With all of the excitement that surrounds the month of December – holidays, presents, parties – January can seem like a bore. While it’s true that things on the Cape slow as we head into the bitter throws of winter, there are always things to do. We’ve done the hard part for you. Enjoy.
Travel Club Talk – January 8th
The Barnstable Senior Center will be hosting a screening of Secrets of Highclere Castle. The documentary steps inside one of Britain’s best-known manor houses. It may be more famous now than any time in its 1,300-year history as the setting of the PBS show Downton Abbey. See how all of the real inhabitants of Highclere lived, from the aristocrats who enjoyed a life of luxury to the army of servants toiling “below stairs.” Also find out how the current inhabitants, Lord and Lady Carnarvon, spend their $1 million in annual upkeep funds and what life in a fairytale castle is like today.
Story Slam – January 11th
Registered storytellers arrive at Cape Cod Beer and will choose a number from a hat. This number will determine their order, from there they each have five minutes to tell a funny story about a predetermined topic – in this case New Year’s Resolutions – Judges are selected randomly from the audience on the evening of the event and the favorites win some cash, everybody gets beer and your evening out is a sure success.
Cape Symphony Concerts – January 20th and 21st
Jung Ho Pak and the Cape Symphony present Haydn to Brahms: A Thread of Genius. Johannes Brahms evidently revered Franz Joseph Haydn so much, he kept a bust of the great master in his bedroom. Haydn was known as the father of the symphony – plus, he helped invent the string quartet. Cape Symphony’s star string principals will present the Haydn string quartet nicknamed “The Sunrise.”
A century later, Brahms wrote “Variations on a Theme by Haydn” in tribute to the admired composer. Brahms is known for creating extraordinarily passionate melodies and intricate rhythms such as those you’ll hear in his Symphony No. 3. Enjoy two of the greats and their musical connection.
Wildlife on Tap – January 24th
Cape Cod Beer and Mass Audubon are partnering for “The Wildlife on Tap Lecture Series” at the brewery. Attendees can learn about wildlife over some fine beverages. Experts will discuss the life history, ecology and recovery story of the American bald eagle, including specific information on recovery efforts and ongoing monitoring in Massachusetts. Discover why Massachusetts became a part of preserving the eagle population after man-made chemicals nearly forced them into extinction. It’s educational, there’s booze – afternoon well spent.
Nantucket Historical Association
Throughout January the Nantucket Historical Association will be offering a number of special exhibits on the island. Presentations include Out of the Box: Unpacking Nantucket Stories with over 80 artifacts to illuminate the stories of Nantucket’s people over four centuries. “Dear Absent Ones”: The Seafaring Pinkhams looks at Nantucket seafaring through the eyes of the Pinkhams, a local family whose sons and daughters went to sea over multiple generations. The Hadwen and Barney Oil and Candle Factory and the Nantucket Corner will be open as well, as part of the Association’s effort to display more of the 20,000 artifacts in their collections. The Hadwen and Barney Building is loaded to the rafters with fascinating items that, until now, have been in storage in the collections.
Cape Cod Museum of Art
This winter, the Cape Cod Museum of Art presents an exhibition of artist Peter Dean’s work, a cornucopia of vibrant colorful landscapes, symbols, and phantasmagoria. Dean’s an artist whose work during the turbulent 1970’s and 80’s, when abstract art was popular, was largely dismissed, but today seems to have reverberations with contemporary art.
By CapeCod.com Staff
