JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
It is clearly evident that the winter blahs have set in along with a bitter blast of cold weather. The overwhelming excitement of the inauguration of Barack Obama as President reached the Vineyard with several inaugural festivities around the Island. Most everyone stopped at noon on Tuesday to listen to his speech to the nation — most of the libraries and the Mansion House had big screen television sets available. We had a temperature that dropped to zero Sunday morning. However, we are just over a month away from the start of daylight saving time in March. I suppose we can take heart now that spring is just 55 days away and seed catalogs have started to arrive in the daily mail and we can study them in front of the fireplace and dream. Another sure sign of spring is that David and Eleanor Stanwood, of Lambert’s Cove, report that they are nursing several newborn lambs at their farm.
The Inaugural Ball at the Chilmark Community Center Tuesday night was a sellout — 250 folks, many of them from this town, ate, sipped adult beverages and danced the night away to the music of Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish. This marked the first Island inauguration event ever held for any President that I can recall. Tina Miller reports that the ball in Oak Bluffs was also very exciting. When the guests departed they found a fluffy white snow falling.
Steve Lohman, of Waldron’s Bottom Road, attended the inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and attended the Delaware State Society Ball at the Willard Hotel that evening. He went up to Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday to deliver a 9-foot tall stainless steel statue of Don Quixote. He will then fly down to New Orleans, La., and his wife Jenifer will meet him there.
Marilyn Holllinshead and Elaine Pace report to any of you who attended the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society concerts last summer that the last concert featured Anthony McGill, a tall, attractive clarinetist. He played with Yo Yo Ma at Obama’s inauguration on Tuesday.
Sal Laterra, of Providence, R.I., arrived on Wednesday to spend time with Phyllis Meras at her Music street home.
Lynn Christoffers, of Edgartown Road, who has been a seasonal guest for nearly 20 years, is spending her third winter with us. She returned home from a business trip down to New York city on Thursday.
Katherine Long, of Boerne, Tex., returned home on Wednesday after visiting her daughter Katherine and her husband Tom Vogl for a week. She was on hand to help celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. They came over to our house for dinner Sunday night and we were joined by Phyllis Meras.
Gloria Sylva, over at the school, reports that there will be a masquerade dance for sixth through eighth grade students tonight, and a Friday night coffee house with music in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.
This afternoon at 4 p.m. the library will present some jazz music played by the JC Trio. Refreshments will be served — a great way to alleviate the January blues.
Susan Goldstein reports that her daughter Nili, the general manager of Zephrus Restaurant, and chef Robert Lionette see that many local nonprofits are uneasy about these uncertain economic times, so the restaurant has looked for ways to help fill in that gap. This fall Zephrus sponsored a popular special dessert called As American as Apple Pie, with the proceeds going to the Food Pantry. Every two weeks Zephrus sends a check to the Food Pantry based on their diners’ dessert choices. Over $500 has been sent since the program began in the late fall. Now they propose that local nonprofits can use their database to publicize a get-together for their supporters at Zephrus and the restaurant will donate 20 per cent of the evening’s proceeds to the group.
On Jan. 15, 1946, Mike and Elizabeth Athearn and their young son George moved from the farm house of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Horace Athearn of Crow Hollow. They had lived there since his discharge from the US Army the previous year. Their new home was the upstairs apartment in the home of Emma Terry, on State Road. The house is located between S.M. Mayhew’s store and the First Congregational Church. For many years the house was owned by Ulysses Mayhew, a state representative and partner in the store business with his brother Sanderson.
Happy birthday to Georgiana White, Kristine Scheffer and Paul Vanlandingham today; Zack Wiesner, Lewis Waring and Dan Sharkovitz tomorrow; Abigail Higgins, Tony Omer, Mitchell Gordon and Liane Thomas on Sunday; Harold Lawry, Melissa Clay, Leigh Hammond and Ed Sylvia on Monday; Tim Mathiesen, Susan Sigel Goldsmith, Taggart Young and Tom Engley on Tuesday; Jamie Alley, Abigail Stanwood and John Barkin on Wednesday; Janice Ovios, Pamela Speir and Charlotte Cole on Thursday.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me.
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