JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
We had a storm last weekend, but the temperature was mild for this time of year. All boats were cancelled Monday morning. The leaves for the most part have fallen to the ground, and along with the shorter days (sunset is at 4:15 p.m.), it is getting mighty grim outside as we approach the shortest day of the year next month. As you may have noticed, the deer have been moving around lately, primarily due to the hunting season, and you are apt to see them in the strangest places. One was spotted wandering in the brush behind the post office in North Tisbury on Tuesday.
The Thanksgiving holiday will find quite a few families gathering in town and a fair amount of us going off Island. Boat and air traffic will be getting busier than normal starting tomorrow and all next week in both directions. All town buildings will be closed on Thursday and Friday creating a long weekend.
Dudley Eppel and his wife Nancy of Vero Beach, Fla., arrive tomorrow to prepare their house for family who will be arriving from around the country to enjoy a good meal and spend a long Thanksgiving weekend with them at their home on Pond View Road. Dudley has selected a farm fresh turkey and is bringing along oranges and grapefruit from Florida.
The First Congregational Church will be holding a family Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m. on Sunday. All are welcome.
Gloria Sylva, over at the school, reports that students will be dismissed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday and they will not return to their desks until Nov. 30. Robin Maciel-Wingate and Marsha Curtis, teachers at the school, organized the 16th annual turkey dinner drive. Their goal is to furnish 40 families with a complete Thanksgiving meal. They ask that all donations be turned in by the close of school today. Because of the declining enrollment at the school they ask if it is possible to donate an extra item. If any members of the community would like to donate please contact the school.
Gloria and her husband, Roger, will be hosting a family Thanksgiving dinner at their Old County Road home.
Carl and Martha Tack, of Waldron’s Bottom Road, returned home on Monday after a trip to London, England. Their family will be arriving in the next few days to celebrate Thanksgiving: their son Travis, from Chicago, daughters Catherine and Jonathan Beckley from Washington, D.C., Molly and her husband, Ryan Tack-Hooper, from New Jersey.
Bob and Barbara Levine will be welcoming the Rosenberg Family (Rachel, Bobby, Jessica, Todd and Jake), the Steifman Family (Stacy, Seth, Taylor and Riley) and the Chalnick Family (Allison, Andrew, Harrison, Aiden, Miles and Annie) to their home for Thanksgiving dinner.
Lynn Christoffers, of Edgartown Road, art advisory and photography expert, has gone down to New York city to do some work on Stella Watzkin’s art collection. She expects to be back home for Thanksgiving.
Don and Marian Mohr, of Otis Bassett Road, had a memorable early celebration of Marian’s 80th birthday this past week, and what a very warm and loving time it was. Their son Steve Fletcher and his wife, Janice, and their 10-month-old golden retrievers, Simba and Sonny, were here for nine days from South Carolina. Their daughter Linda and husband Peter Leland joined them along with their son Adam and his wife, Steff. Eric Leland, Peter’s son, and his wife, Kathy, came from Georgia with six-week-old Maxwell Clarke Leland, her first great-grandson, who stole the show and won their hearts. It was quite a gathering filled with so much love and storing up more precious memories. The magnificent Menemsha sunset on Sunday night was so special to all of them and a perfect ending to a very happy gathering. Happy birthday Marion!
Noah and Susan Block, of New York city, will be the guests of Will and Leslei Monast, of Waldron’s Bottom Road for Thanksgiving. The Blocks plan on moving into their Music street home that is being renovated by Will and his son in law Elton in January.
Warren and Marilyn Hollinshead, of Pond View Road, hosted parties on Sunday and Monday at their home for folks to meet the new executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, David Nathans.
Manuel Estrella, fire chief, reports that the Firemen’s Civic Association will be distributing 24 food baskets to the elderly in town for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Bob and Barbara Day, of Willow Tree Hollow, returned home Sunday evening after a brief visit with family. Also Shanti Blum, of Music street, returned home on Monday after a three-week visit with her daughter in New Jersey. She reports that it is nice to be back home.
Marion Irving, of Old County Road, wants to remind you of the early date of the church Christmas Faire; it will be held on Dec. 5. The Island Community Chorus will have their holiday presentation that evening.
This year marks the 107th anniversary of the first electric Christmas ornament, and it will be worth your while to drive by the Gatchell residence on County Road in Oak Bluffs to view their superb display of Christmas lighting. They will be turning them on Thanksgiving night and every night till New Year’s Day. Bob reports that they have been hard at work decorating their yard, hanging almost 25,000 lights for the past few weeks, and that he will unveil a new surprise or two that he has been working on for several months that will make it an even more fantastic display of Christmas lighting than last season.
Old friend Polly Murphy passed away Sunday evening. Polly for several years wrote this column with style. She would often start a conversation with a question, Got any news for the column? Dr. Greg Plakins, a longtime summer resident of Middle Road, passed away last week. Our condolences to both their families.
Mrs. Bradlee Martin, of Tiah’s Cove, set out to bake a custard pie on the morning before Thanksgiving Day in 1939. The ingredients were 18 turkey eggs from the nest out in the barn, fresh milk and cream from the famous Martin Jersey cows, granulated sugar, Sumatra spices, and the finest that SM Mayhew Co. had in stock. The mixture was beaten, whipped and blended. Mrs. Martin placed the dish in the oven and in due time it would emerge a beautiful browned custard pie. At the appointed time she went back to the oven, opened the door and removed her culinary delight, but to her amazement the crust was on top and the custard was on the bottom of the pie. Her husband Bradlee immediately suspected it was the pure vanilla extract that she had used to flavor it with. Why that stuff is 40 per cent alcohol and s’nough to turn anything upside down!
Happy birthday to: Danny Metell, Stephanie Russell, Willy Mason and Bernice Kirby today; Dan Cabot, Nancy Dole and Kenneth Silva tomorrow; Paddy Moore, Ann Reekie and Richard Greene on Sunday; Teddy Karalekas, Nick Bayer and Ken Belain on Monday; Dan Waters and Helen Green on Tuesday; Maria Gaskill and Owen White on Wednesday; Cindy Barrett, Joe Amaral, Eleanor Waldron, Erik Vanlandingham and Whitney Brush on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Teresa Nelson. Happy 31st wedding anniversary to Allen and Lynne Whiting on Tuesday.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Remember that 57 years ago today the soon-to-be-famous chimp, J. Fred Muggs, made his first television appearance on the Today program, then hosted by Dave Garroway. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
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