Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: June 23, 2011
It's been another week of up and down days, temperatures ranging from ten degrees to 50, sunshine to gray. The early morning skies have been beautiful, crisp color in glowing streaks above our woods.
When I ran into Nicole and Violet Cabot at the library Saturday morning, they had already attended "Poultry Day." They were going to pick up some books, head home for lunch, then head out again for the West Tisbury Fourth Grade Theater Project's performance at the Vineyard Playhouse. A busy day, and from everyone I spoke with, everyone else in town was out doing something, too.
Later in the afternoon, Leslie Baker and I had gone off on errands together and were parked across from the Playhouse. We saw Nicole and Violet leaving, as was most of West Tisbury. The two plays were "Pharaoh's Phearless Pheline" and "Blackbeard's Back." The reviews were terrific and I was sorry I had missed the show.
Among the crowd I saw Bill and Betty Haynes with their granddaughter, Jessica, still with her mermaid makeup adorning her face, watery blue and green swirls, just what one would imagine a mermaid to look like. Jessica had quite a retinue; besides her Island family, her mother, Paula, and Jennifer Haynes's parents, Bill and Margaret Burke, had all come from off-Island.
I was busy visiting with Betty, who I hadn't seen in a while, instead of being a better reporter of who was there and having lots of other folks to mention. My apologies for that.
Many of the afternoon theater attendees were headed for an evening performance of "A Chorus Line" at the Performing Arts Center. That, too, got rave reviews. I know several West Tisbury students were in the cast. Emily Lowe, Tessa Permar, and Katie Ann Mayhew were the names I heard about. I missed that performance, too, mistakenly thinking the matinee was on Sunday afternoon instead of Saturday.
Cynthia Riggs asked me to mention that she still has several plates and containers left by people who attended her Groundhog Day party. Please give her a call at 508-693-9352.
Cynthia also had a story about a donation she made to the Edgartown School's fundraising auction for the students' trip to Washington, D.C. Her prize was the name of the winner to be included in her next book. For $375, Dr. James Weiss, or "Jim Weiss" as he wishes to be called, will be the character. Here is an excerpt from the letter Cynthia wrote:
"Dear Dr. Weiss,
Congratulations on winning the so-called honor of having a character, Jim Weiss, named after you in the book I am presently writing. All of my books have plant names in the titles, so this one is "Touch-Me-Not." You may be a villain or a hero. I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter."
For baby-boomers, country western and gospel music fans, or just someone looking for a night out, Bernie Allain will be singing at the Trinity Parish coffeehouse this Saturday night, Feb. 23, from 7 to 9 pm. He will be performing popular hits from the 1960s and 70s, country gold, and southern gospel music. Mr. Allain, a member of the Amen Gospel Singers and the Temple Gospel Singers, has been voted "most promising artist of the year" by the Massachusetts Country Music Awards Association. Please call 508-645-3100 or 508-693-0589 for more information.
The children's craft table at the library has been quite a hub of activity. A different craft project is set up for the day on Saturdays. This week, the project will be to make pet rats, in honor of the Chinese Year of the Rat. The Monday Night Movie on Feb. 25 will be "Sounder," starting at 7 pm.
The political scene in town seems to be heating up. At our last library trustees meeting, Cynthia Riggs and Greg Orcutt attended. Both are running for seats on the board. Paul Garcia has also turned in his nomination papers to run for library trustee. Two trustees are elected every year, so there are now two incumbents, Linda Hearn and me, plus the above-listed three, running for two spots.
I have learned that Jim Powell and Richard Knabel are running for selectman against incumbent Glenn Hearn. Jonathan Revere is running for Land Bank representative, also against Glenn Hearn.
I will report any other contests as I hear about them, just facts, no commentary, as this is not a political column. I leave that to our esteemed broadside journalists who are pros.
Sue Silva and I were talking about our dogs the other day and she said to me, "This would be a good story for your column," so here it is.
I'm sure all dog owners are astounded by the amount of fur that comes off your average-sized dog. Sue was commenting about her Caleb, a totally wonderful corgi. Needless to say, my lab and golden retriever produce their share of fur. Even with brushing, there always seem to be balls of fur around the edges of the room and our rug has a definite golden overlay. Getting to the point, my Aunt Janice, a woman with insatiable curiosity and a wonderfully twisty mind, often wondered, "If you keep brushing, will you end up with a bald dog?" And she only had a pug. I have pondered that question, as even after brushing my dogs until my arm is tired, the next pass of the brush will always bring up more loose fur. What do you think?
