The long holiday weekend begins Friday and Monday is the Memorial Day holiday. There will be a parade and traditional observances down in Vineyard Haven and the annual town of Tisbury picnic on Monday. Town buildings, banks and the post office will be closed. If the new swans choose to stay in the Mill Pond it will surely make it feel like summer is just around the corner.

The boat schedule changed last week and the port of Oak Bluffs is now open. You can tell from increased traffic on the roads and in town that new visitors are here, with more expected this weekend which is the official start of the summer season. Many a backyard grill will be fired up for the first cookout of the season.

Over this holiday weekend let’s not forget what Memorial Day is really all about and take some time out from all our busy activities to remember those who have gone on before us. Brian Athearn, veteran’s graves officer, has placed new American flags on the graves of all the veterans and put out the large American flags to decorate the cemeteries.

Bruce Blackwell reports that Brandy Wight celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday in Ft. Lauderdale. Their former next door neighbor, Barbara Wells, hosted a dinner party for about 35 of his friends at The Pillars, a boutique restaurant/hotel. Brandy went out and bought new clothes, a seersucker suit and a tan blazer. The first present he received was an audio book of David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers. She had no idea we knew David, but said she heard him speak at FIU and liked what she heard and thought Brandy might like a book about people just before his time. Also, Brandy and Bruce will be on the Vineyard the first week of August after several years’ absence.

Bob and Barbara Levine, of Boca Raton, Fla. have returned to their Field View Lane home after spending the winter months in Florida.

Fred and Jeanne Barron of Campbell Road have returned to their home after spending the winter in sunny California. Fred has begun preparing for a busy summer of visitors and of course their grandchildren.

Sig Van Raan and his wife Susan Dickler, of Music street, returned home Wednesday after spending a few days in Baltimore, Md. While there they attended the law school graduation of their son in law, Mike. Sig also visited with an old high school friend who lives in Washington, D.C. and on their way home stopped in Wilmington, Del., his childhood home, and visited with old friends.

Malcolm Hall, his wife Judy, and their son Houston, of Oklahoma City, returned to their Pond Road home on Wednesday. Malcolm reports they had a mild winter and he has some okra he grew from seed being shipped. They were glad to get away from the horrific tornadoes that have struck the Oklahoma City area recently.

Phyllis Meras returned home on Tuesday after a business trip to Williamsburg, Va. She was accompanied by Sal Laterra who took lots of photographs of the spring flowers and the countryside.

Sarah Pallatroni, of Oak Lane, has returned from Wellington, Fla. where she rode horses all winter. She has a terrific tan and her significant other. David Schuster. was with her for most of the winter. She said she read in the paper how bad the weather was back here all winter.

Baron Peter Ochs and his wife Gudrun Waltenstorfer, of Vienna, Austria, arrived on Wednesday for a six-week visit with old friends. Peter owned land in Gay Head for many years.

Andrea Rogers reports that the 17th annual Vineyard Artisans Spring Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Grange Hall. She reports that they have added a few new features for this year’s show. They will be open rain or shine with free parking for all and plenty of good food. For more information about the artisans festivals call her at 508-693-8989.

The parks and recreation committee report that beach stickers will be available starting on Saturday, June 13 every day at their shed at the West Tisbury School near the tennis courts. The hours on weekdays are 9 a.m. until noon and weekends from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.; the beach opens for the season on June 20. Swimming lessons begin on July 6. Please register at the same place you buy your beach sticker. For further information call the park department at the town hall, 508-696-0147.

Jane Coakley requests that you join the Chamber Music Society on Sunday at their spring concert to celebrate National Chamber Music month. The concert will be held on Sunday at the Old Whaling Church from 3 to 5 p.m. On Sunday May 31 at 4 p.m. the society will present their annual Remembering the Rosenthals Concert at the West Tisbury library. The concert series is made possible by the generous support of Sara Rosenthal MD and Julie Prazich MD, in honor of Sara’s parents and her brother Carey, who passed away last year.

Seventy-four years ago Saturday night, people gathered around their radio sets in their living rooms to listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt hold a fireside chat announcing that he had proclaimed an unlimited national emergency due to Germany’s sinking of the unarmed merchant steam ship Robin Moor outside of the war zone near Brazil. He also said he had begun the process of guiding this country to secure a strategic interest in the Azores as it was believed it could present a serious threat to the Americas if they fell into German hands. Other than sending “Bundles for Britain” we didn’t think much about it that summer but the clouds of war were forming.

Paddy Moore reports that the annual West Tisbury Democratic Town Committee Meeting will be held Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. for as long as it takes to report on recent Democratic party happenings and to elect delegates to the state convention, which will be held this year in September. All West Tisbury registered Democrats are invited to attend.

Anna Carringer at the museum reports that the Edgartown Lighthouse will open Saturday; it will be open weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Memorial Day.

Saturday marks the 123rd anniversary of the library association’s purchase of the Moses Mitchell school building and land on Music Street. The purchase price was $360, quite a substantial sum to invest in a small piece of real estate in 1892. Subscriptions were solicited by the association to remodel the building for library purposes, and within six months $450 was raised and the work completed. When we first became a town the library was located in a small portion of the second floor in the Dukes County Academy building next door. Many years later the Preservation Trust purchased the land and building for $1. They completely restored the building and it again served the town, this time as a library annex for several years.

Happy Birthday to: Judith Bryant, Sally Hamilton, Susan Anson and Stuart Rodegast Friday, Eric Whitman, Nathan Belain, Deborah Cini, Jessica Townes and Jeffrey Meeks Saturday, Tom Goethals, Toni Kurash, Brenda Brathwaite, Chuck Hughes, Lynn Buckmaster-Irwin and Emily Sobel on Sunday, Ann Nelson, Marie Allen, William Stewart, Dan Leventritt and Mathew Hayden on Monday, Richard Conover, Gail Shufrin, Wendy Turnell and Larry Yorke on Tuesday, Brenda Hayden, Kaila Binney, Shannon McAuliffe, and Leon Brathwaite on Wednesday, Martha Tohlen, Cheryl Stark, Sheryl Dagostino and John Clothier on Thursday. Kevin and Maria McFarland will celebrate their wedding anniversary on Wednesday. Belated birthday wishes to Mia Spirito.

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

Send your West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.