JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

The weekend weather was superb, hot and dry. The beaches were full and our temperature in the shade was nearly 90 degrees. Frank Adams would have described the weather we have been having as “hotter than a burn boot,” as that was the description he wrote in his diary about a similar heat wave that occurred in the summer of 1941.

Last week the sun began setting at least two minutes earlier each day as we slowly head towards fall. Why, there are only 167 shopping days until Christmas! Jane Konicki up in Webster reports that she has half of hers done! However it is summer and we are not taking notice of such things. Outdoor activities are at a fever pitch and sales of bagged ice and charcoal have skyrocketed.

Mary Blake’s pie stand has been very busy this weekend and Mary is struggling to keep up with the demand. She has kept her husband, Gary Ellis, busy selling pies in the gazebo every day till they run out. This is the 40th year of Blake pies and it all started from a small table on their front lawn.

Marian Irving reports that the First Congregational Church will hold its first-ever blueberry festival tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She says that blueberry specialties such as blueberry-peach cobbler with whipped cream, freshly baked pies, scones, muffins, coffee cakes, fruit parfaits and yogurt, blueberry pomegranate smoothies, blueberry iced tea and ice cream will be available. Everyone is invited to sit in the shade and enjoy a blueberry treat.

Jennifer Tseng over at the library reports that they want to thank the Permanent Endowment Fund of Martha’s Vineyard for their grant of $2,400. The library has purchased six good quality student guitars and will be offering basic guitar classes in the fall taught by Steve Maxner. The classes will be free and open to both young adult and adult Islanders.

Vicki Bijur and her husband Ed Levine of New York city have been vacationing at her mom’s place in Tiahs Cove. Ed is busy writing another book and Vicki reports that her mom is still going strong at age 95, and she sends her best to her Vineyard friends.

Dudley Eppel of Pond View Road reports that watering the garden nearly every evening has produced results. He already has a lettuce crop which they are enjoying and he has shared the bounty with his family and grandchildren.

Connie Koch of Washington, D.C. and Edgartown Road is scheduled to arrive tomorrow to spend the summer at her home. She is busy preparing for the arrival of her children, who will be making their summer visits later this month. Sarah Neubert and Marques Rivers were married last Friday at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society hall. A reception was held at Flat Point Farm. Her mother Eleanor reports that the weather was superb and the guest list included people from near and far. Andrew O’Reilly and his mom Jean, of Dublin, Ohio are here on vacation and attended the wedding ceremony last week.

Eleanor Neubert reports that this year’s fair poster and T-shirt design was won by Terry Crimmen. The theme of the fair will be “hog wild for the fair.”

Alex Karman of Brooklyn and his friends Rick and Katie Reilly and their son Colin, along with John Kuefner, Tom Eliasinski, Nav Zarinejad, Ashley Schachner, Elissa Soule and Andy and Taya Rabinowitz, spent the holiday weekend at his mother’s house. They enjoyed the warm weather, beach biking and just relaxing in the evening with an adult beverage or two.

Sig Van Raan of Music street reports that they have adopted from the animal shelter sibling kitties 4 weeks old, Louis and Ella. All of them are bonding nicely. His daughter Sofia’s boyfriend Zach came for the weekend from Wolfsboro, N.H. They all spent the July 4th weekend with the requisite beach activities, a family picnic, softball game and lobster dinner. He is pleased to have Sofia and Jackson home for the summer. Jackson is working as an instructor counselor at the Sense of Wonder arts and crafts camp and drives a taxi on occasional evenings. Sofia is gardening and house cleaning. In between yard work and rental cottage duties, Sig is trying to carve out time for his ongoing writing project.

Journalist Perry Garfinkel reminds us he still pays taxes in this town even though he’s lived in Berkeley, Calif. for the last year. He will lead a four-day travel writing retreat in Costa Rica over Labor Day weekend. It is open to everyone from beginners to experienced published writers. It will be held at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. Perry is a longtime contributor to The New York Times, blogs for Huffington Post and is the author of national bestselling Buddha or Bust, a spiritual adventure travel memoir. He also led day-long travel writing workshops on the Island for several years. His website is perrygarfinkel.com.

Cherrilla Brown is busier than ever producing her own By the Sea salt. It is a combination of kosher salt and selected herbs made right in her kitchen from her mother’s special recipe. She also bottles her own Jose Can You Sea Salt with a little kick to it. She reports selling more than 5,000 bottles last year Island-wide and besides being a helpful addition to any spice cabinet, it is a useful souvenir to take back home or send as a gift. Nancy Cramer of Music street reports that West Tisbury artist Ruth Kirchmeier will join Heather Sommers and Elizabeth Taft to talk about their art groups at the Shaw Cramer Gallery in Vineyard Haven on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Ami Remondi reports that this Tuesday will be West Tisbury Library Night at Flatbread at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. From 3 to 9 p.m, a portion of the sale of each flatbread pizza, including take-out, will be donated to the West Tisbury Library’s renovation and expansion project.

Today from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Vineyard Playhouse, they invite us to celebrate the publication of Carol Rocamora’s new book, Anton Chekhov: A Life in Four Acts.

Anna Carringer, assistant curator at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, wants to remind you that on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. marine biologist and Vineyard native Arne Carr will explore the world of six-masted schooners. These schooners were the leviathans of coastal trade as they were 300 to more than 400 feet in length. Only 10 were built, mostly in Maine, and they sailed the New England coast in the early 1900s. Four sank near Martha’s Vineyard. Arne will focus on the construction, commerce and fate of these schooners.

Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and Jerome and Carol Kennedy will be holding their summer benefit at Misty Meadows Farm from 6 till 9:30 p.m. President John Schaefer and executive director Adam Moore will address the guests. There will be a catered dinner and dancing under the stars.

Jane Coakley, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, reports that the Harlem Quartet will perform a program of music on Monday at 8 p.m. in the Old Whaling Church with the new mural by Margot Datz in the background. Also, president David Rhoderick will present the MVCMS scholarship check to this year’s recipient Olivia de Geofroy before the start of the concert. Olivia is the daughter of Karen Overtoom and Louis de Geofroy of Scotchman’s Lane. She will further her music education at the alma mater of Peter Boak, Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. If you miss Monday’s concert, the same can be heard at the Chilmark Community Center on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Discounts on tickets are available for Our Island Club members and students are admitted free.

History note: In July of 1969 our town became the first on the Island to have radar and two police cruisers. Police Chief George W. Manter reported that the radar unit had been in service for two weeks and the new cruiser was due to arrive any day. The new car would not replace the 1965 model then in use, but was considerably more up-to-date and was the police car most frequently used. The new vehicle was a Ford station wagon designed not to tip at high speed. It was equipped with a two-way radio and stretcher. The cost to the taxpayers was $4,200. The portable radar unit, which was brought to the Island by the state police for a test but was not bought by them, automatically recorded the speed of an oncoming car which could be as much as a mile away from a parked cruiser. The chief said that radar was a good psychological tool that would make a motorist think twice before speeding through town. The cost of the radar unit was $895.

Happy birthday to Anna Alley, Denise Mount, Levi Flanders, Clare Rattet and Martina Mastromonaco today, Paul Karasik, the Rev. Cathlin Baker, Michele Ortlip and David Perzanowski celebrate tomorrow. Tina Miller, Jay Schwartz , Bridgette Gisele Cornand and John Walsh have birthdays on Sunday. Bob Lee, Tom Reynolds, Barbara Scherlis, Jackie Clason and Stacey Witt blow out candles on Monday. Margaret Logue, Rosie Shgrue Peter Lynch and Karen English have a birthday on Tuesday. Eleanor Thayer, Cynthia Bloomquist, Mary Giordano and Daniel Van Landingham will celebrate Wednesday. Arnie Fischer, Sue Leland, Susan Middleton, Phoebe Hersh, David Fielder and Mark Yale have birthdays on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Denise Mazzuchelli and Lauraye White. Happy anniversary to that special Music street couple Sig VanRaan and Susan Dickler on Wednesday.

Well that is all of the social news for this edition. A piece of useless trivia to use at your next cocktail party: please call or e-mail me with your news. Have a great week.