Getting ready for the good part in Edgartown

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Good-bye, July, we hardly knew you. Onward, to my favorite month of the year. With the Fair and the Fireworks still up ahead, and the Commander in Chief due for his annual visit, we’re really just getting to the good part, the meat of this summer sandwich, so to speak. But what I want to know is, where are all the pancakes?

I’ve been following the plight of Kennedy Cunningham for months now, and I’d really like to get the word out to the Vineyard community about this amazing child. You all remember the Vegas? Livvy and I were Edgartown Eagles together back in the day. Now her life has taken her to Philly, where she is married to a heavyweight boxer and has three little cuties. Among the little ones is daughter Kennedy, who was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a congenital heart defect where the the left side of her heart was under-developed and unable to function. She had her first open heart surgery at two days old and the second six months later. She was hospitalized for the first year of her life and suffered many setbacks along the way, including a stroke, many blood infections and also required a trach and vent for several years when she was younger. Now, almost 9 years later, Kennedy is awaiting a heart transplant, and continues to show that Dad isn’t the only fighter in the family.

Thoughts and prayers for this brave little one are vastly appreciated, and if you care to help out monetarily, as the logistics of this surgery, among other things, include a cross-state move for the entire family, visit https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/8×15/kennedy-s-heart-transplant-fundraiser. Let’s send Miss Kennedy and her family that warm Island community hug.

Congrats to Shane Quinlan Gallagher, son of Arthur and Vera Gallagher of Edgartown, who graduated from the Boylston Police Academy on June 19. Shane is currently employed with the Tewksbury Police Department. A graduate of Endicott College, Shane is a former member of the USMC 3nd Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom. He retired with the rank of Sgt. from the USMC in June 2013.

Sandy Joyce shares with us the happy news that Kerry and Bob Branca welcomed a new member to their family on July 14, Jacob Kent. He joins two big sisters, Laila (age 5) and Allie (age 3). Proud grandparents include Betty Branca of Canton, Sandy and Mike Joyce, and Annie and Ray Long, all of Edgartown. Sandy reports that Jacob’s sisters adore him and all are excited to welcome a little boy into the family.

Each year five gracious families open their beautiful homes so that the public can tour through them, for the benefit of the Federated Church in Edgartown. This year’s tour will be on Tuesday, August 12, and will feature a variety of homes from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, located at 75 and 96 South Water Street and 80, 64, and 96 School Street. An introductory talk by historian Mary Jane Carpenter will be held at the Federated Church Meetinghouse at 1 pm with the tour following, from 2 to 4:30. Tea and refreshments will be included, at the Mayhew Parsonage on South Water Street. Tickets may be purchased at the Meetinghouse, 45 S. Summer St., Edgartown, on the afternoon of the tour. For information, please call Anne Vose at 508-627- 7077.

It’s time for the Board of Trade’s annual sand sculpture contest, which will take place August 7 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at South Beach. This family-oriented event is great for the creative at heart and your budding little builders. So pack your pails and shovels and head to South Beach to enjoy a day in the sun and fun creating your sand masterpieces.  For more info, call 508-939-0199.

Birthday wishes go out this week to Barbara Phillips and Jane Barbini, who celebrate August 1; to Peter Lambos, August 2; to Derek Avakian and Claire Maxwell, August 3; to Melanie Rankow Prescott, Pam Dolby, and Zach Ward, August 5; and to Colette Fischer, August 6. Also, folks, Sunday is a holiday of particular reverence in the Dolby household, as we toast the birth of Tom Brady. Plan your observances accordingly. Go Pats.