Oh February, you’re here already! Another Chilmark Potluck Jam success, though I ended up sadly missing one of my off-season favorite events. Belated birthday wishes go out to Peter Simon. The West Tisbury Dumptique is closed until March. And chocolate: well, Chilmark Chocolates reopens on Saturday, Feb. 3, 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Last week the Indian food at Barn, Bowl and Bistro was sold out in two hours, so be sure to go early on Tuesday evenings for Shivi Datta’s great cooking.
Nan Doty’s Tuesday 8 am Chilmark Church classes “focus on the depth and breadth of Qigong, exploring many different levels, including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual explorations of our inner and outer selves. This is a movement session, with some meditation woven in, standing and moving for an hour. The more relaxed we are with a gentle focus, the more easily energy is able to circulate and heal.” It’s $10 for class and tea. The Chilmark Community Church Tuesday winter meals continue through February from 5:30 to 6:30 pm; enjoy free food, conversation, and community. All are welcome, free. The Rev. Dr. Charlotte Wright leads a Lenten Bible Study Group on “The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Final Days in Jerusalem,” a book by John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 am, from Feb. 6 to March 27. Please RSVP for one or more sessions at 508-645-3100 or chilmarkchurch@gmail.com. Books ($10) may be ordered locally or online. 9 Menemsha Crossroads, Chilmark.
Come to Pathways Arts on Friday, Feb. 2, to see the film “The Bottom Line” followed by a Q and A with Caroline Hunter, a founder of the Free South Africa Movement. On Tuesday, Feb. 6, come hear Justen Ahren, Gail Giordano, and other writers read. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and performances start at 7 pm for all events. Mondays, join Rebecca Gilbert for knitting from 1 to 3 pm. You can stop by every day but Wednesdays and Sundays, and find a warm environment to work in, Wi-Fi, and computer available. Learn more at pathwaysmv.org.
See Mila Lowe’s “local Immigrants” photography exhibit at the Chilmark library meeting room through Friday, Feb 2. Special visitor Peter Rabbit will be coming to the Chilmark library on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 10:30 am for a special storytime with Peter Rabbit stories and songs. On Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 5 pm, Linsey Lee from the Martha’s Vineyard Museum will present more oral histories, starting with the Shearer Summer Theater. The Shearer Summer Cottage was the first black-owned inn on Martha’s Vineyard, and it became, from the 1940s to 1970s, a performance center for black actors and performers. Lee will also play audio interviews from Vineyarders about J.F.K.’s assassination, the Bradley Memorial Church, the Polar Bears, the Cottagers, being a Tuskegee Airman during WWII, and an interview with Dorothy West on her need for writing and self-expression. Stories and Song continue on Tuesday and Saturdays at 10:30 am, as does the Wednesday afterschool club. For questions or information, the library can be reached at 508-645-3360.
Head to the M.V. Playhouse Poetry Cafe, hosted by Arne Reisman with poets Justen Ahren, Liz Pozen, Susan Puciul, Brooks Robards, and Annette Sandrock on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7 pm. Your $10 gets you pie and a hot drink.
Join photographer Albert O. Fischer for his exhibition reception at the M.V. Savings Bank (across from the community center) on Friday, Feb. 2, from 5 to 6 pm. The show will hang until Feb. 28.
The Rev. Leo Christian will conduct the worship service and Noli Taylor will present the Neighborhood Convention program, “The Summer Food Service Program and Beyond,” on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 11 am at the First Baptist Parish House on William Street in Vineyard Haven. Please bring a bag lunch. Dessert and beverages will be provided by the hosts.
The Chilmark town planning board invites everyone to attend a presentation and discussion led by architect and consultant William Brewster of Brewster Architects, LLC, at the Chilmark library on Friday, Feb. 9, at 2:30 pm. Planning board members worked with Mr. Brewster in 2017 to develop recommendations for improvements in parking, pedestrian access, and traffic flow in Menemsha. Mr. Brewster will make a visual presentation and be available for questions afterward. Copies of the recommendation report are available at Town Hall and at bit.ly/planningboardreport.
Have a great week.
