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☀️ 3-year-old's 'Potty' Card Goes Viral

☀️ 3-year-old's 'Potty' Card Goes Viral

Plus: Chef trades fine dining for BBQ

Cape Coddah
August 22, 2025

Good morning Cape Cod. Did you know this one?

The woman who wrote 'America the Beautiful' was actually born and raised in Falmouth—Katherine Lee Bates may have been inspired by Pikes Peak, but she was pure Cape Cod. 🇺🇸

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Teen sues Cape religious group
Did you know the Cape has a roller derby?
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

💰 Housing Crisis Sparks Luxury Tax Plan

Cape lawmakers are proposing a 2% transfer fee on home sales over $2M to fund affordable housing, potentially generating $56M annually. The proposal comes after Barnstable County declared a housing crisis in April, with home prices jumping 43% during the pandemic and families now needing double the average income to afford a typical home.

Each town would vote whether to participate, with revenue going directly into local affordable housing trusts. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce supports the plan, noting 30% of workers now commute to the Cape daily. Critics worry it could discourage luxury buyers or create uneven adoption across towns. The next Public hearing is scheduled for September 3rd. Read more»

📚 Yarmouth Reviews 5 Sites for New Library

About 90 Yarmouth residents got their first look at five potential locations for a new town library on a 25-acre plot across from town hall that includes Simpkins Field and the former MacArthur School site. The modern, one-story library would be a major upgrade from the current South Yarmouth Library's windowless basement community room.

Architect Matthew Oudens presented L-shaped building configurations with 50-foot wings for different sections, noting the possibility of incorporating the library into a future town common. The project faces a December 2025 deadline to submit designs for state funding approval, with construction potentially taking 32 months after town meeting approval in fall 2026 or 2027. Read more»

SPONSORED BY CAPE SZN

☀️ It’s Perfect Hoodie Weather

Finally, weather that makes sense with your wardrobe. Cool mornings call for something cozy, but you're not ready to give up that beach life just yet. This hoodie and our others are soft enough for sunrise coffee walks and evening beach bonfires.

🛼 Cape Roller Derby Brings the Mayhem

Meet Mean Mimi, Devil Velvet, and Tippi Longstocking – the badass skaters of Cape Cod Roller Derby who tear up Charles Moore Arena monthly against the Brockton Bruisers. Think NASCAR meets WWE on roller skates, where "jammers" weave through opponents to score points while "blockers" use their hips to knock people around.

Organizer Emma "Cha-Cha" Levy (formerly "Emma Getcha") teaches skating classes and says the sport is all about taking up space and feeling empowered. The team welcomes everyone – 11-year-old Viggo "Flyin' V" Bossi just won most valuable jammer, proving kids can throw elbows too. As Levy puts it, roller derby beats "super boring" football any day. Next open skate is August 30th if you want to join the mayhem. Read more»

📸 @davidlong3653 | 📍Nobska Point

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🚽 3-Year-Old's Potty Humor Goes Viral

A TikToker known as DadChats sparked a massive scavenger hunt in Chatham after his 3-year-old daughter confessed to leaving a homemade birthday card reading "Happy Birthday Poo Butt Face" inside a book at Yellow Umbrella Bookstore during their Cape vacation. His apology video garnered over 740,000 views and prompted locals to search the store.

Six days later, Linda from Harwich found the card inside a Bluey book she bought for her grandchildren and contacted the Minnesota family. When told about the discovery, the daughter said "I like Linda" and suggested she keep the card. DadChats now wonders if hiding kids' artwork in bookstores could become a fun movement called "chapter chats." Read more»

A Cape swimmer created jellyfish sting first aid kits now available on Popponesset beaches after her own hospital trip from a bad sting.

A small plane made an emergency landing on a Falmouth beach after running out of fuel was refueled and pushed down the sand by firefighters before taking off again safely.

Someone claimed the final $4M jackpot prize from a "Bonus 100X" scratch ticket bought at a Bourne 7-Eleven.

Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School received a $419,996 state grant to train diesel service technicians and welders.

🍗 From White Tablecloths to Wet Naps

Jeremiah Reardon, a French-trained chef who worked at high-end restaurants from Manhattan to LA, opened Red River BBQ on Route 28 in Harwich Port in 2023 with his wife Gabby. The Orleans native traded fine dining for barbecue after wanting a better work-life balance and more time with friends.

Reardon smokes all meat in-house using oak and cherry hardwood, starting his seven-day-a-week routine at 4:30 AM. Fan favorites include ribs, brisket, and pulled pork served with cornbread, honey butter, and sides. The restaurant also operates two food trucks hitting spots like Cape Cod Beer and Truro Vineyards, handling 27 events last week alone while offering full catering services. Read more»

Ocean Club, a new fine-dining restaurant in Vineyard Haven's Old Stone Bank building, is set to open the week of August 25th.

A new documentary called "Room for Us" about Nantucket's housing crisis premiered to a sold-out Dreamland crowd.

A solar-powered sonic buoy that uses sound waves to prevent toxic algae blooms has been deployed in Martha's Vineyard's Chilmark Pond.

Nantucket's Food Pantry must find a new home by April 30th after the town declined to renew its lease to expand bus operations.

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⚖️ Teen Sues Cape Religious Community

An 18-year-old who grew up in the Community of Jesus in Orleans is suing the religious group, claiming he and other kids were forced to work brutal 9-16 hour days constructing a performing arts center in Brewster. Oliver Ortolani alleges he was made to dig foundations, carry 90-pound concrete bags, and endure physical punishment like running laps in steel-toed boots for four hours.

The community's lawyer called the lawsuit "classically frivolous," noting Ortolani's parents were project managers who signed waivers. The suit claims trafficking, racketeering, and unjust enrichment. Ortolani was born into the 200-member ecumenical Christian community and moved at least 20 times before leaving at age 16. Read more»

👋 Meet: Norbert
🐾 Alaskan Husky Mix
🎂 6 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

SUNDAY - AUGUST 24

Dan Sturgis @ CC Beer | 3 PM
Randy Davis @ CC Coffee | 3 PM
Elizabeth Miya Jones @ CC MOA | 3:30 PM
Moonbellies @ Thacher Hall | 4 PM
Horns Rock! @ Cotuit Center | 4 PM
Rose Clancy @ Chatham Squire | 5 PM
Straight Jacket Slumber @ The Woodshed | 5 PM
Dela @ Hog Island (Orleans) | 7 PM
Ric Allendorf @ Casa Del Cabo | 7 PM
Get the Led Out @ Cape Melody Tent | 8 PM
Connor Cox @ The Woodshed | 9:30 PM

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll let you know when something's sponsored.}

Friday

75 🌡️ 58 | 🌤️ | 💧0% | 💨 NNE 21 mph

Saturday

79 🌡️ 64 | 🌤️ | 💧 0% | 💨 S 16 mph

Sunday

77🌡️ 64 | ☀️ | 💧 25% | 💨 S 15 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 69ºF

101 Morris Island Road, Chatham
Asking $6.995M
4 🛏️
4.5 🛁
3,225 sqft
0.48 acre lot

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll always let you know when something's sponsored.}

Thanks for reading The Cape Coddah today. If you found something useful or entertaining, please share it with someone who has a “potty” sense of humor.