Chilmark is enjoying being haunted this week as we prepare for the annual Halloween celebrations around the Island. The Chilmark Volunteer Firefighters hosted their annual Halloween party for the young and not so young ghosts and goblins at the Chilmark Community Center on Thursday evening. Katie Carroll gets the cheer for getting it together and recruiting the necessary help to make sure all have fun and food. I grew up in Chilmark and don’t remember any hauntings or ghost adventures.

At this time of year my family always repeated the story of one of my great-grandfather’s brothers who thought he saw a ghost and ran home to hide. He walked Bernetta Vincent home from a dance and that required him to cross a cow pasture up near Stonewall Pond. There were small buildings in the field and he was sure he saw a ghost looking out of a window at him. It turned out to be a cow that had wandered into a building and couldn’t get out. The cow’s face was aglow from having fed on some phosphorescent moss. Imagine how dark our nights were when that could happen.

Town hall wants us to know that there is a vacancy on the finance advisory committee. FINCOM is an important committee in the life of a town and it is an interesting committee to serve on. It is an elected board and has the job of reviewing the budgets and making recommendations on warrant items. The committee meets nine times in February. We hope someone reading this will step up and we know that they will serve in an important town job. Please email Tim Carroll at tcarroll@chilmarkma.gov for details.

Eating out for up-Islanders will be easier through Dec. 1 because the Beach Plum Inn is offering Sunday suppers until then. On Nov. 3 they are offering local lamb and more. Please call 508-645-9454 for details and reservations.

The commercial bay scallop season is opening in Nashaquitsa Pond on Nov. 1. Commercial scallopers can work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The family and recreational scallop season opened on Oct. 1 for a half bushel per week. The selectmen meet on Nov. 5 to complete the rules and locations of the commercial season to come.

The middle school Cross Country Invitational will take place in Canton, Mass., on Nov. 2 and Chilmark will be represented by Dash Christy, Kieran Karabees and Kelly Klaren. Please let me know if I have omitted any names, also let’s hear how you all scored.

Harriette Poole Otteson is just home following an exciting three-week tour of the French and Italian Riviera. She traveled with a group of 22 folks who started their trip in Bologna going on to Florence, Pisa and then by boat to Corsica and Alba learning much of the Neapolitan era history along the way. The cruise continued along the coasts of Italy and France taking them to Nice. After that the tour continued by motor coach to Monaco, Arles and then to Cannes. They flew home from Marseille to Paris to Boston. The fall weather was perfect and she enjoyed it all.

Apologies to anyone who went to the selectmen’s meeting on Oct. 29. It was cancelled and please note that the Nov. 18 date for the special town meeting has also been changed. Best to check the town’s website for last-minute scheduling. It is chilmarkma.gov/subscriber.

The U.S. Coast Guard is planning a ground-breaking ceremony for Nov. 19 at the boathouse under construction in Menemsha. Details to follow.

And finally, goodbye October. You were one of the best!