Dredging at Sengekontacket continued on Wednesday after a weeklong delay in an effort that has already seen what appear to be endless hurdles. 

Dredging was halted on Veterans Day after a member of the Wampanoag Tribe registered concerns with the Army Corps of Engineers about the placement of a dewatering plant in the pond. The Army Corps relayed those fears to Oak Bluffs which has spent the week moving the dewatering site from Sengekontacket to State Beach.

The dream of a dedicated fishing pier in the heart of Oak Bluffs is one step closer for Island fishermen after the Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted unanimously last Thursday to approve the project.

Debate over the state-funded, 317-foot, L-shaped pier has been pointed at times, with surfcasters lamenting the loss of public fishing spots in recent decades and abutters fretting over the proposal’s potential impact.

It is a weekly ritual among hundreds of Islanders. Sunday morning radio check for volunteer firemen is about as much a part of the weekend calendar as church, or a trip to the dump and the grocery store. Starting at around 9:30 every Sunday morning, firemen from around the Island drive to their local fire station, where they wait for the 10 a.m. calls from the county communications center.

For many it is a social event combined with volunteer work.

Aquinnah

Gay Head Community Baptist Church. Established in 1693. The Rev. Ellen Tatreau, interim pastor. Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. Tel. 508-693-1539.

Chilmark

Chilmark Community Church (United Methodist), 9 Menemsha Cross Road. Sunday worship at 9 a.m. Tel. 508-645-3100, chilmarkchurch.org, or e-mail chilmarkchurch@gmail.com.

Edgartown

JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Most of us are still recovering after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday that was shared with family and friends. Today is the traditional start of the Christmas season and considered by retail merchants the busiest shopping day of the year. Did you know that there are just 29 shopping days remaining before Christmas? My thanks to Colleen Morris for writing the column in my absence.

At Thanksgiving, I want to extend my thanks to the people who have made an effort to save or create the Vineyard habitats. Without the open spaces, marshes, meadows and woodlands, there would be no place for my favorite creatures, birds.

Evelyn Arrives

Angie Francis and James Moffatt of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Evelyn James Moffatt, born on Nov. 20, 2010, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Evelyn weighed 8 pounds at birth.

Hello, Quinn

Beth and John Johnson of Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Quinn Margaret Johnson, born on Nov. 19, 2010, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Quinn weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces at birth. She is welcomed too by her siblings, Cooper, Connor, Maggie, Hanni, Cully, Katie and Willa.

JUNE D. MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

Welcome to Rev. Ellen Tatreau, who will become the interim minister for Community Baptist Church of Gay Head, as well as for First Baptist Church in Tisbury. Rev. Tatreau will be preaching her first sermon in Aquinnah on Sunday, arriving from her home in Weymouth.

Reminder: special town meeting on Tuesday evening, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. There are only nine articles on the warrant. They are all vital and need to be acted upon. Please try to attend.

BRAD WOODGER

508-627-4216

(ibwsgolf@aol.com)

I seem to see more wild turkeys this time of year. Maybe protest marching.