JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Well, the weekend weather was spring-like with temperatures in the 50s. People have returned from winter break and it feels much busier around town. There was Mardi Gras celebration Tuesday night and an Ash Wednesday service the following day as we now head into the season of Lent. Don’t forget that Sunday morning we will return to Daylight Saving Time so turn your clocks ahead Saturday night before bed so you will not be late for church.
Christine Gault and Tom Hodgson, of Tiasquam Road, have returned to the Athens of Martha’s Vineyard after a month in Costa Rica. They spent two weeks in an intensive language school, and then went to the Zona Sur, where they spent another two weeks with family.
Sean Mulvery, assistant principal over at the school, reports a brief roundup of school vacations. Heather Rodriguez went to Jamaica, He went to Colorado, as did Richard Andre and his family. Orlaith Estes went to Barcelona, Spain and Tina Miller, her husband, Steve Gallagher, and children, Henry and Theo, went to Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla. On Wednesday there will be a half-day of school. The PTO is planning a movie afternoon at the Edgartown Cinemas; the choices are Gnomeo and Juliet or Rango.
Caroline Mayhew, daughter of Jack and Betsey Mayhew and granddaughter of John and Shirley Mayhew, all of West Tisbury, will be graduating in May from UCLA School of Law with a law degree and a master’s in Native American Studies. She has been invited to join the Washington, D.C. law firm of Hobbs, Straus, Dean and Walker in September as a first year associate. This law firm specializes in federal Indian law, which has long been an area of interest for Caroline. Congratulations!
Liz Wilson reports that her nephew, Dan Gaskill, told her that his wife, Rita, is expecting a baby on Aunt Liz’s birthday in August. Dan, a graduate of the regional high school, lived on Oak Lane for many years and they now reside in San Diego, Calif.
Another sure sign of spring is that Dorothy Bangs, of Vineyard Haven, will be selling daffodils on Wednesday at Cronig’s from 10 a.m. until she sells out. Also Jacque Renear will be selling them at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital next to the cafeteria starting at 10 a.m.
Matt Taylor, of Crow Hollow, has finished a book on Jaws and you can sign up for a copy of the soon-to-be-released book online at MVremembers jaws.com. He is very excited with the enthusiasm it has generated.
Micheline Sona reports that next Saturday from 5:30 til 7:30 p.m. at the Agricultural Hall the third annual Cake Walk will take place she guarantees it will be a fun family event! Lots of games, face painting, estimation table, lots of great prizes! Great raffle baskets, food, cupcake decorating table. Bring a fun cake get a free walk! It is a fundraiser for the fourth graders’ 2015 England Trip.
June Manning reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will sponsor their third cultural luncheon on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at The Grill on Main in Edgartown. My cousin Kerry Alley will be the keynote speaker; he will talk about the influence and contributions of the Portuguese community on Martha’s Vineyard. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling director Leslie Clapp at 508-939-9440.
Anna Carringer reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Museum this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. presents Behold the Work of the Needle: Samplers in the Education of Schoolgirls of the 18th and 19th centuries with a reception to follow. Call 508-627-4441, extension 123 for more information.
Well, what does Colleen Morris, over at the library have in store for us this week? Well, tomorrow at 4 p.m. the Tashmoo Trio, Christine Box-McLean, Penny Deca and Chris Seidel will be on hand, and the winter readers series continues on Wednesday. She also reminds you that the Library Association tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. will be presenting a multi-cultural celebration Under One Sky with Davis Bates and Roger Tincknel at the Chilmark Community Center.
Ken Goldberg, over at the Chamber of Commerce, reports that the annual Martha’s Vineyard Health Fair takes place tomorrow from 8 a.m. to noon. There will be screenings and exhibits designed to increase awareness about health issues, promote healthy lifestyles and highlight all of the health services and medical programs available on and off Island. For more call the development office at 508-693-4645.
Todd Follansbee and Deborah Mayhew report that, with a little help from their friends, anyone turning 60 this year is invited to a party April 23 at the Agricultural Hall from 5 to 10 p.m. to enjoy great music, a few surprise musicians, from the generation that wrote the book on Party! It will be potluck, bring a dish to share, plus bring your own beverages, plates, silverware, glasses, napkins etc. They will collect a small donation at the door to share the cost of the Agricultural Hall rent and expenses.
Seventy-eight years ago tomorrow evening Vineyarders gathered around their radio sets to listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt hold the first of his radio-broadcast fireside chats. FDR used the informal radio addresses to explain his policies to the American public. In an era before television FDR used the most immediate and intimate means of communicating with the public available at the time, the radio. The President used this electronic tool to talk about a range of topics from New Deal economic policies to aid for Europe in the fight against fascism to reporting on the military and domestic fronts during World War II. While listeners could not actually see him and he was not actually next to a fireplace — photos show FDR at his desk surrounded by microphones — the phrase fireside chat was coined by journalist Robert Trout and evoked a comforting image during a time of great national anxiety.
On March 17, 1947 the Grange held a St. Patrick’s Day party at the Agricultural Hall. Upstairs was decorated with shamrocks and other green banners. More than 50 members were in attendance and several of the local musicians, Everett Whiting, Mike and Leonard Athearn, Ernest Correllus and Elmer Silva, gathered to play and sing Irish tunes. George Magnuson sang several Irish solos and received several standing ovations and he brought the house down with his rendition of When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Happy birthday to: Alix Small, Wendy Marzbanian and Benjamin Post today; Edmund Cottle, Peter Fisher, Dr. Jay Segel and Tamara Hersh tomorrow; Todd McGee, Lee McCormick, Geraldine Roddy and Jemima James on Sunday; Maureen Hitchings, Patricia Sheehan and Bill Wilcox on Monday; Bob Douglas, Patricia McCarthy, Jake Merrill, Sam Hurd and Chuck Schmidt on Tuesday; Patrick Jenkinson, Shelly Brown and Joanne Roddy on Wednesday; John Bartkus, Arthur Eakin, Linda Hughes, Betsy MacDonald and Maria Moody on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Leslei Monast and Sarah Anne Nelson.
Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. Please call or e-mail me with your news. I trust you will not forget to wear something green on Thursday. I would like to close this week’s column with an old Irish blessing: “May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows your dead!” Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody.
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