Don’t forget. This Saturday you can get rid of old computers, all sizes of electrical appliances, and such at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services from 9 am to 2 pm. This keeps our island cleaner and benefits Community Services.
Friday afternoon is your last chance for the world famous lobster rolls at Grace Church. They are such an important part of our summer. And won’t be seen again until the occasional winter offerings.
Soon it will be your last chance to get yarn and yard goods at the Heath Hen Yarn & Quilt Shop. If the shop is not sold, the Heath Hen will be extinct again by Halloween.
Tomorrow at 6 pm is the grant-writing workshop for grant applications at Howes House in West Tisbury. Learn the grant process and how to apply for Local Cultural Council grants. The application is due October 15. The LCC Grant is open to all people who live on the Island.
The Portland Gale of 1898 was our deadliest storm. Ten men died on moored vessels seeking refuge from the snows and heavy winds of the storm in Vineyard Haven Harbor. Five men from our town later received gold medals from the government for their heroism. Locals watched as five mariners “frost to death” fell from the rigging of one ship. The townsmen were standing on the beach only 50 feet away but could not save these men. Why am I telling you this?
This weekend is the opening at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum of a new exhibit called Out of the Depths: Martha’s Vineyard Shipwrecks. You won’t be surprised that most of the wrecks in that storm sank in our harbor. The Shipwrecks display also features the sinking of the City of Columbus in 1884 and the Port Hunter in 1918. You will see frightening photographs taken afterwards and assorted flotsam and jetsam driven ashore by the storms.
Tomorrow evening opens the free Living Local Harvest Festival at the Ag Hall. The program continues through Saturday, ending with a potluck dinner and dancing in the evening.
A highlight of this weekend should be the performance of The Boston String Quartet on Sunday. A program of Contemporary Music from around the world, from jazz to folk, is at 4 pm at the Chilmark Community Church on Menemsha Crossroad.
Happy Feet is, or was, the emperor penguin that washed up on a New Zealand beach well off his normal route. Before he was released to swim home, the tracking team glued on a transmitter, expecting it would fall off after several months. Instead, it stopped transmitting after two weeks. They would prefer to think it might have simply fallen off. Or the bird could have been eaten. Sadly for us, as a Wellington wildlife expert said, “the penguin has returned to the anonymity from which he emerged.”
Did you notice that summer ended officially on Friday with a planetary event called the equinox. That’s the day the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt away from the sun. That means shorter days and less sunlight, especially in Alaska. But it sure didn’t mean cooler weather for us.
The Vineyard Haven Library has more good stuff for you. Jeanne and Malcolm Campbell will show their photographs of Iceland at the library next Tuesday at 7 pm. A small country, Iceland is known for long dark winters with freezing temperatures and boiling geysers. It is a land of active volcanoes, old witch sagas, and hardy people. Jeanne and Malcolm are hosting guests from Iceland who have agreed to tell us what life there is really like.
Then Wednesday’s offering at the library: Two Poets, Their Poems, and Their Guitars. Dan Waters and Michael West, Vineyard poets who play guitar and sing their own songs, will perform in the main room of the library at 7 pm. A poet, alone on a stage, with some well-chosen words can transform the moment. You will enjoy what happens when you throw in a little melody and a guitar chord or two. Reception to follow.
More music: The Ukulele and Harmonica group now includes a guitar and a dulcimer. Join in a sing-along on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 at the Tisbury Senior Center. Drop by to sing old favorites, such as, Bye-Bye Blackbird, Red Red Robin, and more. Words are provided, voices are needed.
October must be the month for marking years of marital bliss: Congratulations to Sonya and Sandy Nadelstein on Saturday. Jane and Chris Chandler celebrate on Sunday as do Lynne and Bob Benson.
Big bunches of birthday balloon wishes go out tomorrow to Julie Immelt. Saturday belongs to Deborah Suneson. A very happy birthday to Nora Clark on Sunday. Mya Houston celebrates her special day on Tuesday. Peg Elwell parties on Wednesday.
Heard on Main Street: Smile — it makes them wonder what you’re up to.
