NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

How about that game last Sunday? What a great way for Pats fans to welcome in the New Year.

I welcomed in the year with a fabulous traditional dinner at Renae Brown’s, with Joe Cormier and their daughters, Cheyenne and Monique, adding to the festivities. I went home at a perfectly reasonable hour to a phone call from Laurie Marotta inviting me to another dinner, appetizers, the works. I couldn’t eat a thing, but did go down the street to visit with her friend Paula from Niantic, see husband Joe Marotta, gossip, joke around, and we enjoyed watching the classic Desk Set with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Same time next year.

The next day Laurie and Joe went to visit our beloved Rupert the Rooster. They report him well and happy and bossing the hens around. I still miss him.

You need to make your reservation for the annual Robert Burns Birthday Dinner by Jan. 14. Call Ed Pierce at 508-560-0490. Remember, you don’t need to be a Scot or even a member of our Martha’s Vineyard Scottish Society to join in the fun. As usual, piping, Scottish dancing, raffles and haggis. I’ll see you there.

Art in the Stacks at our library this month will feature my friend Bella, Brazilian artist, puppeteer, writer, director, musician — a true Renaissance woman. Check out her work during library hours.

A big production for the Tuesday night lecture series at 7 p.m. at the library will be: Let’s Talk about It — Making Sense of the Civil War. Dr. Sheldon Hackney will lead the discussion and readings. The dates of the presentations are Jan. 10, Feb. 7, March 6, April 17 and May 8. Mark your calendars now; all events are free.

Our Martha’s Vineyard Museum is collaborating with Featherstone to hold an Island faces portrait contest. The artwork must be a painting, drawing or photo of a Vineyard resident, seasonal or year-round. For submission guidelines visit mvmuseum.org/portraitcontest.php. Artists age 15 and up are welcome. The deadline is Feb. 29. Good luck.

Alan Brigish and Susan Klein are working on yet another book, this time a history of the annual Ag Fair. Bring your photos to be scanned, you’ll get them right back, at the museum today from noon to 1 p.m. or 4 to 6 p.m. Or tomorrow from noon to 3 p.m. Be sure to check out the museum while you are there.

Liza Buckley is back from the Philippines and looking beautiful as ever at Cumby’s. She was safe from the floods but unfortunately some of her family members were affected. In other Cumby news, Jill LaPiana is just returning with husband, Fred, from a visit south to see their daughter and son in law, Sarah and Ryan, and grandson, Noah.

On Saturday the birthday bandwagon pulls along Jamie Amaral. Jan. 8 is for Sonya Mayrand. Jan. 9 is claimed by Lou Jannace, Tarny Levett and Amanda Star Kieffer. Jan. 10 is a huge party for my grandson, Dominic Leigh Clark, Sandra Healy, Aja Stamp, Teika Lampart, Rita Shapiro, and Brigitte Araujo. Jan. 11 celebrates Maddox Anne Tenbrook, Debbie Morelli, Judy Thomas and Sara Rose Kuehne. And on Jan. 12 Inez Montanile, Nathalie Penicaud and Gay Nelson take the cake. Many happy returns.