Chilmark

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Harriet Poole Otteson has returned from her 27-day adventure to Africa. She traveled with a group and covered terrain in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland. She caught a glimpse of 15 animal species and more than 100 bird species. She was adventurous enough to eat ostrich and kudu. Kudu, a member of the antelope family, is a very lean meat similar to gamey venison. While in Cape Town, a trip to a mall landed her in a shop called Martha’s Vineyard. Apparently the shop keep was less than impressed when she shared that she hails from there.

Guess who else is back in town. Scott “Pops” McDowell. After a lengthy stay, and I refer to it as lengthy simply because I am jealous, Hawaiian island-hopping Scott is back talking about getting Lauren C back in the water. The flag is out in front of his shop during the day and the CopperWorks are bustling again. Catching up with his kids, Lauren and Ross, was certainly a treat. He shared the death-defying experience of watching them leap from a plane at 10,000 feet above the island of Kauai. Yikes.

The Beach Committee would like to inform people that there will be no preregistration mail-in program for beach stickers this spring.

You may visit the town hall front desk for a registration card. As always, you will need your car registration in hand when you complete your paperwork. The official opening of the sticker office will be June 1.

Other town information comes from executive secretary Tim Carroll. We have three vacancies that are on the ballot this Annual Town Election. A write-in campaign can take place for the following vacancies: (2) Planning Board — five-year term, and Finance Advisory Committee — three-year term. We have a number of appointed positions open in town too: Personnel Board — three years, Housing Committee — one year, and Conservation Commission — one year. Please consider giving back to the town you call home.

The library is helping Susan Larsen and her Chilmark School students with the 1,000 origami crane project. Ebba and her staff have set up a crane-making station with pre-cut paper and video instructions for folks to join in the endeavor. Additionally, the library has a box for people to drop off cranes you might have made at home.

Bill Gamson will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Scholarship of Social Movements and Collective Behavior from Notre Dame University. Many old friends and colleagues will join them along with Jenny and her daughter, Maya, and Josh and his girls, Reba and Maddy, to witness this memorable moment. On their way back from South Bend, Indiana, Zee and Bill will stop in Chicago to catch up with old friends Judy and Michael Spock. Zee and Bill expect to eat and laugh their way through the visit.

I spotted Angela Aronie with son Eli strapped to her front taking in the sweet smell of spring in Menemsha. That baby boy will quickly surpass his mom in height if he keeps growing as quickly as he appears to be. The family is much more visible in Menemsha now that the weather is more inviting and the Cafe has bounced back to spring hours. Monday through Friday you can find Josh behind the counter from 8 am until 2 pm. Breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and coffee are there ready and waiting to help you jump-start your day. Lunch is available all day for eat-in or take-out. Friday night suppers from 5 to 8 pm are a great gathering spot for friends and neighbors as is Saturday brunch from 8 am to 2 pm.

I bumped into Roger Cook at Cronig’s over the weekend and watched him purchase three different types of bread. He said he was going to spend his Saturday evening tasting bread (spin on a wine-tasting event?) and report back to me, but I am pretty sure he was pulling my leg and was actually headed to a party.

The Chilmark School students are off in Falmouth today for their annual trek to Leary Family Amusement Center. An expedition led by phys-ed teacher Channon Capra entails a fun-filled morning of bowling and a picnic lunch. May the strikes and spares flow freely down the lanes for all.