Chatham Oars in the Stores 2022

While you’re enjoying the summer days on the Lower Cape be sure to stop at some of  local businesses to find Chatham Oars in the Stores! This year there are 38 five-foot-long wooden oars in local shops. The oars have been painted by local artists, with the event organized by the Chatham Merchants Association.

Chatham Oars in the Stores are Back!

The oars are available for viewing Memorial Day to Labor Day. Be sure to pick up a scavenger hunt booklet to find all the Chatham Oars in the Stores! Complete the scavenger hunt and you’ll win a prize from the Merchant’s Association. Booklets can be found at participating shops, and at the Downtown Visitor Information Booth at 533 Main Street.

The event is coupled with Art in the Park, where this year you can enjoy unique and beautiful whales, many sponsored by the same businesses with oars! The Art in the Park event began in 2013 with sharks and has grown into a beloved summer tradition! This summer you will find whales of unique designs and creative displays in the park, fun to stroll through and enjoy or go online and enter into the bidding.

The addition of the scavenger hunt encourages visitors and locals to check out some of the many great businesses and shops found in Chatham. The event, and the auctioning of the whales provides funding for the Chatham Merchants Association, local artists, and for future events and non-profits. The use the funding as an “investment in making Chatham a wonderful and fun place in which to live, do business, stay and visit, shop, and enjoy all the attractions of this great town.”

Town businesses and merchants sponsor whales and oars, connecting with a local artist to collaborate on the designs. The items are displayed and auctioned off, with half the proceeds going to artists and the rest going to the Merchant’s Association. The Merchant’s Association then uses the proceeds to fund events and projects including Mondays on the Main, the Christmas Stroll, Oktoberfest, Pumpkin People in the Park, and to support local nonprofits.

More to do in Chatham

Mondays on the Main provides live music and entertainment on Monday nights between July 11th and August 29rd from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Then starting October 15th this Fall, Pumpkin People in the Park brings visitors back to Kate Gould Park, this time celebrating all things fall with fun and creative pumpkin people sculptures! The Oktoberfest celebration will hopefully be held on October 22rd as usual, though details are still being worked out. The Christmas Stroll is also still being planned and should take place December 9th-11th.

So wherever your travels on the Cape take you this summer, set aside some time to check out Chatham Oars in the Stores and Art in the Park and support our local businesses and artists!