Chilmark: Chilmark softball season

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"Blacksmith Valley," 48 x 32 in., oil on wood panel, by Kara Taylor is one of the landscapes you'll see at her gallery at 24 South Rd. — Courtesy Kara Taylor

My summers have always felt like they really began when I heard from summer softball commissioner Bill Edison, who died last fall. He was the first local to reach out to me regularly when I took over this column. Despite missing his distinctive voice, I’m happy to report the Chilmark softball season will unofficially start with a warmup practice game on Sunday, June 23, at 9 am. All ages are welcome, and Sig Van Raan says, “If enough show up, we’ll choose sides for a game.” The official Chilmark Softball season will begin on Sunday, July 1, with a pregame ceremony honoring Bill Edison.

Good news: Schools are out for summer on Friday, June 22, so slow down on our roads and be mindful.

Congratulations to Chilmark’s MV Mycological purveyors, Tucker Pforzheimer and Truman French, who were written up in the latest Boston Magazine; read it here: bit.ly/MVMushrooms.

The Back Door at the Home Port opens Tuesday, June 19, from 11:30 am to 8 pm daily. The dining room is open, June 21 to 24, from 5 to 9 pm, with a grand opening on Thursday, June 28. The new crew is led by Chef Michael Alton from Florida, and will have a new menu “paying homage to Home Port’s roots.” There’s a new website coming as well.

Be sure to stop by the MV Savings Bank to see Anthony Benton Gude’s painting exhibit, up through June 28.

You can register online to join the Chilmark Community Center for the 2018 season. They’ll be offering sailing and drama, and are taking 3-year-olds in the playschool program. Check out bit.ly/JoiningCCC to learn more. If you have difficulty with the website or any aspect of registration, please contact the executive director, Alexandra, at 301-787-2345, and she will be happy to talk you through the process. Also it’s not too early to become a sponsor or purchase tickets for the MV Author Series, held on Thursday and some Sunday evenings throughout the summer; see mvbookfestival.com.

Hurray! The Chilmark Flea starts on Saturday, June 23, from 9 am to 2 pm, and happens every Wednesday and Saturday thru Sept. 2. If you’re curious about vendors, just go and explore, or you can see a partial list at http://bit.ly/ChilmarkFlea.

Chilmark is continuing its search for volunteers to serve on a working group to develop and explore alternatives for Peaked Hill Pastures town land, meeting every other Wednesday (not including August) at 8 am to explore alternatives, discuss them with town residents, and bring options to the board of selectmen. If you are interested, please email townadministrator@chilmarkma.gov.

The Chilmark library continues its Wednesday 5 pm programs on June 20 with author Holly Fitzgerald, when she discusses her debut novel “Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon’s Relentless Madre de Dios” (named the Best Survival Book by Outside Magazine in 2017), based on her own real-life survival story. On June 27, come hear Gretchen Schmelzer, Ph.D. and psychologist, speak about her latest book, “Journey Through Trauma: A Trail Guide to the 5-Phase Cycle of Healing Repeated Trauma.” Tuesdays from 3 – 4:30 pm, stop by the weekly knitting group; bring your own supplies and projects. Enjoy a musical story hour with Rizwan on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 am. For info or questions call 508-645-3360 or email chil_mail@clamsnet.org. For those newly arrived, be sure to sign up for the new newsletter to keep up with the goings-on.

Vineyard Sound performances at the Chilmark Community Church are on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm through August 25; come enjoy. Suggested donation: adults $15, kids $5. 9 Menemsha Crossroads, Chilmark.

This week the Yard presents Sara Juli on Thursday, June 21, at 7 pm in “Tense Vagina: An Actual Diagnosis,” and on Saturday, June 23, at 7 pm, see Claire Porter and Sara Juli in “The Lectern: Rule by Rule.” Check out dance classes at the Yard; community classes from 9 to 10:30 am, Monday to Friday, and ballet and social dance on Saturdays from 10:30 am to noon when there’s no performances. To see what else is going on, get tickets, or learn about kids dance camp, go to dancetheyard.org or call 508-645-9662.

Join Kara Taylor for her first opening of the season, “New Landscapes and Other Paintings,” Sunday, June 24 from 5 to 8 pm, 24 South Road, 508-332-8171. For more info, see karataylorart.com.

The first Makers Table pop-up offered by Farm, Field and Sea features Chef Spring Sheldon with M.V. Museum’s Bow Van Ripper as storyteller and music by Sarah at the Captain Flanders home from 6 to 10 pm on Thursday, June 28. Tickets available at farmfieldsea.com/makerstable.html.

Have a great week.