Martin Luther King Walk

A walk to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will start Monday, Jan. 21 at 9:30 a.m. Participants will meet in front of the Court House in Edgartown. The walk will start on Main street and end at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on North Summer street. There will be a brief talk, followed by a video of Dr. King. Refreshments will be served.

More information is available by calling Lori Sue Herman at 508- 627-9088 or Maureen McManus Hill at 508-627-9241.

Sail Martha’s Vineyard will present a fireside dinner and slide presentation at the Black Dog Tavern on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. Capt. Peter Arenstam of Plimoth Plantation will speak on the unique history of the Mayflower II.

The ship, built in England in 1957, crossed the Atlantic in 55 days with a crew of sailors, schoolteachers and its mascot, a small kitten named Felix. There was a great deal of speculation whether this oddly shaped ship, such as had not been seen on the ocean since the 17th century, would make it safely to America.

THE UNNATURAL HISTORY OF THE SEA. By Callum Roberts. Island Press/Shearwater Books, Washington, D.C. 2007. 436 pages. Hardcover, $28.

Last spring when the herring started showing up in Island coastal ponds, I got a call from a fisherman asking, “Where are the mackerel?”

Film critic Roger Ebert called The Great World of Sound, “a confident, sure-handed exercise focusing on the American Dream, turned nightmare.” This eccentric, awardwinning film screens this Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven.

Charter School

Monday, Jan. 14: Macaroni with broccoli and garlic, meatballs in tomato sauce, garlic bread, applesauce and milk.

Tuesday, Jan. 15: Mexican chicken or vegetable soup, tortilla chips, salsa con queso, fruit smoothie and milk

Wednesday, Jan. 16: Sloppy Joes, chicken salad sandwich or hummus and veggie wrap, Greek salad, pineapple and milk.

Thursday, Jan. 17: Pizza (plain cheese, pepperoni or roasted veggie), tossed salad, fresh fruit and milk.

Sometimes a story just drops into your lap, or more accurately into your e-mail box.

That was the case last October when I received an inquiry about a mystery creature. But since I believe in saving for a rainy day, the story has waited until now.

I received a well-written, humorous, and descriptive inquiry from Jamie Katz, who even did some of the research for me.

We had a beautiful day on Saturday, Jan. 5 for the Vineyard’s forty-eighth consecutive Christmas Bird Count. We beat Nantucket, sort of, but more on that later. It was a day of fair weather with a bit of wind, but no rain or fog to dampen the birds’ or birders’ spirit. We had a great turnout with 69 field participants including six from Nantucket, a couple from Cape Cod and a couple from the Boston area.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

Jan. 4 20 8 .00

Jan. 5 35 17 .00

Jan. 6 43 23 .00

Jan. 7 49 36 .00

Jan. 8 52 35 .00

Jan. 9 55 44 .00

Jan. 10 53 36 .02

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 45º F.

By LYNNE IRONS

I am a hopeless pack rat. I bet I still have every piece of macaroni my children fashioned into artwork at nursery school. The plastic pots from my various plant purchases are my worst offense. In fact, I have an area in the garden known as Potland. When I am overwhelmed in some area of my life, I resort to organizing these pots.

Tonight is the benefit opening of Island Theatre Workshop, Inc.’s latest production, Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved family opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven.