JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

slaterjn@comcast.net

Chilmark is missing Basil L. Welch as I write. He died on Sept. 24 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after a brief illness. He is now missed by all of us who valued him as a friend and fellow Chilmarker. He was a man of many talents, friends and interests. He was a hunter and fisherman, a whittler and wood carver of note, and he could easily write a memorable poem or a letter to the editor or recall many interesting facts about his beloved Martha’s Vineyard. He had a unique wit and an individual take on life that made talking with him a pleasurable event. He served Chilmark for many years in several ways. He was the superintendent of the Abel’s Hill Cemetery and became very knowledgeable about Chilmark families and their past. We will all have our special memories of moments spent with Basil. We send condolences to his Islandwide family and his many, many friends.

Services for Basil Welch will be on Sunday at the Martha’s Vineyard Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. and at Abel’s Hill Cemetery on South Road at 11 a.m. on Monday. There will be a potluck luncheon at the Chilmark Community Center from noon to 2 p.m.

There will be a memorial service for former Chilmarker, Ted Farrow, on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 2 p.m. at the Abel’s Hill Cemetery on South Road. Ted died on July 25 at age 82. Friends and family will gather after the service at the Chilmark Community Church. Donations may be made in his memory to the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust.

The Boston String Quartet is due to perform at the Chilmark Community Church on Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. All are welcome to hear this unique group who play lively music for all ages. The tickets are available at the door and go to support the church’s music program.

Please note that the correct hour for the Chilmark Community Church weekly Pizza Night is at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to the evening of pizza and games, and donations are asked to support the program.

Congratulations to Garth and Ollie Edwards of Abel’s Hill and Essex, Conn., as they celebrate their 72nd anniversary on Sept. 30. The Edwards have been coming to their Abel’s Hill home for four generations, and all of the family enjoys the multigenerational gatherings every summer. Cheers from us all!

Ron and Deborah Nagengast came from Albany for a few days in Menemsha visiting old friends.

Margarite Benson enjoyed a fall weekend at her home overlooking the Vineyard Sound. She came with friends and family from Washington, D.C., to celebrate her birthday.

Donald Nitchie traveled to Nashville this week for the International Banjo Association Annual Meeting. Donald is the editor of Banjo Newsletter, which he and his family write and produce and distribute 12 times a year from Martha’s Vineyard.

Congratulations to Ted and Judy Mayhew, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this week. The popular couple celebrated in style and with the best wishes of their extended Chilmark family and friends. Cheers from us all!

Congratulations to Jim and Roberta Morgan, who celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on Sept. 29. Cheers from us all!

The Chilmark Library will host the second part of the BBC documentary Sissinghurst Gardens on Oct. 5, Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. This documentary will continue in two more parts. The Friends of the Chilmark Library are presenting this for the public at no charge.

Zee Gamson has taken on the chairmanship of the Chilmark Democratic Committee and will be keeping us posted on the preelection year events of note.

The Chilmark library will begin the children’s after-school programs on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 3 to 4 p.m. Reading and crafts are offered for ages six and up. They will attempt to build a robot this fall.

The Chilmark library will present a program of children’s songs on Oct. 8 at 10:20 a.m. for children of all ages. Musician Jeanie McLerie of Silver City, N.M., will lead the children in songs in several languages. Jeanie grew up spending summers in Chilmark and is now part of a musical group called Bayou Seco. She plays guitar and fiddle and sings in several languages,

There will be a flu shot clinic at Conroy’s Apothecary in North Tisbury on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 from 11 am to 2 p.m. and again on Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flu shots will be available for $24.99 each. No appointments necessary.