JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
We had a mild weekend for this time of year. T-shirts and shorts were seen about town over the long weekend, and the temperature reached 68 degrees this past Monday. We had our share of wind and rain last Thursday, and all boats were cancelled. We felt more of an impact from the northeaster than Hurricane Sandy. We lost many tree limbs, including several limbs in the cemetery, but did not lose our electric power. The leaves, for the most part, have fallen to the ground and along with the shorter days — sunset is at 4:20 p.m. — it is getting mighty grim outside as we approach the shortest day of the year next month.
As you may have noticed, the deer have been moving around lately, primarily due to the hunting season, and you are apt to see them in the strangest places.
The schools want to remind all parents that school will be dismissed for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at noon on Wednesday.
The Thanksgiving holiday will find quite a few families gathering in town, and a fair amount of us going off-Island. Boat and air traffic will be busier than normal starting tomorrow, and all next week, in both directions. On Thanksgiving, all government buildings and many private businesses will be closed. All town buildings will be closed on Friday, Nov. 23, creating a long weekend for many of us.
Allen and Lynne Whiting, of State Road, celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary on Monday in the same house in which they were married! It is also significant for me as it was the first wedding ceremony I performed as a justice of the peace. Congratulations to a swell couple!
Linda Alley, aka the Jelly Queen, wants to remind folks that a winter farmers’ market will be held tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Time to buy your Thanksgiving turkey, pies, desserts and holiday veggies. Vendors from West Tisbury are Flat Point, Blackwater, Cleaveland, Breezy Pines, Ghost Island, Nip’n Tuck and Whippoorwill Farms, as well as New Lane Sundries and Beth’s Bakery.
Herb Ward reports that the Federated Church of Edgartown will hold its Festival of Wreaths on Thursday, Nov. 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m., in the parish house on 45 South Summer street. Wreaths will be for sale at $45 each. Admission is $10, which includes beverages, hors d’oeuvres and a raffle. Proceeds benefit the maintenance of the 1832 Sara Mayhew Parsonage. For more information, call Marna at 508-627-4421.
Manuel Estrella, fire chief, reports that the Fireman’s Civic Association will be distributing food baskets to the elderly in town for the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend.
There will be a new film release, A Late Quartet, screened by the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society today and tomorrow at their film center in Vineyard Haven. For more information, visit mvfilmsociety.com. There will be a special introduction by artistic director Delores Stevens before the screenings.
Lynne Ditchfield reports that on Tuesday, Nov. 20 ACE MV will offer a QuickBooks computer bookkeeping class from 7 to 9 p.m. at the high school.
For information and registration, email lynn@acemv.org or call 774-310-1131.
Jennifer Tseng, over at the library, reports that on Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m., the Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven will host the library’s semi-annual Community Poetry Reading. This event features community members reading their own poems and/or the poems of others. As always, numbers will be drawn from a hat to determine the reading order. Refreshments will be served.
Lee Revere reports that if you are cleaning up books in your house and wish to donate them to the library, you may do so by driving over to the school and putting them in the book drop attached to a small building near the parking lot.
Old friend Mike Pease passed away on Saturday. He recently celebrated his 90th birthday and was good fellow. It was a pleasure knowing him. Our condolences to Mary Jane and his family.
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the first electric Christmas ornament and it is well worth your while to drive by the Gatchell residence on County Road in Oak Bluffs to view their superb display of Christmas lighting. They will be turning them on Thanksgiving night and every night until New Year’s Day. Bob reports that they have been hard at work, hanging almost 25,000 lights for the past few weeks. He will unveil a new surprise or two that he has been working on for several months that will make it an even more fantastic display of Christmas lighting than last season.
In 1939, Mrs. Bradlee Martin of Tiah’s Cove set out to bake a custard pie on the morning before Thanksgiving day. The ingredients were 18 turkey eggs from the nest out in the barn, fresh milk and cream from the famous Martin Jersey cows, granulated sugar and Sumatra spices that S.M. Mayhew Company had in stock. The mixture was beaten, whipped and blended. Mrs. Martin placed the dish in the oven, and in due time it would emerge as a beautifully browned custard pie. At the appointed time she went back to the oven, opened the door and removed her culinary delight, but to her amazement the crust was on top and the custard was on the bottom of the pie. Her husband, Bradlee, immediately suspected it was the pure vanilla extract that she had used to flavor it with. Why, that stuff is 40 per cent alcohol! S’nough to turn anything upside down!
Happy birthday to Wendy Forest, Carol Hall Marchant, Paul Adler and Joyce Brigish today; to Jim Coyne, Chloe Maley, Peter Tucker and Nicolas Hallbilsback tomorrow; to Rusty Hitchings, Sammi Chaves, Jennifer Reekie, Lori Plaut and Terri Mello on Sunday; to John Athearn, Kevin Segel, Benjamin Luckey, William Skinner and Sandra Mincone on Monday; to Carlo D’Antonio, Craig Dripps, Sam Hopkins, Glen Gaskill and Joan Borkow on Tuesday; to Bernice Kirby, Stephanie Russell, Willie Mason, Alan Wiley and Dan Metell on Wednesday; and to Dan Cabot, Sagitta Woodman and Nancy Dole on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Diane Smith and Teresa Nelson.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. If you have any news or holiday guests, please call or e-mail me. Do you remember that 60 years ago today the soon-to-be-famous chimp, J. Fred Muggs, made his first television appearance on the Today program? The host was Dave Garroway.
Comments
Comment policy »