JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

The spring flowers are in bloom most everywhere. It was a great weekend, with lots of outdoor activities; a few grills were taken out of mothballs. The baseball field on Sunday hosted a youth baseball game, and the tennis courts were also busy. Short sleeve shirts and shorts were the clothing of choice.

We went up to Webster last weekend to visit Ed and Jane Konicki and her children Deb and Donna and their spouses. Webster is a busy town near the Connecticut border and the home of the Nipmuk Indians. We met up with Dick Philabosian on Sunday morning as we were guests at their ritual 7 a.m. breakfast at the Hungry I. Ed is planting a garden behind his house this year and has already set out cabbage, peas and kale.

We have had a fair amount of visitors this week, including college kids seeking jobs. A goodly amount of locals have taken advantage of school vacation week to make that last extended trip before the summer season. Cherrilla Brown noticed ducks and geese in the Mill Pond several mornings this week.

The VTA summer bus schedule will start next Saturday. A new stop near the church and another in front of the Grange Hall will replace the Town Hall stop until construction is completed. The VTA carried a record amount of passengers last year and there is no reason to believe it will not be about the same or even increase.

Connie Teixeira reports that tomorrow the census will take the count for the homeless at Grace Church from 8 to 11 a.m. and transportation can be provided as needed. The homeless count is necessary to obtain the funding that will best serve their needs. If anyone knows someone who is homeless who has not been counted they can call 508-693-3250.

Ben and Paddy Moore, of Alley Way, were in Boston over the holiday weekend to cheer on their daughter in law Bertha Pantoja Moore, who ran in the Sunday 5K event, and son Gus Moore who came up from New York city to run in the marathon. Ben reports that they both did well. Bertha bested her previous best time for the 5K and Gus, who was in Wave 2 (after the elite and Wave 1 runners), finished with a time of 3 hours 21 minutes, a bit slower than his runs in the New York marathons, which he attributed to the three major hills in the Boston compared to the minor “hills” (over the bridges) in New York. Last Sunday night they and Gus had dinner in Cambridge at Max, Bertha, Maya and Matias Moore’s house, and all were present at the Sunday 5K and the marathon on Monday. Being at the marathon was a great experience, with very enthusiastic fans urging the runners on with cowbells, horns and shouts of encouragement. There were 26,000 runners and God-only-knows how many fans. The whole event was superbly planned and managed, they reported. The weather was cool and sunny, and the Moores watched a new record set for finishing the race.

Bob Luskin, of Edgartown Road, returned to his home on Sunday. He and his wife, Charlotte, spent the winter months at her home in Atlanta, Ga.

Colleen Morris, over at the library, reports that April is National Poetry Month, and she expects to see everyone at the Community Poetry Reading on Sunday at 5 p.m.

“On April 21, 1986 Bob Schwartz and his wife Maggie, of Greenwich, Conn., arrived to spend the long weekend at their house on Music street. Their guests were their daughter Ellen Tormey, her husband, Mickey, and their new baby, Thomas. Also Pat Ziprodt, a costume designer from New York city, arrived at her home, God’s Pocket, on Edgartown Road. Her guests were her sister Constance Zonka and her son Milo, of Chicago, Ill., and Lord Hanover from Hanover, England. She returned to New York city on Sunday to attend the opening of Sweet Charity, a play for which she designed all of the costumes. Lord Hanover departed on Tuesday to address the closing session of the United Nations before returning to England.”

Happy birthday to: Mike Diaz, Faith Runner, Anita Smith and Gail Arnold today; Pricilla Cote, Robert Lonadier and Patrick Callahan tomorrow; Darah Schwartz, Susan Huntington and Shannon Lobdell on Sunday; Bob Yapp, Martha Tack and Mike Goldsmith on Monday; Shirley Mayhew, Sal Laterra, Nicole Cabot and Stephen Greenburg on Tuesday; Cecily Bryant, Colin Whyte, Christopher Cajolet and Emily Fischer on Wednesday; Cathy Campbell, Patrie Grace and Ken Edwards on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Jackson Eno.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.