JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
The weekend weather was just delightful. The beaches were pleasantly full on Sunday and many cookouts were held over the weekend. The school, firehouse and town playground were also busy.
The president, first lady and family will be arriving tomorrow for a well-earned vacation. They will be staying in Chilmark.
Next week brings Illumination Night on Wednesday, the fair begins on Thursday and continues through early Sunday evening, and the Oak Bluffs fireworks happen on Friday, so activity will pick up in this town. It is sort of like the last hurrah of summer events rolled into one week.
It doesn’t seem like it but some college students have just begun to leave as many universities open before the end of the month.
In less than two weeks, a significant amount of summer traffic and visitors will begin to head in the other direction as the summer season slowly begins winding down.
Tomorrow and Sunday the sales tax holidays will be in effect on many products in the commonwealth. Now is the chance to save some money on back-to-school items and other household necessities.
Larry and Judy Schubert of South Vine returned home last week after a trip to Maine where they visited friends. Larry reports that he got to do a little woodwork in his spare time.
Connie Koch, of Washington, D.C., arrived last week to spend the remainder of the summer at her Edgartown Road home. She usually gets to the Vineyard earlier but she is happy to be here. She will be busy preparing for family visits.
“Give attention, kind friends, and harken good neighbors,
And for a brief time abstain from your labors,
For our fair is approaching and whatever your vocation
We entreat your heartiest cooperation . . .
Come one and come all, builders, tradesmen and teachers,
Come mechanics, lawyers, printers and preachers,
And to each and all, just a moment to wait
At the little office that’s near the gate.
— “A Call to the Fair,” Vineyard Gazette September 4, 1894.
Some errors where made in last week’s reporting of the fair, so here is the straight scoop: The 152nd annual Agricultural Fair begins next Thursday and runs until Sunday. Eleanor Neubert, fair manager, wants to remind each exhibitor of the policy regarding entry forms. All forms must be submitted by Monday at 5 p.m. and entries delivered to the hall by Wednesday between noon and 5 p.m. She also reports that Marian Cushing of Cushing Amusements will return again as they have for over 35 years. Friday night they will again offer a pay-one-price-for-all-rides deal from 6 till 10 p.m.
The theme of this year’s fair is “hog wild for the fair” and the fair poster and T-shirt design was won by Terry Crimmen. A complete schedule of events is published in the fair booklet and online. You can also follow the fair on Facebook.
The 13th annual fiber tent exhibition with spinners, weavers, knitters and felters will be holding various demonstrations throughout the fair and animals will be available for viewing each day.
For the 18th consecutive year, the Vineyard Transit Authority will extend bus service to include the fair on routes 2, 4, and 6. The 8 bus will run express service from Edgartown to the fair. As an added bonus for riding the bus this year, the Agricultural Society will offer a $1 discount on the purchase of an admission ticket. Be sure to have your hand stamped before exiting the bus to qualify for the discount. The bus service will run hourly from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday the last bus is at 8 p.m. If you choose to bring your automobile there will be two parking lots available: one operated by the firemen and the society and the other by the Whiting Family.
John and Goldie Siffert of New York city and Edgartown Road arrived last week and plan to spend the rest of the month at their home named “God’s Pocket.”
Carl and Martha Tack of Williamsburg, Va., recently returned to their Waldron’s Bottom home. They expect and are preparing for visits from their family in the next few weeks.
Ina Andre of Old County Road reports that her son, Nicolas, will return home next week from a trip to Germany and the Baltic Sea. He visited his grandparents Sabrina and Manfred Bittner at their home. He got a chance to play soccer, enjoyed swimming and feeding the birds.
Loraine Eldridge of Oak Lane will be holding the annual reunion of her sisters and significant others tomorrow. Marsha will make the long trek up from Oak Bluffs, Barbara will come over from Falmouth, Louise from New Hampshire and Peggy Stockman from Boston. Loraine reports they will all go to the beach, shop, attend the fireworks, fair and illumination and, of course, have a swell time.
Bob and Diantha Eisendrath of Belmont are spending August at their home on Middle Road. They are expecting visits from their family for the fair. Last year they built a new summer home on Music street. Diantha has been busy with interior decorations and they both have been tending the beach on a regular basis.
Denise Mount and her husband Don Evon of Canton, Conn., arrived Wednesday for their yearly visit with us. They have been coming to visit for several years and we always enjoy a fun time together. Also joining us are Tom and Patti Majeski. Tom lives in Boston and Patti lives in Plymouth. Tom, known for his special coffee cakes, brought one along to enjoy!
Caitlin Tarves and Glenn Ridler of Ontario, Canada, were married last Saturday afternoon. It was their first trip to the Vineyard. They plan on returning next year to celebrate their first anniversary.
Marian Irving of Old County Road reminds you that the First Congregational Church’s fourth annual Peach Festival will be held tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome to gather at tables on the church lawn, relax and enjoy one of the great joys of August and fresh peaches anyway you like them. It is a super fundraiser for the church, and like the strawberry and ice cream festivals, it is an outreach to the community and visitors. They will be serving fresh peaches, peach shortcake with peach ice cream or whipping cream, peach smoothies, special ice tea, their own blend of hibiscus and Turkish black tea, and quarts of sliced peaches to go. Plus some lucky person will win the raffle and take home a peach tree. Bring your family and visitors for a special treat! Proceeds will benefit the preservation of the historic church. For more information, call 508-693-2842. With all the controversy surrounding this important social program, a timely trivia item for your next party is: Monday marks the 78th anniversary of the Social Security Act signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. N ancy Cramer of Music street reports that the last Artist Talk for this season at the Shaw-Cramer Art Gallery in Vineyard Haven will be held on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Artist Rob Hauck, who is just back from a painting trip to Maine, will discuss his water media abstract paintings.
The Davis House Gallery has a “new” show for August. Allen has replaced paintings sold in June and July with brand new work and has rearranged the others. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. through Labor Day and always by appointment by calling 508-693-4691.
Gladys Toscano, who hosts an interview show on MVTV, cordially invites you to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Vineyard branch of the NAACP on Saturday, August 17 at Hooked Restaurant in Oak Bluffs. They will be celebrating the achievements and historical moments in Martha’s Vineyard’s rich history.
History note: On August 16, 1945, Miss Marjorie Manter was the hostess to 16 young people in town at a scavenger hunt birthday party. The guest list of friends attending the festivities included: Muriel Doane, Cynthia Riggs, Rosemarie Duys, Sally Raymond, Virginia Rebello, and Jane Austin, along with Jack Reed, Ted Brown, George Manter, Lincoln Foote, Robert Doane, Robert Austin, John Raymond, Daniel Bryant, James Alley and David Engley. Duplicate lists containing 30 articles to be collected were distributed to the guests and the hunt was on.
The participants went door to door in an effort to collect the items. Robert Doane and Lincoln Foote were the only two to collect all the articles and to find a 1940 license plate, and won first prize. Marjorie Manter and Jack Reed garnered second prize and Muriel Doane, James Alley and Robert Austin won third prize. Mrs. Nelson Bryant and Elizabeth Manter assisted in checking in articles from the hunt and the serving of refreshments.
Happy birthday to Matthew Bradley, Henry Kirwin and James Prichard today; Rosemary Van Nes, Linda Carroll, Diana Waring and J C Murphy tomorrow; Amelia Smith, Eric Turkington, and Sam Stevenson on Monday; Peter Rodegast, Mariah Peebles Leslie Sterns, Goodie Stiller, Roberta Mendlovitz, Vickie Crowley and Andrew Salzman on Tuesday; Sarah Catchpole, Mark Hutker, Bea Whiting and Aaron Myatt on Wednesday; Billy Hoff and William Roan on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Cameron Bernier and Drusilla Hickie. Belated anniversary greetings to Bob and Ann Ganz, who celebrated their 50th last Saturday, Kristi and Barry Zonfrelli, and Marni O’Brien and Charley Hoffshire.
Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. If you have news you wish to share, call or e-mail me. Remember the old saying: All roads lead to the fair. I hope to see you there.
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