I love September. The swimming is good, the weather sunny, the garden bountiful, great starry night skies, and getting back into the off-season groove. Pam Goff said the Chilmark Church is thankful to Lia Kahler for raising a substantial portion of the funds needed for the steeple and cross repair, and the afternoon and auction all went well. Pizza nights will resume Tuesdays at 6 pm beginning Sept. 30 at the Fellowship Hall behind the church at 9 Menemsha Crossroad. All ages welcome.
Thanks go out to Nancy Aronie, who organized a lovely reading of poems for Peggy Freydberg. It was an absolute pleasure to participate. And looking forward to sharing her wonderful work with the larger world!
Sandra Balfe of Wrentham was visiting her aunt and uncle, Tom and Helen Black, in Edgartown when she found the flyer for the first Surf Night on M.V. She wrote me, “It was a dream come true. I have visited Squibnocket often and loved watching the surfers, never thinking I would have the chance to try the sport. It was amazing that the surf community came out to help celebrate the ocean with regular folks and it was all free!” Sandra says she “was totally thrilled to stand up three times.” She loved being cheered on by the entire beach, and sends a big “thank you to all of the instructors!” She hopes this becomes an annual event, because she is hooked.
Thomas Bena thanks Ari Lurie for teaming up with MVFF to create the first Surf Night on M.V. And a huge shout-out to all of the instructors who spent four hours in the water passing on the surf stoke! Craig Spa Tharpe, Katahdin Fitzgerald, Mollie Doyle, Daniel, Paul, Ben Martin, Jamie Green, Ari Lurie, Calder Martin, and to the amazing staff, Brian Ditchfield, Cassie Dana, Hilary Dreyer, Chris Mara, Anthony Esposito, and to Max Simon and all of the volunteers. And then there is Morning Glory Farm, Whippoorwill Farm, and Alex Karalekas for the food and the fish and the music. And thank you to Elaine Barse/Green Room, the Boneyard, and 6k6 for the free boards!! And finally, thank you to the Dock Dance Band for nailing it — if you haven’t heard them yet, check out one of their weekly shows in Edgartown.
My favorite part of the weekend was the amazing Iron Pour at Featherstone, organized by native Islander artist Kate Madeiros (MVRHS ’07). What an incredible community feat she pulled off. Keep an eye on this wonderful artist.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Chilmark resident Beach (Beatrice Phillips) Bennett, beloved wife of Bill Bennett and unstoppably great mother of Bella Bennett, who passed away peacefully on Sept. 17. A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury from 2 pm to 5 pm. Feel free to bring a dessert to share.
Drop by the ACE MV Course Sampling Fair, Wednesday, Oct. 1 at MVRHS from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Meet the teachers, register for classes (36 different classes being offered), and sample delicious food prepared by ACE cooking instructors. I will once again be teaching a Hand and Foot Fitness class for five weeks. For more info, call Diane Abbot at 508-693-9222 or visit acemv.org.