The Inside Scoop

By: Elise Hugus, September 6, 2011

Eight weeks later, we’ve emerged from the tidal wave that is summer.

It’s apparent from the pale skin of waitresses, the farmer’s tan (to put it nicely) of landscapers, the dazed look on just about every local’s face: yet another season has come and gone, and not a moment too soon.

As the last SUV, loaded down with the flotsam and jetsam of beach days and barbeques, crosses the bridge, Cape Codders are left to ponder: what on earth just happened? Did we squeeze out every possible moment of fun in the sun? Did we make the money we needed to get us through the next 10 months?  Was it worth all the stress?

This annual reckoning brings out various responses, depending on who you ask. Usually, the common sigh of relief drowns out the individual regrets.

Because what locals know—and don’t tell—is that September is payback time. The water is the warmest it gets all year; the days are crisp, if a tad cool at night. There may be a few weekend warriors and childless sightseers, but the beaches, waterways, and restaurants are ours once more.

The shows must go on

What’s more, the shows still go on.

If you’ve been working too much overtime to go out or just got turned off by the crowds, now is your chance to reap the benefits of the shoulder season. While the seasonal venues are still open, you can have your pick of the nightlife, almost any night of the week.

Has anyone noticed the tremendous outcropping of live music in every bar or restaurant with a little bit of extra floor space lately? Whether it’s the economy or whether the music is just too hard to resist, we’re all the richer for it. If you want to keep such delicious sounds and variety on your musical palette, please continue to support those talented musicians—and the venues that keep the local music scene going strong.

You’ll be glad you did, come February.

This month also offers a variety of weekend pleasures, from the  2^nd annual Cape Cod Music Festival on Labor Day Sunday, to the worldly Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival from September 8 to 11, to Provincetown’s Afterglow Festival of performance art (September 14 to 18), and the locovore’s delight at the Bourne Scallop Festival (September 23 to 25).

As always, InsideOUT is here to help put you in touch with what makes the Cape a happenin’ place. Check out our calendar for music, film, art, or food events any day of the week, and click around to find out the insider’s scoop on the people and places that put it on the map.

Together, we can make this a September to remember!