From a May, 1954 Vineyard Gazette article by Charles Waldron Clowe: Memory takes me back to the glorious summer at the Vineyard. We had engaged a cottage at Menemsha for the season, and after some debate it was decided that Genevieve should go with us. Throughout her young life she had only known the city, and it seemed only fair that she should share with us the beauties of the Island of our dreams.

Soon after the demise of the Martha’s Vineyard Railroad, The Vineyard Gazette reported “Edgartown is in the swim with the other resorts. The first horseless carriage is here. The first to appear is the Locomobile of Elmer J. Bliss, of the Regal Shoe, who brought the vehicle down from Boston Saturday night.” On Saturday, August 4, 1900, it probably took Mr. Bliss 12 hours to get from Woods Hole to Boston, limited by roads built for carriages and horses.

On a small island, everything that goes on seems to have a greater effect than in a place less circumscribed. We’ve certainly seen the extended and radiating effects of big storms in recent years, but it’s true about the small things as well. When someone paints a ring of daffodils around the bottom of a telephone pole, it can make a lot of people smile, which has a ripple effect through the whole population.

Wasn’t I writing about Newtown just last week? The evil is spreading and I feel helpless. Two of my wonderful and talented former students, Shannon Rose McAuliffe and Emily Bevis Rives, ran in the marathon. Shannon participated with her fiance, Ian, and Emily ran with her husband, Clay.

Spring flowers and trees are finally in bloom. The baseball field on Sunday hosted a youth baseball game and the tennis courts were also busy. Paul Cook’s front lawn on Music street is a sea of tiny blue flower’s that Ann Nelson says are called glory of the snow.

Chilmark joins the rest of the world in sending good wishes to the injured, condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and a plea for peace for us all, after the dreadful bombing in Boston.

JUNE D. MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks2004@yahoo.com)

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the tragedy in Boston on Monday. A very sad ending to what is usually a very joyous event for those participating in the marathon as well as the spectators.

Lieut. Col. Sean M. Smith of the United States Army was promoted to his present rank on April 5. The promotion ceremony was officiated by Maj. Gen. Genaro J. Dellarocco, the Commanding General of the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is happy to feature a very special cat this week. Her name is Rosie and she is a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. Rosie needs a home badly. She was the companion of an elderly lady who loved her dearly. She is an indoor cat and needs to be an only cat. She is quite shy but craves attention and purrs beautifully when given any attention. The shelter is confident that Rosie will blossom when she is adopted into a loving home.

The crowds that gather in Menemsha to watch the sunset will have the added company of a film crew come May.

At their meeting Tuesday, the Chilmark selectmen approved filming dates for the ABC Family reality TV show The Vineyard to film on the public beach. The filming will take place on May 11, 18, 23 and 30, and June 5 and 10 between 4 and 8 p.m. The beach will remain open to the public.