Short Subjects
Energy lecture series
The Vineyard Haven Library recycles books, newspapers, and magazines every day, but it is about to get greener. On Wednesdays at 7 pm throughout the rest of October and November, the library will host a six-part lecture series on sustainability. The first lecture in the Today's Energy Reality series, scheduled for October 22, centers on coal, which supplies the second largest share of world energy, after oil. The first 10 patrons to walk into the lecture will receive an eco-friendly polypropylene bag purchased by the Friends of the Library. For further information, call 508-696-4200.
"Bolt" in HD at the Capawock
The Capawock Theatre's popular Sunday afternoon opera and ballet series continues on October 19 with Shostakovich's "Bolt," performed by the Bolshoi Ballet. This satire of factory workers and Soviet village life was banned after its 1931 dress rehearsal and was not performed again until 2005. The performance, choreographed by Alexsei Ratmansky, will be presented in high definition at the Vineyard Haven theater at 2 pm. Tickets cost $15, $12 for seniors and students with an ID. For details, call 508-627-6689.
Space for Peace?
PeaceCraft, the annual sale of crafts from third world self-help projects, needs a donated space and volunteers for this year's sale in December. The sale raises money for projects in poor countries worldwide, and for the Martha's Vineyard Fish Farm for Haiti Project. For more information, call Margaret Pénicaud at 508-693-0368.
Chilmark jams resume
It is just this kind of event that makes bearing the winter a little easier. Entitled Chilmark Potluck Jam, these informal gatherings of Islanders at the Chilmark Community Center combine performances from local musicians such as Willy Mason, Brad Tucker, and The Rosehips with good company and a fine spread of food. According to the event's organizer, Alex Karalekas, the next Jam, number VIII, is scheduled for late November.
Photos by Ralph Stewart
Sunday harvest
Having been postponed because of bad weather, the fifth annual Tisbury School Harvest Festival took place last Sunday with the sun shining. Many attended the festivities at the school, where there was face painting, wagon rides, pumpkin painting and tossing, and a community gathering.
Birthday bash for Alley's
At 150, Alley's General Store is still looking good. On Sunday, Oct. 12, Islanders celebrated its birthday with a party to remember. Volunteers flipped burgers, while kids and adults competed in sack races behind the West Tisbury store, first called the S. M. Mayhew Co. Attendees relaxed at picnic tables, chatting between bites of cake. Meanwhile, the music of Kevin Keady and friends created a festive atmosphere. One highlight of the party was when West Tisbury Poet Laureate Daniel Waters read a poem that he wrote for the occasion.
Alley's General Store
In times of yore, one humble store
Sustained our tiny town.
'Twas not the kind where one might find
A fancy evening gown.
Instead, our needs - from nails to seeds -
Were modest as the dickens,
And Nancy Luce had little use
For lipstick on her chickens.
These wooden walls held overalls
To fit most any size;
A length of rope, a pound of soap,
A swatter for the flies.
We stocked these shelves to suit ourselves,
From cloth to cans of soup;
And if you'd heard the latest word,
You heard it on this stoop.
This heavy door, this creaky floor,
Have long gone unadorned,
And those who seek a chic boutique
Are urgently forewarned:
The goods inside are cut-and-dried,
No frills, no doubt about it.
"If it ain't here," they say with cheer,
"You're better off without it."
The months and years have churned like gears
Within our church-clock steeple,
But time and taste have not erased
This thread that binds our people;
For you can ride both far and wide
Throughout these hills and valleys
And find no store a town loves more
Than our own faithful Alley's!
