The first Chappy Community Center potluck of the off-season will be on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a dish for 8. A dessert of ice cream will be provided with your choice of whipped cream, sprinkles and chocolate or caramel sauce. 

Keep in mind that there will be delays on the Chappy Ferry while the Coast Guard inspects on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 10. Their intention is to start at 10:30 a.m. but that will depend on the big ferry getting them to the Vineyard in the first place.

The weather service has brought back the nostalgia of the old days of rain forecasting. They like to wait until the rain is on the horizon before committing to a prediction. Monday’s hail storm snuck up on the Islands. The thunder couldn’t be heard by the Chappy Ferry crew but the zaps of lightning nearby were very noticeable. The lightning strikes got so close that the ferryboats tied up for 15 minutes so that the crew could seek shelter.

If you missed the last household hazardous waste collection, the next one is on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon at the transfer station across the road from the big airport.

We are in the middle of hurricane season now. If you keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center website, you will soon learn that when they say that no tropical cyclone formation is predicted for the next week they can change their mind two days later. Just yesterday an area of disturbance stretching half the distance between the Canaries and Leewards suddenly appeared on the map. Then this morning a spot just off of Bermuda popped up. Check every day if you want to have time to prepare for the next one that affects Chappy.