BETTYE FOSTER BAKER

508-696-9983

(bdrbaker@comcast.net)

As the chilling June rains gave way this week to bright sun and wholesome breezes, I came back to my Island home. I found summer’s first voice while roaming at the garden center, my first act of renewal. It was here that I saw Island icon Jill Nelson, also plant shopping. She told me about her new book, Let’s Get It On, a sequel to Sexual Healing and some upcoming book signings. Shortly after, I ran into Joan Byrd at Ocean Park, who lost her husband Tommy last year. She assured me she was doing well as we talked in the parking lot. Millie Henderson, another Island icon, was buying a newspaper at the Corner Store, and gave me a big hug and inquired, as have many, “When are you going to start writing?” Penny Norris came with invitation in hand and was my first visitor. Arlene, my next door neighbor, has yet again trimmed my Montauk daisies for their September magnificence, and Wayne readied the cottage and planted three tomato plants in Bill’s garden so we could have garden grown tomatoes in August. By now Bill’s “magic garden” has been planted, where collards, kale, eggplant, herbs and squash will leap overnight from rich soil, and before long, sunflowers will be planted for grandchildren, Julianne, Andrew and Wesley, tall enough for imaginary climbing as they read the old classic, Jack and the Beanstalk, and make up their own stories! With these simple encounters, summer’s song began.

For those of us who come each summer, it is a gift, and each year finds me more grateful than the last. Seeing the changes on Circuit avenue was a wonderful surprise. Deon’s, formerly in Chilmark and West Tisbury, is a delightful addition, and the restaurant décor is stunningly elegant. My neighbor Brady Aikens and his guest, Jean DeMore, had dinner there last week and gave it four stars. Slice of Life has new owners and a new chef and breakfast was hearty and delicious. We had dinner at the new Mediterranean restaurant, formerly Lola’s, and it was spectacular. The ocean-styled décor is ultrasophisticated and the wait staff most accommodating. Lola’s will be missed, but change is inevitable and it is reassuring that the addition of both restaurants will ensure that our town will retain its reputation for great eateries.

After I worked so hard in the Presidential campaign office in Gettysburg and wrote op-eds on the race, finally on election night my state of Pennsylvania pushed him over the finish line. That announcement at 10 p.m. that Obama won will forever live in my heart. I attended the inauguration and was delighted to see Judy and Ron Davenport and Judy’s sister, artist Jo-Anne Bates, at the Pennsylvania Ball. Vineyard folks can be found everywhere! Should the Obama pending visit to Oak Bluffs become a reality, these heart-thumping moments may just go on and on. I can’t help but think that once in a blue moon a summer comes along that is like no other and this may be the one.

Every year excitement grows as Islanders anticipate the arrival of family and friends; so too is my excitement growing in anticipation of the arrival of four friends the end of June whom I have known since childhood. They will be here to celebrate a special day in our lives. Over the years, we designated ourselves as The Group, after reading Mary McCarthy’s 1963 title by the same name. McCarthy’s “group” were upper class Vassar women. We were university graduates and early sit-in demonstrators in the Civil Rights Movement, who also thought of ourselves as somewhat elite in our segregated Louisville, Ky. I’m certain the use of middle names, a southern tradition, will not be lost on you. Mine is Bettye Jane. Bonnie Faye Orton, a retired corporate type, now a Peace Corps volunteer, has worked in Botswana, Africa, since retirement to help stave off the AIDS epidemic; Peggy Jo Branch, retired school principal, still works to improve education in North Carolina and was the first African American from the University of Louisville to study at the Sorbonne University in Paris, and she also directs a children’s choir; Jo Ann Pleasure, a missionary and interior designer, rescheduled a commitment to teach art to impoverished children in Panama to come here and share a moment from our past. Finally, our special friend, Faith Elaine Lyles, has high hopes of coming. Faith married Lenny Lyles, former running back for the Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers. She was the first African American to co-host a TV morning show in Kentucky, the ABC show Omelet. Faith is our very own Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge rolled into one and is an avid gardener.

This special day we celebrate occurred when I was a bride of only a few weeks. My friends came to visit at Fort Knox, Ky., to be sure things were going alright. A surprise snowstorm that evening made the drive home impossible, so my friends spent the night and we sang familiar songs and reminisced. We will celebrate that evening nearly 50 years ago this year. Though snow will be unlikely on the Island, there will be a lot of years to toss around in nostalgic musings, photographs and music to share, and the creation of an Obama Moment to celebrate this nation’s great historical transformation.

This past fall, several of our summer seasonal friends passed: Thomas Byrd, of Sarasota, Fla.; Ken Owens, of Birmingham, Ala.; Helene Wareham of New York city, who passed within six weeks to the day of her husband, Alton Wareham’s death; Crawford B. Dowdell, a Tuskegee Airman who summered here for over 20 years and who was related to the Dowdell sisters, Kathy Allen, Ruth Bonaparte, and Millie Henderson; Stephanie Jennings, daughter of longtime summer resident Betty Jennings, also passed last year. Their absence leaves an enormous gap in our summer community. They will be missed.

Union Chapel services will begin Sunday, June 28. The first speaker of the summer season will be the Rev. Gregory Groover Sr., pastor of Charles Street AME Church, Roxbury. Services begin at 10 am.

When you consider there are 278 activities on the Island in the month of June alone, it is not unreasonable to assume there is something for everybody. Here’s what’s happening in our town and with the exception of one, all are free of charge:

June 20: The annual Oak Bluffs Harbor Fest will begin at noon until 6 p.m. at the Oak Bluffs Harbor front. There will be live music, food, arts, crafts and fireworks over Ocean Park at dark. Come out and join the fun for all ages. Admission is free.

June 20: The Friends of Oak Bluffs will have a Library paperback book sale at Harbor Fest from noon at the water’s edge. Admission free. Proceeds benefit the Oak Bluffs Public Library.

June 20: The Friends of Oak Bluffs are inviting all ages to join them at the library for a crossword/Sudoku puzzle challenge from 2 p.m. to 4:30. Admission is free. Sign up required. Prizes will be awarded to the highest scoring participants. Door prize — giveaway drawing.

June 21: Oak Bluffs will celebrate the arrival of summer at its second annual Summer Solstice, on Circuit avenue. Come out and join in the revelry on the longest day of the year. There will be music, arts, crafts, great food and dancing in the street. Admission is free.

June 21: Featherstone Center for the Arts will feature the Animals in Art Ceramics Show by Martha’s Vineyard artists. The opening reception is Sunday, June 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. The show runs to July 8, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

June 23: Yoga on the Beach starts up again from 7 to 8 a.m. at Town Beach across from Waban Park. Bring a large beach towel and “playful spirit!” Admission fee: $12 drop-in; $100 for 10 classes. Contact: MJ Bindu Delekta at 508-696-4513 or mj@sacredcircleofyoga.com.

June 23: You’re invited to join former journalist and Islander Pamela Street from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at the Oak Bluffs library to learn more about historical Oak Bluffs when she presents a slideshow and discusses her research on Robert M. Copeland, landscape gardener, and his plan for designing Oak Bluffs. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

June 23: Featherstone Flea and Fine Arts Market. Come and browse for fine art, folk art, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, antiques and collectibles from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

June 24: Travel by Book Discussions at the Oak Bluffs library; a series of discussions from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., based upon popular works about travel, geography and history. This month the book to be discussed is The Man Who Loved China: This is a fantastic story of the eccentric scientist who unlocked the mysteries of the Middle Kingdom, by Simon Winchester. The book will be available to borrow from the library. Attendees should read the book in advance. Admission is free and all are welcome.

June 25: Australia’s Undersea Mysteries will be featured at the Oak Bluffs Public Library in a photo and video presentation of Michael Wooley’s undersea imagery highlighting the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

Planning a wedding, anniversary, family reunion, special tribute? Have guests coming? Send me an e-mail. This column shares memories, coming events and all that’s new and exciting in Oak Bluffs. And don’t forget to open your gifts!