JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
It sure has been quiet in town recently. There was some skating activity on Parsonage Pond over the weekend. Today it is the start of a long holiday weekend. Presidents Day is celebrated on Monday. The school, post office and all municipal buildings will be closed. School vacation week, for our schools, starts next Friday and many of you will be taking a winter break off-Island, but this is vacation week for most of the rest of America’s public schools. Several stores will be offering special sales on Monday. Business at Chilmark Chocolates has been brisk — that’s right, be sure to remember the wife or sweetheart with candy and flowers on Sunday. We also have Mardi Gras on Tuesday, which will be especially busy in New Orleans this year, and Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.
Rufus Peebles, chairman and keeper of the togas, wants to remind all registered Democrats that the town Democratic committee meets tomorrow to reorganize and select two delegates and alternates to the state convention in June. The meeting will be held at the Howes House at 10:30 a.m. For details, call 508-693-5100.
Marian Irving of Old County Road reports that the Wednesday night community suppers at the church continue to be very popular evenings. The food, she says, is mighty tasty. Everyone is welcome no matter where they may live on the Island. In these tough times, she really wants to reach those in need.
Anna Alley reports that snowdrops are about to burst into bloom in a small section of a former thriving garden down at the Frank Adams place. This is well behind Tom Hodgson’s annual record, but nevertheless a sign of spring.
Cherilla Brown of Buttonwood Farm Road and Rhonda Backus, manager of Alley’s Store, returned home on Saturday from the International Gift Show in New York city. She reports that they worked hard and had dinner with Del Goldsmith of Chilmark.
Ashley Medowski reports that her grandmother Maybelle celebrated her 90th birthday at home on Wednesday with family. Congratulations!
Amy Houghton over at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum reports that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whalemen and sailors would purchase valentines to bring home to loved ones. The sailor’s valentine is a collage of shells, stones and beads organized into ornate patterns and displayed inside octagonal hinged boxes.
Tuesday marked the 39th anniversary of the nomination of pitching legend Satchel Page to the hall of fame; he was the first veteran so honored from the old Negro League. Satch was also well-known for his sense of humor and observations on life, including: “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you,” and “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
On this day in 1942 Congress moved ahead Standard Time in the United States by one hour in each time zone, imposing Daylight Saving Time — and called it war time. The idea was suggested by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a means to conserve fuel.
For $1 Alley’s Store will let you write messages on one of their homemade valentines and hang them in a place where your special person will see it when they come in. The money goes toward the sponsorship of Coco Brown, Ian Tripp and Rhonda Backus’s trip to Nepal where they will help rebuild a monastery.
Ginger Duarte reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Wakeman Center. Mike Huben will speak on The Magic of Hybridizing Daylilies. He has created many new and beautiful varieties of daylilies that have been featured in the Boston Globe. A hospitality hour will follow the program with light refreshments.
The West Tisbury School’s annual multicultural day celebration is Thursday, Feb. 18, in the gymnasium, featuring dance and martial art forms from around the world. The performance will take place from 9 to 10:15 am., followed by several classroom exhibitions.
Michele’s second grade class has worked with the local Capoeira group, through an artist-in-residence program sponsored by the Yard. Maggie’s one-two class will present Tai Chi from Japan; Kristy’s one-two class will perform an African tribal dance; Terri’s kindergarten will perform the African Boot Dance; and Susan’s kindergarten will perform a traditional dance from Australia.
“On Feb. 16, 1945, Bert Cahoon, Daniel Manter and Albion Alley received letters of thanks and commendation from Lieut. Cmder. Norman G. Asbury, officer in charge of the Naval Auxiliary Air Station, for the immediate and timely aid they rendered to a pilot of a plane forced down on the Orlin Davis property on Middle Road in Chilmark last week. This aid ‘was of immeasurable help in the prevention of shock and exposure to the pilot and will shorten his period of recovery.’ Albion, chief of the guards at the NAAS, and Bert, a former officer in the Coast Guard and now the operator of Donaldson’s Garage, were on their way back home from finishing an assignment at the Peaked Hill military installation when they witnessed the crash in a field near the road.” Over 60 years later Everett Poole of Chilmark has hanging in his garage the actual propeller from the aircraft.
Happy Birthday to Sandra Polleys, Abe Lincoln, Deborah Otto, Ken Cramm, Gayle Stiller and Brad Tucker today; Dr. Michael Bigby and Vincent Lenza tomorrow; police chief Beth Toomey, Margie Haven, Chris Morse and Michelle McCormack on Sunday; Kevin Peters Jr., Leah Houghton, Karen Child and Suzanne Fenn on Monday; Dan Gouldrup, Don MacDonald, Megan Higgins and Nancy Cox on Tuesday; Leslie Eaton, Barbara Paciello, Janice Feltz, Garrison Vieira and Emily Thomas on Wednesday; Patricia Duffy, Susan and Robert Wasserman and Marilyn Bergeron on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Julie Wells. Anniversary greetings to Tim and Eileen Maley on Sunday.
Well, that is all the social news for this edition. Please call or e-mail with news. Have a happy Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day weekend and a great week.
Comments
Comment policy »