JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark hosted a near perfect summer vacation week just past. The beaches were popular and being out on the water was a good choice. The fish were biting, the sun was hot and it was definitely July. We also hosted an unwelcome bug that someone told me is called the one-day virus. I hope it missed you all and that you will dismiss last week’s column as fall-out from my day with the virus. It is quickly gone but no fun on deadline day.

We send best wishes to Marguerite Cottle, who is at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and, we hope, soon to come home.

Cheers also to the Flynn clan of The Bite restaurant as their mother recovers in a Boston hospital. We hope she will be home soon.

Conrad and Jane Neumann of Larsen Lane are happy to have their daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Marty Schellhas. visiting from Hammonton, N.J. The Neumanns will welcome their son, Jonathan, and his family this weekend. They are coming from Portland, Ore., for an extended visit.

Chip and Marsha Phillips are at their Larsen Lane cottage for a week of vacation accompanied by their sons Chase, Adam and Justin.

The Chilmark Community Church will host a special service on Sunday, July 28 at the 9 a.m. service. They will confer on the Rev. Arlene Bodge the status of pastor emeritus. She has been the longest-serving pastor of the Chilmark Community Church, United Methodist. All are invited to attend and share this special event. Pam Goff has compiled a list of all the past pastors of the church at chilmarkchurch.org. We all send best wishes to Arlene for a happy retirement and many thanks from us all for her years of service to the town.

Reverend Bodge officiated at the wedding of Amanda Beth (Luce) Thomas and Jeremy Wilson Edwards on July 6. They were happy to host four generations of the Martha’s Vineyard Luce family. Amanda’s mother, Susan Luce Thomas, and her grandmother, Elizabeth Luce, were in attendance, as well as her sister, Amy Luce Carroll, who served as her maid of honor. The flower girl was Caileigh Edwards and the ring bearers were twins Colin and Owen Carroll — all Luces. The wedding party took the bike ferry to the West Basin for the ceremony on the evening of July 6. Cheers to all!

The Yard has a varied program of events this summer. Please check out their website dancetheyard.org or call 508-645-9662.

The Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival will be on August 3 in Edgartown and on August 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center. Please go to wendee@mvbookfestival.com for more information.

Many Chilmarkers are busy this month sponsoring the projects they hold close. Helen Neumann has asked us to be aware of the Bite Back for a Cure program aimed at raising awareness of Lyme decease in our midst. The all-day program on August 18 will include a bike ride, speakers and a dinner fundraiser. Please call Enid Haller at the Lyme Center of Martha’s Vineyard at 508-693-1846 for more details.

Monina Von Opel is hard at work preparing a program to be presented at Featherstone beginning August 4 and running through August 21. The art show is called Nine Artists – Thirteen Years and is subtitled “The Process.” It follows the progress of nine Island women artists who met regularly to support and critique each other’s work. Please go to the Featherstone website for the list of artists. The artists’ reception will be on August 4 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Steve Judge and Jim Skelton, Chilmark residents of Middle Road, were happy to assist and support an evening with the MacDowell Colony held at the West Tisbury home of Andy and Barbara Senchak. The Colony is the oldest artist residency program and an important source of support to many artists throughout the years of its existence.

The fishing has been good in our waters and beyond all week. In our house, we celebrated the catch of the day on Monday last when our granddaughter, Celia, age 15, caught a seven-foot blue shark. Exciting moments ensued. It was released after some quick pictures were taken.

The Chilmark library will host a book talk by Mariana Cook on July 31 at 5 p.m. She is an acclaimed photographer and the title of her book is Justice: Faces of the Human Rights Revolution. All are welcome at no charge.

That’s it for this week. There should be enough going on to keep you all in motion. Please email me with any exciting events happening that we can all share in.