Chilmark

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The long-standing rivalry between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket will be played out as the pigskin is thrown around this Saturday when the Vineyarders venture to harpoon the Whalers and achieve another Cup win at Ackerley Field.

For those of you not hopping the boat or a plane bound for the big game on Nantucket, show your purple pride as you venture out and, perhaps, enjoy the third Winter Farmer’s Market at the Ag Hall. Between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm, according to Linda Alley, the fire will be roaring, hot lunch will be served and everyone will have the opportunity to get their Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.

A few of our favorite Chilmark vendors will be there with their most desirable items. The dynamic duo of Ethel and Ralph Sherman will be there with her famous jams (which Marshall and I shared as favors at our wedding 16 years ago along with Chilmark Chocolates, and we are still getting thanks for the yummy goodness of both) and his homegrown butternut squash. Alan Healy and Caitlin Jones, along with their boys Everett and Kent, of Mermaid Farm, will be offering their yogurt, feta cheese, and homespun yarn for sale.

Bridger, a yellow lab, was a friend, wanderer, mascot, and occasional vacuum cleaner. After his death in September, Coast Guard Station Menemsha members said their final goodbyes dressed in their brightly colored orange survival suits as they, his caregivers and family, took his ashes out to sea on the 47-foot motor life vessel. Senior Chief Jason Olsen said a few words and returned home feeling the loss a doggy companion can often offer. That bob-tailed adventurer will be missed around the harbor.

Most of you know that Jesse James, the man dedicated to shuttling the children of the Chilmark School around in his big yellow school bus, died this past week after a courageous battle with cancer. He and his tremendous dedication to our children will be sorely missed. I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family.

The school children continue to devote their time to their studies, which includes a weekly musical selection played for the entire school at morning circle. This past week’s selection was Adagio in G minor for organ and strings by Tomaso Albinoni. The students listened patiently to the 12-minute piece on Monday with an abbreviated rendition throughout the week. Along with sharing daily news and announcements, birthdays and a thought of the day, this is a most glorious way to open the mind and start the day.

Wendy Weldon, our well-known Squibnocket-residing artist, is selling her paintings, monotypes, and drawings out of her art studio over Thanksgiving weekend. From 11 am to 4 pm on Friday and Saturday, November 25 and 26, or by appointment, she welcomes visitors and collectors to her studio. She has beautiful canvases and paintings on paper for sale, spanning many years of creating art. For directions, please email her at wendyweldon@earthlink.net or call her at (508) 645-3199. Images of her artwork may be seen on-line at wendyweldon.com.

It seems like only yesterday those two were wandering around the Chilmark School talking about ponies and playing the cello. This past Tuesday, Jessica and Mariah Campbell celebrated their sweet 16. It is hard to believe all these years have gone by, but what is really easy to believe is what beautiful young women they have grown to be. I am honored to have the pleasure of their presence in my life.

My house was the gathering spot for them, along with seven other gorgeous teenage girls, as they prepared for last weekend’s Homecoming dance. Loud music, hair straighteners, makeup, soda (don’t worry, folks, it was the organic kind), pizza, veggies, and hot-out-of-the-oven brownies made their way into the evening, which rounded out with a very hyped-up drive to the Ocean Club in Oak Bluffs. Maybe being a teen again wouldn’t be so bad. They sure do get out a lot.

Don’t forget the high school’s drama production begins tonight. “Chess” is a musical love triangle of chess players set in the Cold War. Curtain time at the Performing Arts Center is 7 pm tonight and tomorrow night, and 4 pm on Sunday. You will find me manning the bake sale Friday, night so drop by for a tasty dessert.

Speaking of stopping by, pizza nights at the Chilmark Church are winding down. There are just a couple more until they take a winter hiatus and are replaced by soup suppers. Doors open at 6 pm for fun and a bite to eat.