If you want to see something really beautiful, take a stroll by the library and admire the gardens. Thanks to Laura Coit, Tim Boland, Lil Province, John Hoff (and crew!), Cheryl Doble, Linda Hearn, and the entire landscaping committee for the months (may, in fact, be years) of planning and growing plants for these gardens. And they are as functional as they are beautiful — attracting butterflies, reestablishing natural corridors, and cleaning pollutants from our parking lot.
Congratulations are in order for Jennifer Tseng! Her new book, Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness, got a great review in last week’s Boston Globe Art Section, and made the Los Angeles Times’ list of “23 fiction books you’ll want to read — and share — this summer.” Jennifer had the “best reading ever” at Bunch of Grapes last Friday, and will be celebrated at the library on June 27th at 6 pm.
There will be two receptions at the library this weekend. On Friday, June 12, at 5 pm, the library will host Jane Dreeben, who is celebrating her forthcoming book, The Urge to Create: Vineyard Portraits. Jane’s photographs will be hanging throughout the library for the month of June. This show includes 19 excerpts from written profiles, based on in-depth interviews, paired with photographic portraits of Vineyard artists. Jane has been collaborating with Island photographers, including Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School students and grads, college students, community members, and professional photographers.
On Saturday, June 13, at 5 pm, please come to a reception for Sheila Fane. Sheila’s beautiful prints will be up in the McCullough Community Room for the month of June. Sheila uses multiple techniques to achieve her colors and images. Come and see these works of art, and find out how they are made.
Don’t forget to come to listen to the Vineyard Sinfonietta concert on Saturday, June 13, at 3 pm at the library. Share in the great music that your neighbors are making.
Calling all prose writers! Join us for an evening of sharing original prose work on Monday, June 15, at 7 pm at the library. Call 508-693-4307 to sign up, or just show up! Fiction and nonfiction welcome.
Please come to the library on Wednesday, June 17, at 5 pm to listen to a favorite local author, Tom Dresser, speaking about his newest book, Martha’s Vineyard: A History. From a movement to secede from Massachusetts to the making of the summer blockbuster Jaws, author Thomas Dresser weaves together the threads of the Vineyard’s fascinating history.
On Saturday, June 20, beginning at 1, Doug Brush will be overseeing the West Tisbury library’s first drop-in chess club. All levels welcome. Chess boards provided. Chess club is free and open to the public.
All are invited to the seventh annual Windemere Auction at the Grange Hall this Friday, June 12, from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free, with light fare, wine, and sweets. For more information, please call 508-862-1933.
The West Tisbury School fifth-grade class is holding a Cow Chip Bingo fundraiser for their Shenandoah trip on Saturday, June 27, at 10 am at Flat Point Farm. If you’re not familiar with it, this is how it works: A cow will be turned loose in a fenced-in field, and if the cow makes its first “deposit” on your square, you win! Each square is $50, and the winner takes home $1,000. You do not need to be present to win. Please contact Liz Oliver at 508-939-0616 to purchase your squares.
The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury’s 27th annual Strawberry Festival will be on Saturday, June 20, 2015 from noon to 4 pm. This family and community event kicks off the summer deliciously. Volunteers of all ages gather at 8 am to prepare the berries for all the many treats. Come and enjoy them with neighbors, and meet new friends!
Look for the strawberry banner and bright balloons on the church fence in the center of West Tisbury on Saturday, June 20th. All proceeds from this fundraiser help support this historic church and our Island community. For more information, call 508-693-2842. The Strawberry Festival will be hosted indoors in the event of inclement weather.
Hermine will be back soon, but until then, please be sure to send your news my way at bkramer@clamsnet.org. If you want to learn more about all the events happening at the West Tisbury library, just go to the library’s Facebook page and sign up for our monthly online newsletter.