JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

More than a few letters have already come in from people expressing interest in leasing and working on the restoration of Tea Lane Farm. The Chilmark selectmen and the Tea Lane Farm committee hosted a very well attended open house at the farm on Middle Road last Saturday. Folks were invited to submit a letter of interest and, eventually, a farm plan. It is exciting to know that we are getting closer to seeing the old farm being used again as it has in the past.

The selectmen have had a busy week. On Wednesday evening they met with the representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and the design people to discuss the final plan for the new boathouse for Menemsha. Coast Guard representatives projected the completion to be in November 2013.

The Menemsha Water Company is proceeding with winter plans for installing some water hydrants. The work at the end of North Road caused an interruption in the water service in that area for a couple of hours on Wednesday.

Congratulations to Katie Vincent and Nick Persons, who were married on Thursday in Niskayuna, N.Y. Festivities included a family dinner. Katie is the daughter of Bill Vincent of Niskayuna, N.Y. and Chilmark and the late Priscilla Vincent. Katie and Nick enjoy spending time at the family’s Chilmark home and look forward to returning in the spring.

John and Joan Campbell of North Chittenden, Vt. were in town for several days this week, closing the home of the late Ford and Miriam Campbell.

The PTO of the Chilmark School invites us all to the fund-raiser coming up on Jan. 28 at the Chilmark Community Center. The party will be a ’50s-’60s themed dance with a silent auction, dessert bar and lots of bobby-socks music by Merrily Fenner and friends. Tickets are available in advance for $15 from all the school parents or at Menemsha Texaco and ticketsmv.com. The PTO raises funds for the school’s outing program.

The Friends of the Chilmark Library continue to offer free movies at the library on Friday nights at 7 p.m. This week they will show the first two programs about the famous gardens of Sissinghurst. Popcorn and fruit drinks are part of the treat. All are welcome.

Clifford the Big Red Dog will visit the Chilmark library on Jan. 28 at 10:30 a.m., hosted by Kristin Maloney, the children’s librarian. All children are welcome. The visit is presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Library Association. Norman Bridwell, creator of the Clifford stories, is an Island resident.

There will be an educational forum, Understanding the Occupy Movement: Faces, Facts and Future, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Discussion groups will be formed and the subject discussed with the aid of videos. All are welcome.

The Martha’s Vineyard Democratic Council will host speaker Mary Jane Sorrentino, who has been trained by the Gore Climate Change Project and will discuss what changes global warming will bring to our area. The talk will be at the Howes House in West Tisbury Saturday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. All are welcome.

We send condolences to the family and many friends of John Mayhew of West Tisbury who died Tuesday. He was an all-Island person who had many friends with many interests all over the Vineyard. He was, among many things, a fishing and hunting enthusiast, a boater, a teacher and a great person to have known. We will all miss him and continue to share the many stories we each have that include Johnny.