JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
The weather could not have been better over the Labor Day weekend after tropical storm Earl passed. There was a frenzy preparing for the storm, code red messages, needless business shutdowns and travel bans. The SSA boats did stop running around 6 p.m. but no power outages were recorded in this area. However, we did receive over four inches of rain. Compare this to the freak storm two weeks ago that did more damage, stopped the boats for about a half a day and caused power outages. The holiday traffic was moderate, wedding bells were in the air, business at the Dumptique was brisk as a fair amount of people were dropping off items they enjoyed over the summer but no longer needed, and signs advertising yard sales were numerous. If you went out to eat on Saturday there were lines of people waiting to be seated at the popular restaurants.
There was a flurry of action around the school as students began arriving for their first day of classes on Tuesday. Stephanie Dreyer was out front in appropriate costume greeting everyone, Mark Lovewell was snapping pictures, and the crossing guards and bus drivers were busy. Annabelle Brothers attended her first day of school — she took the bus — and her mother, Stephanie, reports that she loved it. The school raised $445.47 for the Pennies for Peace campaign, which is an offshoot of Greg Mortensen’s Three Cups of Tea effort to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The annual fall book fair is set for Sept. 22 to 28, with community evening hours from 6 to 8 p.m.
The regional high school boys’ and girls’ teams cross-country are hosting the Cross Country Invitational at the high school tomorrow with the first race starting at noon. They expect at least nine teams from off-Island and hope the home-team support will be strong!
There are approximately 279 students (the final official number will not be known until Oct. 1) enrolled at West Tisbury School this year. Orlaith McCarthy-Estes is the new office secretary as Gloria Sylva retired in June.
A sure sign of fall is the start of the annual Bass and Bluefish Derby; it’s this Sunday. Joyce Bowker, director of the Council on Aging, reports that fresh fish will be available at the Howes House on Thursdays all during the derby. Please call 508-693-2896 after 10 a.m. that day and the staff will know the amount of fish that will be distributed to the senior citizens in the up-Island towns.
Alex Karmen and many of his friends arrived for his annual Labor Day festivities. House guests included Kate and Rick Reilly, Kay and Andy Rabinowitz, Greg Handy Yenik, Michelle and Saul Farber, John Kiefner and Christina Carito, Jiney Ashtapan and Tomasz Eliasinski; they stayed during the long weekend at his mother’s State Road home. They enjoyed the hurricane, beachcombing, bike riding and backyard cookouts. Alex prepared food from Goa to Lisbon, and served adult beverages.
Paul Solman and Beth Miracle visited David and Rosalee McCullough last weekend. Paul has written a new book, Hitchhiking with Larry David, that is very humorous. Reports are that they had a musical evening that was much in the style of the old Amateur Hour.
Richard Paradise reports that the fifth annual International Film Festival is in full swing until Sunday. Dinners, with specific themes, will be held at the Saltwater Restaurant tonight and Richard Lee’s Art Gallery at 38 Main street in Vineyard Haven tomorrow. A closing night reception will be held at the Vineyard Haven Marina. Call Richard for details at 774-392-2972.
Nancy Billings reports that there will be an open house at the new Fire Museum in Oak Bluffs on Wing Road across from the Fire Station tomorrow from 1 to 3 p.m. It has a lot of historic material gathered from a variety of sources. All are welcome.
Lisa Lawson and her family and Samantha Linton and her son from Ottawa, Canada, departed for home on Saturday after spending a week on State Road. They enjoyed the beaches and dining out and rode out the hurricane that was, as Liza put it, a fizzle at best.
The Plakins sisters, Ava and Naomi, of Doylestown, Penn., have been visiting friends and staying at their Middle Road homestead. Naomi’s daughter, Emily, came up from Pennsylvania to spend the Labor Day weekend with them.
Peter Ochs and his wife, Gudrun, had Labor Day dinner with the Alley’s. He was going to bring them beach plums from his Lighthouse Road house but someone, he says, picked them before he could find a pail.
David McCullough, of Music street, reports that the rush of family visits has subsided now that school is open. His son William, his wife, Cissy, son Will and daughter Melissa came down for the fair and stayed in Kansas. Melissa and John McDonald, of Hingham, son David Jr., his wife, Janice, their sons David, Ethan and Jesse and daughter Leah stayed in Oak Bluffs, and their youngest son, Geoffrey, his sons, Geoff and Henry, daughters Nell and Louisa were here last weekend and stayed in Kansas. A joint birthday party was held for Will and David Jr.
Colleen Morris, over at the library, reports that pastel drawings by Arnold Rabin are on display in the library all this month. He is also an author of short stories and a children’s book. Come and meet the artist on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Muriel Bye reports that the state primary will be held on Tuesday to select nominees from both political parties who will run for statewide offices and the representative to Congress from our 10th district in November. The polls over at the public safety building will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
School librarian Stephanie Dreyer is looking forward to sharing new titles as well as beloved classics with readers of all ages. Please share with us your summer reading favorites and welcome back to school! She asks if you found any library books from last year while cleaning your rooms, bring them back with you.
Carolyn O’Daly, of Edgartown, wants everyone on-Island to know that the Women’s Club of Martha’s Vineyard organized by Sarah Joy Mayhew and Mary Wesley Worth will be starting its 112th year of meetings on Sept. 20. New members are more than welcome. The objectives of the club are social, literary, civic and philanthropic. For more information, call Janice Belisle at 508-627-4861. Please join them; you will find it most interesting.
Don Klepper-Smith, of old County Road, reports that unbeknownst to many Islanders, they had nothing to worry about with the most recent hurricane warning. You see in 1996, his youngest daughter, Dana, helped him land his first big striper in Menemsha and Janet Messineo of Vineyard Haven mounted it for them. Dana named the fish “Earl,” and he’s been a big part of their Island family for years. They have celebrated his birthday for the last 14 years!
Dennis daRosa, reports that the Tivoli Day Festival, an annual celebration of summer’s end on Circuit avenue, in Oak Bluffs, will be held next Saturday, from noon until 8 p.m. There will be live music, arts, crafts, great food and family fun all along Circuit avenue, which will be closed to traffic. Music will be at Third World Trading at the end of the street throughout the day. For information, please call 508-524-2065.
“Sept. 14, 1948: An open house was held in the former Navy BOQ building at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport to view the newly installed Youth Hostel facility now in full operation. The house parents are Col. and Mrs. Phillip Sherwood, of Natick and their son in law John Coolidge Jr. of Milton. The house parents had done an outstanding job last year and are well liked by all hostlers. The hostel is sponsored by the Grange who started it last summer in the elementary school building. Besides meeting the house parents you will have an opportunity to see a large and very beautiful mural in the recreation room painted by Mr. Coolidge. Several other pictures painted by him adorn the walls all in frames he made himself. A year ago Mr. Coolidge was paralyzed as a result of a severe attack of polio and his work and determination to overcome this handicap is truly amazing.”
Happy birthday to Donald Mohr, Dorothy Fisher, Peter Clark, Jim Branch and Scott Campbell today; Anne Evasick, Ryan Rossi and Bob Holt tomorrow; Tim Barnett, Lauren Bedford and Deborah Shipkin on Sunday; Jim Powell, David Campbell and Loren Gibson on Monday; Katherine Hough, Stanley Schonbrun and Shirley Howell on Tuesday; Tom Johnson, Betsy Fisher, Manuel Nunes III, Evan Fielder and Kent Medowski on Wednesday; Greg Pachico, Amy Alberice, Brendan Karalekas, and Winn Davis on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Bob Pacheco, and belated wedding anniversary greetings to John and Shirley Mayhew, Matthew and Stacy Hayden and Molly and Ryan Hooper.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.
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