JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
Can it really be December? There are two pots of daisies in full bloom in front of the library and another in front of the post office. All the yards and fields are as green as they are in June. However, the trees are bare of leaves and the color gray is predominant. Some of us took advantage of the mild weather to get the holiday lights up ... so as not to repeat many other years’ adventures in snow and wind!
Please note that Chilmark is holding a special town meeting on Dec. 7 at the community center at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the warrant are available at town hall, library and gas station. Let’s get out and make our opinions count. There will be a special statewide primary election for a U.S. Senate seat on Dec. 8; vote at the community center from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
There were many of our seasonal residents in town this week. I spotted Bayard and Suzanne Kellam of Providence; Andrew and Ellen Jacknine of Washington, D.C.; and David Carlson and his family of New York city.
There will be a holiday flea market at the community center on Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There are many vendors of crafts, jewelry, jams, antiques and more signed up to offer their wares. There will be food available to purchase. A good time and place to start your Christmas shopping.
There are many opportunities to do your holiday shopping right here in town. John Wightman is holding his annual show of Vineyard photographs at the Bank of Martha’s Vineyard in Chilmark. He is a popular artist who lives in Aquinnah and photographs the Island in all the seasons. He is offering special holiday prices at the show this year and his works can be seen through the month of December from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Chilmark Community Church will continue their Tuesday soup suppers at 5:30 p.m. through the month of December. The public is welcome. The Rev. Arlene Bodge will conduct the service on Dec. 13. The church members are currently having the steeple of the old church repaired and the bell assessed for the wear of time.
Parents might like to know that Santa will be the guest of honor at a breakfast at the Wharf Restaurant in Edgartown on Dec. 13. He is the guest of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, and monies raised will go to the Jim Lambert Memorial Scholarship Fund. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 10:30 a.m.
Christmas in Edgartown is on Dec. 12 and there are several events that have been called to our attention. The Plum Hill Preschool will hold their annual fundraiser that day at the Federated Church parish hall on South Summer street. They will offer crafts activities for children and their parents as well as a puppet show, face painting, food and a silent auction. The Plum Hill Preschool is a not-for-profit organization that is part of the Island Waldorf Community.
Hospice will be conducting their annual Handmade from the Heart sale on Dec. 12 at the Daniel Fisher House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Julie Wormser, the New England oceans program director for the Environmental Defense Fund, will speak on Catch Shares on Dec. 9 at the Chilmark library at 5:30 p.m. This is another in the series of programs dealing with our fishing future offered by the Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund and the Friends of the Chilmark library.
We send condolences to the family and friends of Harold G. Plakins, M.D. who died on Nov. 14 in Doylestown, Pa. He and his family have been Chilmark seasonal residents for many years and he very much enjoyed his Chilmark time. I enjoyed many engaging conversations with him when he visited Menemsha during his summer vacations at the family’s home on Middle Road. I am sorry that we did not know then that we had both graduated from the same college. Many of us will miss his cheerful nature and generous spirit.
As many of you know, I like to keep track of Chilmark’s Hollywood connection. This week, the movie Brothers is opening nationwide and stars Chilmark seasonal resident Jake Gyllenhaal. Cheers from us all!
The hunting season is definitely on — it sounded like a war zone in some parts of town this week. Deer are being hunted by shotgun through Dec. 12. Primitive firearms will be allowed from Dec. 14 through 31. Licenses are sold at the town hall. Please call the town clerk at 508-645-2107 for information, and remember to wear orange when walking the dog.
There will be a walk-in blood pressure clinic at the Chilmark library on Dec. 16 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. All are welcome at no charge and no appointment is necessary.
Comments
Comment policy »