JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark sends best wishes to Susan Larsen and her daughter, Brigida, as they prepare for the two day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend in Boston. Susan will walk 39.3 miles and Brigida will speak at the opening ceremonies and join the youth group that supports the walkers on their two-day adventure. We hope Susan has made her fundraising goal.

There will be a flea market at the Community Center on Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and lunch will be available.

Bill and Betsy Ramsey of Wayland were at their Larsen Lane home for the weekend past. They will be back often as the seasons advance.

Hariph Smith was down from Maine this week to open the Smith house on Larsen Lane.

The Aquinnah Library Speaker Series begins again this month, on May 22 from 5 to 6 p.m. Judi Shunk of Aquinnah and Carlisle, Pa. will discuss her study of historic United States carousels, including the Flying Horses of Oak Bluffs. All are welcome at no charge. The talks are given in the Old Aquinnah Town Hall.

The Chilmark Community Church will hold a yard and plant sale on Saturday, May 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Church on the Menemsha Crossroad. They will offer seedlings and flea market treasures.

Jeff Bezanson of Bridgewater was in town this week preparing his properties for summer.

Ed Higham was at his Chilmark home for a few days this week and gave us the news of his grandson, Devon. Chilmark friends will be happy to know that after a very serious time with a rare cancer, Devon is now in remission and looking forward to his annual August vacation in Chilmark. The 17-year-old became ill in October and has had several operations and treatments since then. We are all happy to hear that the prognosis is good and now Devon can get back to school and sports again. Cheers from us all. Devon is the son of Ed and Jean Higham, and the family is from Armonk, N.Y.

Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard will host their 19th annual 5K road race around East Chop on May 27. The run begins and ends at the Wesley House. Runners may register at hospiceofmv.org.

This is the time of year for graduations and we send cheers to all who are enjoying those honors. Please share the news with your Chilmark friends and family by e-mailing me the details at the above address. We would like to include the news in the upcoming columns.

The Rasmus Klimm house on Basin Road will host a girl party this weekend when Rasmus’s great-granddaughter will entertain her friends and introduce some of them to the pleasures of Menemsha. The women are celebrating the end of one college year and the beginning of what for some of them will be the final year coming up. Caroline Klimm is the daughter of Tom, who is Rasmus’s grandson, and she will be a senior this fall at Sacred Heart University as will Corinne Lojoie of Long Island, N.Y. Hannah Gonneville of Yarmouthport, Maine will be a senior at Bridgewater State University, where Stephanie Sprdinha of Yarmouthport will be a junior. Others in the group are Meredith Shulman of Barnstable, who will be a senior at Plymouth State University and Julie Doiron of Plaistow, N.Y. who will be a senior at Plymouth State College. Alison McHorney of Barnstable will be a junior at Springfield College. Cheers to you all! Many of you may remember Rasmus Klimm, a solitary fisherman who carved wonderful and whimsical sea creatures and had them on his fish house on the Bulkhead. He would be happy to know how his family has grown and that they still enjoy his choice of home.

The West Tisbury Congregational Church is inviting folks to take an interesting tour of several up-Island properties. Two are in West Tisbury and three are in Chilmark. The tour will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will view unique plant collections, ornamental shrubs, water gardens, and rustic arbors and stone walls. The funds raised will benefit the preservation of the historic West Tisbury church. There will be refreshments for all along the way.

This weekend will welcome the return of the Galley, the Bite, and the opening of the new Beetlebung Coffee House. Along with the food available at the two fish markets and the pizza at the now-open Chilmark store, eating out can be an adventure again in Chilmark!