Well the weekend weather was cold and damp, we received about one and a half inches of rain on Sunday. Afternoon boat trips were cancelled by the SSA due to the high wind. We experienced our first snowfall last Tuesday with miserably cold temperatures to boot; about the only vehicles on the road were sand trucks It seems like the temperature has dropped nearly as fast as the price of gasoline. Sunday it was on sale for $2.54 per gallon at the up-Island gas station, the lowest it has been around here in nearly 10 years, and they were mighty busy.

Friday is the beginning of a long holiday weekend as Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so the schools, post office and all town buildings will be closed. Tom Hodgson on Monday photographed some snowdrops in bloom on Music street and declared spring is just around the corner.

Lynn Christoffers, of Edgartown Road, returned home last Sunday after spending the holidays with her sister and family in Thailand and Cambodia.

Phyllis Meras, of Music street, returned home on Tuesday after a business trip to Boston and New York.

Hunter Moorman and his wife Lesley Gray, of Panhandle Road, recently returned home after a European vacation. They visited with his daughter and others. Hunter reports that it was a wonderful trip.

Tara Whiting, town clerk, has finished mailing the annual census forms to all of you. When you receive it please fill it out and returned it, if you haven’t done so already. For those of you that own a dog now is the time to license them for the year. You can do that when you return the census envelope or stop by the town hall and purchase a dog tag.

Marjorie Pierce reports that the Wednesday night community suppers have begun at the First Congregational Church. Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. but you may come in from the cold starting at 5 p.m. for coffee and fellowship. Everyone is welcome. If you have questions or need transportation please call the church office at 508-693-2842. If you would like to make a contribution of food please contact her directly at 508-221-0314.

Amy Hoff reports that Friday at 4 p.m. guitarists Al Schackman and Dan Waters will present a musical program at the West Tisbury library. The concert will reflect the duo’s interest in Brazilian music and Bossa Nova. On Tuesday at 7 p.m. the library will host a dried flower arranging workshop taught by Susan Silva. This workshop is a benefit for the West Tisbury Library Foundation. The cost is $15 and space is limited. Please preregister at the library or by calling 508-693-3366. Finally the Tweed’s Reads reading group will meet on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the library. January’s topic will be “to do or die in Antarctica.”

Ed Konicki, of Webster, was browsing in a bookstore in his neck of the woods last week and discovered a July 9, 1955 edition Your weekly Cape Cod Guide including Martha’s Vineyard. It cost four cents to mail. It is much like a Chamber of Commerce guide loaded with information about the Cape; the Island page is listed under the heading of North Tisbury. It recommends visitors to the Cape take a side trip to the Island. You had three options to get here from the Cape: the steamer from Woods Hole operated by the Massachusetts Steamship Authority, the Catherine Tek from Hyannis, or you could fly over from Barnstable airport for $5.95 per person.

On January 14, 1949 the members of the Grange presented a three-act farce, The Campbells are Coming, before a large audience in the Tisbury School auditorium. All parts were exceptionally well acted and were received with roars of enthusiasm by the audience.

Happy birthday to Tara Kenny, Angela Aronie and Heather Maciel Friday; Thaw Malin, Paul Jackson, Jane Rossi, and Sibel Suman Saturday; Dr. Judith Fisher, Dan Serusa, Wendy Benedetto and Nick Waldman on Sunday; Eleanor Dale Neubert, Julie Wells, Chris Fielder, and Hannah Maxner on Monday; Patti Linn, Debra Swanson, Roy Hope, Andy Estrella, Michael Shea, Liz Branch and Patti Lynn on Tuesday; Lee McCormack, Jena Wingood, and Nancy Cabot on Wednesday; and Carl Tack, Phaedra Fortes, Nili Goldstein and James Costello on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Aki Sharpe, Chester Cook, Kelly Smith Robertson and Will Holtham.

Well that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. Not a lot of news to report because it is mighty quiet or folks are on vacation so I inserted some trivia for your enjoyment. The prohibition of alcoholic beverages began 97 years ago Friday and it lasted 15 years, 59 years ago Friday Patsy Cline sang the now classic Walkin’ after Midnight and gained national attention with her winning appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, one of the most popular programs of the early days of television. By the way, who was the sponsor of this program? Colleen Morris reports that we reached the halfway point of National Soup Month.

Please call or e-mail me with your news. Have a good week.

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.