Looking ahead to interesting things coming up, may I suggest you mark your calendar for the 33rd women’s symposium entitled Clutter. The event will be held at the Chilmark Community Center on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be speakers, small groups and refreshments. The event is free, but donations are welcome to cover expenses. For further information call Bonnie George at 508-645-3214.

Don’t forget, Tuesdays at 6 p.m. are pizza nights at the Chilmark church. Cheese and pepperoni are the choices put forth along with a mix of salads and cookies shared by the occasionally ambitious attendee. The light in the sky gives the kids an opportunity to kick a ball around or play a game of tag so if you’re thinking ahead put those feet in sneakers.

How could I have overlooked this monumental occasion last week? My apologies go out to Rhoda Diamond, who turned 96 on March 30. She was accompanied by a dear group of friends to lunch at The Food Truck in Menemsha where Josh and Angela Aronie served them happily.  Although I don’t have positive confirmation, Rhoda’s son, John, was due to arrive from California to spend the weekend with her, extending her birthday festivities for days and days.

A Fool’s Bash, the Chilmark School PTO fundraiser held this past weekend at the CCC, was a whopping success. The joint was really hopping with the sounds of Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish and lots of laughter and conversation among friends who often get a tad reclusive over the winter months. A big round of applause goes to Joanne Cassidy who swooped in at the last minute to act as auctioneer when comedian Raffi took ill that day. A huge pat on the back goes to Warren Doty, who was ready and waiting on the sidelines should Joanne have not been able to make it to the stage. Great job to all of the parents and community members who made the evening such a fun night out. And, wow, the photo booth set up was truly hysterical!

A loving 14-year-old gray muzzled fella is, sadly, no longer laying in his Bartlett Woods driveway low-barking at passersby. Tinker, the sweet old guy and faithful member of the Zoe, Simon, Nell and Mae Thompson family, has moseyed off into the great wide open where he is free to run, bark, nip at butterflies and snooze on the forbidden couch. He will be dearly missed by those who loved him.

Youth lacrosse season is in full swing, with the first game of the year having come and gone. I was lucky enough to pop off to America for the day and watch the U15 boys team have a solid 11-3 win over Lower Cape Lacrosse in Brewster. Chilmarkers Fynn Monahan, Graham Stearns, Josh Dix and Brooks Carroll all had solid field time.

The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust will hold a public meeting on April 26 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. with the location still to be determined. Topics to be discussed will include updated regulations, what the board has accomplished, pending projects and so on. Stay tuned for more details next week.

Tartan Day is being celebrated this Saturday April 8 at the library. Stop in from 1 to 3 p.m. to partake in festive activities including a bagpipe procession, Scottish music and dance, kids’ crafts, a display of Scottish memorabilia, kilts and shawls galore, a talk about meaning of Tartan Day around the world, and the fourth annual shortbread contest.

Also happening at the library is part one of the architecture lecture series. Chilmark summer resident Frederick Noyes will be in attendance on Wednesday, April 12 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to lead the first talk called A Transition: Martha’s Vineyard and Mid-Century Modern Architecture. Light refreshments will be served.

At Tuesday night’s regularly-scheduled selectmen’s meeting, Officer Sean Slavin was officially promoted to sergeant of the Chilmark Police Department. His swearing-in by town clerk Jennifer Christy was witnessed by Chief Jonathan Klaren, officers Marshall Carroll and Bret Stearns, his bride Dardy, sons Quinlan and Corrick, and mother in law Sheila Muldaur. Dardy was charged with the task of pinning on his new badge. Congratulations, Sean!

There’s lots of news to report from the crew at Station Menemsha. From what I hear, Senior Chief Robert Riemer along with Adam Smith, Joseph Belladue, Joshua Brooks, Ben Renna, Jesse Cisneros and Samuel Hoppe traveled to Cape May to partake in a mentoring program. They visited with recruits and toured the USCG Cutter Lawrence Lawson. Also, congratulations to Leanna McKenna who successfully completed her motor lifeboat check ride and received her coxswain certification. Station Menemsha’s family grew by 6 pounds 12 ounces just a few weeks ago. Adam Struyk and his wife, Elizabeth, brought their first child, Landon Tyler, into the world. Welcome sweet baby!

Michael Broderick and Mary McConneloug are half way around the world in New Zealand. The dynamic mountain biking duo participated in Round 1 of the Enduro World Series in Rotorua. Rain, mud, roots and rocks couldn’t stop them. Mary pulled off a second place finish and Mike a sixth. These two are just remarkable.

Katy Smith, a senior at Simmons, managed to take a few hours off from her busy schedule to enjoy opening day at Fenway Park. We all look at the potential of the Red Sox on opening day. There is such promise for thrill and excitement. Whether you were in the park like Katy, listening on the radio or looking up the score online, the Sox came through with a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Speaking of baseball, a posse of young Chilmark kids are wielding a bat this spring. Lathrop Keene, whose feet are usually stuffed into soccer cleats, is trying baseball for the first time along with schoolmates Fletcher Zack, Claus Smith, Walter Prescott and Yossi Monahan. These Mets players are coached by Jed Smith, Mike Monahan and Jonas Lukowitz. Enjoy and Play ball!

Send Chilmark news to squidrow@vineyard.net.