JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark survived the big blow on Saturday. Our roadsides still have trees with colorful fall foliage although there are fewer trees in some places. A number of trees and limbs of trees blew down, mostly, along North Road. Work crews cleaned everything up quickly and no routes were blocked.

The storm was a long one with blowing sand at Menemsha and torn leaves were everywhere. Most Chilmark folk took it all in stride.

Those who were trying to get back to Chilmark had the hardest time. The boats stopped running and those who were scheduled to ride were left to make the best of it on the mainland. One couple related this tale: They went to a Falmouth motel and booked one of the very last rooms available, moved in and, very soon after, the electricity went off. It remained off all night and that caused the fire alarms to sound and that required that the guests go to the lobby while firemen checked out the motel. This happened three times that night. Others probably have similar stories. They were glad to get home.

The volunteer firefighters’ annual Halloween party was a success with thanks going to Morning Glory Farm for donating the pumpkins and corn stalks that decorated the community center. Thanks also go to Katie Carroll for organizing the event, to all those who brought refreshments and to Linda Thompson, Margaret Maida and Martina Mastromonaco for judging the costume parade. Winners were: funniest costume, Quinlan Slavin; animal costume: Clara Athearn; witch costume: Bella Thorpe; original costume: Brigida Larsen; villain costume: Emerson Mahoney; vampire costume: Chase Soulagnet; movie character: Kelly Klaren; princess (a tie): Adrienne and Eloise Christy; superhero: Barrett Oliver; bug costume: Bryce Cioffi; goblin: Galen Mayhewe; vegetable costume: Finnegan MacLeod; scariest costume: Bradley Carroll; and best homemade costume: David Webster. And a good time was had by all.

The Chilmark library will host Nan Doty and her program, Introduction to Qigong, on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. It is a set of gentle, low-impact movements described in the book The Healing Promise of Qi by Roger Jahnke. Nan is a certified teacher of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. All designed to build up and balance our energy levels.

Fred Hotchkiss, director of the Marine and Paleobiological Research Institute, will give a lecture titled Starfish and the Number Five at the library on Nov. 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The lecture is funded in part by a grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council in collaboration with the Mass. Cultural Council and the Friends of the Chilmark Library. We are grateful to all for making these interesting lectures available to us all free of charge.

The annual Chilmark All Town Boards Meeting is Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the community center.

Ted and Polly Meinelt of South Road are proud to tell us that their grandson, Stephen, who is a multiple winner of the Chilmark road race, ran last week in the Manhattan Marathon in New York city.

Marsha Winsryg sends word that the African Artists’ Community Development Project program will take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 10, beginning at 6 p.m. The program, which includes a film, craft displays and more, was postponed due to the storm.