Town Column : Chilmark
By Katie Carroll
Published: March 26, 2009
Jackie Sexton's name next to the Chilmark column has been a fixture for as long as I can remember. Even when local happenings were thin, she always had kind words to say about someone or something. All too many times life just gets going in a crazy rhythm...we get focused on ourselves and our families, but Jackie has always been there for us week after week with a little something for everyone. Jackie, I tip my hat to you and clap a round of applause.
I was truly honored to receive a phone call from The Martha's Vineyard Times office two weeks ago. My heart raced a little bit as it was explained that Jackie recommended me as someone that may be able to pick up where she left off. I'll admit making my decision to accept was a little like pulling the petals off a daisy saying; "Shall I accept? Shall I not?" I don't know if I will ever be able to fill Jackie's shoes, but if she thinks I can do it, I will put my best foot forward and aim to please.
I flowed in and out with the summer tide for a few years but then "washed ashore" in 1992 after graduating from college. My best friend and husband since 1995 was the magnet that drew me to this wonderful town. Now it is all of you that keep me glued here. We have two children and, together, we run the family business, Menemsha Texaco. Our daughter, Bradley, is 12 and in the seventh grade at the West Tisbury School. Brooks, our five-year-old, is in kindergarten at the Chilmark School.
The Chilmark School Science Fair was the place to be last Thursday night. The students amazed us with their knowledge of waterfalls, biomes, fossils, tectonic plates, and so much more. I wish there was space to acknowledge each and every remarkable project.
An ongoing event at the Chilmark School is the hiking challenge. Students have set out to hike the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank trails with the hopes that they will be able to get friends and family to sponsor them in their endeavor. The proceeds raised will go toward creating a school garden as part of the Island Grown Initiative's Island Grown Schools program. Island Grown aims "to provide Island students with hands-on experiences with the process of growing food through the installation of school gardens." Island Grown can easily be found at islandgrown.org.
Jackie mentioned last week that the Chilmark Church is taking a break from Tuesday night soup suppers. Rousing rounds of Bananagrams and Stratego were played last Tuesday at pizza/game night, which has been introduced during the interim. It starts at 6 pm and all are welcome. Please call Julie Flanders if you need more information: 508-645-3723.
Todd Christy, assistant to the Planning Board, kindly reminds us that if you have not returned your master plan survey, please do so. If you need one, call Todd at the town hall: 508-645-2104.
There's buzz around the bight. The Home Port and the Menemsha Café have officially changed hands. The Nixons of the Home Port and the Aronies of the Café are busy preparing for the summer season that is rapidly approaching. The changes at the Home Port should be virtually unnoticed: at the Café, the chatter about an expanded breakfast menu is hard to contain. I have seen a few loads of pots make their way out of the basin - a sure sign of spring. Scott McDowell has returned from a visit to Kauai and is tinkering in his copper shop with his open flag flying. Christian Soulagnet has had his shop, Up on the Roof, open with the 50 percent off sign at the door. I chatted with Roberta Morgan about the new handcrafted items she has been working on. I look forward to seeing them when she opens her Harbor Craft Shop.
I wonder if Joan and Pat Jenkinson and Kathie and Emmett Carroll have thought about being at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital together 40 years ago? March 19, 1969 is when Patrick Jenkinson and Marshall Carroll were born. Belated milestone birthday wishes to you both.
Over the past few days I have had the pleasure of bumping into some familiar faces. Carol Mays was here visiting her mother, Mildred Mayhew. I also spotted Ann Harrison Dunk, Westley Cottle, Caleb Slater, Ian Yaffe, and Abigail Howland. Also home for a visit were Zach Coutinho, Gen Flanders, and Lindsey Rich.
Judd Fuller, Nashville resident but still a Chilmarker at heart, is playing bass and mandolin with country star Rodney Atkins, whose new CD will be released at the end of this month. You can catch a glimpse of him in a music video airing on CMT.
