Town Column : Edgartown
By Gail Craig
Published: September 25, 2008
I'm beat. Jamie has been away at a training session in New Mexico for the last 10 days and I have been burning the candle at both ends and every place in between trying to keep ahead of, or at least not too far behind, everything that happens in life. I honestly don't remember being this tired since I had a newborn in the house. And awful as it may sound, I cannot wait to spend all day Saturday and Sunday working diligently to finally get detailed lesson plans drawn up, do some billing for clients, do some billing for me so I can get paid for August's work, and finish up all the other loose ends left over from the summer. Then I can feel pretty much pulled together when my graduate classes start on Tuesday.
Alice and Anna Keenan and parents, Andrew and Alissa, celebrated their Great Grandmother (Alissa's grandmother) Anna Lippincott Biddle Russell's 100th birthday Thursday, Sept. 18, at Dr. Judith Fisher's house in West Tisbury. The menu included striped bass caught and filleted by her son, Dr. Laurence Russell, of Newtown, Penn., and West Tisbury, her daughter, Alice Russell, of Edgartown, and her nephew, Scott Biddle, of Washington State. Scott was briefly on the derby leaders' board for the fish and won the mystery prize. Alice Russell also baked her famous orange cake for her Mom. Nancy's son, Steve Russell, flew in from Ft. Myers Florida. There was more fun on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Edgartown home of Nancy's daughter and son-in-law, Joan and Dr. James Brackbill. Attending the big bash were Nancy's nieces and nephews from Pennsylvania, as well as Washington State. All of her grandchildren and all six great grandchildren attended Saturday's festivities.
The Edgartown Library is offering a "make and take" on Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm. The project for this week is a scrap-booking and this is geared toward older children, young adults, and adults. You supply the photographs and memories and the staff at the library will supply the books and stickers. Sounds like fun.
I haven't heard much about the derby or where the fish are, but I'm seeing lots of cars with fishing poles and gear strapped to them in any number of ingenious ways. I often wish I were a fisherperson, as the solitude I assume is part of it must be lovely. As I write this, I see several familiar Edgartown names on the leader boards: Estey Teller, Leslie Smith, Tom O'Hanlon, Mike Poirier, John Malcouronne, Andrew Fournier, Curtis Fournier, and Brendan Morris. I would think that it must be nerve-wracking to get up on the leader board too early with a big fish and have to watch every day to see if anyone beats you. The anxiety would eat me alive. Congratulations to all the leaders and more importantly all of the fisherpeople who stay level-headed and calm throughout the competition.
When I ran into Mark Hess the other night we discussed the fact that he never actually made it for his once annual trek to the beach this summer. Deeming that only moderately newsworthy (sorry Mark) I did remember that Mark was recently honored by the Edgartown Golf Club for 20 years of service. The celebration took place at the club in the early evening with cocktails and whatnot and Mark was presented with a rock and plaque with his name to be permanently placed on the grounds of the golf club. Mark was deeply touched by the honor and Kelly claims that by the time the presentation was done, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
If you have old electronics to get rid of, the Electronics Disposal Day is Saturday, Oct. 11 from 9 am-12 noon at Martha's Vineyard Community Services, Oak Bluffs, to benefit Martha's Vineyard Community Services. Dispose of electronics, such as computers, TVs, phones, stereos, etc. Fees range from $1 to $25.
The Living Local Harvest Fest will take place this weekend, beginning on Sept. 26, at 7:30 pm at the Chilmark Community Center, with a panel discussion spurred by David Korten and moderated by John Abrams. The event continues at the Ag Hall on Saturday, with several events, such as the West Tisbury Farmer's Market from 9 am-12 noon, sheep shearing all day, goat milking between 11 am and 1 pm, local honey harvest, tomato tasting, local food vendors and kids activities, including a hay maze. Also included in the weekend celebration are panel discussions on local energy alternatives, local food production, Island fisheries, and waste management, as well as demonstrations on composting, sauerkraut making, seed collection, and more.
The Harvest Fest finale will be a community potluck dinner from 6-10 pm in the Ag Hall, with a performance by Willy Mason and guests. So bring a dish for six people featuring a local ingredient and your own plate and utensils. The weekend events are free and are co-sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society, Vineyard Conservation Society, Vineyard Energy Project, and Island Grown Initiative.
I think that's all I've got. Be sure to get me some news. Have a great week.
