Oak Bluffs: Labor Day weekend is upon us

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Our used-to-be symbol of the end of summer is coming up. Labor Day weekend will be here in another day. We will see some more crowded stores, long lines in traffic and elsewhere, but also something new. Many cars will be packed to the rooftops with luggage, summer souvenirs, and people reluctantly returning to their off-Island homes and of course to school. So by Monday afternoon there will be some obvious changes, as cars and people line up at the boat docks to leave us once again. The opening day for Oak Bluffs school children is Sept. 8 at 8:15. Please note that incoming kindergartners only cannot start school without a copy of their birth certificate and up-to-date immunization information. And please take extra care while driving, as school being in session means many students walking or riding bikes on most streets.

All of you retired educators, this is for you: The annual Martha’s Vineyard retired educators lunch will be held at Farm Neck Café on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at noon. For the those of you who are new, it is a wonderful buffet lunch at a fixed price. A soon as he gets the price and the menu, Duncan Ross will send it out to you. Sign-up deadline is noon on Friday, Sept. 4. For more info, you may email Duncan at Duncan157@comcast.net.

Our library has scheduled some great one-time-only September events. Drop by for doughnuts and coffee on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 10 to 11 am, and meet Sonja, the new children’s librarian. On Thursday, Sept. 10, from 1 to 2:30 pm, the movie “Flushed Away” will be shown. On their half-days of school, kindergartners can join the group for a funny movie and popcorn. The perfect way to say goodbye to summer is the authors’ talk by Hermine Hull and Brooks Robards, tonight from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. They will discuss the book “On Island: Poems and Paintings of Martha’s Vineyard.”

Trinity Parish Hall in the Campground will be sparkling on Saturday, Sept. 5, for its annual Jewelry Sale. The sale will run from 10 am to 3 pm, and you will find a great variety of jewelry and prices for every budget.

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services’ Connect to End Violence program has relocated to a new space in Edgartown, and is open for business at its new location. The new office phone number is 774-549-9667. For existing clients, domestic violence/rape crisis counselors’ individual extensions remain the same.The crisis hotline number remains the same: 508-696-7233. If you are in need of walk-in services, or to make an appointment, please contact Connect to End Violence for directions to the new location.

The Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services invites golfers to participate in the annual Vineyard Charity Golf Classic, to be held on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Vineyard Golf Club. Registration on the day begins at 7 am, and tee-off is at 9 am. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit MVCS and a variety of nonprofits on Martha’s Vineyard supported by the Rotary. For the past 10 years, the Rotary has raised more than $100,000 for Island charities.

The Grace Church Lobster Roll crew is still busy serving lobster rolls every Friday through September from 4 to 7 pm or until sold out. If you wish to order ahead, call 508-693-0332.

On Sept. 4 at 6 pm, for the tenth year, Pam and Jim Butterick are opening their home at 359 Barnes Road for a musical soiree. They have a lovely view of the Lagoon, and will provide wine and beer, soft drinks, and appetizers while everyone socializes and enjoys the musicians playing their grand piano. This wonderful musical evening is a benefit for the upkeep of the Federated Church 1895 Hook and Hastings pipe organ and Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, and a donation of any amount is accepted for either one. For more info, contact Jim or Pam at antispung@aol.com.

Birthday smiles to Judy Cunniffe on Sept. 5, Skylar Hall on the 6th, Holly Hawkes and Susan Phillips on the 7th, and smiles to Ryan Araujo on the 10th. Smiles for the month of September to Woodside Village residents Eileen McLaughlin, Spencer Hilton, Florence BenDavid, and Emma Goldhorn. Belated smiles for August 29th to Darius Spain, one of the Island’s very own cobblers, working with Nancy MacMullen at the Cobbler Shop since her re-opening in 2014.

Special wishes to my husband Dennis Alley as we observe our 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 8th.

Enjoy your week. Peace.