JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Sunday was a beautiful spring day with temperatures reaching 68 degrees. Saturday was a washout; it rained all day and was miserable. Joe Schroeder has been wearing his shorts to school for about three weeks and has proclaimed that summer is just around the corner. The swan returned to the Mill Pond on Tuesday after a week’s vacation on the Parsonage Pond. Joan Jenkinson, animal control officer, feeds them no matter where they are. The base for the new tennis courts has been poured and the courts are expected to be ready by Memorial Day. Buds are appearing on trees; forsythia is in bloom and daffodils are everywhere.

Monday night everyone in our family got to meet Keith Lowe and his wife, Pam, from Homerville, Ohio. All this came about due to the hard work of their daughter, Amy, who figured out and pursued the matter via the Internet and public records that her dad had a connection to our family. Well, she was spot on. It seems that my cousin Alice had a son many years ago and he is the half-brother of cousin Nancy Burleson, on Edgartown Road. A family party was held to meet them. There were a lot of photographs and stories told at the gathering. Keith announced that his whole family plans to return in July.

Angela Grant, transit authority administrator, reports that beginning tomorrow morning, there will be extended service on Fridays and Saturdays until Memorial Day weekend when it will include Sundays. Ridership is up. New schedules are available and can be picked up at most businesses in town. With the price of fuel at record highs, it looks as if more people will be using the bus this year.

The best 60th birthday party ever took place at Agricultural Hall last Saturday night, when Deborah Mayhew, Todd Follansbee, Mark Mazer, Joan Rice, and some of their classmates, lifelong friends, who all turned 60 this year, shared their birthdays with family and friends with a potluck dinner and five hours of music. A total of about 150 people turned out for the event, and everyone, from tiny children (even one six-month-old baby) to Deborah’s mother, Shirley, who had her own big day on Wednesday, had a wonderful time. The music was fabulous and the dance floor crowded. About a dozen friends came from off-Island, including Nan Chalat from Utah, Deborah’s college roommate, and a high school friend of Todd’s from Westchester County, New York. It was a grand evening, and even Shirley, who is of the big band Glen Miller generation, was seen tapping her feet to the rock and roll music.

Jill Carlton, her husband, Pete Karman, and their son, Alex, arrived to spend Easter weekend at their State Road home. Alex turned over the garden under his mother’s watchful eye. Jill has retired and they plan to spend more time on the Vineyard this summer.

A large crowd attended Donald Fisher’s memorial service at the Lambert’s Cove Cemetery last Saturday afternoon. The cemetery was a sea of multicolored umbrellas as people stood in the driving rain to listen to the Rev. George Eli. Our condolences to the entire Fisher family.

Joanne Lambert reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Minnesingers, fresh off a tour of Prague and Paris, will present their spring shows on May 7 at 8 p.m. and May 8 at 3 p.m.

Paddy Moore reports that the church will host a workshop, Planning for a Graceful Exit, on Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Congregational Church parish hall. She hopes it will be useful for elders and younger people.

The school is having a garden party tomorrow from 3 to 5 p.m. The rain date is Sunday; times are the same. Help mulch, weed and enjoy the school courtyard garden. Bring a shovel, rake and wheelbarrow if you can. A $5 donation is suggested; it all supports the school garden costs.

Colleen Morris over at the library reports that they will be making May Day baskets from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. On Sunday the poetry reading group will be in session at 4 p.m., and on Monday there will be another library forum at 5 p.m. to discuss expansion plans. The Lyme and tick-borne disease group meets with Dr. Enid Haller on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

On April 19, 1975 extensive renovations of the children’s room upstairs at the West Tisbury Library were approved by the trustees. The money to pay for the changes came from the book sales and gift fund, not tax money.

Happy birthday to: Priscilla Bettencourt, Ken Edwards, Cathy Campbell, Ben Hopkins and Bea Phear today; Bob Schwartz, Carolyn Downs, Charlene Baker-Weiss and Tom Roan tomorrow; Dick Knabel, Sylvana Dole, Terry Kriedman, Antonio Chiabai and Daniel Pace on Sunday; Jonathan Scott Jr., Bill Graham, Charles Giordano and Jennifer Doyle on Monday; Stephanie Dreyer, Alexander Dorr, John Durfee, Elizabeth Van Landingham, Prudy Burt, Jenny Dowd, Jennie Rezendes and Peter Lombari on Tuesday; Ben Paul, Wendy Briggs, Ernest Mederios, Matt Taylor, Nick Puner and Ryan Shannon on Wednesday; Karen Ogden, Betsy Dripps and Tucker Hubell on Thursday.

Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.