The ghosts came a knockin’ in Chilmark this past Monday night. Dark and moonless skies were lit only by the shine of lanterns, flashlights and the eerie glow emanating from the U.S. Coast Guard boathouse. Costumes were creative, families were full of cheer and the night was, as kids say these days, “epic.”

Thank you to the Chilmark fire department for kicking off festivities at the Chilmark Community Center and an extra shout of appreciation to Chief Jeremy Bradshaw, James Moreis, Jonah Maidoff, Manny Rose, Christina Colarusso and Keona Chung for slinging treat bags and chatting it up with Spiderman, the butterflies, witches and spiders that stopped by for a visit.

Thank you to Dan Athearn and his Morning Glory Farm family for contributing cornstalks and gourds, setting a picture perfect back drop for photos. Thanks to the LoRusso/Glickman family for dropping their pumpkins by, also contributing to the photogenic fall backdrop.

Thank you to Beetlebung Farm, Marie and Danny Larsen, Claire Ganz, Julie Flanders, Marie and Stan Mercer, Margaret Maida, Linda Coutinho, Warren and Nan Doty, Linda Thompson, Kathie Carroll, Judy and Ted Mayhew, Deb Hancock, Annette Cingle and Scott McDowell, the Ruel family, Barbara and John Armstrong, Roberta Morgan, the crew at Larsen’s Fish Market, the Chilmark Place department, Tri-Town Ambulance, Ann and Hal Noyes, John Keene, Ed Greenebaum and Joan Caulton, Debbi Zetterberg and Stanley Startzell, and the crew at Station Menemsha (especially Patrick Shanahan who took the whole Halloween celebration very seriously) for all joining us at Menemsha Texaco for the fun of dishing out sweets.

Not that they were in town for Halloween intentionally but they just so happened to be, so it’s worth a mention. Phil Smith and Mary Jo Joiner made a pit stop in town after visiting family in London and Maine before heading back to their home on Browns Lake in Soldotna, Alaska. What a pleasant surprise it was to have the opportunity to catch up with them.

Last Friday, MVRHS women’s alumni soccer players, including Liz Seward Oliver, Carole Silva Flanders and Krissy Kurth to name a few, took on the varsity team and duked it out in the first-ever alumni game. Although they ultimately lost to the powerhouse of a team, they gave the varsity players a real run for their money.

Way to go, Nell and Mae Thompson, who headed home adorned with ribbons after the MV Horse Council’s Fall Fuzzy. The daughters of Zoe and Simon enjoy riding at Arrowhead Farm.

Bob Ganz had a spectacular off-Island adventure with his bride Ann and daughter Claire a few short weeks ago. He was the center of attention at an alumni event of his alma mater, the Browne & Nichols School. He met up with Bob Whitman, a dear friend and class of 1943 schoolmate. Mr. Whitman established the Robert Ganz ’43 Archives Program Fund created in his honor based on not only a friendship spanning back to the fall of 1929 when they entered nursery school together, but because he, according to Clare, “writes super long class reports based on research, phone calls and emails eliciting childhood memories and stories of the school from fellow alums and tangents on history.”

Since Bob’s eyesight has failed, he dictates his writings to Claire and shares that, “Any enormously deplorable grammar mistakes or typos are Claire’s fault.”

The Cook family shares they will hold a brief graveside service for Sally at Abel’s Hill Cemetery on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. followed by a noontime gathering at the Chilmark Community Center. Please bring your stories and memories of Sally so the room is filled with the joy she brought to so many.

Did you know this week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first building permit issued in town? It was issued on Nov. 5, 1972 to David Tilton. It was signed by Herbert Hancock, Lewis King and Edward Mayhew. David has it framed and he gave me a chance to check it out. Yes folks, he’s number one!