It’s not for a few weeks but please mark your calendar for the 40th Women’s Symposium to be held at the CCC on Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon. Speakers and small group discussions will focus on the topic of sharing. Refreshments will be available at this free event but donations are certainly welcome and will go to covering expenses. Please contact Bonnie George at 508-645-3214 for more information.

Sisters Julie Hursey and Annie Hoffman made their way to town for a visit from their homes in Alaska and California. Wayne Iacono and Beth Campbell are a couple of their favorites to catch up with because reminiscing about the good old days is so darn easy when longtime friends gather.

Also in town for a mini vacation were Bennett Geyer and his recently wed bride Molly. The dynamic couple met at the Naval Academy and now make southern California their home. Bennett, son of Andrea and Gessner, is a member of the Navy’s Parachute Team known as the Leap Frogs. Bennett has been a member of our Texaco family and has wowed us with his sense of adventure since his tween years. It was great to see him, his folks and Molly. Sailing and surfing were some of the highlights during their east coast adventure.

I’d like to extend my condolences to Ann Deitrich and her family on the passing of Bob. He was a devoted family man, community member and active participant in the Chilmark Community Church for many of his 90 years. There will be a memorial service held on Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. at the church.

It’s been an eventful week at U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha. Not only was the station in tip top order to celebrate the promotion of Robert Reimer from Senior Chief to Master Chief, congratulations by the way, but the crew set out with the Wampanoag Tribes director of natural resources, Bret Stearns, to free an entangled leatherback turtle. Joe Queen, Shaquille Reed, Travis VonDessonneck, and David Galan were the boat crew that responded to and successfully freed the turtle just south of Cuttyhunk. If you are Facebook savvy, be sure to check out the video on USCG Station Menemsha’s page.

Hillary Noyes-Keene and daughter Thea, a MVRHS sophomore, escaped for a long weekend to Colorado where eldest Keene daughter, Adelaide, is a freshman at Regis University. Not only did the gals have some great mother-daughter time, but they managed to squeeze in hiking and biking adventures, visits with Colorado family and a birthday celebration for Hillary.

Congratulations to Andy Goldman for reeling in a 10 pound, 19 ounce bonito while fishing on his boat Heritage. Although this remarkable fish placed him in third place overall (at the time of my writing) and as the senior boat bonito leader in the derby, it certainly doesn’t outshine the first place daily junior boat bluefish that granddaughter Rebekah reeled in. The 7 pound, 5 ounce fish held on to first for the week and won her a weekly prize as well.

Congratulations to the father-daughter running team comprised of Sophie and David Parker of Carlisle and Chilmark. Twenty-year-old Sophie trained with her dad for about a month and managed to complete a half marathon in Harwich this past weekend. The two ran side by side cheering each other on for 2 hours and 36 minutes. Way to go team Parker.

Happy 12th anniversary to Meg and Dan Athearn. They have accomplished, among other things, three adorable offspring over those 12 years Clara, Zeb and Penny.

Send a little extra love Tara Gayle’s way this week. She recently lost her 13 1/2 year old pup, Martigan. The lover of muddy ponds, beaches, snow and car rides will be sorely missed.

Are you looking for a place to write with renewed innocence and astounding power? Are you looking for a place to feel comfortable enough to laugh, cry, and discover gold—your inner truth? Then, the three-day Writing from the Heart Workshop “Jump Start your Memoir” offered by Nancy Slonim Aronie of Chilmark Writing Workshop is the ideal place for you. It runs from 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 9-11 and will likely leave you feeling a true sense of inner peace as you place your story down on paper. Nancy generously offered partial scholarships for locals.

Debbie Magnuson and Dennis daRosa are celebrating their 50th MVRHS reunion at the Wharf Pub on Oct. 28 and they are looking for other Class of 1967 graduates to join them. Albert Fischer, Tracy Harris, Gary Kurth and Laura Murphy this plea goes out to you, so reach out and spread the word. A cash bar, tasty appetizers, a talented DJ and more should be enough to entice you. If you are a member of the MVRHS Class of 1967 please contact Dennis at 508-524-2065 or Debbie at 508-693-0081 for details.

A few community thank you’s need to be shouted out. The first thank you goes to brothers John and Peter Keene of John Keene Excavation for pushing the bulk of sand back onto the beach blown in to the Menemsha parking lot over the course of Tropical Storm Jose’s visit. Another thank you goes to the members of the Chilmark Fire Department for taking some time during Sunday morning radio check to shovel and spray off the 6-8” of sand accumulated on Dutcher Dock. It was difficult for folks, including visitors and lobstermen unloading gear, to traverse until Chris Smith, Gary Robinson, Jeremy Bradshaw and David Norton cleared the way and made our harbors dock navigable again.

Speaking of the harbor, have you seen the dredge equipment in Menemsha Pond? Although Chilmark was in opposition to the project, citing concerns about the possibility of increased boat traffic and negative effects on rebounding shellfish stock, the project commenced at midnight on Oct. 1. The members of H & L Contracting seem professional, organized, friendly and very fond of Mountain Dew.

Send Chilmark news to squidrow@vineyard.net.