RICK HERRICK

508-693-8065

(herricklr@verizon.net)

The Vineyard said goodbye to the Reverend Jim Kidd on Tuesday August 7. A service of remembrance was held at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury with the Reverend Cathlin Baker presiding. Jim died on May 19 after a short illness.

You won’t have to fight for your life with a bow and arrow, but you can still participate in the Hunger Games. The West Tisbury Library hosts a DVD Release Party and Hunger Game-athon on Monday, August 20, beginning at 6 p.m. There will be games, treats, prizes and free popcorn.

For more information, call 508-693-3366.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Oak Bluffs has 33 named parks, four Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank properties (Tradewind, Pecoy Point, Southern Woodlands, Farm Pond), three small islands (Woodie in Farm Pond, Brush and Great in Sengekontacket), one Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation property (Dodger’s Hole), one golf course (Farm Neck) and a tremendous set of wooded trails between County and Barnes Roads, or 43 pristine, protected parks encompassing perhaps 20 per cent of the town’s land. The math computes to about 581 people per park when you include our summer guests.

Dean’s List

Alexia Schroeder of West Tisbury, Jess Swaringen of Oak Bluffs and James Todd of Oak Bluffs have been named to the dean’s list at Villanova University for the spring 2012 semester.

Al Nugent of Edgartown was one of four member of the Hobart College Sailing team who received a commendation at the college’s annual Block H Awards dinner. Mr. Nugent received the Most Improved Sailor Award.

This Sunday, August 19, Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs will have Charles G. Adams of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit, Mich., come and preach. Until just past July, he was the William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of Ethics and Ministry at Harvard Divinity School.

The Chappy Community Center held its annual meeting last Saturday, August 11, with a large group of subscribers in attendance. I heard a few things that I think the Chappy community should know. First, subscriptions to the CCC are down. This is a surprise, since the CCC provides so many activities and programs in the summer, as well as throughout the year. Second, numbers of kids taking sailing lessons are down, mostly because kids have “aged out.” Once they become 16, they get summer jobs and don’t have time for sailing.

We are starting to get much-needed rain, but Mother Nature is doing it rather loudly. The lightning show was great (if you like that) and the thunder kept a lot of people up. Oh well, guess we can’t have it all. Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Deborah Silva who celebrated her day August 14; Joseph Davies, August 15, and Bethany Felix, who celebrates her day today, August 17.

Creative Drama Grants

Phyllis Vecchia Creative Drama has been awarded grants from the Martha’s Vineyard Center for the Visual Arts and the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank Charitable Fund.

Chamber Music Concert

The Russians are back! Grammy-nominated St. Petersburg String Quartet will close the 42nd season of the Chamber Music Society with concerts

on August 20 at the Whaling Church in Edgartown and Tuesday, August 21, at the Chilmark Community Center. Both performances begin at 8 p.m.

Fresh off a tour which included an appearance at Carnegie Hall and a six-concert series at Bargemusiche in Brooklyn, the string