Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: October 1, 2009
After an all-day rainy Sunday, I'm sitting by an open window feeling still balmy moist air and listening to the sounds in the darkness outside. My lab, Talley, is sleeping by my feet and Grace, the cat, is on the back of the sofa. It still feels like summer with the windows and doors all open even though, at the top of the page, I've just written October 1.
The days are noticeably darker. We seem to be waking before sunrise and the light for afternoon paintings is gone soon after 6 o'clock. There is a fringe of color around the Mill Pond. The spectacular maple at the beginning of Old County Road is brilliantly orange. Blackberries and raspberries are still abundant if you know where to look. When I stopped by Magnuson's for apples last week, the trees were as loaded as if none had been picked yet.
This weekend is the third annual Living Local Harvest Fest. It opens Friday evening at 7:30 pm with "Emerging Possibilities: a panel discussion with next-generation Island leaders" at the Grange Hall. All day Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm there will be special workshops, exhibits, and children's activities at the Agricultural Hall and on the fairgrounds. The Farmers' Market will be held at the Ag Hall just for this weekend. The Antique Power Show will be there, too. A community potluck begins at 6 pm.
Marsha Winsryg has been busy organizing the West Tisbury First Congregational Church's participation in the annual CROP Walk that will take place on October 18. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. Marsha said she "likes to walk, and helping ease poverty and hunger seems like a great motivator." If you would like to support her or want to walk, please call her at 508-693-4059, or the church at 508-693-2842. You may send a check to CWS/CROP, P.O. Box 3051, West Tisbury, 02575.
The Island Food Pantry will open for the season on October 19. There are boxes for donations of non-perishable food items at Up-Island Cronig's and the West Tisbury Library.
Alan and Joyce Ganapol's daughter, Elyse, was married to Aaron Bart on September 13 at the Beach Plum Inn. It was the finale to a whole wedding weekend beginning Friday evening with a Sabbath dinner at Alan and Joyce's home for the families of the bride and groom. Saturday morning they were joined by Vineyard friends and off-Island guests at the Hebrew Center for a celebratory pre-wedding event called an aufruf, where the bride and groom receive special blessings, followed by a luncheon. Dinner that evening was also a surprise 90th birthday party for Elyse's Nana, Sarah Freedman. The wedding day was perfect. It included a combination of Jewish, Eastern, and Vineyard traditions, ending with Elyse and Aaron going kayaking off Menemsha Beach. The following morning Aaron's parents, Les and Amy Bart, hosted a brunch for everyone before they all headed home. May Elyse and Aaron share a long and happy life together.
The end of September/beginning of October is a flurry of birthdays. Megan Mendenhall celebrates hers on September 29 and her mother, Kathy Logue, on October 4. September 30 is Julie Kimball's birthday. Rosie Herman turns eight on October 1. Happy birthday wishes to you all.
Acquaintances of Jane Hawkes and Riley Deeble might be surprised to see them on MVTV. They are participants in a discussion about Vineyard Village at Home, a referral service to help keep older residents living independently in their own homes. If you are interested, call 508-693-3038 or look at the website, vineyardvillage.org.
You may see Boy Scouts around town selling popcorn during the month of October. If not interested for yourself, they have a program to send tins of popcorn to military personnel overseas.
I was sorry to hear that Meg Benjamin died over the weekend. Meg, a poet and gourmet cook among her many talents, lived at her daughter Lolly's house on Old County Road for many years before moving to Boston. Condolences to her family and friends.
Asters, one of the stars of the fall garden, are at their peak. To my eye, none is prettier than Alma Potschke, a bright clear hot pink. Very bright and very hot, not at all the kind of color one expects in the fall. I had admired it in a friend's garden years ago, so planted it in mine. There it languished until I divided the clump and moved it to a sunnier location. It has thrived and spread across three or four feet at the back of a bed, now making a spectacular show. Location, location, location.
