JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Well, it sure has felt like summer; it’s warm and crowded everywhere. Today is Friday the 13th, so throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder before reading today’s column. The activity at the Agricultural Hall is at a fever pitch preparing for the fair. College students are beginning to leave, as many universities open before the end of the month. By then much of the summer traffic will be heading in the other direction, too, as the summer season slowly begins to wind down for another year. Next week brings Illumination night on Wednesday, the fair begins on Thursday and the Oak Bluffs fireworks on Friday.

The sales tax holiday will be in effect tomorrow and Sunday, so now is the chance to save money on back to school items and other necessities.

The 149th annual Agricultural Fair begins next Thursday and runs through Sunday. They are now accepting entry forms and will until Monday at 5 p.m. You can drop your entry forms in the entry box on the front porch of the hall, mail or fax them. A full program of events is available at the hall and in the fair booklet. 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. Glenn Jackson is in charge of the 10th annual Fiber Tent exhibition, where the new attractions will include antique sock-knitting machines.

The Vineyard Transit Authority again will extend bus service to include the fair on Routes 2, 4 and 6. The 8 bus will run express service from Edgartown to the fair. As an added bonus for riding the bus this year, the Ag Society will offer a $1 discount on the purchase of an admission ticket — just 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 Ag Hall. The 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 Ag Society and the other by the Whiting family.

Barbara de Braganca reports that her daughter Camilla is enjoying her work as a hostess at the Home Port this summer and will be returning soon to her sophomore year at George Washington University. Her sister Annabel returned to the Island on Wednesday. She had been studying in Paris at the Sorbonne and the Faculté at Nanterre since January and completed an internship there last week. She also will return to Washington to finish her senior year at GWU. Brother Miguel Sam returns to another year at Berklee College of Music and has been busy performing gigs in the New York and Boston areas and recording with his band, Baby Brainwaves.

The Rev. David Christensen and his wife, Carol, of Edgartown Road, have just returned from their latest trip to Ghana, West Africa, where they and their team shared work in schools, hospitals, Rotary International water projects and clinics of the Volta region.

Joy and Ned Robinson-Lynch of BP Hayden Way, are looking forward to a full house next week when both Elana and Gabe come home. The extended family is gathering to celebrate many life events. Elana is engaged to Dr. Ilana Sherer, who will be visiting as well; they live in San Francisco, where Ilana is a pediatric resident at the University of California in San Francisco. Elana is entering graduate school in social work at UC Berkeley. Gabe graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in May. He will be arriving with several college friends and leave to begin his new job with YELP! Joining in the festivities will be Joy’s mother, Estelle Robinson, of Waldron Bottom Road, and Joy’s sister, Eve Robinson and her family, Tom, Sophia and Olivia Fraioli of Montclair, N.J. Adding to the life events is Sophia’s recent graduation from the University of Vermont. Ned’s cousin David Lynch and his wife Patti, daughter Laura and son Kevin will be on-Island, visiting from Colorado Springs. Capping off the list of milestones, Joy and Ned will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in September. Life can be uncertain, and they want to stop and acknowledge all of their many blessings.

Adam Block, of Reston, Va., returned home on Sunday after visiting his property and friends last week.

Nine-month-old Isabel Charlotte Coogan made her first visit to the Island last week. She stayed at her grandfather William’s home on Pine Hill Road. Isabel’s big sister, three-year-old Molly, showed her the ropes, introducing her to cookouts, beach toys and her many Vineyard cousins. The girls returned with their parents, Christine and Matt, to their home in Brooklyn on Friday.

Rev. Warnock will be the church’s pulpit guest this Sunday. He is senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. This is his second visit to the church; he was warmly welcomed by members and visitors last summer. The service begins at 10 a.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.

Marian Irving, of Old County Road, reports that the second annual peach festival at the church will be held tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m. with homemade peach ice cream, fresh peach shortcake with whipped or ice cream, peach smoothies, and a luscious iced tea. Fresh peaches will also be available for sale, as well as the opportunity to win a potted peach tree. Church members welcome everyone to join them under the trees for a refreshing summer treat! Proceeds will benefit the preservation of the historic church located in the center of West Tisbury.

Dick and Diana Reische of Runner Road are all set for a week’s visit. Kirk and Susan and their children Luke and Heather, from Pelham, N.Y., arrive today. The pipe from their well burst last Friday and they were happy to get Ryan Kurth to fix it promptly and expertly.

Allen Whiting has mounted a new art show for the month of August at the Davis House Gallery on State Road. Work sold in July has been replaced with new paintings and drawings. The gallery will remain open through September.

Sunday is the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. All are welcome to a special screening of You May Call Her Madam Secretary, a film showing Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Hebrew Center. Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor, was the first woman appointed to a cabinet post, and is considered the person most responsible for the Social Security Act and other legislation that benefited the public. As a special treat, the audience will rediscover the “unknown” actor, Robert Potts, who portrays FDR, Al Smith, Tammany Hall bosses and other politicians, in the tone and accents of their era.

The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will hold a Summer Bazaar and Fancy Fleas tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School parking lot. To be a vendor, call Karen at 508-360-5842.

The Garden Club’s annual meeting is on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Old Mill on Edgartown Road. How Birds Have Changed, by Islander and Gazette columnist Soo Whiting is the program.

Richard Lee, of Indian Hill, will be showing his latest works, Reverse Painting on Glass, in the back Courtyard on Main street in Vineyard Haven. There will be an artist’s reception on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Old friends Rusty Walton, Barbara Cotterill and Nancy Smith passed away last week. Our condolences to their families.

Tom Dresser reports the Martha’s Vineyard Democratic committee will meet on Saturday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Howes House. The coffee is free. Candidates (or their representatives) for key state offices will be there so you can raise issues of concern to you. They will have Sheila Lyons and Dan Wolf, who are competing for the state senate seat currently held by Rob O’Leary; representatives from the campaigns of Steve Grossman and Steve Murphy, running for state treasurer; representatives from the campaigns of Suzanne Bump, Guy Glotis and Mike Lake, all vying for state auditor; and representatives for Rob O’Leary and Bill Keating, who are competing for the Democratic nomination to the 10th Congressional seat currently held by Bill Delahunt. For more information, call Tom at 508-693-1050.

Town clerk Tara Whiting reminds all potential voters in the state primary on Sept. 14 that the last day to register to vote is Wednesday, August 25. Call the clerk’s office 508-696-0148 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with any questions.

Colleen Morris, over at the library, reports there will be a public forum on Monday to discuss the future of the library is at 4 p.m. Jules Feiffer will discuss his new book Backing Into Forward and sign copies next Friday at 5 p.m.

I suffered a severe fall out the back door of the post office as I was leaving work on Saturday. It necessitated a several-hour visit to the emergency room of our new hospital. So I was unable to gather more of the social notes in town. My thanks to Pierce Kirby, who had just returned from a trip to London, for sorting the mail on Monday.

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; and to Tim Gregory, Susan Millett Boaas and Amelia Kauffman on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Cameron Bernier and anniversary greetings to Marni O’Brien and Charley Hoffshire and to Richard and Martha Doane.

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