The Cape Coddah
Posts
☀️ This robot just left the Cape for 4 years

☀️ This robot just left the Cape for 4 years

Plus: The best Italian sub on the Cape

Cape Coddah
October 17, 2025

Together with:

Good morning Cape Cod. Fun fact for your next dinner party:

In 1966, a 19-year-old at what's now Salty Market in North Truro reported seeing strange lights and mysteriously lost time while waiting for a military pickup—making it possibly Cape Cod's most famous alien encounter story. 🛸

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Seashore brings in major tourist cash
Jane Goodall’s Cape legacy
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🗳 Wellfleet to Vote on Fertilizer Ban

Wellfleet voters will consider 11 articles at the fall town meeting Wednesday, October 22nd, including a fertilizer ban, expanded tax exemptions for year-round rentals, and a land swap with the National Seashore.

Key articles include a home-rule petition to ban flower and lawn fertilizers (with exceptions for commercial agriculture and organic vegetable gardens), modeled after a similar Orleans proposal. Another would extend residential tax exemptions to year-round rental property owners, following Provincetown's example.

The meeting also includes a land exchange with Cape Cod National Seashore for the Herring River Restoration Project, $90,000 for an employee wage study (not done since 2004), and $20,000 for kettle pond monitoring.

Unlike May's meeting, there are no budget overrides or Community Preservation Act spending. All funding comes from existing accounts or closed-out articles. Read more»

💰 Top Tourist Draw Generates $754M

Cape Cod National Seashore visitors spent $598M in surrounding communities in 2024, creating a total economic impact of $754M and supporting 5,385 jobs, according to a National Park Service report.

The 3.8M visits to the Seashore, one of the top 25 most popular national parks in the nation, represent an increase from 2023's $730M cumulative economic benefit and $533M in visitor spending.

"Money isn't just being spent between Chatham and P-Town, it's being spent all over the Cape," said David Bernstein, president of Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Lodging and restaurants saw the largest economic outputs nationally at $11.1B and $5.7B respectively.

The Seashore's beaches, walking and biking trails remain open year-round with no entrance gates, meaning visitor access continues even during federal government shutdowns. Read more»

SPONSORED BY CAPE SZN

Sunset Strolls & Sweatshirt Weather

When fall arrives on Cape Cod, the beaches don't close—they just get better. Quieter shores, that perfect crisp-but-not-cold evening air, and sunsets that make you stop mid-walk just to take it all in.

This classic crewneck is your go-to for those golden hour beach moments when the day's winding down but you're not quite ready to head inside. Soft enough to live in, stylish enough to make you feel like the main character in your own Cape story.

Because the best fall nights start with a beach walk and end with sand still in your shoes.

🎒 Jane Goodall's Cape Cod Legacy

Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, who recently passed away at 91, left a lasting impact on Cape Cod through her conservation work and youth education programs.

In 2004, Goodall visited the Cape for an international Roots and Shoots convention hosted by Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, drawing students and teachers from across North America. The highlight was walking Brewster's tidal flats with 120 kids, where she declared it "the most beautiful place on earth."

Her Roots and Shoots program, emphasizing critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration, became integral to the charter school after its 1995 founding. CBS correspondent and Harwich native Seth Doane, who interviewed Goodall in 2021, recalled her philosophy: "Optimism is the only option. Without it, you simply cease to move forward." Read more»

📸 @tbradlee | 📍Wing Island, Brewster

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🔬This Robot Just Left Cape Cod for a 4-Year Trip

An underwater glider named Redwing launched from Cape waters on October 11th to attempt the longest unmanned ocean mission in history - a four-year, 40,000-mile journey around the globe.

Made by Florida-based Teledyne Marine with Rutgers University, the Slocum Sentinel Glider will collect ocean temperature, salinity, and depth data from severely under-sampled remote regions. It moves by changing buoyancy in a slow zigzag pattern, diving up to 1,000 meters deep and surfacing every 8-12 hours to transmit data via satellite.

The route includes the Gulf Stream toward Europe, south to Africa, through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, past the Falklands, and back up through the Caribbean to Cape Cod. Over 50 Rutgers undergraduates helped develop the project and will monitor the mission in real-time, with data shared globally. Read more»

A local woman whose eye was impaled by an e-bike handlebar on the Cape Cod Rail Trail is pushing for stricter Massachusetts regulations.

Visiting nurses will strike for three days starting Wednesday after Cape Cod Healthcare offered them a 10 percent raise over three years compared to the 19 percent that hospital nurses received in August.

Master gardeners volunteer at Orleans Elementary School's garden every Thursday during spring and fall, teaching students to plant and harvest produce that's served in the school cafeteria as part of a farm-to-school program.

🥖 The Cape's Italian Sub Hall of Fame

Reddit recently debated the Cape's top Italian subs, and these five spots rose to the top:

Scribano's (Harwich) dominated the conversation with 38 upvotes. One local drives from Centerville specifically for their subs, praising the quality meats, fresh bread, and generous portions - everything other Cape delis get wrong.

ACK Gioia (Brewster) impressed with housemade bread, cheese, and mozzarella. Multiple commenters called it the closest thing to Italy they've found in the U.S., emphasizing simple, quality ingredients.

Slice of Italy (Falmouth) earned multiple votes for juicy, delicious subs - though several warned to "eat it fast or get the juicy toppings on the side."

Banderas (Dennis) and Jack in the Beanstalk (Falmouth/Sandwich) rounded out the top five with loyal followings, though Banderas is seasonal (Memorial Day to Labor Day).

Dennis Public Market and The Deli in Sandwich also earned enthusiastic mentions from longtime fans. Read more»

Edgartown will decide October 22nd whether to allow 275 vehicles on Chappaquiddick's oversand trails, while a separate hearing determines if selling beach permits is even legal.

Nantucket school enrollment dropped to 1,662 students in October, down 69 from its record high last September and marking the steepest single-year decline since 2010.

A new documentary, "The Farmer and the Shark," explores the life of Craig Kingsbury, the Martha's Vineyard local who inspired Quint and played Ben Gardner in Jaws.

A Nantucket beachcomber discovered what's believed to be a 400-500 pound fragment of a 19th-century shipwreck—possibly a sternpost and rudder with bronze pintals—between Siasconset Beach and Low Beach.

🏋️‍♀️ BECOME A SUPPORTER

We love making this newsletter. You love reading it. If you want to support us, cool. If not, also cool, we'll keep sending them anyway. Become a monthly or annual supporter.

Already a supporter? Thank you so much. 🙏

🛟 Coast Guard Saves Person Who Fell Off Ferry

A person who fell overboard from the Steamship Authority ferry Nantucket during a nor'easter Monday afternoon was rescued by Coast Guard helicopter after nearly an hour of searching in rough seas off Martha's Vineyard.

The Island Home ferry crew spotted the person in the water near Juniper Point around 3:30 PM and threw life rings while calling for help. Storm conditions made seas too rough and visibility too poor for initial rescue attempts.

A coordinated search involving Coast Guard helicopter and boats, Falmouth Fire, and Environmental Police located the person off Nobska Point at 4:25 PM. A rescue swimmer was deployed and both were hoisted aboard the helicopter.

The person was flown to Falmouth Hospital in non-life-threatening condition. Falmouth Police are investigating how the individual entered the water. Read more»

👋 Meet: Ed
🐾 Pomeranian / Siberian Husky
🎂 7 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

Barnstable Fall Walking Weekend
October 17-19

Explore Barnstable's coastal trails, historic sites, and conservation areas during this 3-day walking event.

Highlights include nature walks at Bridge Creek Conservation Area, Hathaway Ponds Mystery Walk, and Discovering the Legacy of Fred Coram's Trees at Meetinghouse Pond.

Family-friendly routes range from moderate to challenging. Free and open to all.
Click here for full schedule and details. (Sponsored)

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 17

Bike Tour @ Falmouth Village Green | 11 AM
Roller Skating @ CC Challenger Club | 5:30 PM
Ships & Giggles @ CC Children’s Museum | 5:30
The Dining Room @ Chatham Drama Guild | 7:30

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 18

OysterFest @ Downtown Wellfleet | 10 AM
Genealogy @ Sandwich Library | 10 AM
Oktoberfest @ Downtown Chatham | 11 AM
CC Book Festival @ Cotuit Center | 11 AM
Human Library @ Osterville Library | 11 AM
Fall Fest @ CC Winery | 12 PM
Pumpkin Decorating @ AWSC | 1:30 PM
Trivia @ Brewster Ladies Library | 2:30 PM
5th Annual Artoberfest @ CC MOA | 3 PM
Witches Walk @ Gray Gables Beach | 4 PM
Fall Fest @ Naukabout Brewery | 4:30 PM
Jimmy Dunn @ Sea Crest Beach Resort | 7 PM
The Dining Room @ Chatham Drama Guild | 7:30

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 19

Rose Clancy @ Chatham Squire | 5 PM
Karaoke @ Knockout Pizza | 6 PM

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

Friday

58 🌡️ 50 | 🌤️ | 💧7% | 💨 N 17 mph

Saturday

59 🌡️ 47 | 🌤️ | 💧 0% | 💨 N 10 mph

Sunday

64🌡️ 54 | ☀ | 💧 3% | 💨 S 8 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 59ºF

1020 3rd Ave., Wellfleet
Asking $1.25M
3 🛏️
2 🛁
2,390 sqft
0.76 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 loves an Italian sub.