Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays. New Year’s Day is not only the start of a new calendar year but a special day of celebration for a few including Emily Boyd, Jennifer Christy, Linda Coutinho, Steve Bernier, Bob Fuller and Sarah Andresen. Also celebrating this week are Sam Eddy, Cody Coutinho, Mathea Morais, Alec Gale, Steve MacQuiggan, Casey Elliston, Madeleine Moore, Charlie Shipway, Tim Guiney and others I am sure.

December 31 was the night to party with Annalee Hoy who is no longer a teenager. She entered her 20s just as the year came to an end.

Sometimes it may look as if Susan Heilbron is tooling around town alone in her car, but, low and behold, when the rear windows get rolled down, there is Andy Goldman sitting behind the tinted windows camera at the ready. The mighty birding pair self-published their first book, Martha’s Vineyard Birds 2024. Andy and Susan are a skilled pair when it comes to seeking out the various breeds that are nestled into the marshlands, meandering meadows, resting on a tree branch or in flight along the waters edge. You can find their book on the website called Blurb. For the whole scoop give them a shout.

In addition to weekly services and various meetings taking place at the Chilmark Church and parsonage, you may have noticed a lot of trucks and activity over the past few weeks. They’ve been upgrading electrical, upgrading insulation and making the transition to heat pumps and mini splits. So far, it seems Reverend Charlotte and the congregation members are pleased.

A couple of weeks ago, NOAA reached out the Chilmark Fire Department. It seemed one of their GPS buoys had gone astray. Chief Bradshaw and Jon Mayhew went out on a search mission. With the use of the department drone, they pair spotted it along the south shore and after a little wrangling managed to retrieve the still pinging beacon. Much to their surprise, the buoy itself was still intact, but too large for the two men to wrangle off the beach. Department members gathered for the first January radio check and retrieved the buoy for the folks from NOAA. It was quite a mission, but our folks were up for the exciting challenge.

After celebrating his 21st birthday in Boston, Tegan Fenner, along with buddy Brooks Carroll, jetted off to F-L-A for a little dose of sunshine and a catch-up with their friend Will Dolan. The three amigos picked up right where they left off and Will’s folks, Tory and Will, had the pleasure of witnessing some of it.

Kendra Buresch, Emme, Oona and Chris Carroll road tripped over the Christmas holiday to reunite with Kendra’s side of the family in Ohio. Oona mentioned it was a long trip in the car, but worth it to see her grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins whom she only gets to see a couple times a year. She’s around for another couple of weeks before heading back to the second half of her freshman year at Mount Holyoke College.

A quick reminder: A major fundraising effort is underway for the complete restoration of the iconic 1929 F/V Little Lady. Facilitated by the MV Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, the Little Lady is in the queue to make her way to Gannon & Benjamin for the monumental undertaking. The cost to rebuild her is in the $1.5 million dollar range so any contributions will be appreciated. Reach out to MVFPT at 508-687-0344 or info@mvfpt.org to find out more about how you can help.

Whether it was that glitzy party, a feel good potluck with friends, a movie and popcorn on the couch or an early to bed night nestled under a fluffy down comforter, I hope you all enjoyed ringing in the New Year. May the year 2025 bring you happiness, love of life, a sense of adventure and enlightening experiences surrounded by family and good friends.