Mark on your calendar for Saturday, May 19 for the next household hazardous waste collection at the MV Refuse District transfer station on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. The entrance is on the left just beyond the junction with what we erroneously refer to as Barnes Road. The collection takes place between 9 a.m. and noon. The next one is scheduled for July 21.

By the time the Gazette hits the news-stands the second-to-last Winter Art Workshop will have already met. Those of you who look at the Gazette online Thursday will still have a chance to participate. Elizabeth Whelan will be at the Chappaquiddick Community Center from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday April 5 to orchestrate an evening of drawing and painting. She will provide coffee and tea. Bring your own art supplies and tackle your choice of a simple or a complex still life arrangement by Elizabeth. Or bring your own project to work on. This is not a class but she will give input to anyone who wants help. If you miss this one there is still another planned for Thursday, April 19.

The Dike Bridge is once again in the spotlight. The recently released movie about the motor vehicle accident that occurred there nearly half a century ago has rekindled interest in what John Farrar referred to during a town meeting as the most well-known structure in town. In his usual colorful way with the English language, John actually used a synonym which had half of the meeting attenders gasping in horror and the other half chuckling.

I have heard comments by folks who saw the film that this finally proves what really happened. The magic of cinema has enabled us to become firsthand eyewitnesses to an event that occurred while we were all elsewhere. Film creates fact. It seems to be a basic facet of human nature that we are eager to make sense of tragedy. When we see it with our own eyes it is no longer important whether it is actually true or not. When the film makers first came to town to make arrangements for having town streets blocked off during their filming they asked to have exclusive use of Daggett street for several hours. They wanted to make a ferry waiting line of vehicles that were around in 1969. Trying to be helpful, I pointed out that actually at that time the ferry waiting line ran along Dock street. They could use that street as they pleased without getting in anyone’s way. The reply was that they weren’t really interested in accuracies like that since they weren’t really making a documentary. Makes me wonder. We are at liberty to believe what makes us feel content that we have figured out our world correctly. We also get to decide how discerning we need to be in establishing our beliefs. After all, almost nobody believes that horses talk. Yet with my own eyes I have seen Mr. Ed talk to Wilbur.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.