JO-ANN TILGHMAN
508-627-7669
One of the things about August is that all of a sudden there seem to be far more meetings than occur over the rest of the summer. In addition to the regularly scheduled board and commission meetings, August is the time for annual meetings, especially if you are looking to get seasonal residents to attend.
Tomorrow, August 2, at 9 a.m. is the annual meeting of the Chappaquiddick Community Center, not to be confused with the Chappaquiddick Island Association, which will hold their August meeting the following Saturday, August 9 at 9 a.m. with a social hour preceding the meeting.
For some reason, a number of people do not know that the center and the association are separate organizations.
Both serve the Chappaquiddick community with dedicated volunteers, but they are very different organizations serving different purposes.
An excerpt from the mission statement of the center states that the purpose is “to create and build a community center on the island of Chappaquiddick. To operate and maintain same for the benefit of the members and others from time to time,” while an excerpt from the 2003 association directory states, “the purpose of the association shall be to promote the welfare and operate in the best interests of the Island of Chappaquiddick and of those who make it their permanent or seasonal home.” The center is responsible for the community building, its maintenance, utilities, and insurance and is made available for meetings of other Chappaquiddick organizations, such as the association.
Another scheduled meeting is a seasonal resident meeting which will be held by the Edgartown selectmen on Wednesday, August 6, at 4:30 p.m. in the Baylies Room of the Old Whaling Church. If you have questions or concerns about Edgartown or Chappaquiddick, this forum will provide an opportunity for information and discussion. Topics of interest to seasonal Chappy residents likely will include a bike path, maintenance of Litchfield Road, parking, and the amount of Chappy tax dollars that return to Chappy.
Dot Dropick of the Chappy Book Club tells me that the book selected for the August 14 meeting is Anne Tyler’s novel Digging to America. Summer renters, visitors, and house guests are all welcome at the 10:30 am discussion that will be held at the community center.
Tomorrow morning, Saturday, August 2, at 11 a.m., the gardeners of Mytoi will conduct a 1-hour tour of the Japanese-inspired garden with an additional tour scheduled for Monday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. The fee for the tour is $15 or $10 for members of The Trustees of Reservations. Please call 508-627-3599 if you plan to attend.
An additional (Not So Creepy) Creatures of the Night family hike for children ages four through eight will be held Tuesday, August 5, at 7:45 p.m. The fee is $10 per child while the accompanying adult is free. Having attended this program last night with my two granddaughters, I can state with a reasonable degree of certainty that “a fine time will be had by all.”
The Summer Music Series continues with violinist Jennifer Koh and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute performing August 7 at 8 p.m. Jennifer has been described as a “risk-taking, high-octane player who grabs the listener by the ears and refuses to let go.” They will be performing works by Bach, Brahms, and Bartok. Tickets are $18 for adults ($16 for seniors) and transportation is provided from the Chappy ferry.
Mary Beth Alger has worked tirelessly for years to bring the music series to Chappaquiddick. During those years, funding has come from grants, private donations, and ticket sales. This year the funding has fallen short, however, as it has for many worthy causes. As I write this column, Mary Beth is short $3,000 and needs to raise the additional funds by Thursday, August 7. If you are able to contribute to this Chappy tradition in any dollar amount, please contact Mary Beth at 508-627-5514.
The Friday Foreign Film this evening, Fire, is part of a three-film series by Deepa Mehta. (The Friday Foreign Film screened Earth, and Water, in previous summers).
Other happenings at the community center include an ice cream social on Wednesday, August 6, at 6:30 p.m. and a women’s seminar by Joan Jackson on Friday, August 8, at 9 a.m. The calendar photo voting continues at the center through August 9. Try to save the date of August 13 for a pasta dinner (before the ice cream social) to benefit the Youth AIDS Foundation —more information in next week’s column.
This seems to be a changeover week with family and guests arriving for many Chappy families. May you have sun-filled days, have rain only at night, experience no mosquitoes, catch lots of fish, win all your tennis or golf games, and have a wonderful August.
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