JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark is alive and well this week after experiencing all kinds of weather that included heavy rains, loud thunder and bright lighting ... followed by sunny days and clear skies! Our visitors were out and about and appeared to take it all in stride. The pressure of so many things to do seems to keep us all moving through these summer days, rain or shine.

Fishing is still good in our up-Island waters and many tables have been featuring bluefish in many culinary variations.

Welcome to Emma Elizabeth Bena who was born on August 3 at 2:35 a.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital to happy parents, Mollie Doyle and Thomas Bena. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. The family lives on North Road. Congratulations from us all!

Emily George and Ian Neugeborn were married in New York city on August 2. Emily is the daughter of Robert and Bonnie George of Chilmark and Ian is the son of Michael and Joan Neugeborn of Jericho, N.Y. Emily will commence her duties as a social worker at the Ross Global Academy, a charter school in New York city this month. Ian is a clinical assistant instructor and third-year resident at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. The couple will visit The Georges at Quansoo soon. Cheers from us all!

Nancy Noble Gardner will be showing her photography at the Chilmark library with an opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. on August 16. The show will run thru Sept. 3. Nancy has been a seasonal visitor to the Island for 55 years and has shown her work at many Island art shows and galleries.

Linda Thompson will be exhibiting her paintings at the Bank of Martha’s Vineyard at Beetlebung Corner from August 15 to 21 with an opening reception on Friday, August 15, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Tom Klimm is hosting an all girls’ week at his grandfather, Rasmus Klimm’s Menemsha home. Tom’s daughters, Caroline and Kristen are entertaining their friends Meredith Schuman, Alison McHorney, P.J. Hooton, Molly Larson and Francesca Famigliette, all of Cape Cod. It is the first visit to Martha’s Vineyard for the girls. They are enjoying the many stories of Rasmus Klimm and his connections to Menemsha and it’s fishing history. Some of us remember the wonderful and whimsical carvings of sea creatures that Rasmus carved and decorated his Menemsha fish shack with ... many of them now hang in the home at the bend of Basin Road and are enjoyed by his extended family.

Our congratulations to David and Betty Lazarus of Urbana, Ill., and Chilmark, who are celebrating their wedding anniversary at their Middle Road home. Helping them celebrate are their son Bill, his wife Suellen and their sons Eban and Oliver, and their daughter Twiggy Lazarus, her husband Daniel Jay, and their son, Michael.

Please make note of the following entertainments all happening in Chilmark that will keep you, your children and your guests busy for another summer week, rain or shine!

The Chilmark library continues to provide events for both adults and children. This Saturday, August 16, there will be a book launching party for author Kate Feiffer and her new book President Pennybaker. Children of all ages are welcome to the one-hour program that begins at 10:30 a.m. at the library.

Please note that the Chilmark library will cosponsor a performance of the Black Brook singers and drummers and Sol Y Canto Band at the Aquinnah library on Saturday, August 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cultural anthropologist and Chilmark seasonal resident, Richard A. Shweder, will speak on Wednesday, August 20, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. His subject will be You Want Me to Do What? The Puzzling Cultural Practice of Male Circumcision.

Author Carol Gilligan will discuss her first book of fiction, Kyra, on Thursday, August 21, at the library from 5 to 6 p.m. Dr. Gilligan is professor in the humanities and applied psychology at New York University. She is a writer, psychologist, feminist and gender theorist.

The Yard in Chilmark continues to offer talented entertainment at their Barn theatre at Beetlebung corner. The programs are on Fridays. This week they offer comic opera at 8 p.m. and next Friday, August 30, they will offer an exploration of the Othello theme in dance, opera and poetry. Please call them for more information at 508-645-9662.

The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival continues at the community center. Movies for children are shown at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with a feature film for older audiences beginning at 8 p.m. The Scottish Bakehouse will provide food and live music is organized by Colin Ruel of Chilmark. The program on August 20 for children will be two short films, Kids and Money and Kick Like a Girl. The adult film will be The One Percent.

The community center last August Wednesday evening program will begin at 7:30 p.m. on August 21. Margot Datz and Carol McManus will share the stage for an evening of mermaids and muffins.

Please send me your news by e-mail or at 508-645-3378, thanks.