HOLLY NADLER

508-274-9239

(hollynadler@gmail.com)

You know you live in a democracy when a truly good idea can still attract a small vocal minority coming out against it. Such is the case with the projected pharmacy slated for the past two years to occupy the old library space at the corner of Circuit and Pennacook avenues.

Who could not love this idea for which the town has already collected nearly half a million dollars in state funding which will have to be forked back at the end of the year should the plan fail to move ahead? All of a sudden, certain townsfolk have decided they’d rather have an abandoned, bombed-out Beirut-style building at this site than an attractive, rehabbed, productive enterprise.

Does any Oak Bluffsonian love sloshing through the bitter rains of February to pick up medicinal essentials in Vineyard Haven?

And what about the sheer unalloyed benefits of creating an essential service at this last-gasp area of commercial outlets on Circuit? Anyone with a retail biz up at that end of the avenue knows there’s an invisible force field that stops pedestrians exactly a foot beyond the intersection of Circuit and Kennebec. The Thai restaurant, with its snappy new sign and jutting veranda, helps to pull people past the kryptonite, but still, people have always needed extra incentives to keep them from lurching slowly around, Night of The Living Dead-style, and heading back to the bright lights of town.

A pharmacy will do that! Someone riding on the fumes of his empty bottle of heart medication is going to go the extra distance, and once he’s straightened out on that score, he might recall that he needs some gourmet dog bones and a can of brake fluid.

Some of the neighbors have put out a new orange state of alert about the parking situation. Perhaps they’ve been spoiled by the past few years as the old library building moldered back into the ground and no cars trolled for parking spots. Well, it’s always nice to have a vacation from extra autos, but hello! Hop in your own car, please, and drive out to Conroy’s Apothecary in West Tisbury (the very same pharmacy that has patiently awaited remodeling of the Oak Bluffs space) and check out the vehicles parked in front. There might be two, maybe three, at most five cars stashed there for all of ten minutes apiece. Now drive over to the new palace of a library up on School and Pacific. A lot of cars, right? And they tend to hang around.

We’re lucky, parking-wise, to be swapping pill-poppers for readers.

I know I’ve probably lost some dear friends by writing this, but I feel a migraine coming on, I’m all out of Fiorinal, and it’s making me grumpy . . .

On to other items:

The 16th Annual Oak Bluffs Road Race will take place on Sunday, May 24, to benefit Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, starting at 11 a.m. for the five kilometer race, preceded by a one-mile Fun Run at 10 a.m. Pre-register for $15 at the Wesley Hotel on May 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. It’s going to cost you an extra $5 to register on the day of the race at the Wesley Hotel from 9 to 10 a.m.

Drop by the library to view the new local maritime history display. Books included in the collection were purchased with funds donated by the Goodwin family in memory of Gordon Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin’s parents emigrated to the U.S. from Newfoundland when the fishing industry declined. His father was a fisherman and his mother’s family owned a cannery. Mr. Goodwin appreciated local maritime history and traditions.

In other library news: Wii Play games for all ages will take place on Saturday, May 23 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Also, From Ad to Interview — Finding The Perfect Job or Volunteer Opportunity For You on Thursday, June 4, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., offered by author, former teacher and administrator, Elaine Pace. Learn how to put your best foot forward when applying for jobs, and how to identify your strengths and skills. Limited seating, so contact the library to sign up.

And more from the library in the How Cool Is This? department: Memoir Writing Workshop with Susan Klein is on Thursday, June 11, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Ms. Klein, storyteller and author, will speak about the importance of preserving the stories of our lives, and will lead an introduction to her popular workshop, Spice of Life, on memoir organization and writing.

From the Oak Bluffs School, dates to remember: Tetanus Clinic, June 2; Garden Party, June 6 from 4 to 6 p.m.; 8th Grade Philly Trip, June 7 through 12; Fine Arts Night, June 9; 8th Grade Graduation, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. and the last day of school, a half-day, falls on June 26.