Updated 9 am, Monday, May 16 to correct date of Islanders Read the Classics.
There were a few milestones this week, including my older son Hudson graduating from Northeastern University at Boston’s TD Garden, where Secretary of State John Kerry gave the commencement address to a crowd of 25,000 people. He commented that the graduating class represented 85 countries, and so “you are the most diverse class in Northeastern’s history — in other words, you are Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.”
Also our own Tim Carroll, Chilmark executive secretary, assistant fire chief, director of emergency management, and member of multiple town committees, celebrated his 50th birthday — we wish you a wonderful and healthy year ahead. Thank you for all you do for Chilmark.
And we had another amazing gathering of the Chilmark Women’s Symposium — thank you to all the speakers, volunteers, and participants who make this such a special biannual event. This time around, I met a few women who make the trek from off-Island just to attend. The next symposium will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Thank you to Josh and Angela Aronie for bringing us the Food Truck, always a welcome sight in Menemsha, through the off-season. The Chilmark General Store opens May 11, and will be open Monday to Friday from 7 am to 3:30 pm, and Saturdays from 7 am to 5 pm, through June 21. They have a gorgeous new website with an online store, so check it out. The Galley will also be reopening mid-May, and I know lots of folks who can’t wait for their dipped ice cream cones.
If you’re wondering why Menemsha Fish Market is closed Saturday, May 14, it’s so the whole Larsen clan can attend and celebrate their daughter Janelle’s marriage to Dakota Fogg. Congratulations one and all!
Interested in historic preservation? Join the roundtable discussion on Thursday, May 12, from 4 to 6 pm, hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission with members of town boards. They’ll be discussing how we can improve efforts to protect our historic buildings and other historic resources. Discussion will include completing inventories of historic structures and increasing collaboration among town commissions. The event will be held at 33 New York Avenue, Oak Bluffs; for more information call 508-693-3453.
The Spanish Conversation Group (with refreshments) led by Lorena Crespo continues at the Chilmark library on Thursday, May 12, at 5 pm. Stories and Songs with Kristin are offered Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 am. Irene offers her Wednesday afterschool craft program starting at 3 pm. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 18, at 5:30 pm, when Holly Bergon leads a discussion on Sylvia Plath’s “Ariel” for the series “Islanders Read the Classics.” Ms. Bergon, who lives in Oak Bluffs and in Colorado, has published poems in the Sewanee Review, Ploughshares, and many other journals.
Don’t miss Choro das Tres, a Brazilian instrumental group of three sisters and their father, when they make their second appearance at the West Tisbury library on Friday, May 13, from 7 to 8 pm. Be sure to go early if you want a seat; last year the audience spilled out into the lobby. My son Sawyer and I loved them! Thanks to David Stanwood for bringing them to our Island and to the Friends of the West Tisbury Library and the West Tisbury Library Foundation for making this available to all residents free.
Marsha Winsryg, founder of the African Artists Community Development Project (ICDP), is welcoming those interested in learning about three different tours based in Florence, Florence Cultural Tour, Tuscan Artists’ Tour, and Tuscan Sacred Sites and Sanctuaries Tour, she conducts to raise money for her work in Zambia. She will show slides from her tours, held every October and March, on Saturday, May 14, from 10 to 11 am. They are small, no more than seven people, and organized to be rich for the senses without a stressful itinerary. You must RSVP to 508-693-4059 for location and directions.
Join Paul Lagreze of New England Wild Edibles for a workshop about inoculating and caring for your own shiitake mushroom logs on Saturday, May 14, from 10 am to 1 pm at Thimble Farm, 80 Stoney Hill Road, Vineyard Haven. Cost is $40. Space is limited, and preregistration is required by contacting Margaret Knight at margaret 02539@yahoo.com.
Head over to the Charter School for the first Ag-Tivist Potluck Festival on Saturday, May 14, from 5 to 8 pm. Bring a dish, a story to share, and a place setting.
Join the Martha’s Vineyard Community Seed Library at the West Tisbury library on Sunday, May 15, at 2 pm for their first Seedling Swap. Bring heirloom vegetable, flower, and fruit seedlings or cuttings to swap and share, or just come and pick some up to bring home for your garden. Information will be available on planning for a seed-saving garden, and the seed library collection will be available to check seeds out for the season.
Free pizza dinners are still on at the Chilmark Community Church every Tuesday at 6 pm. Come and enjoy the company.
Relish the sunshine, and have a good week.