Town Column : Edgartown

By Gail Craig
Published: April 17, 2008

I find spring on Martha's Vineyard to be so deceptive. I expect it to be warm and sunny, but more often than not it's grey and windy and cold. You'd think that after living here for some 40 years I would have caught on by now, but I'm still always surprised at how dreary spring can actually be. But, the sun does also shine and there are warmer days on the horizon. I hope.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in last week's election, either running for office or diligently working at the polls. Running campaigns is hard work, and holding office, with honesty and integrity, is even harder. Good luck to everyone who is once again stepping into their job and to those taking on the task for perhaps the first time. One thing was apparent last week and that is that democracy is hard at work. Voter turn-out may have been a little lower than hoped, but people seem more interested in becoming involved and having their voices heard, something that can only be good for the town.

The Charter Study Commission is holding two public meetings next week, at the Chilmark library meeting room on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 pm and at the Oak Bluffs Senior Center, on Thursday, April 24, at 5 pm. The purpose of the meetings is to ask the citizens of the Vineyard for their reactions to the tentative decisions the Charter Commission has reached in their 15 months of study regarding whether or not to keep county government, how to manage it, and how to hold it accountable. This will be the last opportunity for Vineyarders to affect what goes on the ballot in November regarding county government.

Shocking as it may seem, school vacation is next week! Be sure to keep an eye out as there will be more kids roaming around during the daytime hours.

It's nice to see town coming alive again. I've had many a chat on Main Street over the last week as shops begin to open and people begin to show their faces after a long winter. It may take us all a little longer to fully come out of hibernation mode but the busy season is fast approaching. Houses are being opened for the season. Stores have been sprucing up their front windows. Signs are beginning to make appearances, some of them new, some of them familiar. Working in town, it's kind of fun to watch things move along and see the day to day changes. But honestly, it seems like the Christmas decorations just came down and now we're gearing up for Memorial Day.

Happy birthday to our cousins, JoJo and Samantha Van Gelder, who both celebrated last week, as well as Meg Shirer, who celebrated yesterday. This is probably as close as I'll get to a card or gift to any of them before May. I'm a little slow on the uptake.

I heard that the Island Community Chorus concert last weekend, complete with an orchestral accompaniment, was a big success. The chorus performed Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah, at the Performing Arts Center on Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to hear more about it and am sorry that we were unable to attend.

That's all I've got, I'm afraid. Where's all the news? Maybe we're all recovering from tax day sticker shock! Hope to hear from some of you this week.

Have a great week and to anyone heading off for school break, I wish you safe and entertaining journeys.