Town Column : Chilmark

By Jacqueline Sexton
Published: October 30, 2008

The sight of the West Tisbury town hall, one time the august academy where Island youth learned the joys and pitfalls of scholarship, teetering precariously over a gaping hole in the ground, stirred a lot of memories. Steve Murphy had a tiny photograph album, about the size of an index card, in which were preserved locket-size photos of the students - among them Bette Flanders, Louis Larsen, Steve, and my husband Don Sexton. I hope someone will see to it that this and other artifacts don't get tossed out. Does anyone know who took the photos? The students all look so young, which of course they were, around 10, give or take a few years. Bette looked beautiful and feisty, and has been heard to boast gleefully about some of the boys she "beat up." Another era.

Back to the present: Students have been busy planning the UNICEF Fair, which will take place tomorrow afternoon, October 31, at the school. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy games and goodies and help support the world's children at the same time.

MVTV gets better all the time, but we would benefit from some advance posting of scheduled shows. I missed hearing John Maloney reading a poem about being in a health food store last week. Mr. Maloney is known not only for his poems, but also for the moving way he reads them.

Kevin Ryan of Island Theatre Workshop's children's theatre, called to say that there is a potluck at the Sailing Camp in Oak Bluffs this Saturday, Nov. 1, from 2 to 5 pm for Linda Berg, who is retiring after many years of directing music and dance for Children's Theatre. All are invited to bring a favorite dish and the recipe, as the plan is to put the recipes together in a book for her. Dessert and beverages will be provided.

Temperatures are gyrating from frost alert to balmy 60s, spring-like weather. It's as bad as the stock market.