A mere four and a half weeks remain before the Fourth of July is upon us. Time seems to speed up very noticeably during these remaining days. People often ask me if I’m ready for the summer. We seem to always be getting ready for summer. That is the time of year when there is no leeway for surprises. A greeting that you often hear this time of year is “Here we go again!”

The Pied Piper passenger ferry which runs between Falmouth Marine and Memorial Wharf made its first appearance of the season on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. For the next three weekends, it will make three trips per day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Starting on Friday, June 23 it will make four trips per day, seven days a week with an extra trip Friday nights. Their website offers complete information.

The Chappy Community Center has an ambitious schedule of activities lined up for us. The next potluck will be hosted Wednesday, June 7 by Leslie Floyd. Appetizers at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30. Please bring a dish to serve six. We will also have a welcome back potluck on June 28 hosted Margaret Mullen. Here are the starting dates for a few of the summer-long programs: sailing June 26, yoga June 27, pilates July 5, tennis July 6. See the CCC website for a complete run down of all the center has to offer. All of the forms for activities are on the website.

The CCC annual book sale will start on Friday, July 14 and run for at least a week. The annual CCC fair will be on Saturday, July 15. A community tag sale is planned for Saturday, July 22 at the CCC. Have items that need to find a new home? You provide the goods, they provide the space! Bring your own table or rent one for $10. A limited number of tables will be available. Call Lynn for more information: 508-627-8222.

Something new this summer is the Friday night social tennis. On July 14 and August 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Chappy Community Center court come for fun, social, mixed doubles, no stress tennis. Bring your own beverages and appetizers to share. Come and play or just come and hang out! No sign-up is required. Apparently, Donna DeFrances has detected room for improvement in the tennis skills of the guys and is offering a Saturday morning men’s clinic on July 8, July 22, and August 5 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on the CCC court. Sign-up in advance is required at $50 per player with a minimum of three players.

Would you like to learn more about which wild foods on the island are good to eat? Margaret Knight is offering a wild foods CSA for four weeks on Thursdays, June 8 through June 29. She will gather from the wild and provide a sampling of what is available each week along with an idea or two about how to use the plants. There will be greens, shoots and flowers for salad or cooking. There will be leaves and flowers for smoothies or tea. Hopefully there will also be berries. This is a CSA for the adventuresome person who likes to experiment with new food ideas. As the number of shares will be limited please let her know soon if you are interested. Contact Margaret at 508-627-8894 or margaret02539@yahoo.com.

The Chappy ferry service has seen many of our summertime deckhands move on to the next stage of their lives. A couple of our longtime deckhands have qualified for their captain licenses and now drive the ferries. Their in-depth experience and knowledge of the ferry operation is a great comfort to me. Others have taken on internships in their chosen field of study. I am impressed by their initiative and determination. Therefore, we are looking to fill some vacancies in the deckhand department. Ask the ferry captain for an employment application. If you aren’t on the island yet send me a text or an email. Applicants need to be at least 14 years of age.

The beach at the very corner of Wasque has gotten so narrow that it is no longer drivable. The recent steady easterly winds and extremely high tides seem to be the cause. The beach to the north and west of the point are substantial. So far the situation doesn’t seem to be improving but Mother Nature must have some sort of plan.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.