her summer soirees held in the European-inspired mansion were attended by the likes of Mark Twain, Prince Albert of Wales, and silent screen stars including John Barrymore and Lillian Gish.

It may be fitting, then, that a residence created as a romantic gesture is now utilized as a wedding venue. “It’s like having your own private palace for your special day,” says Brian Locke, the property’s manager. “That’s the beauty of the mansion. People appreciate that it’s not the same old wedding experience here.”

Couples often hold their wedding ceremony on the well-manicured front lawn. “With the mansion in the backdrop, it’s quite an impressive sight,” says Locke. All of the rooms on the mansion’s first floor are available for receptions, and Locke encourages couples to decorate the rooms—which include the grand foyer, inspired by a room the Crosbys visited at Buckingham Palace, and a parlor fashioned after one at the Palace of Versailles—however they choose. During cocktail hour, volunteer docents give tours of the second floor, which features guest bedrooms and the master bedroom. “This gives guests something fun to do for the hour while the bride and groom are taking photos,” Locke says. (The mansion doesn’t currently offer overnight stays, as these rooms are being renovated.)

For sit-down dinners, the function room can accommodate up to 100 guests, but if a couple wishes just to serve heavy hors d’oeuvres, that amount can increase to 150. Dinner can also be served al fresco on the lawn. To cap off the evening, guests often head down to nearby Crosby Beach to watch the sun set.

The Crosby Mansion • 163 Crosby Lane, Brewster • 508-896-1744 • crosbymansion.com

Outer Cape wedding venue

Chequessett Yacht & Country Club: Enjoy friends, family, and the beauty of Wellfleet

Photo by Edward Winter/Ready Luck

The natural beauty of Wellfleet literally envelops the Chequessett Yacht & Country Club. And like its surroundings, the Chequessett gives off an unassuming vibe, with its laid-back atmosphere and well-off-the-beaten-path location. This semi-private waterfront club, which offers golf, tennis and sailing on 105 acres abutting the Cape Cod National Seashore, is ideal, events director Tia Scalcione says, for couples looking for a quintessential Cape Cod wedding experience.

“On the Outer Cape, there tends to be more of a connection to nature and having space to breathe,” Scalcione says. “That goes along with our philosophy here. We offer a casual environment for guests to take in the amazing natural beauty.”

Couples can immerse themselves in the all-natural surroundings with an intimate ceremony on the club’s private beach, which overlooks Wellfleet Harbor and Great Island. Just steps away, the party often moves to the boathouse, where guests can enjoy a cocktail hour and appetizers. The boathouse’s fairy-lit, barn-board interior makes for a romantic spot for both ceremonies and receptions, with room for up to 100 guests.

For larger weddings, the reception can be held just a short golf cart ride from the beach at the clubhouse. Built in the 1930s, the clubhouse features original wood beams and can accommodate parties of 175. Nearby, the 1,800-square-foot tented deck overlooking the ninth fairway is a perfect perch to watch the sun set. Guests can then return to the boathouse for dancing—or to watch the moon rise over the water.

In the planning phase, the club’s staff works with couples to customize their big day, helping them choose local vendors from a preferred list. Scalcione says she encourages couples to embrace the club’s simplicity. “I can’t overstate the casualness of this place on a day as high-key as your wedding,” she says. “To be in a setting that is so peaceful and grounded, that adds to the experience and brings a level of comfort.”

Chequessett Yacht & Country Club • 680 Chequessett Neck Road • 508-349-3704 • cycc.net

Martha’s Vineyard wedding venue

Winnetu Oceanside Resort: Celebrate your love in Vineyard luxury

Photo by Nicole Frielder Photography

Picture this: A wedding party arrives at a dreamy beach ceremony in a 1932 open-air Double Model A wooden bus. With toes in the sand, the couple exchanges vows while surrounded by loved ones, windswept dunes, and the glistening Atlantic. Just a few feet away, a reception is to be held on the grounds of a luxurious resort.

This is just one way couples can celebrate their wedding at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha’s Vineyard. Whether the ceremony is held inside the hotel, or outdoors on the expansive lawn, large outdoor deck, or on the miles of beach that surround the property on the south of the island, the Winnetu offers several idyllic options for couples saying “I do.”

“When people think of an island, they think of having fun, but they also think of the water and the beach and the beauty, and I think we uniquely offer that,” says Mark Snider, who co-owns the resort with his wife, Gwenn. “We’re a full resort, so it’s a true getaway,” Snider adds. “We have all of the accommodations: food and beverage, children’s programs, pools and tennis. Everything is on site, so it’s easy to have that destination fantasy wedding.”

When couples choose the Winnetu, they receive personalized wedding planning services from the resort team, who will coordinate the ceremony and reception, and even a clambake-style rehearsal dinner. The resort also offers antique vehicle rides, a water taxi cruise into Edgartown, and concierge services to help guests plan island activities during their stay.

“Most couples plan an entire weekend around their wedding,” says Rachel Dodson, the hotel’s wedding and events manager. With 70 hotel guest rooms as well as 65 rental homes on the property, wedding guests all have the option of staying at the resort. “Everyone,” Dodson says, “can enjoy the amenities at the resort for the entire wedding weekend—and spend the whole weekend together.”

Winnetu Oceanside Resort • 31 Dunes Road, Edgartown • 508-310-7823 (Rachel Dodson, wedding & events) • winnetu.com

Nantucket wedding venue

The Wauwinet: Nantucket’s enchanting oasis

Romance. Luxury. Fine dining. The Wauwinet on Nantucket may be the epitome of all of these. The all-inclusive beachfront inn, situated between Nantucket Bay and the Atlantic on the northeast of the island, is a picturesque retreat with its own restaurant, spa and two private beaches. Located nine miles from downtown, The Wauwinet is the perfect place, says general manager Eric Landt, to escape the hustle and bustle of the island while enjoying its beauty in a private setting.

“There’s no other place like The Wauwinet on the island,” Landt says. “The hotel offers the ultimate ambiance—a storybook romance.” Couples looking for that quintessential romantic experience on their big day need look no further than The Wauwinet, Landt says. From a beach ceremony, to a tented reception on the lawn, to a “goodbye brunch” the day after the wedding, the resort staff takes care of everything to make one’s wedding celebration complete. The resort’s award-winning restaurant, Topper’s, caters receptions and offers fresh local fare such as Retsyo Oysters on the half shell, which are cultivated just 300 yards away—not to mention an impressive selection of 1,450 wines.

For their wedding weekend, couples have the option of reserving the entire hotel, which includes 32 guest rooms as well as four stand-alone cottages. “You feel like you’re at a home away from home,” Landt says. “What an experience to be able to take over the whole hotel and have the entire staff cater to your wedding.”

To get the most out of their stay, couples can also take advantage of the hotel’s many free activities, such as lobstering, kayaking, participating in a cooking class, or taking an excursion to Great Point. For the ultimate in luxury, one can even book the Anchorage House, which comes with the complimentary use of a luxury BMW during one’s stay. “We just hand you the keys,” Landt says. “No strings attached.”

The Wauwinet • 120 Wauwinet Road, Nantucket • 508-228-0145 • wauwinet.com

Twelve more Cape & Islands venues that can make your wedding truly one of a kind

Independence Harbor: Glorious gardens, endless memories

One of Southern New England’s prized destinations for private wedding receptions and garden wedding ceremonies, Independence Harbor in lovely Assonet is a beautiful 20-acre private estate that can be reserved exclusively for weddings and banquets. Convenient to Boston, Providence and Cape Cod, the attractive venue features endless gardens, a stunning gazebo, and affordable elegance for gatherings of up to 250.

Independence Harbor • 10 Narrows Road, Assonet (a village of Freetown) • 508-644-2225 • Ihweddings.com

Bourne Farm: Rustic and romantic—and rentable

Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries, Inc., a nonprofit conservation organization, rents Bourne Farm for weddings, receptions and other special events. Located on more than 50 acres of fields, trails and woodlands overlooking Crocker Pond, the farm is an attractive natural setting that’s perfect for outdoor celebrations. Rental parties enjoy the use of the historic barn, which was built in 1775.   

Bourne Farm • 6 North Falmouth Highway, North Falmouth • 508-548-8484 • saltpondsanctuaries.org

Cape Cod Central Railroad: All aboard for a wedding on the rails

Photo by Organic Photography

The Cape Cod Central Railroad offers a one-of-a-kind wedding experience. Couples can begin their life’s journey together while riding in a private wedding train, which travels along and across the Cape Cod Canal with a scheduled stop to enjoy the sunset. The charter trains include a three-hour ride, a five-course meal, and a truly moving experience. Bonus: Ceremonies can be held on the train or along the canal.

Cape Cod Central Railroad • 252 Main Street, Hyannis • 888-797-7245 • capetrain.com

The Old Yarmouth Inn: History & romance on Route 6A

Talk about history and romance, The Old Yarmouth Inn has more than 300 years of experience hosting guests and delivering delicious food and timeless memories. Staff at the iconic restaurant can help couples plan their wedding, whether it’s an intimate gathering or a gala reception for up to 175. Outside, an attractive foot bridge connects to the Kelley Chapel next door.

The Old Yarmouth Inn • 223 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port • 508-362-9962 • oldyarmouthinn.com

Lighthouse Inn: Couples, it’s your time to shine

Photo by Paul Blackmore

Looking for a venue for your wedding ceremony and/or reception that’s a stone’s throw from the ocean and quintessentially and unmistakably Cape Cod? Steer a course to the Lighthouse Inn. With breathtaking ocean views and a fascinating history—the inn’s light once was a functioning lighthouse—the inn is a magical seaside retreat reminiscent of a time gone by. Accommodates celebrations of up to 200 guests.

Lighthouse Inn • 1 Lighthouse Road, West Dennis • 508-398-2244 • lighthouseinn.com

Wychmere Beach Club: A century of elegance

Photo by Melissa Robotti

Longwood Venues & Destinations’ luxury wedding and retreat venue, Wychmere Beach Club, blends classic Americana style with the discreet glamour for which Longwood is known. The club spans 20 pristine acres along Nantucket Sound, and features distinctly designed event rooms with vintage, nautical and oceanside themes. Whichever space couples choose, Wychmere’s staff will help to ensure the celebration is elegant, heartwarming, and unforgettable.

Wychmere Beach Club • 23 Snow Inn Road, Harwich Port • 508-432-1000 • wychmerebeachclub.com

Truro Vineyards: It’s a good year . . . for a wedding

Photo by Amanda Welch

Truro Vineyards hosts exquisite weddings in spring, summer and fall for up to 85 guests. Ceremonies are often held beneath a 200-year-old mulberry tree on the property, or on the stunning outdoor pavilion, which offers sparkling views of the vineyard’s grounds. Intimate rehearsal dinners and other receptions for up to 35 people can be held in the rustic Barrel Room. For more information, email events@trurovineyardsofcapecod.com.

Truro Vineyards • 11 Shore Road, North Truro • 508-487-6200 • trurovineyardsofcapecod.com

Harbor Lounge: This peerless venue has its own pier!

Photo by Elyssa Cohen

Harbor Lounge offers casual elegance for wedding celebrations, and for patrons simply enjoying cocktails and the sunset. Extending out onto East End Beach, the stylish venue is accessible from sand and from water, and via a cobblestone path from Commercial Street. Known for its brunch weddings, Harbor Lounge also boasts its own lengthy pier, a great spot for ceremonies, group photo shots, and harbor gazing sessions.

Harbor Lounge • 359 Commercial Street, Provincetown • 508-413-9527 • theharborlounge.com

Outermost Inn: An edge-of-the-world experience

Photo by Chris Laursen

Located on the cliffs of Aquinnah, near Gay Head Light and overlooking Vineyard Sound, Outermost Inn is a remarkable venue for weddings and other events. With seven guest rooms, an outdoor patio, and fine dining onsite, the inn is a remote retreat for bridal brunches, rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions. Working with local vendors and wedding planners, the inn can host parties of any size—and the amazing sunsets are on the house.

Outermost Inn • 81 Lighthouse Road, Aquinnah • 508-645-3511 • outermostinn.com

The Black Dog Tall Ships: A ship-shape celebration

Photo by J. Nunez

The schooners of the Black Dog Tall Ships—Shenandoah and Alabama—can be chartered for a spectacular wedding experience. The Martha’s Vineyard company, which partners with The Black Dog Tavern and Black Dog Wharf, matches superior customer service and preparation with first-class fleet maintenance and presentation. Charters can depart from and/or return to several ports including Vineyard Haven, Nantucket, Woods Hole and Boston.

The Black Dog Tall Ships • 20 Beach Street Ext., Vineyard Haven • 508-693-1699 • theblackdogtallships.com

Wade Cottages: Cottage stylin’ in Siasconset

Located in charming ‘Sconset village, the historic Wade Cottages offer spectacular waterfront vistas, direct access to the beach below, and a spacious lawn for wedding ceremonies and receptions of up to 150 guests. Weddings can be booked on select dates in May, June, September and October, and the wedding package includes one day’s use of the entire property and four nights’ accommodation in the Guest Cottage, which sleeps 14.

Wade Cottages • 35 Shell Street, Siasconset • 508-257-1464 • wadecottages.com

The Nantucket Whaling Museum: Whale of a party—guaranteed

Photo by Zofia & Co

In historic downtown Nantucket, the Whaling Museum offers the perfect mix of modern design, history and tradition. The museum space features an incredible 46-foot sperm whale skeleton, elegant art, and priceless artifacts. The venue also boasts an impressive two-level space once used as an oil and candle factory, and a rooftop deck with sightlines to the sea. Together, the spaces make for a fascinating venue for weddings and other private events.

The Nantucket Whaling Museum • 13 Broad Street, Nantucket • 508-228-1894 • nha.org

Check out more venues for your Cape Cod dream wedding!

The post Cape & Islands weddings: Twenty amazing local venues + more! appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Cape photographer takes a different approach for landscapes

I concentrate on using line, texture, form, and color to create visually intriguing and powerful compositions. My goal is to create attractive and sometimes abstract images, which are a bit different than the customary landscape/seascape photography one is likely to see.

Check out more work by Kevin Bennett here!

The post Cape Cod Photo Portfolio by Kevin Bennett appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

President John F. Kennedy departs the residence of Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy via a U.S. Army helicopter following a weekend in Hyannis Port in July 1962. Photo courtesy of the JFK Presidential Library & Museum

New JFK Hyannis Museum exhibit focuses on President Kennedy’s Cape Cod connections, 100 years after his birth

Despite his privileged life—or perhaps because of it—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a bit of a nomad. Having lived at 37 addresses during his all-too-short 46 years, Jack Kennedy averaged a move every 1.25 years.

But if there was anywhere that Kennedy called home, it was Hyannis Port. So as nations around the world, especially the United States, prepare to observe the centennial of President Kennedy’s birth in 2017, it’s fitting that the JFK Hyannis Museum honors the 35th president’s enduring legacy with JFK at 100: Life & Legacy, a special exhibit that opens Monday, May 29— Kennedy’s birthday.

“The Kennedy Compound is iconic; it’s the Buckingham Palace of the U.S.,” says John Allen, executive director of the museum, which interprets the JFK story through the lens of his life on Cape Cod. “The Kennedys are synonymous with the Cape,” Allen adds, “and the Cape is synonymous with the Kennedys.”

Whether it was at his parents’ Marchant Avenue mansion—or at the nearby Irving Avenue abode that he and Jackie later shared—Hyannis Port was the closest Kennedy ever came to a long-term home. Perhaps, most importantly, this coastal haven introduced young Jack Kennedy to one of the great loves of his life: the ocean.

“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea,” President Kennedy said in a 1962 address to the America’s Cup sailing crews in Newport, Rhode Island. “And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.

“We are tied to the ocean,” Kennedy added. “And when we go back to the sea—whether it is to sail or to watch it—we are going back from whence we came.”

A presidential golf cart ride. Photo courtesy of the JFK Presidential Library & Museum

Cape became ‘Sacred Ground’ for Kennedys

No matter how many demands were placed upon Kennedy’s time—whether it was during his remarkable rise to the Oval Office, or throughout his 1,037-day presidency—Jack always came back to Cape Cod, which his brother, Ted, called “sacred ground” for the Kennedy clan.

“Cape Cod was the epicenter of the Kennedys’ family life,” says Rebecca Pierce-Merrick, co-founder, curator and trustee of the JFK Hyannis Museum, which also celebrates its 25th anniversary in July. “President Kennedy loved Cape Cod more than anyplace in the world. The Cape was a place of relaxation for him, a place where he could be himself with his family and friends. But it was also a spot where he could be alone and think.”

The Life & Legacy exhibit, which will be divided into three parts, will first focus on the purchase of the parents’ house in Hyannis Port and how it became the gathering place for multiple generations of Kennedys. “It’s going to be a photo-heavy exhibit, with some multi-media elements and artifacts,” says exhibit designer Roger Westerman, principal of Roger Westerman Design, a full-service design practice that specializes in interpretive and interactive exhibits. “We’ll talk about how President Kennedy developed a special relationship with the Cape, and visitors will also see how important sailing and sports were to the Kennedys in Hyannis Port.”

The Kennedys’ roots were planted in Cape soil during the Roaring Twenties, when the clan’s patriarch, Joe Sr., and his wife, Rose, rented a cottage in Hyannis Port for a couple summers prior to purchasing it in 1928, a year before Joe shrewdly took his money out of the stock market before it crashed.

Even after the wildly successful Joe had achieved unimaginable wealth, a not-so-subtle anti-Irish sentiment still existed in certain corners of polite New England society, especially the region’s country clubs. While searching for a summer home on Boston’s South Shore and Cape Cod, Joe, a Harvard graduate and a scratch golfer, soon discovered that most clubs weren’t willing to admit an Irish Catholic. “When the family arrived in Hyannis Port, the local golf club was operated by a Catholic,” says Allen. “So that’s how the Kennedys came to Hyannis Port.”

President Kennedy arrives at Otis Air Force Base for a weekend on Cape Cod in August 1961. Photo courtesy of the JFK Presidential Library & Museum

Presidential years and legacy

While coincidental kindness may have brought the Kennedys to the Cape, it is their deep and abiding love for one another, the region, and the ocean that have kept them coming back for nearly a century. As with any successful, wealthy family, most of the Kennedys are scattered throughout the country—and often across the globe—for most of the year. It’s only in Hyannis Port, during the summer, where the entire family spends meaningful time together.

Although Jack Kennedy listed 122 Bowdoin Street in Beacon Hill as his “permanent” address, it was Hyannis Port that played a key role in the Kennedy presidency, as depicted in the second part of the exhibit. After Jack and Jackie cast their ballots in Boston on November 8, 1960, the couple came right to the Kennedy Compound, where brother Robert Kennedy maintained the campaign’s unofficial headquarters. When Richard Nixon conceded the tightly contested election in the wee hours of November 9, John Kennedy went to the Hyannis Armory a few hours later to deliver his acceptance speech.

In addition to Cape-related photos of Kennedy’s candidacy and presidency, Life & Legacy will also feature an invitation and ticket to JFK’s inauguration, both from Ann Mulligan, whose father worked for Cardinal Richard Cushing, who had been invited by the President to the ceremony and who had extended the invite to the Mulligan family. The exhibit also features hand-written correspondence between the Kennedys’ longtime interior designer, Falmouth’s Robert Luddington, and Jackie Kennedy and Rose Kennedy, as well as some of Luddington’s design sketches. The exhibit also features famous—as well as rare—photos of Jack Kennedy’s family life on the Cape.

While Hyannis Port was a place of spiritual sustenance for Kennedy, it was also a place that played a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the famous “13 days” when the inexperienced President stood nose to nose with the tough-as-nails Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, and didn’t back down.

In the months leading to the October 1962 crisis, during the most heated period of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the superpowers postured publicly during the day while their respective leaders were engaged in some back-room letter writing at night.

While the pen pals never became “besties,” the Democrat and the Communist were able to establish a rapport. Now known as the Kennedy-Khrushchev Correspondence, this secret communication effort enabled both leaders to express their deep desire to avoid Armageddon, which helped them to resolve the crisis without incident.

John F. Kennedy makes a speech at the Hyannis Armory on the day after his election. Photo courtesy of the JFK Presidential Library & Museum

In a letter to Khrushchev dated October 16, 1961, Kennedy wrote, “I regret that the press of events has made it impossible for me to reply earlier to your very important letter of last month. I have brought your letter here with me to Cape Cod for a weekend in which I can devote all the time necessary to give it the answer it deserves. My family has had a home here overlooking the Atlantic for many years. My father and brothers own homes near my own, and my children always have a large group of cousins for company. So this is an ideal place for me to spend my weekends during the summer and fall, to relax, to think, to devote my time to major tasks instead of constant appointments, telephone calls, and details.”

In addition to defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis, Jack Kennedy left a broad, lasting legacy—despite his abbreviated presidency. In the final phase of the exhibit, Life & Legacy will examine Kennedy’s establishment of the Peace Corps, the Space Program, the Navy SEALs, the Green Berets, and the Cape Cod National Seashore, among other accomplishments.

“JFK could have easily chosen a life of leisure,” Westerman says. “But he chose a life of public service, including military service for which he was decorated. Given his assassination, one could argue that he sacrificed his life for public service.

“President Kennedy was a gifted speaker and an inspirational leader who connected with people throughout the world,” adds Westerman. “Americans agreed with Kennedy’s optimistic belief that the U.S. was a bastion of democracy, freedom, and good in a world that was troubled. He knew that when Americans work together, we can build a brighter future, which is something that we hope to convey throughout the exhibit.”

The JFK Hyannis Museum is at 397 Main Street, Hyannis. More information on the “Life and Legacy” exhibit can be found at jfkhyannismuseum.org.

The post For JFK, Hyannis was home, haven and political headquarters appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Editor’s note: This is the 14th in a series of articles covering the region’s dramatically changing coastline. Click here to see all of the articles.

A recent northeast-facing view of Lewis Bay, a busy body of water that serves as the natural border between Barnstable and Yarmouth. Boats can be seen traveling in and out of the bay to Nantucket Sound through the federal navigation channel. Above, one can view Kalmus Beach, the Hyannis Yacht Club, and the entrance into Hyannis’ Inner Harbor, while at right, one can see Egg Island, which is part of Barnstable, and Great Island, a privately owned section of Yarmouth. In the 19th century map, Egg Island and other islands stand on their own in the bay. 1880 map courtesy of the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. Photo by Paul Rifkin

Lewis Bay is part of the south coast of Cape Cod, basically the center of the triceps when thinking of the “arm” of Cape Cod. The bay measures some 1.6 square miles and serves as a natural border between Yarmouth to the east and Hyannis to the west. Those who travel on ferries out of Hyannis travel through Lewis Bay to get to Nantucket Sound, passing Hyannis’ Kalmus Beach and Yarmouth’s Great Island. The bay is named for Jonathan Lewis, an 18th-century Cape Codder who was the first Hyannis resident to construct a two story home.

As the Steamship Authority and Hy-Line both run ferries in and out of Hyannis’ Inner Harbor, the bay is a busy transportation channel. Brian Braginton-Smith, executive director of the Lewis Bay Research Center, describes Lewis Bay as a “lifeline” connecting Cape Cod and the islands. He also describes the bay’s geography as “like a shallow bowl. The waves wash up on shore, then reverberate back and forth.” It’s the regular use of this “lifeline” that has brought about substantive changes in the “shallow bowl” during the past 70 years.

Aerial views of Yarmouth’s Great Island, looking northwest, and Point Gammon Light, located on the southern tip of the island. Main photo by Paul Rifkin. Inset photo by Josh Shortsleeve

“Two fundamental things have resulted in a wholesale dynamic change to the entire ecosystem of the bay,” “Two fundamental things have resulted in a wholesale dynamic change to the entire ecosystem of the bay,” Braginton-Smith says. “The first is the population growth around the bay and the resulting reliance of onsite septic systems. The second is the federal navigation channel.” The route ships travel from the Sound to the Inner Harbor was in 1940 designated a federal navigation channel, Braginton-Smith says, so federal funds could be acquired to dig a deeper, wider channel into Hyannis to further expand it as a port. Naturally, the larger channel allowed for more water to flow in and out of the harbor.

Dan Horn, Barnstable’s harbormaster, says this has caused some problems. “The flood tide coming in from the Sound is stronger than the ebb tide going out,” Horn says. “More water is being pushed into the harbor. This stirs up sediment and leads to shoaling. It has been a gradual process and it’s a mixture of natural and manmade causes.”

According to Braginton-Smith, the increase in tidal flow has caused some damage to the local ecosystem. He recalls the bay’s scallop harvest in 1965 yielding 1,500 bushels, while in 2016 that amount had dwindled to just 100. He says the vessel traffic that’s grown steadily since the channel was expanded has increased wave action in the bay to a scenario underwater that’s comparable to “an intermittent (when the boats are going by) mid-level storm.” And Horn adds, the harbor is home to more than 1,000 boats—especially during the summer.

Horn says the boating traffic has contributed to the intense shoaling in the Inner Harbor. The channel, which is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was last dredged in 2013. Though Horn says it’s in pretty good shape today, he says there are a few spots that may soon need a touch-up.

Photo by Paul Rifkin

To the south and east of Lewis Bay one finds Great Island, a 700-acre swath of land extending westward from Yarmouth. Though technically an island, at low tide one could walk from one land mass to the other without getting wet. It’s not recommended, though; the island is privately owned.

In 1802, a small pox inoculation hospital was established at the island’s southern tip, in the area known today as Point Gammon. In the 1880s, a wealthy ornithologist purchased the island and transformed it into a rare game preserve. In 1914, Rhode Island banker Malcolm G. Chace bought the island—and the property remains in the Chace family’s possession today.

According to Horn, the shoaling in Lewis Bay has affected Great Island, at least in its relationship to Egg Island. Since maps of the area have been drawn, Egg Island, a thin five-acre island off the coast of Great Island has stood on its own in the bay. In 2010, though, shoaling in the area brought the islands together. Due to its location, Egg Island is part of Barnstable, while Great Island is in Yarmouth—and as mentioned, it’s privately owned. Horn says some boaters that have beached their vessels at or near Egg Island in recent years report having been asked to move by folks on Great Island.

Across the bay, Kalmus Beach is a natural barrier that protects the Inner Harbor. Named for Herbert T. Kalmus, who once owned Centerville’s Fernbrook estate and who donated the land to the town of Barnstable, the peninsula extends 1,300 feet eastward into the bay.

When the channel was dredged in 1985, the Army Corps of Engineers used some of the dregs to shore up two acres of Kalmus Beach that had eroded. In 1997-1998, a more expansive “re-nourishment” effort covered 75 percent of Kalmus in dredged sediment. Since then, however, Horn says wind and waves have nibbled away at these efforts, dumping some of the newer sediment into the bay just north of the beach, creating a somewhat unnatural shoal.

Both Braginton-Smith and Horn commented that with Lewis Bay’s importance as a transportation “lifeline” there is only so much that can be done to stem some of the bay’s  traffic-generated shoaling.

“I’m conflicted,” Braginton-Smith says. “One possible solution could be fewer ferry trips into the harbor, but I love watching those ferries come in past Bayview Beach in Yarmouth.”

“Without regular dredging, shoaling will continue,” Horn adds. “We may want to consider restricting speed limits in the harbor. However, shoaling is mostly a natural process. Even if we didn’t have boats coming in and out there would still be shoaling.” Were the main channel not routinely dredged, Horn says many boats and ferries would find it increasingly challenging to access the bay.

The post The Changing Shape of the Cape & Islands: Lewis Bay, from Hyannis Port to Kalmus Beach & Great Island appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Photo by Couple of Dudes

This ‘family-style’ celebration was marked by loved ones, friendship, and food!

My husband, Eric, and I had one of our first conversations about getting married while walking with our dog on Ocean Edge Beach in the spring a few years prior to getting engaged. So, it was very fitting the location ended up being our wedding venue.

I’m a native of Boston, but since I was born my summers have been spent in Brewster and Orleans, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am very lucky to have grown up alongside many of my cousins with the Ocean Edge Beach serving as our playground for the summer months. Eric, who grew up in Wellesley, also spent many summers on the Cape and loves it in the same way.

Eric proposed at the end of a run on a Saturday in June, on a path leading down to the water by my parents’ home. We then went sailing in Nantucket Sound—and the planning discussions began.

I have a large family, and I wanted all of the cousins I grew up with on Cape Cod to be at our wedding. We knew that would make for a large number, but it would also make for a great party, so we went with it.

We got married on August 19, 2016, in the small chapel on Route 6A (Immaculate Conception), and our family and friends filled the place to the brim. It was hot and sticky and some guests stood outside—the same as we did as kids when we walked up the street for Sunday morning Mass. We followed the ceremony with a quick set of photos by the beach at Ellis Landing and continued on to the cocktail party on the Ocean Edge terrace. Eric’s father surprised the crowd with a flyover in honor of Eric’s grandfather, who built planes during World War II. We honored both of our grandfathers that day—our wedding day would have been my grandfather’s 91st birthday.

Photo by Couple of Dudes

Following cocktails, we danced into the tent with our wedding party to the tune of the Blues Brothers’ “Everybody Needs Somebody,” and had some laughs and got some too.

The tent and its decorated interior far surpassed our expectations and was exactly what Eric and I had in mind. Our goal was to recreate the feeling of the family dinners we had enjoyed throughout our lives. Christian Soderstrom, our planner, executed this vision like no one else could have. At a certain point in the planning process, both Eric and I let all of the planning go and asked Christian to simply “do his thing.”

We didn’t really have a clue what the interior of the tent was going to look like, but that was part of the fun. And it truly was better than anything we had imagined. There were large rectangular tables made of old barn wood, similar to the tables in our parents’ homes. The tables were dressed simply, a runner stretched down the middle and vintage mismatched china served as the place settings. At the center of each table was a towering vase of Baby’s Breath surrounded by small, short vases filled with orange-y pink roses. The height of the vases was perfect; they helped anchor the tent without obstructing anyone’s view.

In an effort to continue the “family dinner” feeling, we also designed our own menu for the whole wedding. We both love to cook, so getting the menu right was key. The staff at Ocean Edge was phenomenal to work with and did a fantastic job with every part of the wedding—especially the meal. Eric and I collected some of our favorite recipes and all of the food was served family style. We wanted to encourage our guests to engage with everyone seated at their table, even those at the opposite end, and it seemed like passing dishes might be a good way to encourage that.

While the food mattered a lot to us, the dancing and fun was just as important. We had an amazing band, Total Soul, drive up from New Jersey, and they really got the whole room moving. Once the band got going, I don’t think I saw my grandmother sit down again—so I’d say it was a success.

I know it’s cliché and everyone says it about their own wedding, but it really was the best day ever. I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to kick off our life together and am so thankful to have such a day in my memory bank.

Maggie Corcoran Seitz lives with her husband, Eric, in Boston’s South End. They plan to spend as many weekends as possible on Cape Cod in the summer.

Check out more photos from Maggie & Eric’s family-style wedding!

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WHOI’s Mary Sears poses behind stacks of work. Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives

Falmouth resident was the Navy’s first oceanographer, a longtime WHOI scientist and committed to civic affairs

One of the special recognitions bestowed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is The Mary Sears Woman Pioneer in Oceanography Award.

That’s quite a mouthful for a woman who preferred that her research and work speak louder than any commendations or public recognition. Nevertheless, it’s a fitting tribute to Mary Sears (1905-1997), a former Woods Hole resident who quietly changed the course of oceanographic history, contributed to its growth as a science, and helped establish WHOI.

Superlatives abound about Sears’ remarkable career and her accomplishments in the field of oceanography: first oceanographer of the Navy; founding member of WHOI; chair of the First International Congress on Oceanography (held at the United Nations in New York); founding editor of Deep-Sea Research. None of these phrases contain the word woman, although it could be added to each and they’d still hold true. Woman or no, Mary Sears was a true pioneer in every sense of the word.

Beyond the superlatives was a woman, short, shy, and bespectacled. To a lucky few, she was known simply as “Aunt Mary”: the one who would leave surprise picture books in the mailboxes of every house on her street that had children; the one who showed up at the home of the Dentons’, her adopted family, at Christmas with a car packed to the gills with presents (most of them books) all signed “from Santa” long after the children knew of the ruse; the community volunteer who was a committed member of the Falmouth School Committee and Falmouth Town Meeting for decades; the tireless environmentalist—perhaps before there was the label—who biked to and from her job at WHOI during the height of the 1970s oil crisis; the one who swam the length of Nobska Beach every day (from May to November), well into her 80s. “Once she made a commitment to something, she carried on with it,” remembers Nan Denton. “She was made of very stern stuff.”   

An aerial view of Woods Hole including WHOI facilities with the R/V Chain and R/V Crawford at dock. Each of the ships made more than 100 cruises for scientific research. Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives

As a single woman in 1939, Sears bought herself a small lot of land, went in to Wood Lumber in Falmouth, picked out a set of house plans, and had her own house built.  Remarkable for the time. That’s how Sears lived her life. If something was lacking, she didn’t complain. She didn’t sit around and wait for someone else to do it. She up and did it herself—and said not a word about it.

A pioneer is a leader. Self-sufficient. Disciplined. Intelligent. Honorable. Generous.  “She really was a pioneer,” says Wendy (Nies) Denton, who lived with Mary in her later years and whose late ex-husband, Paul Denton, spent summers with Mary as a boy. “You look at the WHOI trustee pictures for years and years and she’s the only woman among a bunch of white men. That was her world. She would say she was an officer and a gentleman cause that’s what they said in the Navy.”

After a childhood in rural Wayland, Sears attended the Winsor School, a private girls’ school in Boston, and Radcliffe College in Cambridge, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1927, her master’s degree in 1929, and her Ph.D. in zoology in 1933.

Although her Winsor classmates thought she was destined for politics, it was Mary’s love and curiosity for the natural world that turned her toward science. “She lived near Heard Pond in Wayland,” Nan Denton recalls. “She told me how she loved to go down to the pond and collect frogs and little fish. She lived on a beautiful, quiet road, very much surrounded by nature and natural beauty.”   

As a graduate student at Radcliffe, she met Henry Bigelow, the head of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Bigelow was one of the world’s preeminent marine biological and oceanographic experts. Working side by side as his assistant, Sears received an invaluable education in the nascent field of oceanography.

A meeting of WHOI Trustees in 1951. Mary Sears, the lone woman in the photo, stands at center. Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives

A summer research stint at the Marine Biological Laboratory brought Sears to Woods Hole for the first time in the early 1930s. Throughout the ensuing decade, she balanced winters as Bigelow’s assistant at Harvard and summers in Woods Hole as a planktonologist at “The Institution,” as she called it, where Bigelow was founding director. Sears was one of the first (and only female) research assistants initially hired by WHOI.

World War II proved a critical pivot point in Sears’ career, as it was for many of her generation. In 1943, she joined the Navy Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) of the United States Naval Reserve. Commissioned as a Lieutenant, junior grade, she went directly to Washington, D.C. to lead the newly formed Oceanographic Unit of the Navy Hydrographic Office. The U.S. military was desperate for anyone with oceanographic expertise. Sears’ intelligence, knowledge, research skills, and highly touted organizational abilities (her index card cataloging system was legendary) were a natural fit. Sears’ team collected and synthesized relevant ocean data on everything from currents to weather, tides, and topography into intelligence that the Navy could use to plan its amphibious attacks.

Misinformation about tidal depths had already cost the Navy heavily in the Battle of Tarawa in the Pacific in November 1943, where amphibious craft ended up stranded far from shore and the resulting casualties numbered in the thousands. Thanks to Sears’ discipline and hard work (she often pulled all-nighters compiling her reports), the Navy would not make the same mistake again.

“It is generally forgotten that the first Oceanographer of the Navy in modern times was a short, rather shy and prim WAVE Lieutenant, junior grade,” Roger Revelle, the former director of the esteemed Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who worked with Sears in the Hydro Office, once remarked. “[The U.S. Navy] underestimated the powerful natural force that is Mary Sears. That tiny oceanographic unit soon became a division, and finally the entire Hydrographic Office evolved into the Naval Oceanographic Office.”

After the war, Sears returned to her work at WHOI as a planktonologist. She also put her skills as a writer and editor to work. In addition to her 20 years editing the respected oceanographic journal Deep-Sea Research, many of the 20th century’s benchmark oceanographic texts bear Sears’ name and her editing stamp of approval.  Her connection with WHOI continued long after her retirement in 1970, as a Scientist Emeritus and a Member of the Corporation.

Mary Sears prepares to christen Atlantis II in 1963. The ship would go on to sail more than 1 million miles for ocean science research. Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives

Although women were not permitted on sea research voyages (at least not at WHOI) until the 1960s, Sears had several lifetimes’ worth of adventures, including a Wellesley College-funded research trip on a fishing vessel in Peru in the 1930s and trips to Europe and Russia. Also, according to Wendy Denton, Sears’ home in Woods Hole was a bustling place with an open door, full of visitors and scientist friends from all over the world. “We jokingly accused her of running a bed and breakfast,” Wendy recalls with a laugh.

Although Sears never married and lived alone for most of her life, she had a vibrant circle of friends and a special relationship with the Dentons. Soon after she moved to Woods Hole, she became seriously ill and called the local physician, Dr. Joseph Denton. Dr. Denton brought Sears to his home, where his wife, Isobel, a nurse, insisted on tending to her. From then on, they were like family. When the Dentons later moved to New York, their children would stay with Aunt Mary every summer. “She was an integral part of our family for the rest of our lives,” says Nan Denton. “She introduced all of us to nature, to respect the environment. She also introduced me to the broader world. She had scientist friends all over the world. When I was in my late teens, she gave me a trip of a summer at the University of Oslo. She introduced me to cultures other than my own.”

For the Dentons, Aunt Mary was the consummate mentor. “I learned the importance of commitment to your career,” explains Ruth Eastman, another of the Denton children. “‘One day,’ she told me when I was starting out in publishing, ‘people will look up to you and come to you for advice.’ As if on cue, one day they did. Not every day, of course, but that first occurrence gave me silent satisfaction. Mary Sears truly was a beacon, an exceptional role model.”

In 2000, three years after Sears’ death, the U.S. Navy launched an oceanographic survey ship named in her honor. The USNS Mary Sears is the first Navy research vessel named after a woman. While Sears would certainly have demurred at such pomp on her behalf, she would have approved of the fact that it was a research vessel—one that now welcomes women scientists aboard.

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