Beth here again, covering for Hermine, who will be back next week.
Some lovely stories during this cold snap — Doug Fogg spotted a great big bluebird on his way to work last week. Melissa Patterson let me know that three neighbors came by their house to offer to plow after the last big snowstorm (love our Island). Melissa also shared a link to the Malala Fund, whose aim is to ensure every girl has access to 12 years of free, safe, quality primary and secondary education. By signing up, you get a large bag to fill with gently used kids’ and women’s clothing and leave for your mail carrier. The contact website is schoola.com/fundraiser-for-malala.
Amber Hunt asked that I remind everyone that two families are homeless following a fire that broke out in a guesthouse last week. For more information on how to help both families, call Rodrigo Honorato at 781-856-5021.
Tara Whiting stopped by to remind us to vote on March 1 (presidential primary) from 7 am to 8 pm at the Public Safety Building. Absentee ballots are available at Tara’s office in the Town Hall from 8:30 to 4:30 pm. Nomination papers are due by Feb. 24. And please consider running for the open seats on the Finance Committee and the Board of Health.
Douglas and I had a great dinner at the Ritz (go Ben!) with Eric and Cheryl Lowe. We all went shuffleboarding at the Loft at Dreamland afterward — what a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Cheryl wanted to share that their daughter, Emily, has finished school at Emerson College in Boston, and spent her last semester in Cork, Ireland. Their son Aaron is in his second year at the New England Culinary Institute — so great to see our Island kids succeeding.
During the upcoming school break (Feb. 22 to 26), the West Tisbury library will be screening family films in the Community Room and teen movies in the Young Adult Room Monday through Friday at 1 pm. There will be family drop-in crafts in the kids’ room Monday through Friday, from 11 am to 4 pm. Movie listings can be found at westtisburylibrary.org. These films are free, and popcorn will be served.
In March, Linda and Stephen Chapman will be teaching an intensive workshop, “Building and Maintaining a Free or Low-Cost Professional Website: A Workshop for Artists, Artisans, and Small Business Owners.” This is a free workshop. Online registration is required, and space is limited. To register for the workshop, please go to bit.ly/MVwebworkshop. For more information, please contact Linda and Stephen at WTLibraryWebWorkshop@gmail.com.
The final concert of the “Sunday Afternoon Jazz” series will be this Sunday, Feb. 28, from 4 pm to 5 pm, featuring the Eric Johnson Duo. This series is generously sponsored by the Friends of the West Tisbury Library and the West Tisbury Library Foundation. It is free and open to the public.
DreamWork 101 will be offered at the library at 5:30 pm on Monday, Feb. 29. This introductory talk is open to longtime dream workers and to newcomers. It will be led by Jennie Isbell Shinn, M.Div., Quaker spiritual director, and longtime dreamworker. Jennie relocated to West Tisbury with her husband and son in early September, and is excited to play dreamwork with her neighbors! This event is free and open to the public.
The Martha’s Vineyard Library Association (MVLA) is looking for makers to show their stuff at the first annual Martha’s Vineyard Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, May 7, 2016, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury. Makers include everyone from cheesemakers to Lego builders and tinkerers to computer coders. If you like to make stuff, grow stuff, compile stuff, or repurpose stuff, you’re a maker. The Martha’s Vineyard Mini Maker Faire will bring together makers from across the Island to show what they know and what they love. This is a community-building event, so it is free to come and free to participate. If you have a cool project or an awesome skill, we want you to come and share it. For more information or to register, please visit mvmakerfaire.com.
