Well, we are heading into a long holiday weekend as Monday is Presidents’ Day so the schools, post office, library and all other town buildings will be closed. School vacation week starts Monday Feb. 24 this year and many of you will be taking a winter break off Island. Several stores will be offering special sales on Monday. There are just 23 days until you move your clock ahead to Daylight Saving Time!

Anna Alley, two weekends ago, was with our grandchildren in North Attleboro. Three of our four grandchildren, Henry, Mark and Eddie, have February birthdays. It was decided by their mother that she would hold one large party for all of them and their friends. Anna went back up to their house this week and will return home tomorrow with Mark and Eddie who will be spending a week with us.

Tara Whiting-Wells, town clerk, pointed out my error in a recent column about the dates of the annual town meeting and election they are: meeting April 14 and town election April 16. She reports that absentee ballots for the presidential primary are available. Peter Wells announced his candidacy for land bank commissioner last week to fill a vacancy on the board.

On Feb. 16, 1945 Bert Cahoon, Daniel Manter and Albion Alley received letters of thanks and commendation from Lieut. Commander Norman G. Asbury, officer-in-charge of the Naval Auxiliary Air Station, for the immediate and timely aid they rendered to a pilot of a plane forced down on the Orlin Davis property on Middle Road in Chilmark last week. This aid “was of immeasurable help in the prevention of shock and exposure to the pilot and will shorten his period of recovery.” Albion, Chief of the Guards at the Naval Auxillary Air Station, and Bert, a former officer in the Coast Guard and the operator of Donaldson’s Garage, were on their way back home from finishing an assignment at the Peaked Hill military installation and witnessed the crash in a field near the road. Over 60 years later Everett Poole of Chilmark notified this correspondent that he has hanging in his garage the actual propeller from that aircraft. This item was a part of the book written about World War II on Martha’s Vineyard by Herb Foster, Jay Schofield and Tom Dresser.

Happy Birthday to: Sandra Polleys, Gayle Stiller, Beth Toomey, David Schuster, Don Evon, Chris Morse and Michelle McCormack today, Kevin Peter, Jr, Leah Houghton, Carina Koury-Jones, Karen Child and Suzanne Fenn tomorrow, Lisa Da Silva, Nicole Mone, Valene Pires, Megan Higgins, Doug Fortes and Kathleen Gulino on Sunday, Leslie Eaton, Nick Pohl, Barbara Paciello, Garrison Vieira, and Madeline Tully on Monday, Patricia Duffy, Susan Wasserman and Marilyn Bergeron on Tuesday, Bob Knight, Rose Kelly, Christine Willey, Elton Nascimento, Lenny Jason Jr. and Sara Kominers on Wednesday, Krista Martin, Jennifer French and Levi Flanders on Thursday.

Anniversary greeting to Tim and Eileen Maley today and belated Birthday greetings to Jean Morton Fischer O’Reilly, Millie Fodor and Kim Bartlett. Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. Please call or email with news you wish to share with others. Have a happy Valentine’s Day and a nice Presidents’ Day weekend and a great week.