“Let’s do it in the fall” is what was proclaimed at the end of the Chilmark Ladies Luncheon last Wednesday. Mildred Mayhew, Ethel Whitman, Bette Carroll, Ethel Sherman, Sheila Price, Phyllis Conway, Katherine Teel, Valerie Murphy, Roberta Morgan, Fran Flanders, Harriett Otteson, and Ann Dietrich were served lemonade, soup, sandwiches, salad, and homemade desserts by Julie Flanders, Irene Hungerford, Janet Weidner and me. The soup was potato-leek and was handcrafted by friend, neighbor, and chef Chris Fischer. Big thanks to Betsy Larsen for the yummy lobster rolls — there were certainly no leftovers. It was like being surrounded by a giddy group of school girls and I was delighted to be in the midst of it on such a beautiful spring day. I mustn’t forget to mention happy birthday was sung to Ethel Sherman who aged a year on the 27th.
Zee and Bill Gamson have recently returned from an adventure in Istanbul. where they enjoyed pure sightseeing, including several boat trips on the Bosporus Strait and visits to palaces and mosques. A student of Bill’s toured them around and gave them a view of Istanbul from her perspective. When in Israel they spent their time visiting and catching up with dear old friends. After a 25-hour journey back home they settled back in and anxiously await the arrival of their son, Josh, and his family for a short visit.
Also celebrating birthdays this past week were Axel Abrams, who is now a big four, and Jackie Mendez-Diez who is a bit older than four. Also celebrating this past week was the man behind Mopeds Are Dangerous — Sam Feldman.
Jack Nixon celebrated his ninth birthday on the 28th with a crazy evening filled with silly putty, spray candy, and skeeball at the Game Room.
Chris Brown is back to protect and serve as a member of the Chilmark Police Department. Chris recently finished his training at the Randolph Regional Police Academy.
The Chilmark Preschool will host its annual spring open house this Saturday from 10 am to noon. Please stop by and meet the teachers and wander through the classroom to catch a glimpse of what life is like from the perspective of a three-, four- or five-year-old. For those folks who ordered tomatoes from the preschool’s fundraiser, this is the time to swing by and pick them up. The heirloom tomatoes were nurtured from seed to small plant by Caitlin Jones of Mermaid Farm. Driving by the farm on Middle Road just the other day, I noticed the sign stating they had plants for sale. If you are a little late starting your garden, grabbing some plants from the Healy/Jones family is the perfect solution.
Bella Thorpe and Imogen Taylor both earned their share of ribbons at the first horse show of the season. Imogen rode in the lead line division and Bella in walk/trot.
Jim Thomas’ Spiritual choir will be at the Chilmark Church Sunday for 9 am worship. According to Pam Goff it should be a lively service. Last week’s service was held in Menemsha and included the blessing of the fishing fleet. Thanks to the new senior chief Jason Olsen at USCG Station Menemsha and a few of his crew members for participating in the event.
The Chilmark Fire Department is always looking for new volunteers. Within the past year the department has grown by a few with the addition of Kayla Mastromonaco, Cody Coutinho, Ben Sinnett, Denny Jason, Mike Holtham, and Jeff Lynch. Thanks to all the members of the department for donating their time to serve our community. If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact Chief David Norton at 508-645-2550.
At 5:30 on Wednesday, June 9, “The Fish Belong to the People,” a feature-length documentary. will be shown at the Chilmark Library. The film follows a group of family fishermen in Port Clyde, Maine, as they work to save their fishing grounds from government, market structure, and themselves. The event is sponsored by the Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund and the Friends of the Chilmark Public Library. Call 508-645-3360 for more information.
Chilmark School principal Susan Stevens is looking for a few good people to volunteer a few hours each month by joining the school advisory council. A few people who are not parents of school age children that live in one of the three up-Island towns are highly sought after for this task. Please contact the school if you are interested in playing a vital role in the well-being of our school. 508-645-2562 is the number.
Memorial Day rolled in with the Darling, Dunk, Dolan/Shanok, Slater, Shalhope, Simonsen, and Nixon families. It also brought in boats Echo, Rhonda’s Revenge, Grumpy, and Tuna Lisa.
Being surrounded by good people is what life’s all about.
