Chilmark, please excuse the missing column last week and we will try to catch up this week. Every now and again, the computer age moves on without me. We are hoping for better this week.

The pace of life here has increased by bounds and there is so much to tell you about that I will try to bring you the headlines.

Congratulations to our Chilmark graduates from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. They are Samantha Bunker, Bradley Carroll, Jessica Campbell, Mariah Campbell, Alistair Morgan and also to Galen Mayhew, who has deep Chilmark roots. Cheers to you and may the future be bright for you all!

Billie Hancock entertained Sonya Burch and Joey Younger who came up from Jacksonville to attend the graduation of Joey’s niece, Amber Bettencourt.

We send cheers to two of our popular citizens, Emmett and Kathie Carroll, as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this week. Best wishes from us all! Seems like yesterday!

We send condolences to George Szilassy on the death last week of his mother, Theresa Szilassy of Medway. She was born in Hungary in 1926 and moved to Medway where she earned her U.S. citizenship in 1969, raised seven children and worked in the Medway school system. Services were at the St. Joseph’s Church in Medway last week. George is a valued member of the Chilmark volunteer fire department and a popular house painter, man about town and friend to many. We send him good thoughts.

Congratulations to one of Chilmark’s favorites, Rena Fischer, who celebrated her 99th birthday in the company of her large and loving family on June 14. We all send her best wishes for happy days ahead.

Conrad and Jane Neumann of Durham and Menemsha have arrived for the extended summer season. Jane will be selling at the Chilmark flea market and at the West Tisbury antiques show as she has for many years.

Jack and Nina Huberman of Santa Fe and Menemsha are here for an early summer visit and some fishing when possible.

Chilmark was saddened by the death last week of Susan Parker. She was active in town activities, especially school issues. Her membership in many committees greatly advanced the education system and the school systems up-Island and more. She will be missed by many who regret her untimely death. Her family hosted memorial services this past week in her honor. We send condolences to her family and many friends.

A group of year-round and seasonal residents recently made a 10-day tour of Israel. They are Joel Greenberg and Marcy Gringlas, who, with their children, Sara, Jackson and Ellie, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. David Dince and Lisa Smith, Matt and Marcia Kauffman and Ken and Ann Baum were also on the trip, as were Andy Goldman, Susan Heilbron and Leo Desorcy. While in Israel, Andy Goldman, 79, and David Dince 60, celebrated their bar mitzvahs by chanting from the Torah. This rite of passage is usually celebrated by boys of the Jewish faith at age 13. We send best wished to these two young men. Cheers from us all!

Please note that the Chilmark Church is now selling their popular lobsters-to-go from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the church hall on Tuesdays for the summer months. They also send word that everything is on track to begin another busy season at their annual flea market at Wilkinson’s Field on North Road beginning on Wednesday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They tell us that there are new vendors this year and many returning regular vendors and free parking.

The Chilmark library is hosting a program by Luanne Johnson and Liz Baldwin, biodiversity biologists, on June 25 at 5 p.m. The subject of their talk will be Life on the Beach, a discussion of the diversity of wildlife species on the beaches of our Island.

Congratulations to Chilmark and Cambridge resident, Dan Pinck, who enjoyed a chat with President Obama in person while both were in France last week marking the anniversary of D Day. Dan Pinck is a 90-year-old veteran of those moments who went on to a successful career with the New Yorker magazine. It was there that he honed his skills in softball. A skill he has brought to the Chilmark softball games for many years. We congratulate Dan on his service and thank him.

Bill Edison is back in town and back in his role as self-appointed softball commissioner for Chilmark. His fans are happy to know he is on the job. The softball games are played at Flanders Field off Tabor House Road every Sunday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. Bill tells us that pitchers Arlon Roth, Ziggy Van Raan and Hans Solmisson are back for another season, and that Dan Pinck, now home from France, will make some come back appearances. The games may be enjoyed by all and participation is welcome.

It is my pleasure to tell you about a Chilmark family wedding that took place at the Kuh house on Loon Lane on June 14. Catherine Thompson married Jeremy Scott Wood of Weston, with the bride’s brother, Daniel Askow, officiating. The groom’s children, Alexis Wood, Jonas Wood and Augusta Wood accompanied him down the aisle. The groom’s granddaughters, Ruby Gage and Momo Kusaka Wood were flower girls. The bride was given away by her unofficial uncle, Dan Greenbaum of Chilmark. Music for the processional was played by Ed Greenebaum of Bloomington and Chilmark and by Cloe Kuh of Newton. The wedding guests included the extended Kuh, Ambulos and Straight families who gathered from across the country. The bride’s brother’s family included Dan, Shari and Nathan of Illinois. The Wood family present included Randall Gage, Shio Kusaka and Andy Freeman and grandsons Benjamin Gage and Kiki Kusaka Wood. The bride and groom will reside in Chilmark. Cheers from us all!