She was a nurse. As if that wasn’t enough of a wonderful thing to be, my friend, Joan Glodis, was so much more than that. A loyal friend, a kind listener, a devoted wife and mom. A quilter. A crafter. An artist. A chef in the kitchen. Her three daughters, Kathy, Kim, and Abby have mounted a display of Joan’s work from quilts to crafts at the Oak Bluffs library for the month of May. A closing reception and celebration of Joan’s life will be held on Saturday, May 25 from noon to 3 p.m.

May is always a great month for the arts. One of our town’s best poets, Annette Sandrock, has her first book of poetry coming out May 9. The title is Labyrinth. Congratulations, Annette.

As far as exquisite pen and ink art goes, and the celebration of all things New York, island artist Jack Ryan will have his works up at Mocha Motts in Vineyard Haven for the month of May.

In my own pursuit of knowledge I just finished one of the best books I have ever read, 1919. Author Martin W. Sandler has broken down the events of that momentous year for us in great fashion, from the Molasses Flood in Boston to the women’s fight for the vote to Prohibition, the Red Scare, the rise of the labor unions.

Thank you to all who participated in our town vote last week. It is always wonderful to see the turnout and old friends.

The all-Island bike-a-thon, benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Martha’s Vineyard and The National MS Society, is Saturday, May 4, starting at the high school at 7:30 a.m.. This year there are three routes: a 100 km, a 50 km and a 25 km.

Belated birthday bouquets go out to Bunny Alfano Wilson for April 24th. Tracy Leigh Adams and Deborah DiSanto shared April 25th. Book enthusiast Jenni Bick celebrated on April 26th. Mary Elizabeth Suprenant claimed April 27th. April 28th was a party for Brian Spiconardi, Corey Hoehn, Mike Sisco, and Nicole Stagg Rizi. Evelyn Petrone celebrated hers on April 29th with a pint if Guiness in Ireland. And on April 30th Lorena Crespo, Penny Wong, and Jane Keegan took the cake. Many happy returns.

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