JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Signs of fall are beginning to appear as the last gasp of warm moist air enveloped the Vineyard this past week. Canada geese are headed south each morning with time out for the last of their summer dips in the Mill Pond. The berries don’t appear to be as plentiful as last season and they are late. You felt a dramatic reduction in traffic on Monday. We are about to begin to settle into our fall routine shortly as the sun is now setting just before 8 p.m. Like the fair, Labor Day is early this year and, yes, school begins September 9.

A lot of year-round people will be taking a well-deserved September vacation shortly, after a hectic August in what has been a busy summer season. Automobile traffic is beginning to thin out a lot each day and SSA boats are packed going to the mainland. Starting tomorrow the Farmer’s Market and Artisan’s Festival will be held once a week.

Katherine Long of Panhandle Road worked as usual in the fiber tent at the fair. Her sister Mary Ruth Flores from San Antonio, Texas, came up to be with her and helped out during the fair.

Holly and Marco Bario and their children Peter and Emma are visiting Pat and Joan Jenkinson of North Road. They also arrived in time for the fair and celebrations of both of their birthdays. They also had fun with their cousin Wyatt and uncle Patrick.

Charlie Kernick of Edgartown Road reports that his son Tyler and his wife Crissy and daughters Alex and Anabella were here for the fair and had a great time both on the rides and at the unofficial presidential waving platform in our front yard as the POTUS caravan rolled by with several in his entourage returning their waves.

The Schapers on Parsonage Woods Road have been enjoying the summer and the lovely cool weather. They had two families visiting for Elsa’s 8th birthday weekend — friends from Jamestown and New Canaan who enjoyed a clambake birthday party at Bend in the Road Beach. All the children had bright colored light-up rings on each finger and had a great time climbing up and down the lifeguard stand. Elsa and Celia enjoyed the fair and participated in the Island Gymnastics show on Friday evening. They have been doing a lot of reading and earned their library T-shirts last week from their favorite librarian, Nelia. The girls start school in Bermuda on September 9, so the summer thankfully ends a little later this year for them.

Vicki Bijuir of New York city and Tiah’s Cove has been here for the past week. She and her husband Ed Levine came up to help celebrate her mother’s 94th birthday last week.

Jean Barron of Campbell Road reports that her daughter Julia and her husband Dave Katz and their children Henry and Eliza are visiting from Newport Beach, Calif., for month of August. Henry is enjoying his fourth visit to the Vineyard. He’s been riding a pony, swimming and of course he enjoyed the fair.

Nicole Alley and her husband Arsen Hambardzumian and their son Robbie came down for the weekend. We all got a chance to take Robbie to his first fair and he enjoyed the rides. His grandmother said he was so excited to see all the animals, especially the sheep. He also enjoyed the white buses stopping every day. A bus driver let him sit behind the big steering wheel one morning. They also enjoyed a spectacular sunset in Menemsha on Saturday night.

Joel and Debbie Goldstein of Gay Head avenue attended the fair. They have enjoyed it since 1968. She says her first name in several native languages means “she-who-interrupts.” They reported having a swell time.

John and Goldie Siffert of New York city and Edgartown Road arrived recently and plan to spend the rest of the month at their home named God’s Pocket. Their most recent house guest was his sister Joan, who is also from NYC. She reported that she enjoyed the beaches, the fair and the friendly people.

Peter Luskin of Washington, D.C., was here recently visiting his father Bob and stepmother Charlotte Fallon. He enjoyed the beach very much. Charlotte left earlier this week to return to Atlanta, Ga.

Binnie Ravitch of Ophelia Way attended the fair, specifically the dog show. Her canine took home a blue ribbon and Binnie was mighty pleased.

Malcolm Hall of Pond Road had to return to his business in Oklahoma City last week. He presented me with a bottle of his special barbecue sauce and some of his private stock Oklahoma okra that he grew. They were big and mighty tasty.

Mark Cronin of Plum Bush Point reports that his parents John and Ellen Cronin celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday with a party attended by 65 people at Rosemont College outside of Philadelphia. They left the next day for his Vineyard house off Tiah’s Cove Road with his son and his wife Lisa of San Marino, Calif., his mother’s sister Marrianne Erler of Toms River, N.J., their close friends, Sister Helen McDonald of the department of college relations at Rosemont College, and Peter and Polly Rae of Dallas, Texas. He warns homeowners in the area that the whole group may be heard down the cove this week singing on the porch in the evenings. He reminded me that his company 51 Minds Entertainment has several current shows on the air including Below Deck on Bravo, Ghost Mine and Heroes of Cosplay, both on the SyFy network.

George Hartman of Panhandle Road, the official guru of antique power engines, reports that the fair was a big success for the museum this year. The many improvements they made resulted in a record number of visitors as George and Tommy Thomas ran antique engines and answered questions all four days.

The Antique Power Show will be on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This year the museum will be giving away surplus items to Islanders. Included will be at least three easy-to-restore antique engines. Priority will be given to young Islanders under the age of 30. If more than one person is interested in an engine, they will have a free raffle. For questions, call 508-693-6039 or email 2hartmanga@gmail.com.

In other museum news, they are now are on Facebook. Search for Martha’s Vineyard Antique Power Museum and please click “like.”

Alison Enos, secretary at the United Methodist Church, reports that the season is over for the Wednesday night suppers at the United Methodist Church in Oak Bluffs. She thanks everyone for their support during this season and hopes to see you all next year!

Anna Carringer over at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum reports that next Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. is the opening of the exhibit One on the Line: The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. The derby has been a staple on the Island for over 60 years. The exhibition will trace the derby’s rich history from its start in 1946 as an event to extend the shoulder season for Island tourism to an annual tradition that has brought people together from across the country.

Amy Remondi reports that singer-songwriters Ben and Sally Taylor and friends will headline a Tuesdays at Twilight concert at the Grange Hall on Tuesday, August 27 as their concert series finishes its season. The series benefits the West Tisbury Library Foundation, which is spearheading the capital campaign for the library.

For all you sports fans, 74 years ago tomorrow the first televised major league baseball game was broadcast on station W2XBS from New York. A few years later the station was assigned the call letters WNBC-TV. Announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn that sunny afternoon. Red, who sat in the catbird seat as he called it, several years later he became a Chilmark summer resident.

On August 31, 1946 the voice of the popular radio show The Shadow, Stephen Courtleigh, along with his wife, Barbara, son, George, and daughter, Pat, returned to New York city after spending two months in town. The famous line at the beginning of each broadcast: “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows . . .” and the evil laugh are legendary. They spent many summers in this town in the late 1940s and 1950s. The Shadow, after renting Donald Campbell’s house on Old County Road for several summers, purchased property from him that had been in his family for generations. Steve then bought two sections of his house from an old building that was about to be demolished to make way for the new A&P store in Vineyard Haven. He had them moved by Harry Horton and they are still part of the place. After Steve’s death his wife sold it to their neighbor Tom Maley. Steve, an avid fisherman, was featured in the first commercial for television with a Vineyard backdrop in the early 1950s. It was for Lucky Strike cigarettes. He was filmed casting his line into the surf on South Beach near the opening while a voice over promoted smoking Luckies.

Happy birthday to: Armand Bergeron, Mo Bresnahan, Lindsay Webster, Bruno Oliveria and Steve Feinsmith today; Mike Olivera, Caryn Broitman and Vaughn Russillo tomorrow; Kendall Chaves, TJ Hegarty and Scott Vanness on Sunday; Hallie Armer, David Roderick, Ken Rusyk and Taylor Smith on Monday; Nancy Burelson, Alan Northcott, David Vigneault, John Christensen and Shannon Larsen on Tuesday; Paige McCarthy, Steve Hart, Bill Black, Mae Deary, Jessica O’Connor and Bob Potts on Wednesday, and to Nicole Alley, Carol Christensen, Joel Kirschbaum, Tom Rancich and Manuel Estrella IV on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Jen Zern, Pete Karman and Lynn Ditchfield. Anniversary greetings to Matt Taylor and Dr. Carrie Flyer on Sunday, Sarah Monast and Elton Nascimento, and to Don Evon and Denise Mount on Tuesday.

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.