Jannette Vanderhoop will be the presenter at the Aquinnah Cultural Center today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vanderhoop Homestead. There will be a $10 craft fee as you learn how to create a sailor’s valentine and as you listen and learn about Wampanoag whaling. On Saturday, Jason Mancini of Connecticut College and the Mashantucket Research Center, will present a lecture titled Preserved on the Mighty Waters. Admission is $7. It’s all part of the whaling exhibit.

Chilmark is more than happy to welcome the shoulder season. The weather is agreeable and mostly sunny. The crowds are moderate and friendly and the chores are still doable at an easy pace. The U.S. Coast Guard has started their work project this week. Last night was a mild one with little wind as two tug boats and the harbor master maneuvered a huge barge into the Menemsha harbor and up against the Coast Guard pilings.

Well, throw a little salt over your left shoulder before reading the column for good luck. Today is the first Friday the 13th of this year. The weekend weather was a mixed bag and with a couple of cool mornings. The ducks and geese have begun their trek southward, and for years that has included a brief rest stop in the Mill Pond to relax and refresh. The end of the shoulder season of transit service will cease on Oct. 14 and then we begin the winter bus schedule. The fall foliage could be spectacular as the recent storms passed us by, with only heavy surf as their calling card.

Cottage City was the first Island town to have electricity in 1884 and the first with street lights in 1895. One writer called ours the “City of Lights, a fairy land,” and nothing exemplified the magic of our town, renamed Oak Bluffs in 1907, better than when the Tivoli Ballroom was built. Originally called the Cottage City Casino, the Tivoli was located where the police department is today.

Last Monday night was one of our famous escargot party nights in my neighborhood. A few times each season Jim Hart kindly provides the snails and Bill and Jan Stokes lovingly cook them in butter with lots of garlic, serving them with warm bread. Floral arrangement was provided by Teri Praskach. The usual suspects — or should I say persons of interest — attended and brought cheese, crackers, salami, dips, potato chips, grapes and all kinds of sides to Bill and Jan’s deck. In attendance were Paul and Marge Howes, Jim and Trude Hart, who had wonderful tales to tell of their recent road trip, Laurie Marotta, Chris Paffendorf, Iole (Nonna) and this reporter.

The summertime hubbub at the Chappy Community Center has died down and my favorite fall activity is about to begin again. Potluck suppers will resume on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. and will continue through spring on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. We still need someone to host the very first potluck of the season. You will be setting the bar for all who follow. Call Lynn at the center (508-627-8222) to sign up.

What can I say, I love this weather. The sun has been out and it is still warm, but with the breezes, (except the wind on Tuesday) it has been pretty nice. The cool evenings help us to sleep a little better, but now it gets lighter later and the eyes don’t want to open as early. Oh well, we will take what we are given.

Fishermen participating in the 68th annual Martha’s
Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby are already out plotting a strategy for success. Nearly all of them will visit one or all of four popular fishing spots: Menemsha Jetty, Joseph Sylvia State Beach, Memorial Wharf and Metcalf’s Hole.

“A man’s kitchen is a reflection of himself,” the great French chef Alain Chapel confidently reflected as he looked upon his kitchen.

It may not be obvious what a garter, a spool of thread, yellow lace, old keys, feathers, antique sheet music and cowry shells all have in common, but once inside Suesan Stovall’s garage-converted art studio, it becomes clear.