JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Well, September has slipped away rapidly and we are now in the fall season. The weekend weather was delightful, but Sunday was noticeably cooler, lending a fall-like atmosphere to the air. The derby is in full swing and the fish appear to be plentiful. The automobile traffic is definitely slower during the week as we approach the last full week of the “shoulder season.” Can Halloween be just 32 days away? The advertising has begun in earnest. The Oakleaf boys have a nice Halloween display at their Middletown Gardens nursery and pumpkins are beginning to pop up everywhere. Folks are looking forward to the harvest festival and antique power show this weekend.

Tomorrow the annual Living Local Harvest Festival will take place at the agricultural hall. There will be fresh local food from Morning Glory Farm, 7a Foods and Little Rock and Beetlebung Farms. Enjoy tastings of sumptuous foods, from honey to cheese to oysters as curated by Slow Food MV and Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Classic harvest festival activities including pumpkin carving, cider-pressing, pony and oxen rides, a pumpkin tossing catapult, egg tosses, sack races and cow chip bingo. Kids’ events include crafting and games by the Farm Institute. There will be a fire circle with Sassafras Earth Education, wild edibles with Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, felt-making with Island Grown Initiative, seedlings with Community Solar Greenhouse of Martha’s Vineyard, the Life of Trash with Bruno’s and more!

Also, among many other things, there will be a drum workshop with Rick Bausman: Family Samba! It’s free, and early birds get to drum! Family Samba will be from 10 to 11 a.m. by the Hay Bale Cafe. Sign-up starts at 10 a.m. for all ages. Children under eight years old must be accompanied by an adult.

The antique power show starts at noon. George Hartman of Panhandle reports that this will be the Antique Power Association’s 25th annual show at the fairgrounds. Setup will start this afternoon at 4 p.m., and on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. on. Volunteers are appreciated. All owners of antique machinery (gas and steam engines, toys, cars, trucks, motorcycles, tractors and machinery, rusty or otherwise) are invited. For more information, call George at 508-693-6039. George, the guru of steam engines, will have his rare 1903 Locomobile steam engine working and on display, and a number of other steam engines from the same era as well. There will be a wide varietyof agricultural events at the harvest festival capped by a potluck supper at 6 p.m. Please bring a dish that will feed six as well as your own cup, plate and utensils. There will be dancing till 10 p.m.

Anna Alley of State Road again went up to East Taunton to visit grandson Robbie and his parents Arsen and Nicole. She and Nicole got to do a lot of things while Arsen was away. Sig Van Rann and his wife Susan Dickler of Music street went down to New York city last week on business. His daughter Sofia watched over the livestock and the house in their absence. Lynn Christoffers of Edgartown Road has spent the past two weeks in New York city on business and visiting friends. She plans to arrive home today.

Selena Roman reports that her son Walker, a 2012 honors graduate of Mass Art and Design, left the quiet and calm of Albert’s Pond this week to begin a new job at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston as a gallery assistant. Tara Whiting, town clerk, wants to remind anyone wishing to register to vote in the presidential election on Nov. 6 to do so by Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. in the town hall. She is available every weekday. If you have any election questions, please call her at 508-696-0148.

Richard Paradise reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society will present the annual Manhattan Short Film Festival all this weekend at the new Martha’s Vineyard Film Center in Vineyard Haven. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Dan Waters reports that the West Tisbury Library Foundation, Inc. announced this week that their Dollar Tree campaign had reached its $1,000 goal in less than a year. Eleven months ago an anonymous donor offered to match every $1 donation given to the library foundation up to the amount of $1,000. Each donation added a leaf inscribed with the donor’s name to a tree on the library wall. The challenge was inspired by the campaign to renovate and expand the library and the dollar tree was to benefit the new children’s room. The library is on schedule to break ground in November. The start of the project will be celebrated at a party at the Grange Hall on Nov. 17 to thank the community for its support. Construction should last about a year, during which the library will be open in temporary quarters across from Conroy’s Apothecary.

Jennifer Tseng, over at the library, reports that the Duo (Bob Johnson and J. Clark) will be playing jazz in the library on Friday at 4 p.m.

Happy birthday to Natalie Conroy, Moria Silva, Nancy Isenberg and Leonard Schoenfeld today; Heather Hoff, Frankie Flanders, John Abrams and Jill Bouck tomorrow; Kent Healy, PJ Kirby, Jr., Ed Child and John Scherlis on Sunday; Chris Stein, Linda Izzo and Wesley Look on Monday; Ellen Gaskill, Quinn Retmier and Doug Hakey on Tuesday; Barbara Bennett, Robert Tonti and Christy Phillipps on Wednesday; and Tess Bramhall, Jim Young, Fain Hackney, Dole Powers, Zack Post and Kathy Logue on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Marjorie Pierce. Anniversary greetings to Will and Leslei Monast on Wednesday.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please call or email me. Have a great week.