We are through recital weekend! It is always such a crazy busy weekend, between prepping and extra rehearsals and performances. These young women, girls, and a growing number of boys, work so hard, and this year was no exception. The final number this year was majestic, and I think I can honestly say that the girls truly left everything they had up on that stage on Sunday afternoon. Many thanks to Jil, Jessica, Melissa, Libby, Daryl, Jesse, Caitlin, and Whitney for setting the barre (pun intended) so high. It was a joy to witness.
Cape and Island Votes is holding a voter registration drive on Saturday, June 16, at the Edgartown Public Library from 10 am until 4 pm. Every library on the island is participating. Citizens will be able to register on the spot, and teens ages 16 and 17 can preregister. Carla Copper is the Island coordinator, if anyone has any questions. This is a nonpartisan event.
ACE MV invites you to “Charting Courses,” an evening celebrating 10 years of continuing education on M.V. This event, featuring Paul Osterman of MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as music by the Phil daRosa Project, will be on June 23 from 5 pm until 8 pm at the West Chop Club. The price of an all-inclusive ticket is $50, and the evening promises to be a special evening of music, food, and wine and beer, along with tributes from former students and a video about ACE MV. Tickets are available at ticketsmv.com/ace.
Tom Dresser will be offering two free talks in Edgartown next week. On Monday, June 11, he will be speaking at Anchors of Edgartown at 1 pm. And on Tuesday, June 12, he will speak at the Edgartown library at 7 pm. Both talks will be on his new book, “Whaling on Martha’s Vineyard,” which focuses on the topics of Vineyard whaling captains, crew, wives, and their voyages during the whaling era. He will have a PowerPoint program of slides from the book, and will answer questions from interested participants.
Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Jen Fournier and Kate Conde Foster on June 4, Denise Searle and Julie Lively on June 6, Donnie Benefit on June 8, and Lucia Hayman on June 10.
Max Skjöldebrand photographed the 2015 renovation work to restore the Capawock and Strand theaters, and has previously exhibited a selection of those images at the M.V. Film Center and at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Katama. His new book, which tells the story in photographs of the restoration of these two historic movie theaters, has just been published, and is on sale at Bunch of Grapes, the M.V. Museum gift shop in Edgartown, the M.V. Film Center, and the Winnetu Oceanside Resort Gift Shop, for $14.95. Skjöldebrand’s book will also be available for sale and for signing after book talks at the Oak Bluffs library at 3:30 on June 15, the West Tisbury library at 5 pm on July 17, and the Chilmark library at 5 pm on Sept. 19. Dates and times for the Vineyard Haven library and Edgartown library will be announced at a later date.
The kids of the Edgartown School’s rising eighth grade are starting the Washington, D.C., fundraising ball rolling again. Our kids will soon be out seeking donations for fundraising events for the 2019 trip to Washington. As always, everyone is extremely grateful for all of the past support from our wonderful community. Your donations and generosity help our students experience a trip that they will always remember. This year, things are changing up a little bit. Traditionally, the annual auction has been held in March. This year, it will hopefully happen in October instead, in an effort to have all the major fundraising done by the end of December. This will help provide families some extra time to plan financially, in the event they don’t fundraise enough to money to cover the costs of the whole trip. So if you notice that our kids seem to be seeking donations earlier than usual this year, you’ll now know why. Rest assured, they won’t be asking you again in March this time around.
The M.V. Charter School seniors graduated last weekend, and the MVRHS graduation is Sunday. The emotional rollercoaster has already begun in our house, as we begin to learn to let go of our two oldest kids. I will most assuredly be a mix of blubbering tears and proud parent on Sunday afternoon. Congratulations to the classes of 2018 from both high schools. Best of luck to you all in your next endeavor. Remember the words of Minor Myers: “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”