Best Bets: Stars, music, dance, and free tours are on the agenda

The stars are shining in this week's Best Bets.

The star-studded line up will be sizzling all August long as guests bring the heat to Provincetown. Tony and Grammy award winning artists will be gracing the stage of Town Hall.

If you're planning to head down to Provincetown, check out the dance festival, held at Castle Hill in Truro, with a world premiere performance .

Did I say stars? We also have world renowned U.S. Olympic Sailor Lara Dallman-Weiss taking sail at Wequassett Resort and Golf Club.

The annual Provincetown Dance Festival is here

This year, six nationally known artists and musicians will be performing live. The lineup entails a premiere appearance from the Boston Ballet II, The Haitian-folkloric contemporary dance company, Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE), stage a world premiere showcasing a collaboration with tap dancers Khalid Hill and Orlando Hernandez. This two-day festival will be in full swing at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19, 20, 26, and 27 on Sam’s Stage at Truro Center for the Arts Edgewood Farm Campus on Route 6 in Truro. The center will be bussing people from its main campus at 10 Meetinghouse Road in Truro beginning at 6 p.m. as parking at Edgewood Farm is for people with limited mobility only. Admission is $40 in advance or $45 at door, but tickets are limited.

The outdoor venue has limited chairs, bring your own lawn chair and blankets. Picnics are welcome. Visit castlehill.org for more information.

Superstars bring the heat to Provincetown

If you missed last month's star- studded performances, you are in luck because there's more heading your way. Rhonda "LaChanze" Sapp is a multi-Tony Award winner for her staring role in "The Color Purple," even winning two more this past June as a producer. She will be hitting the stage at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 at Town Hall in Provincetown, 260 Commercial St. Admission ranges from $50 to $100 depending on seating.

Nina West, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, made history as the first person to attend the Emmy awards in drag. She will be taking the stage at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 at Town Hall. Admission ranges from $50- $200 depending on seating. Up next is Samara Joy, who at 23 is a two-time Grammy winner and just won 2023 Best Jazz Vocal Album. She will be making her debut at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Town Hall. Admission ranges from $75-$200. RuPaul's Drag Race start Miz Cracker will hit the stage at 8 p.m. every Wednesday through Saturday until Sept. 2. Admission is $40-$75. Drag sensation Ginger Minj will be hitting the stage at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday until Sept. 2. Admission is $50-$75. For more information and tickets provincetownarthouse.com/.

Family theater on Mondays, the Bard on Tuesdays, in Wellfleet

Knighthorse Theatre Company, founded by husband-and-wife Tyrus and Amy Lemerande in 2003, will perform at the new Mayo Beach Pavilion, across from the beach in Wellfleet, at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays through the end of August. On Mondays, Knighthorse will perform "The Little Prince" featuring the couple's children, "a production 20 years in the making," they say. On Tuesdays, the actors return to their staple, "Shakespeare on Demand," a respectful remake of Shakespeare aiming at making the play's more accessible to modern audiences.

"Knighthorse specializes in creating original adaptions of Shakespeare: one or two actors on a bare stage with simple costumes and few props ― playing ALL parts. We take Shakespeare’s 400 year-old text and massage it create something new. While his words and characters remain essentially unchanged, in our very capable and respectful hands, his plays get a mini-makeover in order to facilitate this minimalistic and highly imaginative delivery," according to the company's website.

Woods Hole Cantata Consort invites you to celebrate with a special concert

In celebration of 50 years of Woods Hole Cantata Consort serving as a summer community chorale, and a professional chamber ensemble, everyone is invited to The Golden Anniversary Concert. Director Margaret Bossi has composed an eclectic selection of work that will represent the past five centuries of music-making. The concert will start at 7:30 p.m., on Aug. 19 and 4 p.m. on Aug. 20 at the Church of the Messiah, 22 Church St., Woods Hole. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted at the entrance. Bossi’s selections are described as “sacred and secular, instrumental and choral, majestic and jazzy” in a press release. For more information visit woodsholecantata.org. 

Come sail from Harwich with world-renowned U.S. Olympic sailor Lara Dallman-Weiss

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, a Forbes-rated five-star resort, is no stranger to having a star-studded event. The weekend will sail off at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25. Meet and mingle with Lara Dallman-Weiss under the poolside cabanas while enjoying food and a signature cocktail. Admission is $75 for adults and $50 for Pleasant Bay Community Boating members.  At 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 26, there will be interactive group sailing with the Olympian. Admission is $300 for resort guests and $350 for non-guests. At 2:30 p.m. Aug. 26 there will be a mix of classroom time and on-the-water time. Admission is $200 for resort guests and $250 for non-guests. For more information, visit wequassett.com

The Relics of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina will visit St. Joseph Guardian of the Holy Family Parish

All are invited to view the relics of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and participate in prayer services and Mass that is in honor of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy. He was born in 1887 and ordained a Capuchin priest in 1910 while living a life of austerity, simplicity and poverty. Padre Pio was proclaimed a saint on June 16, 2022, by St. Pope John Paul II with more than 500,000 gathering in Rome to witness.

The reception of the relics and prayer service starts at 3 p.m., with veneration until 8 p.m., on Aug. 25. The following day, Aug. 26, veneration will be from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., with Mass in honor of St. Pio at 4 p.m. Following the Mass, the CEO of the St. Pio Foundation will speak about him and the foundation's work. All services will be held at St. Joseph's Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, 167 East Falmouth Highway, East Falmouth. Bring religious medals and holy cards to touch the relics. Confessions will also be held during these two days. You can visit falmouthcatholic.org for more information.

'Read local' at the Provincetown Book Festival

Award-winning writer Joe Okonkwo will be selecting five local writers to read at the opening program of the Provincetown Book Festival. Submission is not limited to genre: poetry, prose, fiction and non fiction are all welcome. Send a sample, no longer then three pages, with a brief intro and bio to Nan Cinnater at the Provincetown Library at ncinnater@clamsnet.org The deadline for submitting is Aug. 30 and readers will be announced on Sept. 20. The festivities will be from Sept. 29- Oct. 1, with most events occurring at the library.

Join Dawna Hammers for her 'Summertime Blues' concert in Yarmouth

Dawna Hammers will perform a variety of original and cover blues songs on the grand piano and acoustic guitar Aug. 18 and Aug. 19 at Woods Hole Community Hall, 68 Waters St. The shows begin at 7 p.m. each night and tickets are $10. Music runs in her blood, as her father was both a pharmacist, saxophonist, and clarinetist who had her listen to the legends like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.

It is best to come to the concerts early to find parking or take the trolley. Hammer has also written her own blues songs about Hurricane Katrina, sacred land being developed, and even one from her dog's perspective. She will also be doing songs by Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, James Taylor, Tracy Chapman, and more.

Learn about past Cape Codders with a free Dennis Historical Society cemetery tour

History buffs are promising an enlightening and memorable tour at the West Dennis Village Cemetery that spans over 300 years of local lore. The cemetery originated circa 1700 as the Crowell family burial ground. The walk will spotlight the graves of some of West Dennis' prominent early citizens. This one-day event will start at 10 a.m., Aug. 25 at the West Dennis Cemetery off 6A, located on the corner of Pond Street. Some of the early families highlighted are Crowell, Baker, Fisk and Kelley. Captain Levi Crowell, who was captured while trying to blockade Charleston Harbor in 1862, will be explored through his diary from, his time in Confederate prison. If it rains, the event will be at 2 p.m., Aug. 27. There is no parking at the cemetery.

'Harper and The Midwest Kind' heads to Music Room in West Yarmouth

Award winning blues/roots artist Peter Harper, born and raised in Australia but now based out of Detroit, creates a mix of blues and roots through his use of a harmonica, and the haunting drone of the didgeridoo, an ancient wind instrument native to Australia. This night will start at 9 p.m. on Aug. 19 at The Music Room, 541 Main St., West Yarmouth. Admission is $35 or $45 depending on seating selection. Harper has released 10 widely acclaimed albums and supported on tour internationally-known artists such as John Mayall, Muddy Waters, Little Feat and Buddy Guy. For more information and tickets, visit musicroomcapecodtickets.com.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: On Cape: LaChanze, Khalid Hill, Nina West, Samara Joy, Okonkwo and more