Town Column : Tisbury
By Kay Mayhew
Published: February 19, 2009
Welcome home to little Foreste Courage Ganthier Holmes who arrived from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 9. He is five years old and joins his three-year-old brother, Jack, and his mom, Anne Holmes.
It appears that we will all have a personal interest in the Kentucky Derby this year. The two-year-old horse named Vineyard Haven was purchased by Godolphin Stables and is now residing in Dubai. He is eligible to run in the Derby although he lost a race last week to a stable mate.
We used to see an occasional horse or two in some of the fields in Tisbury, but there seem to be fewer each year. It hasn't been that long since the picture postcards of our town showed some horses among the cars on Main Street. The horses that pull the wagon around town these days at the holidays come from West Tisbury.
Shops have always changed locations, moving around the Main Street area. This year a number of the local businesses are simply closing. Your support is needed to keep our Main Street healthy and prosperous. Don't order that item in a catalog. Go downtown and buy it here. The Chamber of Commerce used to say that every dollar spent on Island goes through three hands before it goes off-Island. This is the time to be conscious of the effects of your spending decisions.
The weather has been sharp and biting and cold. The sun is not warm but has been visible a few times this past week. The best indication there will be a spring is the large number of snowdrops already in bloom all across town. And many of your neighbors are successfully forcing forsythia to bloom indoors.
A better harbinger of spring is daffodils. What is more hopeful than bright yellow blossoms indoors when the winter wind is blowing outdoors? Volunteers for the American Cancer Society on Martha's Vineyard are now collecting large pre-orders for daffodils. Next month Dorothy Bangs will be at Cronig's the morning of March 18 to offer you the chance to bring a bunch of sunshine home and contribute to the search for a cure for cancer at the same time.
Do you need to escape from winter on Martha's Vineyard? If you are looking for an inexpensive yet interesting destination, let Jay and Janet Sigler entertain you with stories about their travels to Panama. They will share pictures on Sunday at 2 pm at the library. You are invited to spend Sunday with friends at this free program and enjoy refreshments afterwards.
Big bunches of birthday balloon wishes go out today to Peter Palches. Tomorrow belongs to Tom Robinson and Benjamin Davey. Happy birthday on Sunday to Ted Kennedy and Melissa Renear Rockman, who share this day with our first president.
Some very special people will celebrate birthdays on Wednesday. Wish the best to Judy Cronig and Robin Mathiesen and to me, too. When I was young, my mother did not welcome muddy or snowy children in the house so I was encouraged to celebrate in summer. Mother said, that if the Queen could have an official birthday in June, so could I.
Heard on Main Street: I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard to pronounce.
