JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Today is the beginning of the Columbus Day holiday weekend and the end of the extended shoulder season for the tourists. Town buildings, schools, library and post office will be closed on Monday. The last farmers’ market and artisans festival of the season will be held this weekend at the Grange Hall. Linda Alley reports that the first fall market will be held at the agricultural hall on Oct. 20!
Last weekend’s weather was noticeably cooler, but delightful fall weather nonetheless. Many outdoor chores were completed, including mowing the lawn — perhaps for the last time this year. The charter school will soon be displaying their Halloween decorations all around the town and the Island. There seem to be many more fall tour buses on the roads than last year. Can you believe that a month from today we will be operating on standard time?
Large crowds attended the fall festival and antique engine show at the agricultural hall making it a big success last Saturday. The old cars, machines, exhibits and demonstrations were very popular. Over 200 people attended the Harvest Festival potluck dinner at the hall in the evening.
A schedule change that will affect most everyone goes into effect early next week. On Tuesday, the Vineyard Transit Authority begins its winter bus schedule. The VTA operations manager reports there will be four busses serving us, the numbers 2, 3, 5 and 6. The two bus stops in town will be at Cronig’s, and because of library construction next month, the Alley’s down-Island stop will be moved to a new location in front of the town hall. Also each bus will be serving more than one route during the day. Be sure to pick up a copy of the new schedule; call 508-693-9440 or access their website at vineyardtransit.com. It also has a lot of additional ground transit information.
Emily Gadd of South Road left on Monday to return to Bozeman, Mont. She reports having a very busy summer with a lot of gardening, fishing and beach time, and is planning to return for the holidays.
Brook and Kristin Zern are back in their house on South Vine Lane after a summer in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Their daughter Jennifer, who has been here for the summer, is working for 7a Foods and plans to spend the winter.
Sal Laterra over in Providence, R.I. came down last week to spend time with Phyllis Meras at her Music street home. He reports that he mowed the grass, trimmed some overgrown shrubbery and cooked her dinner. He left for home on Monday.
Anna and I went up to East Taunton to visit grandson Robbie and his parents, Nicole and Arsen. We were invited guests at a lavish birthday party for Arsen’s mother, Aieda, at a Russian restaurant in Allston. It was a truly wonderful and memorable experience. There were two birthday parties going on in the same banquet-sized room and we got to see two professional Russian dancers. The music, food and company were superb. The courses of Russian food seemed overwhelming by our standards but we had a wonderful time and so did Robbie!
Warren and Marlyn Hollinshead of Pond View Farm Road recently returned home from a month-long trip to England. Marlyn reports that they had a wonderful time. Now they are hosting a reunion on-Island with four other couples who travel every year to Virgin Gorda, their winter vacation site. One of them is related to the Manter family — they visited the West Tisbury cemetery to find Manter 18th century gravestones.
Jennifer Tseng, over at the library, reports that the library will be moving to Middletown Village on Oct. 15!
Tomorrow at 2 p.m. over at Polly Hill Arborteum, author Laura Wainwright will read from her newly-published collection Home Bird and discuss her writing process. Those who enjoy watching the seasons change will find these 27 essays a delightful addition to their libraries. Laura, a self-described “home bird,” offers up her lyrical views of everyday things — the birds arriving and departing, the winter nights when skaters take to frozen ponds and the joys of quick dips in oceans and ponds. Book signing and light refreshments will follow and there is no fee.
Ginger Duarte reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will hold its first in a series of fall and winter cultural luncheons on Saturday, Oct. 20, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Grill on Main in Edgartown. The coming series of luncheons will focus on the arts and cultural community of the Vineyard since 1973.
On Oct. 12, 1949, Robin Elwell of Arrowhead Farm in Indian Hill was elected president of the Agricultural Society at their annual meeting at the agricultural hall. Miss Polly Mayhew was elected secretary and William Pinney was elected treasurer. Trustees elected were Albert O. Fischer Jr., Arnold M. Fischer, Jesse Steere and Theodore Meinelt. Mr. Meinelt was also appointed chairman of the upcoming 1950 fair. Mrs. Alice Mathewson read a report on the 1949 fair, and a vote of thanks was given for her splendid work. It was voted to mail out a questionnaire to the public as an aid to improving future fairs. The central questions were: one, name your main interest at the fair: livestock, machinery, produce, art, flowers, 4-H or special exhibits; and two, which of the following attractions would you like to find at next year’s fair: baseball games, carnival, band concerts, square dances, horse, fashion or puppet shows? The results would be tabulated before the first of the year.
Happy birthday to Tim Maley, Kathy Chaves, Jon Nelson 3rd and Fred Fisher 3rd today; Ben Reeve, Susan Whiting, Teresa Thompson, Catherine Flynn and Christine Cook on Saturday; Akia Miranda, Molly Gray and Pat Benway on Sunday; Rick Anderson, Timothy Walsh III, Kathleen Hope and Lincoln Higgins on Monday; Steve Lohman, Richard Rooney, Whitney Hyde, Victoria Danberg, Peter Cramer and Sophie Abrams on Tuesday; Jon Harris, Nina Oken, Julie Giordano and Jennifer Jones on Wednesday; and Hanna Beecher, Julie Keefe, Bob Mone and Martha Post on Thursday.
Happy 20th anniversary to Spencer and Belinda Booker tomorrow. Don and Hildy Mitchell will celebrate their 61st anniversary on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Holly Eger and her daughter Julia.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news, please call or email me. Have a great week.
The Gazette staff wishes West Tisbury columnist John Alley and his wife Anna a happy 30th anniversary on Tuesday.
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