JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
We now are at the beginning of tenant turnover weekend. It is time to say goodbye to all the July visitors and wish them a fond farewell. We trust you have had a good summer vacation and hope that you will come back and visit us next year. At this time we extend a warm and hearty hello to all of our new visitors.
Business people report that it has been busy and the traffic has been terrible. It seems to me it has been busier than last year.
The weather sure has cooperated. We stand to have one of the warmest months on record. Richard Olsen of North Tisbury recently repositioned his herd of Holstein cows to take advantage of the August sun.
By golly, it happened again and traffic came to a standstill last Sunday night around 7 p.m. as three baby deer leisurely crossed the Edgartown Road and walked into Doane’s field near New Lane.
Lee Revere, chairman of the book sale, reports that the hours for the 55th annual West Tisbury book sale are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, tomorrow, Sunday and Monday. The sale will be held in the school gym on Old County Road. They will have a large selection available. All the books that are not sold over the weekend are free on Monday morning. For more information about donations or the sale, contact the library staff at 508-693-3366.
The West Tisbury Library Foundation, in conjunction with the Friends of the Library book sale, will be presenting a show of original paintings by the late Jane Newhall. Miss Newhall, who died one year ago, was an avid supporter of the library and one of the founders of the book sale. Paintings will be available for sale in the lobby of the school outside the gym, where the book sale takes place. All proceeds will go toward the library’s expansion project.
Amy Remondi reports that Dan Cohen as Danna Banana will entertain children and adults alike at the Grange Hall on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. as the Tuesdays at Twilight concert series continues. The series benefits the West Tisbury Library Foundation, Inc., which is spearheading the capital campaign for the West Tisbury Free Public Library. For more information, visit wtlibraryfoundation.org.
Eleanor Neubert reports that this will be the 151st annual fair, and her 28th as manager. Premium books will be available on Monday and workers and volunteers can sign up at the hall between 9 a.m. and noon.
Anna Alley of State Road went up to Taunton to visit her daughter, Nicole, Nicole’s husband, Arsen, and grandson Robbie last weekend. She enjoyed her visit and a trip to Newport, R.I. with the family.
Elton Nascimento and his wife Sara Monast of Old Courthouse Road were visited by his cousin and her daughter from Sao Paulo, Brazil. They enjoyed the warm weather, beaches and their whole visit very much, and plan to return soon.
Linda and Jack Davis, from Blacksburg, Va., will be on Island time for five nights to enjoy a leisurely vacation of biking and reminiscing about their visit over 25 years ago! Linda “Gidget” Swanson is excited to see them and hoping they love the Island as much as they did way back when, and that they discover new and different adventures together this time.
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Fletcher from South Carolina arrived on Wednesday to attend the memorial service for John W. Mayhew this Saturday. Steve is Shirley Mayhew’s nephew. Coming from Hingham are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dixon. On Thursday Lucy Mayhew, John’s granddaughter and daughter of Jack and Betsey Mayhew, arrived from San Francisco. Also on that day, her sister Caroline and fiancé Dan Johnson arrived from Washington, D.C. Mrs. John Schneider, John’s cousin from Ohio, will also be in attendance. The memorial will begin at 4 p.m. at the West Tisbury cemetery and then move to the Agricultural Hall for the service of remembrance, followed by a potluck dinner and musicale
Chris McIsaac, his wife Tracey and their children Duncan, Jak, Jessie and Hendrix the dog are here from Washington, D.C. visiting Chris’s mom Betsy. Tracey reports that they are so happy to be here finally after the hottest summer ever in D.C.!
Shanti Blum of Music Street reports that her daughter Michelle Berlyne and her daughter Sarah Chisholm of Toronto, Canada are here visiting with her. Shanti reported that her son in law Rick is a lead television production manager who is in charge of providing the “pool feed” to an international audience.
Lois Wasserspring of Newton was the guest of Jill Carlton and Pete Karman at their State Road home. Jill and Lois roomed together at Cornell University. Lois teaches comparative politics at Wellesley College and studies and writes about women artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico. She co-directs Wellesley’s Latin American Studies program. This was Lois’s first trip to the Vineyard in 33 years.
Ann Howes of Tiasquam Road, one of the famous Glimmerglass girls, will host her opening at the Old Sculpin Gallery on Sunday August 4 from 6 till 8 p.m. She will be exhibiting her original watercolor paintings through August 17. She also will be one of the artists in the All Island Art Show on August 6 at the Tabernacle and will display her artwork at the Gossamer Gallery until September.
Diane Smith, up at Massachusetts General Hospital, e-mailed me to let me know that her co-worker, recipient of many awards and world-renowned MGH nurse practitioner Jill Nelson Burke, is on the Vineyard with her husband. They were married here a few years ago and have returned to enjoy themselves and rediscover the place.
Jennifer Tseng, over at the library, reports that the JC Trio will be playing jazz in the library today at 4 p.m. On Thursday at 5 p.m. Audrey Schulman will read from her new book, Three Weeks in December. The art of Annie Cummings and Nancy C. Marshall will be on display at the library for the month of August. A reception for the show Two Women — Two Views will be held on Friday, August 3 at 4 p.m.
Katy Fuller, marketing, membership, and special events manager of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, is pleased to report that a screening of Shakespeare’s famous play Othello, filmed on the Vineyard and other locations in the 1960s, will be shown on Tuesday, August 2. The screening begins at 7:30 p.m. at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. A brief introduction will touch on the film’s importance in Island African American history. This will be the first public showing on the Island since the film was made. Cast members include actors from the Shearer Summer Theater. While the film was never commercially released, Othello is a “remarkable example of black filmmaking” says Peter Donaldson, who wrote an article covering it. The entire film is the work of African Americans, from director to cast and crew. It blends amateur and professional talent, utilizing the work of actors who held other jobs as policemen, dentists, members of legislature and more, and donated their time to the project during the summers of 1962-1966. Filming locations included the Shearer estate, the cliffs of Gay Head, and various Vineyard beaches. Reservations can be made in advance by calling Brie at the museum at 508-627-4441, extension 110.
In March of 1942, the U.S. government had purchased a square mile of forestland on Edgartown Road from the commonwealth for one dollar. By August surveyors had completed plans for the property, and construction work began on the United States Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The location for the “airbase” was chosen because of the unusually flat terrain in the area. The Geo. A. Fuller Co. and the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation completed the construction work in just over 18 months at a cost of $2 million dollars. It was fully operational on March 26, 1943 when Lt. Charles Webster and 22 enlisted men arrived to take charge of the partially-completed field and buildings. The main focus was rocket training and carrier landings by the aircraft that were stationed there. The planes also performed a good deal of practice bombing there and at a movable target built on the beach in Katama to accommodate that need. The Navy closed the base on May 27, 1946 and turned it over to the county, which began operating it as a commercial airport that fall. The first air carrier, Northeast Airlines, began regularly scheduled commercial flights to Boston using DC-3 aircraft. Emerson McCloud was the station manager.
Vineyard Gardens will be hosting a new special event, Gallery in the Gardens, every Friday night in August. The outdoor gallery-style reception will showcase artwork by local artists displayed among the gorgeous setting of the nursery’s flowering plants. All are welcome to this special free event each Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. Live music will accompany the evening. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The nursery is located across from the post office in North Tisbury.
Happy birthday to: Doug Ried, Mariko Kawaguchi, Max Decker and Nigel Smith today; Stacy Haden, Beth Serusa and Allen Whiting tomorrow; Julie Humphreys, Bob Day, Chief Dan Rossi and Amanda Lobb on Sunday; Pat Lynch, Mark Mazer, Jesse Oliver, Perry Garfinkel and Diane Hartman on Monday; Karin Magid, Dale Ferry, Eben Elias Trevor Grimes and Anita Knight on Tuesday; Jim LeRoux, Liza Smith and Sarah Carr on Wednesday; Dick Goodell, Ron Carroll and Shawn McCormick, on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Minor Knight, Bruce Stone and Hans Adcock. Belated anniversary wishes to Dee Schmal and Mike McFadden.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.
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