The Chappy Community Center Christmas tea will be Sunday, Dec. 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. Thanks to Joanne Brine for her willingness to host the tea. She will need bakers to make tea sandwiches and/or baked goods as well as helpers for serving tea, setting up, and cleaning up. Please contact Lynn at the CCC office at 627-8222 to offer to assist with this decades-old holiday Chappy tradition.

Another tradition on Chappy is the community-wide Christmas Eve dinner. Joe and Mary Cressy started this wonderful yearly gathering at their home many years before the community center was built. When attendance grew too large for the house they moved the festivities to the community center. All are welcome. If you would like to bring a specific dish or to find out what is needed call Lynn. Dinner is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Saturday Dec. 24.

Good news from Slip Away Farm about their fundraiser to purchase a tractor. Once again, I couldn’t have said it any better, so here it in Lily Walter’s own words.

“Wow, not even a week into our campaign and we have already reached our goal. Thank you!!!! I am truly amazed by this outpouring of support for our little farm. I have always felt so fortunate to be doing what I am doing. I am able to make my living off the land, in a beautiful location, with an incredible group of friends and family working alongside me. This is enough for me. But little by little, this farm has grown to become something more, something greater than just ourselves. It has come to really mean something for our Island neighbors. It is a special place not just to us (those running Slip Away on a daily basis) but also to our community: summer residents, year-rounders and day visitors alike. We are so fortunate to have been welcomed, celebrated and cheered on since year one. And now this! I am just amazed. The monetary contributions made during this fundraising campaign will go a long way in helping our farm continue to succeed well into the future. But what will really carry us forward are the kind words, the deep generosity and the overwhelming vocal support that came out with this Kickstarter. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Now what? Since reaching our goal yesterday, many have asked, ‘so what happens now?!’ According to Kickstarter rules, our campaign will run until our end date of Jan. 3, and it can continue to accrue pledges until that point. We, of course, are over the moon with the amount we have already received and are not expecting more. If we do continue to receive pledges, we have several wish list purchases that would be made with leftover funds. They are all game-changer items for a farm like ours, but are too expensive for us to take on all at once.

This wish list includes: 1) Broadcast Seeder: This tractor implement would allow us to spread lime, fertilizer, and cover crop seed with our tractor. Currently we spread these amendments and seeds entirely by hand, a time-consuming and labor-intensive job. (John Deere, $1,500). 2) Rotary harrow: this implement attaches to our walk-behind tractor and would enable us to prepare a bed for planting with minimum tillage. Reduced-till farming is better on the land and helps build soil quality. (Earth Tools, $2,749). 3) Jang JP-6 row seeder: This seeder would allow us to seed a bed with one pass. Currently, we own a single-row seeder and have to walk up and down our beds up to seven times to seed certain crops. (Johnny’s Seeds, $1,869). 4) Manual Mulch Layer: In our system, we use a biodegradable black plastic on many of the long-season or heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, eggplant, winter squash, and melons. Laying black plastic by hand is very labor intensive, this tool would save time and labor. (Johnny’s Seeds, $1,095). All of these purchases would help us improve efficiency and effectiveness on our land. On a small farm like Slip Away, having the right tools at the right time can drastically improve our bottom line. This is crucial in a career with such narrow profit margins. We are so thankful for all that we have raised already, anything more is above and beyond our greatest expectations. Thank you.”

The community center and Slip Away Farm both work in so many ways to bring neighbors together here on Chappy and we are lucky for the wholehearted efforts of those who make them happen.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.