The weekend weather was delightful. A smattering of pumpkins, mums and Halloween displays are beginning to appear around town. We now have an early sunset and cooler temperatures and memories of a September that slipped by before you knew it. On some vines and on very few trees, the leaves have begun to turn but it won’t be until after Halloween that we see some fine fall color on the leaves. Folks are looking forward to the Living Local Harvest Festival and the Antique Power Show this weekend. Halloween is just 26 days away and the heavy advertising for it began last weekend.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced it will be seeking a three-cent increase in the price of a first class stamp soon. At 49 cents a stamp, it is likely more emails will be sent.

Linda Alley, the jelly queen, reports that tomorrow will be the last Farmers’ Market of the season at the Grange Hall. On Oct. 12 the Winter Farmers’ Market begins at the Agricultural Hall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. She wants to thank all the customers for making this year’s market a great success.

The Living Local Harvest Festival begins tonight with a discussion at the Grange Hall at 7:30 p.m. Then the scene shifts to the Agricultural Hall on Panhandle Road tomorrow morning with an opening ceremony with the Black Brook Singers. There will be three tents on the grounds featuring wind power and environmental education. They will have children’s activities, pumpkin carving, felt-making and more. There will also be a variety of exhibits and contests. The festival concludes with a community potluck dinner featuring live Island music. Please bring a dish that will feed six and your own cup, plate and utensils. The 26th annual Antique Power Show will take place this year in the new barn at the rear of the property. George Hartman is once again in charge of the show and promises that some newly restored steam engines from his collection will be featured. There will be a wide variety of trucks, cars and engines on display. He will be on hand anytime after 4 p.m. on Friday to set up the show. If you have any questions, please call him at 508-693-6039.

Congratulations to Leon and Brenda Brathwaite of Vineyard Meadow Farms who recently celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary off-Island with family and friends. The Brathwaites also attended a Salute to Women luncheon at the University of Massachusetts Inn and Conference Center honoring Brenda’s sister, Sandi Wilson, a vice president at Enterprise Bank. The event recognized 25 women for their leadership and community service in the Merrimack Valley. Included in the awarded class was a posthumous award to Little Women author Louisa May Alcott. Brenda concluded the week by traveling to New York with her club, The New England Arts Group, where she attended two plays, A Trip to Bountiful and Motown, as well as a performance at the famed Birdland jazz club.

Ric Burns and his wife Bonnie Lafave of New York city purchased the old Parsonage Farm last week from Daniel and Tara Whiting. The feeling around town is that they will be a perfect fit for this historic place. The old house was originally constructed in 1667 and added onto many times before the Civil War. It had been owned by the Whiting family for over 160 years. Congratulations and welcome to town!

Anna Alley of State Road flew down to New York city last week to visit with her brother Donnie and sister in law Christina Thomas. She returned home on Monday.

Ellen Weiss of Old County Road reports that she was in New York for four days last week visiting her brother and sister in law, going to museums and trekking the High Line. Then she went down to Charlotte, N.C., for four days to attend a conference of architectural historians who focus on the south. She returned home last Sunday.

Last Saturday Stephanie Dreyer and Tara Whiting traveled with their horses to New Boston, N.H., to attend a fundraising trail ride to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Between them they raised about $1,400 and the ride itself raised about $10,500. The highlights of the ride were going around the Dodge Family Farm; they bring horses to the MVAS horse pull. The pumpkin patch and views of the mountains were spectacular. Tara reports it was a great time. With her town clerk’s hat on, she reports that a Special Town Meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in the school gym. The last day to register to vote at the town meeting is Oct. 25.

The Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival begins on Oct. 17 at the Agricultural Hall located on Panhandle Road from 7 to 9 p.m. It will be a gathering of community and cuisine for $40. Join them at the Agricultural Hall as local chefs and farmers come together to bring you delectable bites “Fresh off the Farm.” Chef Jan Burhman, owner of Kitchen Porch Catering; Chef Nathan Gould of Water Street at the Harbor View Hotel, and Chef Everett Whiting, owner of Local Smoke, are just a few of the many who will tantalize your taste buds. Taste beef straight from The Farm Institute. Enjoy a tasting from Joseph Carr Winery as you dine around. Enjoy the music of one of Martha’s Vineyard’s favorite bands, Good Night Louise.

Development associate Mary Korba reports that Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will be holding its annual Fall Electronics Disposal Day on Saturday, Oct. 12, during Columbus Day weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their campus across from the high school. Bring your personal or business’s old and tired air conditioners, cell phones, computers, copiers, dehumidifiers, fax machines, microwaves, monitors, laptops, printers, ranges, refrigerators, scanners, stereo equipment, televisions, and washers and dryers. Fees are between $1 and $30 and all proceeds go to Community Services. There is no charge for mice and keyboards and there’s a 10 per cent discount on carloads.

Anna Carringer over at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Arts Pecha Kucha Night will happen on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Harbor View Hotel in the Menemsha Room. The popular Pecha Kucha Night was devised in Japan as an event for young designers to network. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world. It got its name from the Japanese term for “chit chat.” It follows a simple presentation format: show 20 images for 20 seconds each. Reservations are required only if you’d like to present. Call Katy at 508-627-4441, extension 123 or email kfuller@mvmuseum.org.

On Oct. 12, 1949, Robin Elwell of Arrowhead Farm in Indian Hill was elected president of the Agricultural Society at its annual meeting at the Agricultural Hall. Miss Polly Mayhew was elected secretary and William Pinney, treasurer. Trustees elected were Albert O. Fisher Jr., Arnold M. Fisher, Jesse Steere and Theodore Meinelt. Mr. Meinelt was also appointed chairman of the 1950 fair. Mrs. Alice Mathewson read a report on the 1949 fair and a vote of thanks was given for her splendid work. It was voted to mail out a questionnaire to the public as an aid to improving future fairs. The results will be tabulated before the first of the year.

Happy birthday to Elizabeth Bramhall, Kathy Logue, Hannah Scott, Cole Powers, Jimmy Young, Emma Kennedy and Fain Hackney today; Tim Maley, Kathy Chaves Verner, Kim Chandler-Elias, Jon Nelson III, Nicolas Capobianco and Fred Fisher III tomorrow; Ben Reeve, Teresa Thompson, James O’Connor, Cynthia Hill, Andrue Carr, Catherine Flynn and Christine Cook on Sunday; Akia Miranda, Carol Salguero, Megan McDonough, Molly Gray and Pat Benway on Monday; Rick Anderson, Timothy Walsh III, Katherine Dorr, Kathleen Hope and Lincoln Higgins on Tuesday; Stephen Maxner, Richard Rooney, Whitney Hyde and Steve Lohman on Wednesday, and Jon Harris, Nina Oken, Julie Giordano and Robert Woodard on Thursday.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or email me. Have a great week.

The Gazette staff wishes a very happy anniversary to John and Anna Alley on Wednesday.