Chilmark is facing up to the inevitability of the upcoming national election. Town clerk Jennifer Christy has posted the early voting hours and dates for Chilmark. The voting site will be the Chilmark town hall and voting times will be from 8 a.m. to noon from Monday, Oct. 24 through Friday, Oct. 28 and Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4. Early voting is a new concept so if you have questions, please call Jenny at 508-645-2110.

November traditionally brings us the fall convening of the Women’s Symposium and this November meeting will be the 38th for the group. They will meet at the Chilmark Community Center on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be speakers, small group discussions and refreshments. These popular gatherings are free but donations are welcome to cover expenses. The subject under discussion this time is Forgiving. If you have questions, please call Bonnie George at 508-645-3214.

We send condolences to Peter Cook and his family on the death of his mother, Joan Folinsbee Cook, who died on Sept. 24 at her home in Kingston, N.J. after a long illness. She was 97. She was the daughter of noted New Hope, Pa. artist John F. Folinsbee, with whom her husband studied and painted. Her mother was Ruth Baldwin Folinsbee who was a first cousin of longtime Chilmark summer resident Roger Baldwin. Joan was a friend of the Henry Scott family of South Road and attended many family affairs including the wedding of Peter and Sally Cook in 1961. She leaves two granddaughters, Anne and Caitlin, and great-granddaughter Maeve Cook-Martin.

I regret that I was unable to alert you to a free screening of the film One Big Home that took place Oct. 13 at the Performing Arts Center. Earlier in the month Thomas Bena and Chris Murphy traveled to Nantucket, Wellfleet and Duxbury to screen the film and conduct discussions after the screenings. The film is the work of Thomas Bena with help from Jeremy Mayhew and Liz Witham and includes appearances by a number of Chilmark people. It is the must-see film this fall and has been well received. Please contact Thomas Bena, or visit onebighomethemovie.com or tmvff.org to learn of other showings.

Encie Fokos and her sister, Judith Dalaba of Philadelphia, are home after a recent tour of Italy. They enjoyed tours of Rome, Venice, Pisa, Pompeii, and Capri. They report that the food was excellent and the views spectacular.

Vineyard Power Co-op is inviting the public to a social gathering at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This is the group that built the solar panel projects at the Chilmark and Aquinnah landfills and at two locations down-Island. The gathering is to give an update on progress and to celebrate what has been accomplished. Check out their website vineyardpower.com for more information.

You might want to note on your calendar that Oct. 22 is electronics disposal day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Services campus. You can check out details at mvcommunityservices.com.

That’s the news for this week. Let’s hope we can all get through the next few rounds of the election year...it is a sort of assault on multiple senses and sometimes you do feel like you have been hit in the gut. Sorry, just sayin’.

Send Chilmark news to slaterjn@comcast.net.