NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

We invite all citizens and wannabes, as well as the usual organizations of scouts, including brownies and cubs, police, firefighters, veterans, friends and families, to help us observe Memorial Day. Our Legion needs help putting up the 450 flags at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25, and help putting them away at 3 p.m. Our parade to the cemetery will step off promptly at 9:30 a.m. from our American Legion Post 257 on Martin road. There will be some wonderful speakers, dedications of wreaths and a flyover. After the ceremony we shall march to Legion Hall and have refreshments. Don’t forget to get a poppy from Anna Duarte and her Poppy Girls who will be strategically placed around town. Make a donation in honor or in memory of a vet. God bless our troops.

Many of our town’s finest young people are serving currently in the military. Anthony Sullo has just been deployed again, Elise Chapdelaine is representing us, as well as Jordan Baptiste and Mason Barry. Let me know whom I might have left out from our town. A great joy was to run into recently returned marine, Duncan MacMullen, who served four years with the corps, including Iraq, and is back on Island for the summer. Duncan is working at the shipyard and expecting to get into Bridgewater College in the fall.

In Legion Auxiliary news, we shall hold a bake sale tomorrow, May 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Legion Hall. Come purchase goodies for your weekend guests. We are also looking for volunteers to make or donate desserts for the annual party on Memorial Day after the services at our cemetery. Do what you can.

Certainly, Monday is a big day. Aside from Legion events, our annual town picnic takes place that day from noon to 4 p.m. As usual, there will be people to grill your food for you, entertain you, take you on boat rides, and give you free ice cream. This year, the whole Island is invited to our annual do. Other than our most important centerpiece, the children, we wish to celebrate the historic Tashmoo Spring building and its repairs. I’ll see you there.

Tomorrow is the last day to bring books to our library for the mini book sale scheduled for May 30. I do hate to part with any books, but I find it lets me make room on my home shelves for new ones. Try it.

Children’s programs at the library will be on hiatus for the month of June while the librarians prepare for the summer reading program, this year titled Starship Adventure. The program has been a great success for years with our Island kids and seasonal friends as well.

I am so proud of one of our Island kids, 18-year-old Rebekah Nivala. Rebekah has studied piano for eight years on Island with Brian Hughes and Lisa Rohn. Now she is studying with Dr. Karin Edwards at Wheaton Conservatory in Illinois. Rebekah, daughter of Lisa and Risto Nivala, will present two free concerts this weekend: Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church with a reception to follow, and on Sunday, May 24 at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown at 4 p.m. Donations are gratefully accepted. The featured music will be Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #1, Kinderszenen by Schumann, and works by Bach, Messaien and Corigliano. Don’t miss it!

Louisa Gould and Peter Simon have been through so much repair and water damage with their galleries on our Main Street. I saw both last week, all back in action, and you’re invited to stop by. Louisa’s first group show of the season opens tomorrow, with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring works of Ellen Liman, Ovid Ward, and Jules Worthington among many other talented island artists. There will be live music and, I guarantee, a lively crowd. I’ll see you there.

My neighborhood is filling up fast. Welcome back to Jim and Trude Hart.

Congratulations to Ciara Seccombe who made her first holy communion last weekend.

Cheryl Stark has a busy month of celebrations, her marriage to Margie, her store’s anniversary, and her birthday. Stop in and wish them well.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Bridget Tobin, Theresa King, Frank Elliott, Patricia Nothinagle and Thomas Battistini today. Tomorrow belongs to Jim Gardella, Ambrose Seward and Judy Crawford. Sunday honors Bob Dylan, Lindsey Jewett Randall and Jessica Walsh. Monday is a party for Amy Litchfield, Peter Scott, Celeste Ewing, Ruda Stone, Becky Jewett and Peter Campbell. May 26 is for Chris Osborn, Jo Ann Murphy, Jay Leno, Cathy Gallagher and Melissa Fleming. May 27 applauds for Shawn Townes, Shannon McAuliffe and Esme Ruth Towles. And on May 28 Bill Preston, Cheryl Stark and Christian Keoni King take the cake. Many happy returns.