JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

slaterjn@comcast.net

Chilmark is savoring the last days of the explosive daffodil displays all around town. It just seems that where there was one blossom last year, there were three this year. Let’s credit all that wind and rain . . . it had to be good for something! Margaret Maida’s front yard on Menemsha Crossroad and Judy and Ted Mayhew’s hillside are worth slowing down to see, as is the lawn at Louie Larsen’s home at Beetlebung Corner. Louis is home from Florida in time to enjoy the annual blooming.

The annual town meeting on Monday night was a pretty routine affair, as routine as any $7 million budget can be. All items were approved and very few were cause for discussion. It was fun to have the Cub Scouts come in and lead the voters in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Beach Committee wants to remind us once more that beach stickers for the upcoming summer must be applied for at town hall. No applications will be mailed out this year. The cards are at the front desk in the town hall for you to complete and leave for processing.

There were lots of seasonal folks in town this past holiday weekend to open their homes and experience a spring weekend.

Caleb and Chris Slater came from Northbridge with their daughter, Celia, and Sarah and Aaron Bennett and their boys, Jack and Scott, all come to spend the holiday with us. Boats were painted in between raindrops.

Congratulations to Bradley Carroll, who has had a photograph chosen for honorable mention in the nationwide high school arts competition sponsored by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is a way to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation as well as in every congressional district. Bradley’s teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Chris Baer, chose one of Bradley’s pictures to enter the competition. She was the only freshman to submit an entry. The photo, called Umbrella, will hang in Rep. Bill Keating’s office at the 10th Congressional district office in Hyannis for the year. Bradley is the daughter of Marshall and Katie Carroll of South Road. Cheers from us all!

Chilmark poet John Maloney will offer a four-part workshop at the Chilmark Library with the first one on May 4, Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. The series will continue on May 11, June 1 and June 8. John will encourage participants to make poetry about everyday life and to reveal themselves in writing for fun. Please call the library for more details at 508-645-3360.

On another note: The West Tisbury Congregational Church announces a workshop at the church on May 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. entitled Planning for a Graceful Exit. It is hoped that many of us will benefit by attending and confronting the problems of this part of life. The material will be of interest to elders and to younger folks who might be planning for parents or for themselves.

Bill Vincent and his daughter, Katie, spent the holiday weekend at the Lucy Vincent house on South Road. Their guests were Sara Keiper and Nick Parsons.

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Minnesingers are back from a tour of Prague and Paris and will offer their Spring Show on May 7 at 8 p.m. and May 8 at 3 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at the high school. This year’s program is called Music of America, Give our Regards to Broadway.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 30, the Women’s Symposium will meet at the Chilmark Community Center from 9 a.m. to noon. The program consists of speakers with discussions following. There are refreshments. There is no charge for attending but donations are requested to fund the ongoing meetings. They will convene again in October.

Bill and Roz Glazer are back at their Chilmark home after wintering in Key West. They have had a visit from their son, Aaron, and his wife, Ilana, and daughter, Ziva, all of Los Angeles last weekend as well as a visit from their son, Jacob, and his wife, Dalia, and children, Solomon and Leah, all of New York city.

We send condolences to the family and friends of Ed Rothschild of City Island and Chilmark, who died on March 16 in New York following a brief illness. Ed and his family have summered in Chilmark for many years and he was well known in the boat and fishing community. His wife, Kathy Lonergren, and his children, Emily, Sarah, Anna and Oliver, survive him. His many friends here will miss his energetic and cheerful presence among us.

Now I am eagerly waiting to hear who went to the wedding. I never underestimate the wide reaches of the Chilmark connection. I hope I won’t be disappointed!