JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Friday is Veterans Day and the start of a holiday weekend. The post office, school and other town and county buildings are closed. The holiday was created to acknowledge the armistice that ended World War I. More than 50 years ago, the day was changed to honor the veterans who fought in all of our country’s armed conflicts. Let us pause for a moment over the weekend to remember those who have gone before us.
Old Jack Frost paid us two brief visits last week with temperatures in some places dipping into the low twenties. He vows to return soon. As you may have noticed, the deer have been moving around lately, due primarily to the hunting season, and sometimes find themselves in strangest places. One of them was spotted behind the post office in North Tisbury on Tuesday. Speculation has it that she might have been waiting to mail a package to the North Pole before the rush begins.
A special town meeting will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the school gym. All items on the 10-article warrant were recommended by the finance committee. Voters will be asked to accept a gift of land from the Garden Club that includes the Mill Pond dam and to appropriate $10,000 required to evaluate the possible installation of photovoltaic equipment at the town landfill.
Anna Alley of State Road went to Providence to visit her sister, Nina Berry, and family last weekend. She also visited with our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Arsen Hambardzumian of East Taunton. She found time to do some shopping before returning home Sunday night.
Director Sarah Kuh reports that the Vineyard Health Care Access Program will celebrate its 12th anniversary on Friday.
Heidi Schultz reports that the Vineyard Sinfonietta players will perform a Pops concert at the Howes House on Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. The string players will be accompanied by Martha Hudson, mezzo-soprano; Edie Yoder, flute, and Chris Seidel, drums. They’ll present songs from the 1930s on up, including Broadway musicals and a couple of Scott Joplin tunes. Donations are accepted but not necessary.
The all-Island seasonal flu shot clinic will be held Friday at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School from 8 a.m. to noon. Those who wish to receive a flu shot must first go to one of the two staging areas at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs or the Agricultural Hall to register prior to being directed to the high school. Walkers, bicyclists and those using the VTA bus must go directly to the Performing Arts Center at the high school to check in. This is the only town-sponsored clinic for adults and high school students this year.
Leslie J. Stark will direct a cast of Vineyard performers tomorrow in a reading of Arnold Rabin’s new play, Quartet for a Queen. The reading will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Howes House. On Sunday the library will host its annual community poetry reading at 4 p.m. Help keep the tradition alive by attending as a reader or a listener, or both! On Tuesday, the library invites seniors to attend a focus group designed to generate ideas for the proposed library expansion. The focus group will take the place of a regular Howes House discussion group, held weekly from 9:30 to 11 a.m. On Wednesday at 4 p.m. the library will host an artist’s reception for Susan Johnson. Ms. Johnson’s paintings will be on display for the remainder of the month. The Cleaveland House Poets group will give a reading at the library at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The Cleaveland House Poets are the most successful, continuously meeting group of poets and writers in the Island’s history. The group was founded in the 70s by Dionis Coffin Riggs and has met every two weeks for more than 40 years.
In celebration of Veterans Day, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum has launched a new online exhibit sharing the stories of Vineyard World War II veterans. Those Who Serve: Martha’s Vineyard and World War II began as an exhibition at the museum two years ago. The exhibit’s popularity led oral history curator Lindsey Lee to publish a book comprised of various oral histories from Vineyard veterans. Approximately 20 short audio interviews have now been paired with archival photos on the Web site, allowing people all over the world to hear the stories. Veterans featured in the exhibit include Tom Hale, John Mayhew, Anne Lesnikowski, Hector Asselin, Curtis Jones and Betty Honey.
Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. the selectmen will rededicate a World War II monument at the town hall flag pole. The monument had previously been located at the intersection of West Tisbury and State Roads. The idea of erecting a monument began in 1949, when the home and community service committee at the Grange Hall announced its intention to purchase and errect an honor roll monument listing all war veterans. At the time, the town did not have a war memorial plaque recognizing those who served in World War I or II. Penny sales were used to raise funds for the monument, which was eventually purchased from Manuel Santos of Edgartown.
Happy Birthday to: Keith Olsen and Ken Hurd today; Richard Cohen, Marian Mohr, Mary Jo Joiner, Andy Brunk, Cynthia Eakin and Linda Sibley on Friday; Tina Fisher, Paul Schultz and Sheri Hitchcock on Saturday; Bob Gothard, Cheryl Kram, Lucy Mitchell, and Rosemary Jackson on Sunday; Geoff Currier, Tom Norton, James Koster and Louise Fragosa on Monday; George Hough, Antonio Saccoccia and Allison Whyte on Tuesday; Jane Finnerty, Joyce Brigish, Paul Adler, Dixon Rogers and Wendy Forest on Wednesday, and Jim Coyne, Chelsea McCarthy and Chloe Maley on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Erin Leighton, Jane Coakley, Wendy Rose and Jeri Berry. Happy anniversary to Nicole Alley and Arsen Hambardzumian tomorrow.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news, please call or e-mail me. As we approach the holiday season, remember what the late Will Rogers said about making your money last longer: “Fold it in half!” Have a great week.
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