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A Dune Shack is Waiting for You

Enter the Provincetown Compact's Lottery

Imagine spending a week in absolute remove from the normal realities of the world. And, imagine doing so in the glorious setting of the Province Lands dunes, a mesmerizing world of sand hills and valleys that is constantly being swept into new shapes by the powerful breath of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The deadline to enter the dune shack lottery is February 15.

Thanks to the Provincetown Compact, a Provincetown non-profit, just such an escape into sand and solitude is possible for a lucky few every spring and summer.

Once a year the Compact, in collaboration with the Cape Cod National Seashore, offers a lottery for members of the public who are interested in staying in one of the historic dune shacks of the Province Lands.

The dune shacks comprise a historic district known as the Peaked Hill Bars, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of the many artists and writers who have used the shacks over the years.

Although most of the dune shacks are maintained and used by their original owners or families, there are two shacks that are reserved to provide the public access to this unique area through one- and three-week residencies. The public residencies are allotted through a lottery, and can be applied for at www.thecompact.org. Three residencies are also provided for artists, who are chosen by jury.

Residency winners must pay weekly rent, which falls somewhere between $300 and $500, depending on ability to pay.

Nestled into the ever-shifting landscape of the dunes, the shacks are primitive in structure. Both of the shacks in the Compact’s residency program date back to the 1940’s, and lack running water, electricity and a telephone. The austerity of the shacks, along with the isolation of the dunes, offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience real solitude.

The Provincetown Compact, which administers the program, is the same organization that puts together the annual “Swim for Life” event and fundraiser.

To find out more information about the dune shacks and how to apply for a residency, visit www.thecompact.org. Applications must be postmarked no later than February 15, 2009.