JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

slaterjn@comcast.net

Chilmark begins the fall season under cloudy skies with much to be happy about but with deep sadness within the town family as we grieve for Juliet R. Burkett, who died too young this week in a car accident on her way to college driving in South Dakota. We send condolences to her many friends and to her family in Chilmark and West Tisbury. She is very much missed by us all.

Please remember to attend the special town meeting scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26 at the Chilmark Community Center. All the issues require your attention.

There will be a memorial service for Bruce Bartels at the West Tisbury Church tomorrow, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. with a reception following at the Grange Hall.

The Chilmark Community Church will begin the popular pizza nights on Sept. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. They will offer pizza and games to all at no charge. All ages are welcome.

Hurricane Irene forced the cancellation of a performance of the Boston String Quartet at the Chilmark Community Church. They will present their program, Worldsong, on Oct. 2 at the church from 2 to 4 p.m. The program is music that will be enjoyed by both young and old. Their music has been enjoyed by many and is acclaimed. The ticket of admission will benefit the church’s music fund. All are welcome.

The family of David Lazarus of Urbana, Ill., and Chilmark will hold a memorial service for David on Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. at the University of Illinois Levis Faculty Center and a memorial service is planned for next summer in Chilmark. David made many friends here during the more that 50 years he and his family vacationed in Chilmark. We will all miss him very much.

Julia Wells entertained friends from her college days at Wells this week. Tee-Ann Hunter of Ithaca and Jory Manes of Troy enjoyed a tour of the Vineyard with Julia.

Electronic Disposal Day is coming up on Oct. 1. Go to the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Web site for information on what is disposable. Mvcommunityservices.com is a good link for lots of information about what goes on in community services.

Sam Feldman of Osprey Lane in Chilmark was featured on the Progressive Radio Network on Wednesday of this week discussing the Men’s Bereavement Network.

Herb Ward sends word that the Class of 1966 will host their 45th reunion on Oct. 15 and 16. They will meet on Saturday at the Portuguese-American Club on Saturday and at Farm Neck on Sunday. Please call Herb at 508-693-7683 for details.

Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard is sending out an early reminder that they will again be selling handmade items at their annual Christmas sale at the Daniel Fisher house on Dec. 10. They welcome donations of any handmade items and they call their sale Handmade from the Heart. Please call 508-693-0189 for details.

Tim Carroll went to Noman’s Land this week with the U.S. Navy. They found a large number of unspent ordnances on the shore and land of the island. Storms and erosion cause them to come free from the sand and earth of the island. There was to be an explosion of these finds one day this week. Tim also checked out the cemetery and reports that only one stone was visible at this time. There are several marked graves there from previous residents. Plans to clear and protect these graves are ongoing by the Chilmark Historical Commission and the Chilmark Cemetery Commissioners.

Don and Susan Luce of Chilmark and Downingtown, Pa., enjoyed a crystal clear day for their biplane sightseeing flight over Chilmark. It is a great way to see the Island from a different perspective.

The Friends of the Chilmark Library are proud to present a series of documentaries about the fabulous gardens of Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, England. The first film will be shown on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. It is the U.S. premiere of the BBC documentary and is the first of a four-part series. The dates are the following Wednesdays: Oct. 5,12 and 19. On Oct. 27 at the West Tisbury Agricultural Hall the author Adam Nicolson will tell about his efforts to restore the legendary gardens at Sissing-hurst Castle. He is the grandson of the founders of the gardens, the poet Vita-Sackville West and Sir Harold Nicolson. Today there are 260 acres open to the public at the castle in Kent, England. This ambitious program is sponsored by the Friends of the Chilmark Library and owes much to the hard work of the chairman, Susan Murphy, who has spearheaded the program and managed to arrange for a U.S. premiere in Chilmark along with the visit of Adam Nicolson. We appreciate her hard work and look forward to this exciting program.