We made it through the first holiday weekend of the 2015 summer season, and the slew of other season firsts that it entails: first hot dog and hamburger on the grill, first bike ride, first Red Sox game over the radio with our toes in the sand. Now it’s time for ice cream and fried clams and consecutive days in short sleeves, and then I’ll know we’re in it.
Tim and Jen Klein had a great gathering on their lawn this weekend for their annual Memorial Day “Rust Remover.” I love this multigenerational event every year, where so many of those of us Edgartown Eagles get a chance to catch up. I love seeing Simon Athearn and Brian Ditchfield, best friends since birth, hanging out on a blanket on the grass with their wives and children, never skipping a beat. Each year there are more and more tiny people, and the group grows. Very cool to watch.
Happy anniversary to Paul and Linda Condlin, who celebrated 35 years of marriage on May 24. The two are freshly back in Edgartown from their winter digs in Florida, and we are glad to have them home. You didn’t miss much, guys, though we did have a couple of light snow flurries here and there.
Looking to support the arts? Dine on Sunday evenings at Beetlebung Restaurant & Bar in Oak Bluffs, and 15 percent of your dinner check will go to Featherstone Center for the Arts. In addition, 15 percent of all purchases made on Sunday evenings at Beetlebung’s retail store, which offers clothing and gifts featuring graphic designs by Vineyard artists, will also be donated to Featherstone. Begins Sunday, June 7, and continues June 14, 21, 28. Visit beetlebung.com to make a reservation online.
Mark your calendars: There will be a celebration on July 25th at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury to thank Dr. Jim Weiss, superintendent of schools, for his 10 years of service here on Martha’s Vineyard as well as his career of 40-plus years as an educator. Tickets are available in every school office as well as the superintendent’s office. Tickets will be on sale until June 23rd. Tickets will not be available at the door.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out Tom Dresser’s new book, Martha’s Vineyard: A History, you will have a couple of opportunities next week, as Tom will be discussing and signing the book Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30 pm at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and Friday, June 5, at 12:45 pm at the Anchors. The book captures the overall history of the Vineyard but in an accessible way, so it is easy to read. Tom covers the major events, but also delves into those historical activities that are not center stage, like the train that ran between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, the demise and possible revival of the heath hen, the filming of Jaws, and the football rivalry between the Vineyard and Nantucket.
Seniors: The Anchors will host “Two to Tango” Tuesday, June 9th, at 1 pm, with actors Richard Clark and Lynne McKenney Lydick. Experience the journey from the dark and stormy war of passion in the 12th century realm of England’s King Henry II to a contemporary clash of bicoastal emotional cultures. James Goldman’s “The Lion in Winter” and Neil Simon’s “Visitor from New York” take us on a bittersweet tour of life, love, and love lost. Please call to sign up for lunch and show.
Birthday wishes go out this week to Dickens Berwind, who celebrates May 29; to Duzza McCarron, May 31; to Bill Brine, June 1; to Hilary Grannis and Mary Johnson, June 2; and to Taylor Pierce, June 3.
