JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth, whenever it is damp, drizzly November in my soul; . . . then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.

— Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Well, John and Anna aren’t off to sea, they are on a road trip headed to Augusta, Ga. Their first stop was in Blooming Grove, Pa., at the home of Sandra Polley and Bob Bunch. They all enjoyed a delicious dinner at Peter’s Europa House on Route 6 in Shohola. Sandra took time off from writing her dissertation to show them around the Delaware Water Gap. Then they took off to New Jersey and visited Luna Park. Then they returned to Pennsylvania over the Dingmans Ferry Bridge and then on to Hope, Pa. More stories about their road trip to come.

The Thanksgiving holiday will find quite a few families gathering in town and a fair number of people going off-Island. Town offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

The First Congregational Church will hold a family Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m. on Sunday. All are welcome. Marion Irving of Old County Road reminds you of the early date of the church Christmas Faire. It will be held on Dec. 4.

Linda Alley encourages everyone to come to the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market at the Agricultural Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come enjoy a tasty lunch by a roaring fire.

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.

Colleen over at the library reports that the J.C. Trio will perform today at 4 p.m. Tomorrow Joanne Scott will give a health and wellness lecture on the benefits of exercise at 4 p.m. Bring the kids in for Thanksgiving crafts all day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next week the library will be closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday and will reopen on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

The Federated Church of Edgartown will hold its annual festival of wreaths on Thursday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., in the parish house on South Summer street. The festival will feature 75 originally designed and hand-decorated natural wreaths, for home and business, which will be on display in the Meetinghouse for a silent auction. Admission is $10, which includes hors d’oeuvres and two glasses of wine. Proceeds benefit the maintenance of the 1820 Sara Mayhew parsonage. For more information, call the church office at 508-627-4421.

This year marks the 108th anniversary of the first electric Christmas ornament; drive by the Gatchell residence on County Road in Oak Bluffs to view their superb display of Christmas lighting. They will turn them on Thanksgiving night and every night until 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. He plans to unveil a surprise or two that he has been working on for several months.

History note: 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, the finest that S.M. 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: John Athearn and Kevin Segel today; Craig Dripps, Jennifer Sayre, Sam Hopkins and Joan Borkow tomorrow; Danny Metell, Stephanie Russell, Willy Mason, Livingston Taylor, Dorothy Post and Bernice Kirby on Sunday; Dan Cabot, Nancy Dole and Kenneth Silva on Monday; Paddy Moore, Robert Julier, Ann Reekie and Richard Greene on Tuesday; Teddy Karalekas and Nick Bayer on Wednesday; Tom Mullin, Maria Gaskill, Dan Waters and Owen White on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Arsen Hambardzumian and happy wedding anniversary to Otis and Mary Rogers on Sunday and Allen and Lynne Whiting, who will be celebrating their 32nd on Wednesday. Best wishes to Glenn and Linda Hearn, who will soon be off to sunny St. John to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary with their families.

Well, that is all the social news for this week. Thanks to Colleen Elizabeth Morris for her assistance with the column this week.

If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Remember that 58 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!