JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

alleys@vineyard.net

We enjoyed a gorgeous Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of the summer season. Cookouts and outdoor activities, including the beach, were the order of the day. Traffic was considerably lighter and parking spaces were not hard to find if you went into town. Business at the Dumptique was brisk as a fair amount of people were dropping off items they enjoyed over the summer but no longer needed. Signs advertising yard sales were numerous. It was a perfect opportunity to clean up the yard and complete other outdoor chores. Many students have returned to their respective colleges and are settling in. Activity around the school increased dramatically on Tuesday as teachers returned to work preparing for the opening of school yesterday morning. School buses are now on the road, so be prepared to stop when you see red flashing lights at the top of the busses as the driver is about to put out the stop sign.

Lifeguards are no longer stationed at Lambert’s Cove beach. Parking lot attendants are also gone until next summer and no stickers are required.

A sure sign of fall is the start of the annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby this Sunday. Joyce Bowker, director of the Council on Aging, reports that the “fresh fish schedule” at Howes House will be on Thursdays all during the derby. Please call 508-693-2896 after 10 a.m. that day and the staff will know the amount of fish that will be distributed to the senior citizens in the up-Island towns.

Lee Revere, reports that the library soon will accept book donations for their 56th annual sale to be held in 2013. Books may be dropped off at the library during business hours. If you are cleaning out your library at home this fall, feel free to drop the books off at the new temporary library in October

Charlie Kernick of Edgartown Road reports that he started the Martha’s Vineyard Antique Photos site on Facebook just about a year ago and now has hit the 1,000 “likes” milestone. The site is averaging more than 4,000 hits each week from all over the world. It’s amazing how widespread interest in the Vineyard is. There are times when he will post a new photo in the middle of the night, and be startled by the immediate response of folks in Europe who are on Facebook at that time. Most of the pictures in the early days came from the Athearn family collection. That has been augmented with images from my own collection of stereo views and cabinet cards of 19th century places and people. Now we’ve added some real photo postcard images, and have several site visitors that are posting their own historic photos. He is actively seeking other folks with photo albums, family albums and historical images of the Vineyard who might allow him to scan those images and make them a part of the site. His collection is finite, and he really wants to keep this effort going and growing. Folks who may be interested in showing him their images can contact him at westtisbury@hotmail.com.

Pierce Kirby Jr. of Moscow and North Tisbury was here last week on a brief respite before flying back to business in Russia. He took time to fly over to Nantucket to attend the birthday celebration for Gary Conover.

Arsen Hambardzumian and his wife, Nicole Alley, and their son, Robbie, of East Taunton came down to visit and celebrate her birthday with a swell dinner at Hooked. Arsen completed some septic work and enjoyed the beaches. He had to return home Saturday evening. On Sunday Anna’s sister Nina Berry and her son Nick Pohl came down for the day to look at my almost completed deck, visit with us and enjoy the beach. They had dinner with us and Sam took all of our family visitors to the boat Sunday night.

Shanti Blum of Music street reports that she has been busy with family that came down to visit her this summer. Her daughter, Leslie Hecht, and family from New Jersey are currently visiting her.

Constance Koch of Edgartown Road will be leaving for her home in Washington, D.C. next week. She reports having a wonderful summer. Most of her children — including daughters Anne and her husband, Chuck Taylor, from Seattle, Wash.; Sarah, her husband, Sloan Seymour, and their children, Claire, Grace and Caroline from the Brooklyn Heights section of New York city; and her son Peter from Washington, D.C. — visited her at various times last month. Her other son John was unable to make it this summer.

Bob and Diantha Eisendrath of Belmont have been in residence at their Music street home since the first of last month. Their guest is Larry Krakoff of Passaic, N.J. Diantha reports that they are anxiously awaiting the birth of their second grandchild any day now.

Ann Smith reports that Featherstone will present the 2nd Annual Artists Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $50, which allows guests to visit 16 artists who will open their studios and showcase their artwork. A closing celebration reception will take place on Sunday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Featherstone. The 16 artists are: Sandy Bernat, Laurene Krasny Brown, Patricia Carlet, Marston Clough, Deirdre De Carion, Debra Gaines, Warren Gaines, Anne Grandin, Jay Lagemann, Joan LeLacheur, Julia Mitchell, Lucinda Sheldon, Donna Straw, Liz Taft, Wendy Weldon and Jules Worthington. The studio tours will take place over two days to insure that there is ample time to visit all of the studios.

Jennifer Tseng, over at the library, reports that the library will be screening modern romance movies on Mondays at 7 p.m. Popcorn is included! This Monday they will show When Harry Met Sally. The paintings of Anne Martin will be on display at the library all this month, and she laments that there is less and less to report these days as they prepare to move to their temporary space.

The first fall meeting of the Fiber Folks is on Sunday at the agricultural hall. The folks meet to work on projects and exchange ideas. Bring any handcraft project: spinning, knitting, weaving, quilting, rug hooking or any other project. There will be a yarn, book and supplies swap.

Adult and Community Education of MV (ACE MV) will be collaborating with the Yoga Barn to offer a 29-week comprehensive yoga teacher training course geared especially toward Island educators, with optional college credit from Fitchburg State University. The certificate course will be led by the former director of Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training, Martha Abbot, accompanied by Dr. Wendy Chabot, who is facilitating teaching yoga for children, plus experienced Kraal yoga instructor Scarlet Jarrell, with Lynn Ditchfield guiding students seeking undergraduate and graduate college credit from Fitchburg State University for the course. This is an extraordinary opportunity to take a 200-hour Yoga Alliance-certified teaching training course in the Kripalu tradition at the Yoga Barn for a reduced rate. There are opportunities for limited scholarships for Island educators applying early, as well as a 5 per cent early bird registration discount if you sign up by Sept. 15. For more information and to register, go to acemv.org or call 508-693-5364 or 774-310-1131. In-person registration for ACE MV classes will be at the Living Local Harvest Festival on Sept. 29, and at the regional high school from 4:30 to 6 p.m, Oct. 2 and 3.

On July 15, 1947 James A. Austin, of Scarsdale, N.Y. — for many years a summer visitor in Lambert’s Cove — purchased property on Paul’s Point consisting of more than 26 acres and 2000 feet of shore frontage on Vineyard Sound from the heirs of C.F. Morse. Also included in the transfer was the bungalow on the point which Mr. Austin planned to modernize and enlarge to use for a summer home. Paul’s Point is one of the most prominent projections into Vineyard Sound lying between Lambert’s Cove and Cedar Tree Neck. The name derives from Old Paul, an Indian convert from Christiantown, who died in the 17th century.

Happy birthday to Barbara Hull, Mary Bergeron, Iwan Tol and Ismael Calixto today; Harry Athearn, Dan Larkosh, Elizabeth Pickett Gray, Pat McMahon and Joan Murphy tomorrow; Ben Sweet, Joanne Rice and Owen Jones on Sunday; Dot Fisher, Dan Larsen and Scott Campbell on Monday; Bob Holt, Ann Evasick, Maria McFarland and Paul Schneider on Tuesday; Tim Barnett, Lauren Beford and Deborah Shipkin on Wednesday; James Powell and Shirley Howell on Thursday. Anniversary greetings to Dan and Candace Widmer and Pierce and Bernice Kirby on Tuesday; Danny and Cheryl Metell on Wednesday. Belated birthday wishes to Sig Van Raan and Mary Lu Hough. Belated wedding anniversary greetings to Matthew and Stacy Hayden and Molly and Ryan Hooper.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news, please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.