NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

Every year our veterans outdo themselves with the Memorial Day service at the Oak Grove cemetery. Much of the thanks goes to Jo Ann Murphy. Not only did we have the Tisbury school band there, and John Schilling and Edson Rogers playing beautifully on Taps and other works, but a flyover from the National Guard was scheduled. The girl scouts and boy scouts were in fine form. Then Jo Ann called for the soloist who was to sing our national anthem. She wasn’t there. A beautiful woman, a soprano soloist, stepped up from the crowd and said she would do the honors. She sang clearly, strongly, sweetly and wonderfully. What a welcome addition to our service. After the laying of the wreaths, we repaired to the legion hall, where Theresa and Lil had a fabulous spread. Same time, next year.

More of our seasonal friends made it for the weekend. Felicity Tuttle and James Weisman came and brought guests, Mareda Gaither Graves was here to prepare for her workshop, and young Stephen and sister Becca Dunham are back at Grandma Martha’s. I especially want to welcome back to Our Town Elisa Natichioni and her son, Marc, who have been here for some months but I just recently caught up with them. I run into most people, as I always seem to do, at the Thrift Shop. I should probably just set up a desk and write the column from there.

Our library wants you to know that the regular children’s programs are suspended for the month of June while the librarians prepare for the big summer reading program, Wild Reads. However, Thursday night games continue from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for young people ages 12 and up.

If reading is your thing, don’t forget the annual Bloomsday celebration of James Joyce on Saturday, June 16. Director John Crelan has tickets — call 508-696-0539. I managed to attend last summer and it was the best thing I did for myself all year.

News from our local chapter of the NAACP: Our new national president is 35-year-old Ben Jealous, the youngest president in our 99-year history. Ben is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar. Best of luck to him and new

directions for us!

Meanwhile, the Organization of Black Airline Pilots, in conjunction with Delta Airlines, is offering two free summer session camps for boys and girls between 14 and 18 years old. The point is to expose them to the pleasures of flying. Delta is footing the bill. The deadline for applications is Monday, June 2. Visit acecamp.org or obap.org to sign your flier up.

Wednesday, June 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. is our first open office hours session at the Tisbury Senior Center.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Maura Begley and Olivia Gomez Blanco today. May 31 belongs to Tamma Cimeno. June 1 honors Mary McPartlin. June 2 is shared by Robbie Hale, Louisa Leuning, Al Koster and Anna Nivala. June 3 is a party for Taylor Pierce and Sarah Lolley, Chaya Rubenstein, Bill Blakesly, Myra Stark, Raiver da Costa, Justin Smith and Arthur Battistini. June 4 is claimed by Ben Crisman, Josh Kochin, Peggy Tileston and Arthur Lenna. And on June 5 Margie Meltzer, Eithne Thrush and Mat Hebert take the cake. Many happy returns.