JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Most of us are still recovering after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday shared with family and friends. The Steamship Authority and Cape Air have been very busy this week transporting people to and from the Island.
Today is the traditional start of the Christmas season and considered by retail merchants the busiest shopping day of the year. There are just 32 shopping days remaining before Christmas. When traveling the roads these days, especially at night, you are apt to see more deer than cars.
Hope and Brock Callen of Chilmark hosted their ninth annual Thanksgiving Day feast at the Grange Hall yesterday. The hall was decorated for the season and dinner was served to family and friends at 1 p.m.
Roger and Gloria Sylva of Old County Road hosted family and friends for a Thanksgiving Day dinner yesterday. Gloria reports that they had a wonderful time.
Cecilia McCarthy and Alan Northcott of Hopps Farm Road celebrated Thanksgiving with their children Adam and Lauren Petkus. Their other guests for dinner were her brother Mike of Winthrop, Jim Pringle and his wife Lorraine of Vineyard Haven and Ken Rusyk of Oak Bluffs. Cecilia reported that after watching the parade on television they enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by chef Ken.
Jon and Teresa Nelson and their family, Jonny, Brianna, and Nick, and his mother Ann gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner at her house on Edson Forrest Road. After dinner they all decorated the front fence along State Road for Christmas. It is a longstanding tradition of the Littlefield family is to do this on Thanksgiving Day. Teresa reported that they had a great dinner and a fun time decorating for the holiday.
Richard Knabel of Panhandle Road along with Bob and Maggie Schwartz of Music street entertained 23 people, family, friends and neighbors for Thanksgiving Dinner at his home. Dick reports that it was a festive affair and a good time was had by all.
Anna Alley and yours truly headed up to Providence, R.I., to celebrate Thanksgiving with her sister Nina, husband Dr. Dieter Pohl and their son Nick. Also joining us were her brother Donny and his wife Christina Thomas from New York city, daughter Nicole Alley and her husband Arsen Hambardsumian of East Taunton, and son Sam, who came down from Framingham State College.
Fire chief Manuel Estrella reported that the civic association distributed 25 Thanksgiving baskets to deserving families last Saturday.
Charlie Kernick of Edgartown Road departed for North Carolina to visit his lady friend Stevie Hughes before the storm. His cousin Harry Athearn kept watch over the property.
On Saturday morning, Stevie and Charlie headed for Napa, Calif., to meet up with cousins Connie and Bob Taylor and to spend a week at Wild Horse Mountain Valley in the heart of Napa wine country.
They had a great week in a wonderful chalet, and got the chance to visit with the Taylors’ daughters Morgan and Susie, and husband Mike and son Kane. Morgan works for Sutter Home Vineyards, and she took them on a tour of the area culminating in a family dinner at the restaurant where Charlie got engaged. Susie hosted a breakfast for the family at her home in Petaluma. They sampled wines at many wineries during the week. They also enjoyed a family Thanksgiving dinner with the Edgartown branch of the Athearn family hosted by Jim and Debbie.
Anne Howes of Tisquam Road reports that old art friends of hers from Philadelphia, Pa., Nancy Barch, Doree Lochiavo and Pat Kerr, visited last week.
Old friend Nancy Whiting died Nov. 16. She served the town as treasurer and librarian for several years. Our condolences to her family.
Paul Karasik reports that his wife Marsha Winsryg’s fund-raising event at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center was a fantastic success, raising close to $3,000 for the orphans and disabled children in Zambia. If you missed the event, Marsha will again be showing the film that she and her daughter, Nora Karasik, made about their trip to Zambia last May. If you would like to see Waging Peace in Zambia, come to the Congregational Church on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Elaine Pace reports that the Chamber Music Society will hold a Thanksgiving weekend concert tomorrow night at 7:30 in the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown. Admission is only $15, designed to encourage Islanders to attend. What a nice way to entertain those guests after Thanksgiving or to relax.
Marian Irving reports that the First Congregational Church invites the Island community to its popular Greens, Food, and Gift Sale on Saturday, Dec. 8 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Coffee, hot cider, and hot chocolate will be available early and a homemade soup luncheon will be served starting at 11:30 p.m. Jewelry, tree ornaments, and handcrafted table runners will be featured along with beautiful fresh wreaths, centerpieces, swags, kissing balls, and small trees for which the church is noted. Advance greens orders can be made by calling Barbara Howell at 508-693-4664. For additional information, call 508-693-2842.
Happy birthday to Nick Bayer, Teddy Karalekas and Ken Belain today; Dan Waters and Tom Sylvia tomorrow; Maria Gaskill and Owen White on Sunday; Cindy Barrett, Joe Amaral, Eleanor Waldron and Whitney Brush on Monday; Valerie Becker, Shannon Gregory, Gary Montrowl and Edward Zlotkowski on Tuesday; and Tara Whiting, Mary Gould, Bob Schwier and Emily Wetherall on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Teresa Nelson.
Well, that is all of the news for this week’s social column. If you have any news, please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.
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