JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
The weather could not have been better over the Labor Day weekend. The rain held off until Monday. The holiday traffic was moderate, wedding bells were in the air, business at the Dumptique was brisk with people dropping off items they no longer needed, and signs advertising yard sales were numerous. It was a perfect opportunity for outdoor chores. If you went out to eat on Saturday there were lines of people waiting to be seated at the popular restaurants. School opened for the fall term yesterday, and the students got their first look at and classes in the newly renovated building.
A sure sign of fall is the start of the 66th annual Bass and Bluefish Derby this Sunday. Joyce Bowker, director of the Council on Aging, reports that the “fresh fish schedule” at the Howes House will be on Thursdays all during the derby. Please call 508-693-2896 after 10 a.m. that day and the staff will know the amount of fish that will be distributed to the senior citizens in the up-Island towns.
Phyllis Meras, of Music street, held her season’s-end extravaganza on Labor Day. It was postponed a week because of Irene and about 75 people from all walks of life attended her annual event. Amongst those present were Bob and Ann Ganz of North Road, who reported having a plethora of okra in their garden this year. He had tried to contact Malcolm Hall of Oklahoma City, an expert on okra recipes, but Malcolm had gone back home. Bob is quite convinced, from his experience, that frying them is best.
Linda Baughman, of Philadelphia, Pa., departed on Wednesday for home after a week’s vacation at Phyllis Meras’s house. Linda will be back in October for a longer stay.
Barbara Fales de Braganca, of Old County Road, gives us a season-ending report. The centennial maple tree planted by her grandparents was a casuality of tropical storm Irene. The half which was struck by lightening three summers ago and which was reported at the time, was felled by Irene and her pal Mother Nature. It was extraordinary, as it could have collapsed on the house, fence, arbor or other trees! As it was, the highest, finest fingers of the uppermost branches fell just short, grazing the arbor and their Kousa dogwoods. The tree was planted in 1911 when her grandparents married! They are having a fine time, using the long straight branches as stunning plant stakes, and are planning to chip the boughs and turn the remainder into cords of firewood!
In further news their daughter, Camilla, has returned to the George Washington University for her junior year, after working this summer at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Daughter Annabel graduated cum laude from the Eliot School of International Affairs at GWU with a double degree in French literature and international affairs. She has moved to Paris, France and has a paid internship for a year; they were there setting her up in June, and she is working hard and ecstatic to be there.
In November their son, Miguel, with his friends including Olivia Flores, launched a multimedia art space on Huntington avenue near the MFA and the Museum School called Yes. Oui. Si! This venue features artists who have graduated from the Museum School and Mass College of Art. His openings have included a number of Island artists and musicians and are quite a scene. Recently, he was asked to participate in a panel for a Boston Globe-sponsored series called Building a Better Commonwealth at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in which emerging art and artists were discussed. He has one more semester to go at Berklee College. His band, the Hogstompers, has played this summer at numerous venues both on and off-Island.
Will McCullough, his wife, Cissy, and their children, Caroline, Will and Melissa, of Hingham, stayed in their home in the Kansas section of town for the past two weeks. They enjoyed the fair, boating and the beaches.
On Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. Paul Magid will read from his book, George Crook: From the Red Woods to Appomattox. According to General Sherman, Crook “was the best Indian fighter in the U.S. Army, [although he points out] in his latter years he defended the rights of the very same Indians he had driven onto the reservation.” Paul has been working on Crook’s biography since he retired 10 years ago from a 30-year career in government/international grassroots development. He describes Crook as “an enigmatic and very private person who left a very dim trail for historians to follow.” More about Paul’s book can be found on Page Four-A of today’s Gazette.
Tom Dresser reports that the next meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Democrats is tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Howes House. The speaker will be Massachusetts state senator Dan Wolf, who will talk about his experience in the state house and respond to questions from the audience. Separately, Tom has a talk scheduled for Wednesday at the Chilmark Library at 5:30 p.m. The topic is The Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the history of the Wampanoag tribe.
Sheila M. Fane exhibited her recent art work at the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association’s Old Sculpin Gallery on Dock street in Edgartown. The show closes after tonight, so you still have a chance to see her stuff. Also, she will be showing a selection of her works at the same gallery until it closes on Columbus Day.
The International Film Festival is underway through Sunday.
The fifth annual Living Local/Harvest Festival will be held on Oct. 1 this year at the Agricultural Hall on Panhandle Road. The Antique Power Show will take place during the festival.
A memorial service for Jane Newhall will be held at the Congregational Church tomorrow at 2 p.m. She passed away about a month ago, and this is the opportunity for her many Vineyard friends to pay their respect.
Lee Revere reports that they are now accepting book donations at the library during business hours for the 55th annual sale to be held in 2012. So if you are cleaning out your library at home this fall, feel free to drop the books off at the library.
“On Sept. 6, 1947 Miss Shirley Jean Walling was married to John Wesley Mayhew in the Ashbury Church in Crestwood, N.Y. Her sister, Marian, was the maid of honor and bridesmaids were Prudence Mayhew, sister of the groom, and June Blanchard of Crestwood. The ushers were Everett D. Whiting, cousin of the groom, and Donald Sexton of Morristown, N.J. The bride is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and attended Pembroke College in Brown University. The groom is a graduate of Deerfield Academy and from Brown University last June. He served during the war as a fighter pilot with the Naval Reserve and was discharged with the rank of lieutenant. The couple left by car on a trip through New England. On their return they will make their home in town.”
Happy birthday to Edward Jones, Doyle Bunch and Spenser Hughes today;Donald Mohr, Dorothy Fisher, Peter Clark, Jim Branch, Dan Larsen and Scott Campbell tomorrow; Anne Evasick, Ryan Rossi, Maria McFarland and Bob Holt on Sunday; Tim Barnett, Lauren Bedford, Warren Hollinshead and Deborah Shipkin on Monday; Jim Powell, David Campbell and Loren Gibson on Tuesday; Katherine Hough, Stanley Schonbrun, Ann Richards and Shirley Howell on Wednesday; Tom Johnson, Betsy Fisher, Manuel Nunes 3rd, Evan Fielder and Kent Medowski on Thursday. Belated birthday greeting to Bob Pacheco, Margaret Maida and Sig Van Rann, and belated wedding anniversary greetings to John and Shirley Mayhew, Matthew and Stacy Hayden and Molly and Ryan Hooper.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.
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