Friday is the beginning of a holiday weekend. Patriots Day is Monday and all town buildings will be closed. At last spring weather arrived last weekend. Most everyone in town was out cleaning up or gardening. Monday was just wonderful and so spring-like. The flowers have made a heartily come back. Crocus, daffodils and snowdrops are in bloom. In fact the Blue Barque’s south side sports a significant amount of them in full bloom as Jen Wool’s hard work planting them has paid off. The baseball field on Monday hosted a game and the tennis courts were also busy. Just seven years ago Thursday the temperature reached 87 degrees!

Friday is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter. Rev. Cathlin Baker announced the Congregational Church’s 9 a.m. traditional service will be held in the church sanctuary and at 11 a.m. a community service will be held in the Agricultural Hall.

Monday is the last day to file your tax return with the federal government (although you have until Tuesday to file state returns). There used to be long lines at the post office, with folks getting their returns postmarked before the deadline. But now you can file them online in a snap and save a lot of time.

Margaret Hannemann reports that the Island Food Pantry in Vineyard Haven wants everyone to know they are going to remain open after their current schedule ends today. They will continue to provide groceries for those in need every Wednesday from 3 to 6 pm until three-day service resumes in the fall. They appreciate everyone continuing to contribute to the purple boxes located in libraries, grocery stores and places of worship. Without donations and contributions the supplies would be very limited.

Phyllis Meras returned home Thursday after a business trip down to New York city. She bought Easter gifts for her family.

Mathew Jackson and Andrea Iftene were married in the function room of the co-housing complex on Saturday afternoon. Congratulations!

Bill Wilcox reports that next Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Agricultural Hall there will be a discussion about ways to increase the soil carbon content in farm fields and gardens to increase productivity and reduce green house gas.

On Easter Sunday of 1946 the Congregational Church held a special service. The first part of it included all the Sunday school children Those participating were Rita and Winnie Alley, Sylvia and Carol Spencer, Virginia Bardwell, Jane Austin, Judith Barker, John Alley, Crichton Magee and Robert Vincent. The girls were dressed in crepe paper costumes representing spring flowers. The Easter song was sung by all the children accompanied by Pricilla Fischer at the piano. Pansy plants were given to each child by the church and were presented by James Alley. After a short sermon by the pastor, William Thompson, Inez Cahoon and George Magnuson sang a duet of Easter hymns. The church was attractively decorated with lilies, jonquils and forsythia.

Happy birthday to: Kim Baker, Ronald Dagostino, Gina Solon and Marion Ellis Friday; Paris Major, Mike Post, Deborah Magnuson, Joanne Scott and Ann Bresnick Saturday; Janet Bank, Ted Kramm, Linda Vadasz, Nancy Clair, Michael Watson and John Burrows on Sunday; Maggie Schwartz, Anne Maley, Tom Wetherall and Britney Stone on Monday; Norman Lobb, Lynne Whiting, Laurie Pereira, and Marina Sharkovitz on Tuesday; Rosemarie Tedeschi, Mary Dinitto, Diane and Lucas Emin, Lee Revere, Martha Flanders, Lorraine Eldridge, and Justin Kelleher on Wednesday; Carol Coles, Kathleen Stevenson, Jeremy Berlin, Rykerr Maynard and Rebecca Ward on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Diane Nolan.

Well that is of the social news for this edition. If you have any news you would like to share please call or e-mail me. Have a great week. I am quite sure that on Sunday you ladies will be wearing colorful Easter bonnets and the men sporting new neckties. Those of us with a Portuguese heritage will continue the time-honored tradition of giving a loaf of Easter sweet bread (with hard-boiled eggs inside) to friends and neighbors. Best wishes for a Happy Easter and have a great week.

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.