Chilmark will have to speak for itself this week. Who can keep track of all that is going on in the epicenter of the news world? We are enjoying the vacation visit of the President and his family; we are excited by the brief visits to Chilmark by a former president, a candidate (almost) for president and who knows who else! It would boggle even a professional columnist! I will take a moment to send birthday wishes to Vernon Jordan who has come to Chilmark for his summer vacations for many years and manages to keep a very low profile. Those of us privileged to know and respect him try to protect that privacy but the birthday bash held for his 80th birthday was spectacular and we are happy that he was so honored. Cheers to you, Vernon.

The rest of us are plugging along, fighting the traffic, avoiding the roadside hazards and looking forward to this week’s entertainments. We have Illumination Night, the fair and the fireworks all coming at us this week.

The big news at Menemsha this week was the tuna caught by Capt. Jeff Lynch and his buddy Capt. Jim Quinlan on Jim’s boat, fishing vessel Vigilanty. The fish weighed in at 589 pounds after being dressed. The huge fish was quickly flown to Japan and offered at auction. What a world. Congratulations to those lucky fishermen. Patty Rossi, mother of Jeff, has sent us some pictures that I hope will appear in this issue.

The Chilmark Church will continue to have the Reverends Vicky and Armen Hanjian this week as visiting preachers and next week, August 30, the Reverend Kathleen Dorr will substitute for the Hanjians who will be away.

The Wednesday and Saturday flea markets held on North Road for the benefit of the Chilmark Community Church will be extended to include Saturday, Sept. 5. Lobster rolls will continue to be for sale at the church on Menemsha Crossroad on Tuesday evenings from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. I dropped by this week and was amazed at the volume of people and the size of the lobster rolls. It was old home week as I was able to catch up with many summer friends, all in line for their weekly treat.

Karen Wetmore of Cambridge visited Chilmark friends briefly on Tuesday. She continues with her studies at BU toward becoming a hospital chaplain.

There will be an author signing party for a new book, Martha’s Vineyard Ferries written by Everett Healy. The party will be on August 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at the bookstore located on Basin Road in Menemsha next to Beetlebung Café. Everett is 13 years old and the book is the result of his lifetime fascination with the Island ferries and the research he had done on their history. There are many pictures and lots of information. I found it a must read and I wish him lots of luck with this, his first book.

Stephen and Katie Meinelt of Charlestown welcomed their first child, Wesley James, on August 13. He weighed in at 8 pounds. His grandparents are Terry and Kathy Meinelt of Topsfield and Chilmark. We all look forward to his first Vineyard visit.

Send Chilmark news to slaterjn@comcast.net.