JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

It is quiet in town and traffic was nearly nonexistent Sunday afternoon as most folks were watching the Patriots demolish the Houston Texans at Foxboro. Go Patriots this Sunday!

Today is the beginning of a long holiday weekend; Monday is Martin Luther King Day and schools, post office and town buildings will be closed. It is also Inauguration Day. We are less than two short months away from the start of daylight saving time. Blizzards of seed catalogs have been arriving in the daily mail for the last week, giving us the time to study them in front of the fireplace. Postal rates are scheduled to rise next week, so now is the chance to buy a few extra forever stamps when you are at the post office.

Cynthia Riggs invites everyone to the 25th annual Groundhog Day celebration on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cleaveland House on Edgartown Road. All are welcome. Bring your favorite hors d’oeuvres, if you’d like, but that’s not a requirement. Parking will be in the west pasture and can easily be reached if you take the first left as you turn down New Lane Road. This winter event is widely regarded as the kickoff to the local political season. For more information call her at 508-693-9352.

The selectmen will hold a public forum on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. at the Howes House about the fate of the Mill Pond. The options are dredge, stream restoration or leave it alone.

The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will holds its first cultural luncheon of the year next Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at The Grill on Main in Edgartown. The winter series of luncheons is focusing on the arts and cultural community of the Vineyard. The featured speaker for the luncheon is Ann Smith, executive director of Featherstone Center for the Arts. For reservations call Leslie Clapp at 508-939-9440.

There will be more than one inaugural ball, Vineyard style. On Sunday Grace Church will be transformed into an elegant ballroom for an upbeat evening of feasting, dancing and friendly fun. Also the MV Dems are sponsoring a ball and gala party.

History notes: On Jan. 24, 1948 the membership of the Agricultural Society voted to sponsor their annual fair as it has for the past 86 years. That summer, however, the fair would run for three days beginning on the last Wednesday in August. The return to a program covering three days instead of two is a revision to the original custom. A two-day fair was the rule before World War II. Committees were appointed in the various classes to prepare premium lists and a program. William Pinney announced that Alice Mathiewson will be the fair manager assisted by Ted Minelt.

Happy birthday to: Eleanor Dale Neubert, Chris Fielder, and Hannah Maxner today; Debra Swanson, Roy Hope, Andy Estrella, Michael Shea and Patti Lynn tomorrow; Lee McCormack, Jena Wingood, Paul Strauss and Nancy Cabot on Sunday; Carl Tack, Phaedra Fortes, Nili Goldstein and James Costello on Monday; Sandy Atwood, Anya Toteanu, Hilary Wall, and Willie Levesque on Tuesday; Paul VanLandingham, Georgiana White and Alexandra Rothwell on Wednesday; Zack Wiesner, Dan Sharkovitz and Lewis Waring on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Cal Monast, Catherine Deese and Nora Nevin.

Well, that is all the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. A trivia fact: 56 years ago today Patsy Cline, sang Walkin’ after Midnight, and gained national attention with her winning appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, one of the most popular programs of the early years of television. By the way, who was the sponsor of this program? Also 61 years ago last Monday NBC’s Today, the program that started the morning news show format as we know it, premiered with Dave Garroway as host. Have a great week.