The Cape Coddah
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☀ Bridge Replacement Uproots Community

☀ Bridge Replacement Uproots Community

Plus: Will happy hour make a comeback?

Cape Coddah
May 16, 2025

Together with:

Good morning Cape Cod. This is the Cape Coddah, we’re like that friend from high school that worked at the Ice Cream Smuggler: we always hook you up with the extra scoop.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Cicadas to return after 17 years
Have you been to the Landyard?
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

CAPE DIGEST

🚧 Bridge Replacement Uproots Community

Twelve homes and three businesses in a small Sagamore neighborhood will be demolished to make way for the new $2.1B Sagamore Bridge replacement. Residents received notification letters in March that their properties are in the direct path of construction.

The neighborhood was developed by John Gallo in 1936, with his son Louis building many of the houses. Louis, who has lived in his home for 40 years, says "there is a lot of history here that is going to be erased." While residents understand the 89-year-old bridge needs replacement, they worry about fair compensation and where they'll relocate in Cape Cod's tight housing market. Read the full story.

🍻 It’s 5 O'Clock Somewhere?

State Senator Julian Cyr (P-town) is pushing to lift Massachusetts' 1984 ban on happy hour, proposing a bill that would allow towns to opt in to permitting discounted drinks during certain hours. Cyr believes this could boost Cape businesses, especially during the quiet off-season, noting that conditions have changed since the ban with stricter DUI laws and ride-sharing services like Uber.

The bill would make happy hour voluntary, requiring local suits to approve it before businesses could participate. However, the MA Restaurant Association opposes the measure, arguing restaurants already face rising costs and staff shortages.

The original ban followed a fatal drunk driving incident, and safety concerns remain central to the debate as Massachusetts remains the only state with a complete happy hour prohibition. Read the full story.

@THECAPECODDAH

📸 @bob_amaral_photography | 📍 Forest Beach, Chatham

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🛌 Orleans Motel Gets Fresh Start as Worker Housing

Cape Cod expects around 5,000 seasonal workers this summer, with businesses like Chatham Bars Inn depending on hundreds of J-1 and H-2B visa holders. Housing these workers remains challenging, as seen at Seashore Park Inn in Orleans.

Last summer, the 62-room motel leased by Chatham Bars faced sewage leaks, broken appliances, and plumbing failures under previous owner Taylor Perkins. After Perkins declared bankruptcy, the Kennedy family purchased the property in March for $4.5M and began renovations.

Town officials are working with the new owners to address safety concerns at the 1963 property, including outdated cooking facilities and sewer connections. Read the full story.

AROUND THE CAPE

Cape Cod Healthcare is conducting a Community Health Survey to assess healthcare needs in Barnstable County.

"Dog stick libraries" are popping up around Cape neighborhoods, allowing pups to share their favorite toy.

Harwich residents are upset that the beloved Sundae School Homemade Ice Cream shop may soon be demolished to make way for a 28-unit housing development.

Nonprofit Boys Town New England is partnering with Cape volunteers to recruit 5-10 local foster families by year's end.

LOCAL BUSINESS

🍽 Renovated Lanyard Keeps Tradition Alive

The newly renovated Lanyard Restaurant in Harwich blends local Cape history with modern updates under owners Matt and Erin Kelley and Kara and Lou Malzone. Harwich native Matt Kelley aims to create the same welcoming atmosphere he remembers from childhood visits to the former 400 Club, saying "we evolve, not reinvent."

The menu features Cape Cod classics like cod sandwiches and lobster rolls alongside elevated options such as smash burger clubs and seafood cioppino. The refreshed space sports coastal décor, exposed brick, and Harwich memorabilia throughout. With 40 employees, a large bar, spacious dining room, and an outdoor patio opening soon, the Lanyard accommodates groups of all sizes and offers regular entertainment including live music on weekends and music bingo on Tuesdays. Read the full story.

THE ISLANDS

Netflix series "Forever," features a pivotal 5th episode set on MV, where teen lovers Keisha and Justin navigate their relationship.

A historic 1920s Nantucket estate with ties to Broadway actress Mabel Acker is on the market for $22.75M.

A West Tisbury resident discovered a partially skinned 5-foot American alligator carcass at Sepiessa Point Reservation.

Nantucket Police honored an officer who saved a choking woman and recognized detectives for an investigation that led to the largest cocaine seizure in island history.

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CIVIL NEWS

🚨 Major Cocaine Supplier Arrested with Over 1 Kilo

Barnstable Police arrested 37-year-old Yarmouth resident Italo Dumont on Tuesday, charging him as a major cocaine supplier to Cape Cod communities after a months-long investigation. Working with state police, Yarmouth police, and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office, detectives apprehended Dumont in Hyannis with over 85 grams of cocaine on him.

A subsequent search of his Yarmouth home yielded more than a kilo of cocaine and a large amount of cash. Dumont faces two drug trafficking charges and was held on $100,000 bail pending his arraignment in Barnstable District Court. Read the full story.

PET OF THE WEEK

👋 Meet: Lola
🐾 Treeing Walker Coonhound
🎂 3 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

FRIDAY

Walking Weekend @ T/O Barnstable (Fri-Sun)
Movie Matinee @ Brewster Ladies Library | 2 PM

SATURDAY

LIVE MUSIC 🎸

SUNDAY

Jazz Jam @ Cult. Cent. of CC | 12:30 PM
String Quartet @ Brewster PAC | 3:30 PM
Alan Broadbent Trio @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Patrick Kearns @ Falmouth Raw Bar | 4 PM
Chamber Ensemble @ W. Falmouth Library | 4
The Silent Trees @ Margaritaville | 7 PM

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

WEATHER

Friday

72 🌡️ 56 | ☁ | 💧25% | 💨 S 7 mph

Saturday

62 🌡️ 59 | 🌥 | 💧 41% | 💨 S 10 mph

Sunday

72🌡️ 55 | 🌥 | 💧 25% | 💨 WSW 13 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 48.7ºF

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HOME OF THE WEEK

55 Winterset Drive, Chatham
Asking $2.495M
4 🛌
3.5 🛀
4,072 square feet 
1.94 acre lot

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

THANKS!

Thanks for reading The Cape Coddah today. If you found something useful or entertaining, please share it with someone who will be at happy hour if it comes back.