JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
After brief rain showers cleared, the weekend weather was delightful. The weather man tells us that we are on pace to be one of the warmest Julys on record. It was 92 degrees in the shade on Monday and Tuesday. The beaches were crowded all week with folks seeking relief. I understand August looks to be much cooler.
Business people report that traffic has been nearly impossible at times. Reliable Market down in Oak Bluffs reports that they are busy from morning till 6 p.m. To me it seems this summer has definitely been busier than last year.
The monster shark fishing tournament will be held this weekend in Oak Bluffs; that is sure to draw even bigger crowds.
I traveled to New Bedford and Taunton last Sunday to visit Nicole, Arsen and Robbie and meet up with my wife, Anna, who had been tending to her sister after her recent operation. I had a wonderful trip over on the Seastreak fast ferry. I sat outside and enjoyed the weather and scenery for most of the trip. I took Anna to Antonio’s for a late birthday lunch. It was very warm and muggy in New Bedford and Taunton, and Portuguese feasts were being held in both cities. The trip home on the SSA Governor was also very nice. I had an opportunity to view the setting sun and feel the warm ocean breeze.
John and Ellen Cronin of Drexel Hills, Pa., arrived at their Plum Bush Point home yesterday. They plan to be here for the remainder of summer. Their son, Mark, of Los Angeles, Calif., former president of Mindless Entertainment, is expected to arrive shortly for a vacation.
Emily Gadd of Bozeman, Mont., and South Road reports that she has thriving tomato plants in her backyard garden. She is looking forward to a bountiful harvest this year. She has also planted okra, which is doing much better than she expected. If you have any okra recipes, let her know.
Don and Marcia Klepper-Smith of Durham, Conn., are concluding their annual two-week vacation at their Old County Road home. Don is operating his business part-time out of their home this summer. He is the chief economist and director of research for Data Core Partners LLC. His wife, Marcia, is the former chaplain at Manchester hospital. Both plan a Vineyard retirement soon.
Daniel Whiting of Orlando, Fla., was here for the week of the Fourth of July with his children, David and Emma. Once again, they enjoyed the parade and the beach. There was lots of time spent with family on the farm. Daniel stayed with his sister Tara.
Earlier this month Bob and Barbara Day of Willow Tree Hollow celebrated their 50th anniversary at an early family party at Farm Neck. The event was organized by Bob and Barbara’s children, Catha and Dave Carlson, Elizabeth and John Churchill, and Matthew and Tracy Day. The Days’ longtime friends Peter and Beatrice Nessen of Old County Road and their daughter, Victoria, and her husband, Jim Kohlasch, also attended. They had such a good time Barbara said she wouldn’t mind if they plan several more anniversary parties.
Victoria London of Key Biscayne, Fla., the honorary Romanian counsul in Florida, was a recent house guest at Phyllis Meras’s Music street home.
Richard Knabel of Panhandle Road is hosting a cocktail party tonight for Maggie and Bob Schwartz, who celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this week. Congratulations to a swell couple!
Mike and Donna Diaz of Old Courthouse Road attended the graduation of their daughter Christina from Golden Gate University in San Francisco recently. Christina received a law degree with honors and an award for academic excellence in labor and employment law. Her grandparents Bernice and Pierce Kirby were unable to attend their granddaughter’s graduation as they were in Vienna, Austria visiting their son.
Marian Irving reports that the First Blueberry Fest at the church last Saturday was such a huge success that the cobbler and ice cream sold out within three hours, as well as the pies, scones and muffins. The hard-working volunteers are grateful for the Island support; over 850 blueberry lovers came through the door. After a brief respite, church members will gear up for the Peach Festival in August.
Pierce Kirby III of North Tisbury was home visiting his parents and many friends for the last week or so. Pierce has been busy working in Vienna, Austria, and Russia. He has returned to work but hopes to find time to be home for the fair.
Patricia Cliggott wants to welcome all to attend the Lovingkindnessmv summer splash at 129 Indian Hill Road today and tomorrow from noon till 6 p.m. Islanders will join together to share their creativity in a friendly environment. She will have clothing, furniture, jewelry, artwork and much more. Proceeds fund efforts to end domestic violence.
Glenn Davis and Jessica Elefante of New York city were married Saturday afternoon. It was an impressive ceremony as both were first-time Vineyard visitors.
Antonio Saccoccia of Waldron’s Bottom Road, owner and head chef of the Grill on Main restaurant in Edgartown, has been busy all summer offering quality meals and prix fixe pricing. He offers two-for-one specials five nights a week. He has added some new items to his menu and it is well worth the experience to dine out at his place.
Amy Remondi reports that Dan Cohen as Danna Banana will entertain children and adults alike at the Grange Hall Tuesday night at 7 p.m. as the Tuesdays at Twilight concert series continues. The series benefits the West Tisbury Library Foundation, which is spearheading the capital campaign for the public library.
Find the time tomorrow night to stop and have a bite to eat at the Portuguese Holy Ghost Feast. The food is always terrific. There will be music, dancing and games of chance. The annual event is held on the Portuguese-American Club grounds on Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. On Sunday morning at 11 a.m. the annual parade from the Steamship Authority, dock down Circuit avenue up to the club, will be held. The Feast will continue until 6 p.m.
The 56th annual West Tisbury Library book sale will take place at the school Friday, July 26 through Monday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Sunday all items will be half off, and on Monday all items will be free. If you would like to donate, bring your books to the gym drop-off Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Just five years ago this week Will Monast began the ambitious project of restoring the Frank Adams house on Music street. He has had help from Sam Alley and his father. When it came to reconstruction, along came his future son in law, Elton Nascimeto. Mr. Adams would have been proud of the craftsman ability Will displays and his ability to figure out the near impossible. He says it is the most challenging project he has ever accepted. The May cover of Architectural Digest magazine featured restoration work he had recently completed.
These are the things we now know about the house: It has had seven additions over the years. The oldest part contains hand-hewn beams in the floor, probably dating back to at least 1750 or earlier. The additions to the house consisted of other buildings being connected to it. It had a large brick cistern just outside of the main house, two driven wells, one in each of the kitchen additions to supply water. In 1925 Frank Adams added yet another addition he used as an indoor bathroom, a first floor bedroom and wired the house for electricity and installed his own generator outside the house to supply the electric power because it would be another five years before electricity would come to town. By 1935 he closed in the front porch and built sliding windows, added a porch in the back of the house, built twin dormers upstairs and paneled one bedroom with old wooden cartons that were commonly used until the mid 1950s to ship appliances or other large items on the railroad and steamboat. The boxes were addressed to Miss Priscilla Hancock, a cousin, to her Quennames Farm home. She was a famous chocolate maker and these crates contained supplies she needed to operate her business. An old tea plate was used as a shim in the kitchen floor to keep it level. A date of some significance was written on the coal bin wall on Dec. 7, 1941 by Mr. Adams noting he was building his first coal fire of the season. Noah and Susan Block, of New York city are the current owners of the property.
Happy birthday to Geoff B. McCullough who celebrates his 50th, Susan Austin, Linda Jones, Fabio Soares and Jessica Branch today; Kara Rosenthal, Erik Larsen, Laura Wainwright and Pamela Danz tomorrow; Shirley Vanderschueren, Karen Eugene Erez, Laura Campbell, Karen Flynn and Jean Caron on Sunday; Joan Jenkinson, Maureen Healy and Katie Hart on Monday; Dan Bradley, Stephen Young and Larin McBride on Tuesday; Primo Lombardi, Rose Gueerin and Mike Hull on Wednesday; Hannah Elais, Spencer Thurlow, Kristin Kew, Bob Ogden and Vovere Hessen on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Minor Knight, Ralph Franklin, Bruce Stone and Margaret Rose Hoff, and belated anniversary wishes to Kern and Cheryl Grimes of Waldron’s Bottom Road and Bob and Maggie Schwartz of Music street.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. A bit of trivia that you can use at the next cocktail party: 78 years ago earlier this week, the world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Okla. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week and see you at the Feast.
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