On behalf of the Chappy ferry captains, deckhands and behind the scenes employees, thanks for all of the thoughtful and yummy holiday gifts bestowed upon them by the Island community. Thanks to the cookies and other treats, I believe that most of us have a tad more insulation now to keep us warm through the chilly winter months ahead.

The Chappy Community Center still has some activities during this quieter time of the year. Yoga is on Sundays at 8:45 a.m. Potluck dinners are on the third Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. The CCC online store has many offerings including the 2025 calendar with a new batch of photos.

Please consider a year-end tax deductible donation to the CCC to help support the center’s mission and maintenance of the building. See the “Ways to Give” tab on the CCC website.

When the new tide books are issued every year, the first page that I turn to is the one with the Fourth of July to get a sense of how wild that holiday will be. This coming year that holiday is on a Friday, which makes for a three-day weekend with the big party on the first evening. That will give revelers an incentive to pace themselves and save some of their energy for Saturday and Sunday. The tide will already be high by the time folks head over from town to Chappy point to watch the fireworks from the beach. This is not an ideal situation but it avoids the problem of families spreading out their blankets and beach chairs only to be driven up into the prickers and poison ivy by a rising tide as the sun sets.

Half a century ago the fireworks were set off from the beach midway between the ferry landing and what is now the shellfish hatchery. That made for some very close up viewing of the display from anywhere along the Edgartown waterfront. It also meant that the Chappy fire department got some brush fire fighting practice each year.

At some point, it was determined that the fireworks should be set off from a barge well clear of the land. That brought on a whole new set of concerns, like keeping boats away from the barge. Remember the year that the whole thing caught on fire? The pyrotechnic crew could be seen climbing over the steel bulwark to escape the unintentional grand finale as the whole charge of explosives went off all at once. The Chappy ferry took a fire truck out there to extinguish the blaze. Nevertheless, it was still an awesome and memorable fireworks show.