JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

slaterjn@comcast.net

Chilmark is fast greening up. The newest colors in our yards are the pinks and whites of the fruit trees and the white of the shad bushes. I meant to include in my daffodil tour last week the daffodils in front of the Jenkinson house on North Road. Joan and Pat’s roadsides are still colorful and cheerful with many varieties. And since I am reminding you of that part of town, I will continue and tell you that the annual Chilmark Church flea market will again be in the Jenkinson field across from their home. The flea market will have a new vendor manager this year, Cris Mayhew. The sales will begin on June 23 and continue on Wednesdays and Saturdays until Sept. 3. The rules for the flea market may be found at Chilmarkchurch.com; to communicate with the vendor manager the address is chilmarkflea@gmail.com.

Plans are in the works for a yard sale at the church on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. This year they will be selling lobster rolls to go. Something to look forward to!

A pair of misguided ospreys spent all day last Sunday trying to build their nest on top of the crane (resting for the day) but working hard weekdays to get the docks completed for the town. The crane operator had to dump the incomplete nest before his workday could begin. Happily, no birds were injured in this operation. Besides the visit of the ospreys in Menemsha, we have had several sightings of the bald eagle who is enjoying an up-Island spring.

Coco Adams is back from a spring vacation with her family to St. Croix.

Wendy Weldon, a Chilmark artist, will be showing some of her paintings at the West Tisbury Library for the month of May. The opening will be on May 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. The show will be on display during the regular hours of the library.

It is time to get serious about Susan and Brigida Larsen and their great efforts to raise money for the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade. Sue will be walking 39.3 miles over May 14 and 15. Brigida, her daughter, is a member of the youth group who will be supporting the walkers and fulfilling many jobs along the way. They have both been training for this test of their strengths for several months. Susan is a survivor of this cancer and is determined to re-create her successful efforts fund-raising last year. If you can support her in her drive please send her a check made out to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and send it to her home address: 108 Hammett Lane, Chilmark, MA 02535. We all hope for good weather for the walk and good support for the cause. Go, Sue and Brigida!

The Aquinnah Public Library speaker series will host an author’s talk on May 17 at the Old Aquinnah Town Hall. Adam Wilson will discuss his new novel, The Road To Sagarmatha: A Himalayan Adventure. The program will be on Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m. The talk is open to the public and free of charge. Adam is an Island resident.

There was some excitement at Menemsha on Wednesday evening. A fishing boat raised an unexploded piece of ordnance. The state police kept folks out of the parking lot and at 7:45 p.m. there was a big bang so I guess the bomb squad arrived and dispatched that bit of the past that somehow resurfaced, so to speak.

The John Maloney Poetry Workshop will continue at the Chilmark library on Wednesday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited at no charge. This workshop is the second in a set of four; the next are scheduled for June 1 and 8.

Mother’s Day and the world events of the past few days make me want to ask you all to think of the mothers of Wells Crowther and David Rivers this Sunday. They are the two young men who lost their lives at the Twin Towers on that awful Sept. 11. Peace to all.

Larsen’s Fish Market is now open daily in Menemsha as is the Menemsha Fish Market, the Copperworks, Oversouth Antiques and the Menemsha Café.