AROUND CAPE COD
Eastham was the location for the momentous initial interaction in 1620 between a small Mayflower expedition and the local Nauset people, at what is now called First Encounter Beach. The town of Eastham was officially incorporated in 1651, and industries such as whaling, fishing, salt-making, and farming fueled its early economy. Its windswept coast famously enticed writer Henry Beston to build a lonely beach shack and write The Outermost House , his much-loved 1928 account of a year on Eastham’s wild outer beach. HISTORY The Hands on the Arts Festival is held each June on Windmill Green, whose windmill, built in Plymouth in 1688 and moved to Eastham in 1808, is the Cape’s oldest. Hosted by the Eastham Cultural Council, the free two-day event includes a juried arts and crafts show, plus children’s hands-on art activities, music, dance, puppetry, and other performances. The Cultural Council also works to promote excellence, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences via Mass Cultural Council grants. ARTS Windmill Green is the location for another fun annual Eastham event: Windmill Weekend. Held on the Saturday and Sunday following Labor Day, it features road races, a sand art competition, band concerts, square dancing, a tricycle race, and public recognition of local volunteers. The town has several historic sites and museums, including the 1869 Schoolhouse Museum, the Swift-Daley House, the Captain Penniman House at Fort Hill, and the Dill Beach Camp dune shack. Lower Cape Community Access Television is housed at Nauset Regional High School and offers community members opportunities to learn about TV production. The high school is also the location for the quirky and popular Eastham Turnip Festival, a celebration of the locally grown taproot. CULTURE
EDUCATION
Eastham is one of the four Lower Cape towns that comprise the Nauset Regional School District, which shares Nauset Regional Middle School in Orleans and Nauset Regional High School in North Eastham, situated on the edge of the Cape Cod National Seashore. High school students also have the option of attending Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich. Elementary-aged students attend Eastham Elementary, and, while there are no private kindergarten through twelfth schools located in town, nearby towns offer private education options.
60
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker