The Fourth of July is on a Tuesday this year. It will be interesting to see how this will affect the size of the crowds. Service on the Chappy ferry will be affected by the parade and the fireworks. The parade begins at 5 p.m. The parade route crosses paths with access to and from Chappaquiddick. Therefore, between 4:30 and about 6:45 p.m. the ferry will not be carrying cars. Passengers and bicycles will still be carried throughout that time. Remember that after the parade, at least 400 people line up on Daggett street to get back to Chappy. The ferry carries 49 passengers per trip. Give yourself extra time to get back home to get the grill going.

During the fireworks the ferries stop running altogether. The first firework rocket usually goes up just after 9 p.m. and the finale happens at least a half hour later. To be clear, during that time neither passengers nor cars are carried since the ferries are actually tied up in their slips. Once the fireworks end the ferries make several trips without cars to carry the folks who were on Chappy to see the fireworks back over the town. If the weather is really nice and the turnout is big, this may take half an hour. So, don’t plan on getting over with your car until after 10 p.m. We work as fast as we can, but at the end of the fireworks there is a steady flow of boats back into the harbor and the ferries are crossing that stream.

The Chappy Community Center will have a float in the parade this year. You can participate by either marching or riding in the pickup truck or on the float.  Participants can create their own signs. There are samples at the center. There will be candy to toss to the crowd. The floats line up at the school starting at 4 p.m. Talk to Lynn or call 508-627-8222 to let her know that you want to be in the parade or for further information.

The community center has set up two outdoor table tennis tables equipped with new nets and paddles, available for all to play under the protection of the building overhang. Lynn has paddles and balls in the office or you can bring along your own equipment to practice and play at any time of the day or evening. Sometimes paddles are left at the tables and can be used for play. Looking ahead, the annual Chappy Pong All-Island Table Tennis Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, August 6. The tourney is cosponsored by the CCC and the Martha’s Vineyard Table Tennis Club (mvttc.com) and is open to players of all ages and experience levels. The competition will be organized in a round robin format with prizes awarded. No entry fee required and equipment is provided. Three tournament quality tables will be set up inside the center for the event. Members of the club play two evenings weekly at the community high school during the school year and beginning June 29 at The Barn in Oak Bluffs for the summer. Barn play is scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 to 8 p.m. Club players also meet at the YMCA Saturdays and Sundays, 3 to 6 p.m., all year. New members are welcome. Contact Bob O’Rourke (508-627-7902) for additional information.

Slip Away farmstand will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Lily says the flowers, vegetables and weeds are all doing very well now that sunny days have returned. The fields at the Marshall farmstead are taking another year off to rest. Wasque Farm is their hub of activity for this growing season.

The Chappy Store will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Along with other basic necessities they have a big freezer full of ice cream and a refrigerator full of drinks and sandwiches. Check there first for something you may need on short notice and maybe save yourself a trip to town.

The nesting shorebirds are having a banner year on Chappy. There are still sections of East Beach, Leland Beach and Norton Point open to oversand-vehicles. The Wasque Point stairways provide access on foot to the ocean and Katama Bay. Cape Pogue lighthouse tours are suspended and have been replaced with a Wasque tour, which includes areas near the Dike Bridge and of course Mytoi Garden. Call 508-627-3599 for tour reservations. Call 508-627-8390 for Chappy beach access information. Call 774-310-1110 for Norton Point beach access.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.