Noteworthy
Halloween spooks
For kids looking for some spooky fun, the West Tisbury Parks and Recreation is holding its annual Halloween party this Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 pm. Games, prizes, treats, and a hayride will be offered. For more information, call 508-693-5341.
Photo by M.C. Wallo Jewelry lessons
Gifts for the holidays will become easy to create once you learn the techniques of jewelry making. Beading classes at Citrine offered by Leslie Freeman begin Monday, Nov. 2, at the store, located on State Road in West Tisbury. Classes are $15 each, or $40 for three. Week one includes lessons on stringing basics, knotting, and wirework. Week two offers intermediate classes with bead weaving and wirework. Week three is designed for advanced lessons that offer advanced knotting, off loom weaving, "peyote stitching," and wirework. Classes are from 7 to 9 pm. For more information, or to reserve a spot in the classes, call 508-693-4445.
FARM fun
A fun stop before Halloween night will be worth the while at The FARM Institute's Halloween Adventure on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10 am to 1 pm. Activities such as a corn maze, hayrides, cider pressing, pumpkin carving, costume prizes, will be offered. At 12 noon, Kevin Keady, a singer-songwriter from Chappaquiddick, will perform a musical rendition of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." Admission is $10 per family, or $5 each person. For more information, call 508-627-7007.
Israeli-Palestinian panel
The Social Action Committee of The Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center presents "Don't Fight. Negotiate: Israelis and Palestinians Finding A Way to Win," on Sunday, Nov. 1 from 2 to 4 pm. Speakers include Nuzar Farsakh, advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister's Office, Shula Gilad, a fellow at Harvard University's Negotiation Project, Wassim Khazmo, communications advisor to the Support Unit of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Ilai Saltzman, relations specialist at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. A reception follows, and the event is free of charge. For more information, call 508-696-0803.
Friday Flicks
The Vineyard Playhouse, in association with Island Entertainment, offers a new series called Friday Flicks. "The Haunting" will be shown tomorrow at 7:30 pm at the Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven. The film is Shirley's Jackson's 1963 thriller featuring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. The movie is for children and adults ages 12 and older. The series of flicks is complete with popcorn and beverages and will continue monthly throughout the winter. Admission is $5 and a non-perishable food donation for the Island Food Pantry. For more information, call 508-696-6300.
38th supper a success
Close to 200 people turned out on Saturday, Oct. 24, for the 38th annual Harvest Supper, sponsored by the Christ United Methodist Church. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner was held at the Stone Church in Vineyard Haven, where 11 cooked turkeys were served, and more than 15 pies were devoured.
Lee Oliver, a former pastor who has attended the dinner for more than 40 years, with a plethora of pies baked and donated by members of the church. Photos by Ralph Stewart 
There was a large crowd at the 38th annual Harvest Supper, hosted by the Christ United Methodist Church, on Saturday.
Helen Oliver, wife of Lee, helps herself to the Harvest Supper.Dancing for the YMCA
Mediterranean restaurant hosted a salsa dance party Saturday night as a benefit for the YMCA. Saskia and David Vanderhoop, Janet Holladay, Tom Carberry, and Alexis Russillo demonstrated basic steps during in a warm-up lesson, before the floor was opened for a dance party with DJ Jose Sanabria spinning the music. Ms. Vanderhoop teaches salsa classes year-round at Island Co-Housing in West Tisbury. For more information, call her at 508-645-2008.
In the foreground, Annie Parr steps lively to follow Mario Celante's instruction at Saturday's benefit for the YMCA.
All eyes are on David and Saskia. Photos by Susan Safford 
Saskia Vanderhoop demonstrates the salsa basics with her dance partner and husband, David, at Mediterranean.CROP Walk makes strides
CROP Walk co-organizer Alden Besse was one of 87 walkers at last Sunday's fundraising walk.Sunday was a perfect day for the 19th CROP Walk on the Island. In total, 87 people and two dogs walked all or part of the way from Vineyard Haven to Oak Bluffs and back, raising money for Church World Service and the Island Food Pantry.
One of 70 CROP Walks in New England and 2,000 throughout the U.S., the CROP organization raises approximately $16 million per year. Most of the money raised goes to Church World Service, which works to fight hunger around the world. A portion (25 percent on the Island) benefits local organizations.
Donors have until Sunday, Nov. 8, to make a donation to the organization, which is hoping to raise $20,000. If accomplished, the 19-year total raised on the Island will top $300,000, according to the Rev. Alden Besse. Donations can be dropped off at St. Augustine's Church from 2 to 2:30 pm on November 8. For more information, visit churchworldservice.org.
Participants walked from St. Augustine's Church in Vineyard Haven to the Methodist church in Oak Bluffs, and back.
The walk was rescheduled because of weather from October 18 to this past Sunday - a gorgeous fall day. Photos by Lynn Christoffers Hockey fans
The UPS Store in Vineyard offers Island residents a chance to win tickets for the Bruins game at Fenway Park versus the Philadelphia Flyers on January 1. The raffle will be open until Saturday, Dec. 12. The Vineyard Haven branch is one of several in New England that is participating in the sweepstakes. Other prizes include two tickets to skate on the ice at Fenway Park, two tickets to a Bruins home game, and autographed Bruins memorabilia. For more information, call 508-696-0600.
Immigration Day at Tisbury School
It may be impossible to change the past, but anyone can relive it. On Immigration Day, Wednesday, Oct. 21, fifth-grade social studies students at the Tisbury School adapted the roles of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and recreated an experience that brought the lessons of history home.
Ellis Island was the immigration station in New York Bay through which 12 million of the 16 million immigrants who arrived in the United States passed between 1892 to 1954.
Some of the students took the parts of their own ancestors who were held at Ellis Island before being allowed to enter the country. As they portrayed the immigrants, the situations that existed were recreated: long lines, every bag requiring inspection, and the school nurse checking the new arrivals for diseases.
With help from the school staff and volunteers, various parts of the school were transformed. No longer did they resemble the 21st Century; instead, visitors found themselves in the bureaucratic maze of Ellis Island.
From left: Justine Cassel, Ashley Wood, and Sophia McCarron at Tisbury School's Immigration Day. Photo by Deb Conroy 
Tisbury student Philip Wickner registers at "Ellis Island" with the help of library assistant Whitney Burke, while Justine Cassel waits her turn. Photo by Barbara ArmstrongRed Stocking season
Applications for The Red Stocking will be available starting Sunday, Nov. 1, for Island children and their families. Red Stocking provides food, toys, and clothing to children from infant to eighth grade. Last year, Red Stocking provided gifts for more than 375 children on the Island.
Applications are available at banks, elementary schools, Martha's Vineyard Insurance Co. in Vineyard Haven, Community Services, the Tribal Headquarters in Aquinnah, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Island Food Pantry in Vineyard Haven. Applications for Portuguese speaking families will be available at the Health Care Access Office.
In more Red Stocking news, on Sunday, Nov. 8, the Martha's Vineyard Harley Riders will ride around the Island collecting donations and toys. The public is invited to welcome them at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs at 12 noon. For more information, call 508-693-2324.
Early childhood grants
The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation is accepting applications and inquiries for its 2010 Early Childhood Education grant cycle, and its 2010 Education Pre-School Curriculum Request for Proposals. The Foundation improves the lives of children and adolescents by supporting programs and services for those affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. The deadline for submissions is December 1. For more information, call 716-689-0370.
Helping Homeless Animals
Donations will be accepted for a yard sale at the Martha's Vineyard Helping Homeless Animals, Inc. this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Items will be collected from 9 am to 4 pm at 31 Worcester Avenue in Oak Bluffs. For more information, call 508-696-8509.
