JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Last Saturday Anna and I went off-Island and bought a new car at Toyota of Dartmouth, taking advantage of the cash for clunkers program. The traffic in Falmouth was horrible — wall to wall people — and the return trip home was nearly sold out for foot passengers.
The activity at the Agricultural Hall is at a fever pitch preparing for the fair. Some college students have just begun to leave as many universities open before the end of the month. By the end of the month a significant amount of summer traffic and visitors will begin to head in the other direction as the summer season slowly begins winding down for another year.
Several hundred motorcycles and their riders and guests attended the 27th annual Run to the Rock celebration last Saturday. Motorcyclists from near and far arrived to attend the daylong affair. The Martha’s Vineyard Harley Riders Association and president James Paquette sponsored the event. This month is also the 106th birthday of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The 147th annual Agricultural Fair begins next Thursday and runs until Sunday evening. They are now accepting entry forms and will until Monday at 5 p.m. You can drop your entry forms in the box on the front porch of the hall, or mail or fax them in. Cushing Amusements will again be offering pay-one-price wrist bands for rides on Friday, August 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. The price is $20. New at the fair this year will be a community tent for all of nonprofit organizations. Please check out this new arrangement. There will be some livestock and antique farm equipment on display in the new barn. The woodsmen’s contest has several new events this year. A full program of events is available at the hall. Also a complete schedule of events is published in the fair booklet. Glenn Jackson is in charge of the eighth annual fiber tent exhibition this year. He reports that the new attraction is manual antique sock-knitting machines. There will be various demonstrations of talent throughout the fair and animals will be available for viewing each day.
The Vineyard Transit Authority will extend bus service to include the fair on Routes 2, 4, and 6. The number 8 bus will run express service from Edgartown to the fair. As an added bonus for riding the bus this year, the Agricultural Society will offer a $1 discount admission. Be sure to have your hand stamped before exiting the bus to qualify for the discount. A complete bus schedule will be posted on the front porch of the hall. Bus service will run hourly from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday the last bus is at 8 p.m. If you choose to bring your car there will be two parking lots available: one operated by the firemen and the society and the other by the Whiting family.
Last Friday evening was a great time in Menemsha. Jody and Tammy Gildersleeve of Kent, Ohio renewed their vows. Jody has been coming to the island for decades and now visits with his sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Jim Graham on Pond Road. With my top hat and tails, I made it through the throngs all settled in for the sunset in time to conduct the beach ceremony. Also in attendance were children Julia Graham and Sarah Needham and her husband Jim. After the ceremony all were treated to a wonderful dinner. A great time was had by all and a fantastic sunset topped it off.
Sundy Smith and her husband Jon Previant were booked full at their new house on Seth’s Pond over the weekend. Son Ben Zimmermann, his wife Thorunn and three girls Ella, Nina and Sundy arrived from Milton and daughter Rachel Smith, her husband Dan and children Zoe and Owen came from Iowa City. The highlight for the little ones was picking the legacy blueberries that their great-grandfather Henry Smith planted many years ago on Tiah’s Cove.
Tomorrow 10-month-old Heather Reische will join grandparents Dick and Diana of Runner Road, along with her parents Kirk and Susan and brother Luke for a week on Town Cove at the senior Reisches’ estate. This will be Heather’s first visit to the Vineyard. Luke has already briefed her with tales of “riding on the ocean” to get there. He announced to his nursery school class that his favorite place to go “in the whole world” is Martha’s Vineyard! Eric and Olivia Reische of Aspen, Colo., their family, Ki-Lin and baby Daane, 16 months, will spend a week on the Vineyard starting August 24. Ki-Lin and Daane are old hands, having visited here with them several times. They will have some new neighbors over on Cobb’s Hill.
Lynne Whiting reports that her daughter Bea turns 30 today; Hannah Keefe and Andrea Silva arrive tomorrow from California. Hannah turns 30 on Sunday. Louis Franciose is visiting from Salt Lake City, Utah, for two weeks with the Whiting family. He looks forward to parking cars at the Whiting Farm parking lot for the fair.
Barbara (Fales) de Braganca of Old County Road reports that her mother was very touched and excited to read in last week’s column the report of the Gymkhana of 80 years ago. She rode a horse named Beauty who was special to her, dancing to music and allowing her mother to stand bare on his back at a trot and a gallop! Her mother Bunny arrived on-Island after Memorial Day as she had stayed with Barbara and attended her granddaughter Camilla’s graduation from St. George’s School in Newport. In May, Barbara received the designation of Chevalier dans l’Ordre de Merite from the French Government for her past work as former president of the Alliance Francaise de Boston/Cambridge and her current activities as a trustee of the French Library. They all have been enjoying the beach.
Kendall Gifford Miller, his wife Carla and their children Daniel and Carl, of Newark, Ohio, are vacationing at their home on Edgartown Road. Kendall planted a garden of daylilies and corn on his property and has been selling them from in front of the old Gifford’s store. They plan to attend the fair before returning home.
Noah and Susan Block of New York city left for home on Monday after spending a long weekend with us. They checked the progress being made by Will Monast on the Frank Adams house. They plan to move here before the end of the year.
Jill Carlton and her husband Pete Karmen, of New Haven, Conn., returned home on Monday after a two-week visit at her State Road home. Pete wrote his daily blog on the back porch and Jill tended her garden and relaxed in the sun.
John and Judith Churchill of New York city arrived last week at their Lambert’s Cove home. Steve and Margaret Wilkinson of Lincoln University, Pa., and their children Emma and Sarah are visiting Bob Luskin and his wife Charlotte Fallon at their Edgartown Road estate. This is their first visit to the Vineyard. Charlotte’s daughter Miranda will be competing in the junior nationals swimming competition in Seattle, Wash., next week. Bob’s son Peter, who had been studying Arabic in Damascus, Syria, visited with everyone and plans to be back again next week. His younger son Cass will also be arriving for a Brady Bunch reunion.
The first peach festival sponsored by the Congregational Church will take place tomorrow between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. They will have fresh peach shortcakes with cream or ice cream. You can enjoy your dish in the shade on the church lawn.
Happy birthday to: Bill Hoff and Julia Bossio today; Nick Van Nes, Peter Lynch, Marjorie Rogers and Katherine Long tomorrow; Chase Sellers, Sarah Murphy and Michael Saunier on Sunday; Gerry DeBlois, Christine Napolitan, Erica Woodcock and Joel Lewis on Monday; Joseph Ulva and Jennifer Sepanara on Tuesday; Debra Polucci, Robert Francis and Tom Burke on Wednesday; Tim Gregory, Susan Millett Boass and Amelia Kauffman on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Cameron Bernier and anniversary greetings to Marni O’Brien and Charley Hoffshire and Richard and Martha Doane.
Well, that is all the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.
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