A few days of rain and fog but still nice autumn weather we are having. Archery season is upon us so please dress appropriately while walking, jogging or bicycling along the roads.

As of Tuesday, more than one-third of the registered voters in Aquinnah have already cast their ballots in early voting. Early voting will be available Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to noon, and during the week 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, October 24th is the last day to register to vote for the November 3 election and hours will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Aquinnah will have a special town meeting on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. in the fire station parking lot. Dress warmly.

Scalloping season is approaching with family scalloping opening on Nov. 1 and the commercial season starting on Nov. 23.

Forrest Alley celebrated his birthday on Oct. 15. He is the eldest male year-round resident of Aquinnah, quite an honor at 87 years of age and a resident for more than seven decades (homes all within a tenth of a mile of each other). A U.S. Army veteran, former driver for Andrews & Pierce, auto mechanic, delivered the Boston Globe at 4 a.m. for more than two decades, and was our Aquinnah highway superintendent for a number of years. At some point, we will have to celebrate Forrest Alley Day!

Forrest enjoyed a birthday visit from his two-year-old, great grand-daughter Kamilah, her parents Khuong and Jenna, and grandmother Lisa Pachico over the weekend.

Alfred F. Alley, Jr. aka Al, has returned to his home in Florida after spending most of the summer on the Vineyard between his dad Forrest’s home in Aquinnah and his mom Emily Frank’s home in Tisbury. On his way home, Al stopped in Pennsylvania to spend time with a former co-worker.

Congratulations to Gregory G. Clark, the grand winner in the 75th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. He won the 19’ Cape Codder boat after reeling in his 12.34 pound boat bonito. Greg was a finalist in the 2019 derby but won the Grand prize this year. His son Gregory W. Clark had also been on the leader board for a little while. Maureen Williams is at home testing recipes for the family.

While covering the Aquinnah polls this past week, I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Litt. Eric and his family are year-round residents now. We spent a couple of hours reminiscing about those who are no longer with us as he had been a summer resident for more than half a century. His Dad, Dr. Mortimer Litt, has retired from Harvard Medical School after a 64-year career, retiring a couple of years ago as the eldest and longest serving employee at Harvard.

Robert Rosenberg’s book Around the Corner - Around the World, A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin’ Donuts has been released this week. You may order from Bunch of Grapes Bookstore for courteous curbside service.

Across the channel at USCG Station Menemsha, it has been an exciting week. Congratulations to Chief Steven White who passed his OIC Boards on Oct. 19. Chief White may now be in charge of his own USCG Station and will eventually rise to Senior Chief.

It has been a busy month for the crew as all efforts led to the certification of BM1 Gary Kovack and BM2 Shane Mullen who earned their Coxswain Certifications for the 47’ MLB (motor lifeboat). Earning crew member certifications were BM2 Johan Ruiz-San Juan, BM3 Brian Wood and MK3 Andrew McCloskey. Their training took place at sea with mostly dense fog and high winds with BM1 Colleen Wilson at the helm.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Paul Henry and Beth Mayhew on Oct. 27.

Happy Birthday wishes this week to Everett H. Poole as he celebrates his 90th birthday on Oct. 23 — you will most likely find him at his Chilmark Chandlery.

Jaleah Elizabeth Sauer celebrated her fifth birthday on Oct. 20; Tom Bardwell parties on Oct. 24; Dr. Curtis Langer celebrates a milestone on Oct 24. ; Isaac Taylor will party on Oct. 25; Clifton Maris Colby will be a year old on Oct. 26. Fellow Vineyard Gazette columnist Katy Tamoshunas Carroll will celebrate on Oct. 27, sharing the day with Paul Henry Mayhew, Patty Rossi and Amy Rogers Smith. Waylon Sauer will be 14 on Oct. 28; Tate Buchwald will be 16 on Oct. 29, sharing the day with Captain William D. Vanderhoop, Jr. aka Captain Buddy. Arlen Roth will party on Oct. 30.