By Lynda Sturner**** La La loves Women’s Week in Ptown. So much to see and do, but with all that, the best part is walking down Commercial Street and seeing smiling women, holding hands with a look on their faces that says, this is our week and we own it! Eating, drinking, dancing, reading, writing, movie and theatre-going, whatever you want, it’s all there at the 2018 Women’s Week.
Welcome 34th Annual Women’s Week celebration. Beginning October 8. until the 14, the Women Innkeepers of Ptown host one of the oldest and largest lesbian festivals. And what a celebration this is, over 150 events to choose from.
Whale watches, both day and sunset sails on the Bay Lady ll, a Reception for Artistic Impressionism at the Cortile Gallery, yoga, Tea Dance at the Boatslip, the beginning of a three-day Inspiration Weekend, comedian, Maggie Cassella at the Post Office Café, topped off by a sing- along with Bobbie Wetherbee at the Crown and Anchor. And that’s just day one!
After you’ve checked into your guest house or hotel, go immediately to The Women’s Week Headquarters at 256 Commercial Street and pick up your program. You’ll find a dazzling list of events that really is a “something for everyone” festival.
Or, log on to the online schedule www.womensweekprovincetown.com
Here are La La’s recommendations:
PtownNitelife.com is all about Cabaret and Women’s Week brings back the women who entertained us all summer. La La is putting it out there and you choose. This is just a sampling, a highlighting, of the entertainment scene this week.
If you like to dance and party, go to WayDowntown, The Pied Bar and the Velvet Lounge.
You want to laugh, well you’ve come to the right town. Along with Judy Gold, Jennie McNulty & Mimi Gonzalez, Maggie Cassella, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Jackie Monahan and Vickie Shaw, is comedian Poppy Champlin appearing at The Post Office Café (303 Commercial Street) from Saturday October 6 – Sunday October 14 at 5:30pm.
Trained at Chicago’s Second City and a regular on Olivia Cruises, with appearances on Showtime, HBO, LOGO, Comedy Central and Oprah, Champlin will teach a How to Do Stand-Up Comedy class on Wednesday, October 10 from 12 noon – 1:30pm at The Provincetown Monument and Museum (1 High Pole Avenue). Be sure to catch her Women in Comedy Concert at the Pilgrim Monument and Museum, Saturday, October 13 at 1pm. where Champlin’s workshop students will perform.
Singers include, Melissa Crispo, Sheri Lynne and The Where’s Willy Band, comedian/singer Lisa Koch in Two Heads Are Better Than Nun, Suede and a fantastic piano sing-along with Provincetown’s own Darlene VanAlstsne and guitarist Monica Falcone at the Gifford House Inn at the Piano Bar.
You have multiple times and days to catch the fabulous Zoe Lewis, Sunday and Monday, October 7 & 8, with Lucy Wainwright at 7pm at The Pilgrim House (336 Commercial Street), Wednesday, October 10 in Music Like A Map at the Post Office Café (303 Commercial Street) at 4:30pm and October 11, Speakeasy with Zoe Lewis and the Bootleggers at 8pm at The Pilgrim House.
Everything is a not to be missed event, but I especially love “Women’s Week Idol” at the Crown and Anchor (247 Commercial Street) Thursday and Friday, October 11 and 12 at 8:30pm. It’s your turn to show your stuff at this singing contest with celebrity judges, Vickie Shaw, Lisa Koch, Jennie McNulty and Suede. Performers should arrive at 7:30 PM to sign up. La La says Break a Leg!
If you’re not singing, come to the Clambake Poolside at the Crown and Anchor, Wednesday, October 10 at 5:30pm, or before you sing on Friday, October 12, at the Fish Fry.
If you love bingo, go to the Crown and Anchor, 247 Commercial Street on Friday, October 12 from 2-4pm, for Lesbos Bingo. On Saturday,
October 13, also from 2 – 4pm, is Rainbow Bingo. Bring your markers and take home prizes.
If you love riveting, gripping theatre, you must not miss the opening of The Laramie Project at The Provincetown Theater Company on Thursday, October 11. This classic story about the brutal murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard is directed by one of the original creators, Leigh Fondakowski.
For writers and lovers of the spoken word, there is a Women Writers’ Workshop on Saturday, October 6 at the Pilgrim Monument – 1 High Pole Hill.
Also, there are daily readings and book signings at several venues: The Provincetown Library (356 Commercial Street), Recovering Hearts (4 Standish Street), The Provincetown Hotel at Gabriel’s (102 Bradford Street), Woman Crafts (376 Commercial Street) and Napi’s (7 Freeman Street).
Monday at 9am, is the Annual Golf Outing at Chequessett Yacht and Country Club in Wellfleet. Go and tell amazing golf pro Barbara Boone, that La La says hello. The tournament is a benefit for Women’s Week and Helping Out Women, a local non-profit dedicated to helping women through chronic and life-threatening illnesses. This organization is always there to drive you to doctor’s appointments and chemo treatments, bring you meals and provide loving care. Ptown is one of those unique communities that takes care of its residents and Helping Our Women is a sterling example. Help is always available and no one needs to feel alone and helpless.
Cape Cod Walks the Walk for Alzheimer’s is another fundraiser by The Alzheimer’s Family of Cape Cod Support Center on Sunday October 14. Registration begins at 10am at Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street, or online at www.AlzheimersWalkCapeCod.org
One week is not enough time to experience the generosity and love that happens here all year round.
Movies, movies, movies. If you’re not golfing, Monday, October 8, is a day to see movies. The Water’s Edge Cinema (237 Commercial Street) will show the documentary Speak Your Truth, featuring nine woman’s stories of being in heterosexual marriages, coming out and changing their lives, at 2pm. At 3pm, Chloe Sevigny plays Lizzie Borden in Lizzie. She and a housemaid find a secret intimacy that sparks the unthinkable. Lez Bomb, a multigenerational comedy of errors, explores when to come out and other people’s secrets and the holiday homecoming will never be the same, will be shown at 4:30pm. At 7pm, The Heiress, directed by Marcelo Martinessi, will be screened. Friday, October 12 at 7:30pm, also at the Water’s Edge Cinema, is the not-to-be-missed screening of Andrea Meyerson’s Clambake, a historical, hysterical documentary about the 35-year-old story of Woman’s Week.
After a day of movies, throw away your popcorn and giant-sized diet coke and run to the Opening Party at WayDowntown with DJ Corday.
After the hearings this past week, La La really needs to hear what women are doing to deal with this current situation. If you are political, disgusted, depressed and want to fight back, come listen to Women In Politics: Making Political Change, Tuesday, October 9 from 1 – 2:30pm at The Pilgrim Monument and Museum.
Be sure to check the other events and Happy Women’s Week!
