“I have notified the inhabitants of the Town of Chilmark qualified to vote in town affairs, by posting three attested copies of this warrant in three public places and by publishing said warrant in one newspaper having general circulation in said Town of Chilmark and made due return of this warrant of the time and place of said meeting. Save the Commonwealth.”

This is the speech town constable Marshall Carroll makes in response to town moderator Janet Weidner at the opening of each town meeting. We heard this speech Monday evening at the community center, where a packed house of town inhabitants gathered to make their way through 27 articles.

It took just more than three hours and only a few scooted out before all were addressed. I think people realized we must participate in town politics if we want life in Chilmark to remain full of tradition, retain small-town character and continue to be, well, Chilmark-y.

We must keep town projects transparent and continue having those “water cooler” conversations in places such as the grocery store, bank, Squid Row, the post office and more to be sure our eyes are open. Public participation is what makes our community strong and unique. A big shout of appreciation goes out to everyone sitting on volunteer boards and committees: it’s quite often a thankless job. Please know that even if we don’t always agree, I appreciate the time and energy you donate to our town’s wellbeing.

In addition to all the politicking, a heartfelt thank you was shared with Warren Doty who, after 24 years, has hung up his select board member hat. It was time well served, for he has been a strong proponent of the quiet and peaceful ways of Chilmark. Thank you, Warren.

After being away for four and a half months, Tegan Fenner and Brooks Carroll are back from Bali. They continue to share stories and bits and pieces of the Indonesian language they’ve learned. (I’m pretty sure some is slang). A newly-developed love for the game of pool and the bond they have with the town of Chilmark was revealed as both made their way to the annual town meeting.

Windward Leg is the International Sunfish Class Association newsletter. Within its digital pages one can find a short article written by Dan Karnovsky about his adventures in Pensacola this past March with Charlie Shipway and a few other familiars. While in Pensacola they were treated to the Blue Angels practicing overhead and the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic, a 40-foot foiling monohull they are using to train for the next America’s Cup to be held in Barcelona, Spain in 2024.

With all of this excitement mentioned about her dad Dan and Charlie, it’s Sydney Karnovsky who gets to grab the spotlight this time. Sailing since she was, as they say, knee high to a grasshopper, this 29-year old daughter of Dan and Priscilla is not only in her second year of a family medicine residency at Boston Medical Center, but she continues to spend as much of her free time on the water as possible.

Sydney was among the top 15 women who were skilled enough to meet the criteria for the U.S. qualifying regatta for the Pan Am Games. These races, held during July in Sayville, N.Y., will determine who of the group will make their way to the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile this fall. According to Charlie, he will be training with Sydney whenever she can get away for a weekend in Chilmark. Go, Sydney.

If you are looking for an art exhibition but don’t care to leave town, Kathy Poehler shares that her seaweed collages will be on display at the Chilmark Library from April 29 through May 31. She creates flowers, trees, sea life and even dancing mermaids, all using seaweed as her medium. Stop in during regular hours to view her work.

After wading through the college application process which, as we all know, involves applications, essays, interviews, visits, a continued commitment to completing the high school-level curriculum and more, Annalee Hoy has made her choice. Hampshire College will be lucky to have her as a member of the class of 2026. Annalee is the wonderful daughter of Annette Cingle and Scott McDowell and Johnny Hoy. You can often spot her walking that great big love of a lab Ozzie along Basin Road. Give her a high five the next time you spot her.