Last week I wrote about the slow changes and lack of fall color. This week I am reporting that our landscape is much transformed. I have seen lots of reds and golds as I walk or drive around town, and the oak trees in our woods gleam orange and gold as sunlight hits them. More sky shows through, and more leaves have fallen to the ground. All is washed clean from the rain we have had. I love this time of year, the golden light filtering through our woods, the brightening of light in our house. I’m waiting for the sun to move lower in the sky, for the bare trees to let that light flood through our living room windows onto the sofa where I read and write and knit on winter afternoons.
There is lots of color coming from pumpkins and Halloween decorations in everyone’s yards. Alley’s looks so cheerful, with pumpkins of every size lining the edge of the porch. The Charter School will have scarecrows out all over town. Rusty Gordon of Ghost Island Farm has been planning his Halloween display, always a highlight and always imaginative. Halloween is Rusty’s favorite holiday.
The Friends of the West Tisbury Library will sponsor the annual Halloween party at the library on Oct. 31, from 3:30 to 5 pm. It will be all we have come to expect: hayrides, crafts, delicious treats to eat. Everyone is invited to attend. Come in your best or scariest or fanciest costume, and have a great time.
Other library events this coming week are: a Rural Scholars from UMass Amherst program about substance abuse on the Vineyard on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 4 pm; a series of open chamber music rehearsals with Cesar Atzic Marquez that will take place most Sunday afternoons at 3:30 through the winter; and the screening of the first episode of MVTV’s “Martha’s Vineyard Signs Then and Now,” a program for learning, practicing, and experiencing Pidgin Signed English beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 4 to 5 pm.
The West Tisbury Library Foundation will host “An Evening With Peter Kramer,” part of their ongoing Speakeasy Series, on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5:30 pm. Dr. Kramer is a psychiatrist, a teacher at Brown, and the author of seven books, including “Listening to Prozac,” “Against Depression,” and “Should You Leave?” The evening includes hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments. Please call Beth Kramer for reservations: 774-563-8391.
The week of Oct. 10 to 14 was Fire Safety Week, and the West Tisbury Fire Department sent firemen to talk to students at the West Tisbury School, the Public Charter School, and the Island Children’s School. The program for pre-K through third graders was led by firemen Greg Pachico, Tony Cordray, Brynn Schaffner, Glenn DeBlase, Alex Dorr, and Policeman Brad Cortez. They arrived in full gear — big coats and boots, Scott packs, helmets — so kids could know what they would look like and not be frightened in an emergency situation. Every kid was given his or her own fire helmet and a package of information and puzzles about fire safety. Making sure everyone in the family has an escape plan with a designated place to meet, making sure smoke detectors are installed and working, staying low where the smoke is less dense and there is more air to breathe, and the best known of all, “Stop, Drop, and Roll” if your clothes catch on fire, is good information for kids to bring home to share with their families — good information for everyone in town. This program has been going on for several years. Thanks to our firemen for taking the time to prepare and present this important information.
The Martha’s Vineyard Montessori School will hold the fourth annual Truckin’ MV at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School parking lot on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 11 am to 1:30 pm, rain or shine. It’s loads of fun for anyone who loves all things mechanical, the bigger the better. There will be fire trucks, tractors, bucket loaders, dump trucks, and more, for kids to climb on and examine every detail. It’s $10 per child or $25 per family.
Evan Hammond, West Tisbury born and bred, was a Derby winner for his 15-pound, 11-ounce shore bluefish. He is the new owner of an Eastern fishing boat, presented at the award ceremony at Felix Neck on Oct. 16. Evan also won second place in the team competition. He and his teammate, Casey Elliston, called themselves “Legends of the Fall.” Congratulations to you both.
Amy Eisenlohr must be the most excited new grandmother in town. She has a granddaughter, Kira Wren Agnew, daughter of Ezra Agnew and Kelley DeBettencourt, and baby sister of Milo. Kira was born on Oct. 8 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Welcome to the world, Kira.
Early voting began in town on Monday. We can go up to Town Hall weekdays between 8:30 and 1:30, ask Tara Whiting for a ballot, and vote on the spot.
