RICK HERRICK
508-693-8065
The East Chop Association held its July meeting at the East Chop Beach Club last Saturday. Every time I attend, I am thankful for the ECA. Neighborhoods do not remain special without a great deal of care. Can you imagine East Chop without our parks? Crystal Lake is healthy and vibrant because of ECA work. Homeowner disputes are mediated and resolved through the association. Most important, the association is providing leadership in finding a solution for the dangerous problem with the bluff.
When secretary Anne Hazelton read the list of officers (Craig Dripps, president; Sandy Dibble, vice president; John Caldwell, treasurer; and Mary Dibble and Anne Hazelton, co-secretaries),I thought, these officers haven’t changed in 15 years. Rob Hammett and Steve Durkee put in long hours maintaining the parks each winter. The finances of the association are in good shape because Lyn Herrick spends a great deal of time fundraising. Please thank these people when you see them. East Chop is a better place because of all their hard work.
On Sunday, July 28, East Chop will celebrate the lives of three former members of our community. Catherine (Kay) McMahon Geary died on Jan. 18 at the age of 92. A memorial mass will be held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church at 9:30 a.m. on July 28. A brief graveside service will take place at Oak Grove Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. with a memorial reception at the Ocean View Restaurant from 2:15 to 5 p.m. The Ocean View holds special meaning for Kay and her family. Kay’s father, Joseph A. Silvia, a former Massachusetts state representative and Oak Bluffs selectman, owned the Ocean View Hotel from 1938 to 1963.
A party will be held at the Dripps/Herrick house on Sunday, July 28 to celebrate the life of Lyn and Craig’s father, Graham Dripps. Everyone is invited from 5 to 7 p.m. Lyn and Craig are asking people to bring their favorite hors d’oeuvres for this special celebration.
The last of the three celebrations takes place at 6 p.m. at the East Chop lighthouse. At that time the Spiritual Choir led by Jim Thomas will perform, along with dancer Christina Montoya. The concert is given in honor of Della Hardman, a longtime East Chop resident, keeper of the lighthouse in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and a former board member of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. The concert is free and open to the public. The lighthouse will be open for tours during that time. It’s a concert you won’t want to miss. Because the Graham Dripps celebration and the lighthouse concert may overlap, you might consider walking to these events.
Finally, it is thrilling to watch capture the flag return to East Chop. Sixty years ago it was played on the Lewis’s well-manicured lawn on East Chop Drive. Today it has moved across the street to the Dripps/Herrick house. What is fascinating is to watch the different ages interact with each other. The youngest I saw out there the other night was four, the oldest 13. The older kids seem to take care of the younger ones. The parents enjoy some respite with the kids outside at play. Grandparents like me sip wine and watch the sun set while all this frenetic activity swirls around us. It doesn’t get better than that!
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