Today was the quintessential perfect fall day. After Saturday’s wind, which knocked so many brightly colored leaves off the trees, the cool crisp air and bright blue skies today mixed with the reds, oranges, and yellows juxtaposed against the pavement was picture-perfect. And the leaves made a fun noise as we ran through them as well. It was a delight.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the Edgartown School’s production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” What a great show they put on this weekend. Cast members Julia Murray, William Thornton, Lillie Cabral, Anthony Pruciano, Isabella Silva, Madison Mello, Chimari Dockery, Joana Torres, Victor DeSouza, Tatum Thomas, Caroline Kelleher, Connor Graves, Reece McCracken, Holly Little, Wyatt Thornton, Madison Mello, Cassidy Kelleher, Sarah Lively, Kylee Brasefield, Ruby Dello Russo, Chimari Dockery, Linda Evangelista, Anina Garvin, Cassidy Kelleher, Aliyah Leavitt, Sarah Lively, Jonah Mafcher, Savannah Matthews, Danielle Meyer, Xeandre Miller, Gianni Navarrete, Malek Perry, Syius Rivera, Brooke Roten, and Sophia Sampaio, and crew members Jameson Whitmarsh, Tobias Russell-Schaeffer, Colin Hurley, Nick Carpenter, Caroline Conover, Caroline Dolby, Olivia Hess, Josephine Orr, Anne Culbert, Kathy Retmier, Judy Murray, Peter Sawyer, Jerry Murray, and Amelia Simmons, and directors Laura Walton and Ken Romero know how to entertain. Whew. That’s a lot of names. Hopefully in my copy-and-paste efforts from the program, I didn’t leave anyone out. My apologies if I did. Thanks for a great night.
Felix Neck Sanctuary director Suzan Bellincampi’s first book, “Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature,” was named one of the Best Books of 2014 by the Boston Globe. The field guide was one of seven books in the category Best of New England. Now comes “The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard,” a collection of nature essays originally appearing in the “All Outdoors” column of the Vineyard Gazette. This collection, published by Mermaid and Motorcycle Press, is a gathering of the best of Suzan’s nature columns over the past 16-plus years, and includes stunning full-color photographs by Island photographer Tim Johnson. Celebrate the book’s release at Felix Neck’s Fall Festival, Nov. 23, with the author signing copies throughout the day. If you can’t wait until then, “The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard” is now available at the Felix Neck gift shop, at selected Island retail outlets, and by mail through the sanctuary. To purchase books or for more information, call the sanctuary at 508-627-4850 or email them at felixneck@massaudubon.org.
Special happy birthday wishes go out to my daddy this week. Pop, as we call him, will hit a milestone on Nov. 7, and is still rolling, quite literally. He still puts in his miles on his bike around Katama, most recently with my niece Abby as a companion. Happy birthday, Pop. We love you. And no, we won’t have a big party.
Friends and family are holding a spaghetti dinner and silent auction at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs for Tim Defelice, who needs a kidney, on the evening of Friday, Nov. 9, from 5 until 9 pm. If you would like to donate goods or services to the cause, you can contact Melissa Ogden at 508-560-1056 or email Melissa Ogden at timneedsafingkidney@gmail.com in order to arrange pickup of your donation. In addition, you can call Patti DeFelice at 508-274-1619, or Jennifer Cutrer at 774-836-8546, or you can email her at jen.cooganlaw@gmail.com. Or just come out, support the cause, and have a good time. And eat well too.
She did it! Nedine Cunningham successfully conquered the New York Marathon this weekend, while raising money for cancer research. And based on the social media pics, she didn’t even get tired. Congratulations, Nedine. You’re an inspiration.
The Run for Veterans is this Saturday, Nov. 10. The start time will be 9 am at the Right Fork diner. No timing, no T shirts, no Porta Potties, no water stops … just a great cause! Suggested donation is $10. Walkers are welcome. Last year they had five people and brought in $110. This year’s goal is 10 people and $220. Maybe even more? I’m not a morning runner myself, but for a good cause like this, I could be persuaded.
Edgartown School families, be on the lookout. Coming home soon will be your child’s custom catalog featuring their artwork. Won’t you help make your child feel like an accomplished artist by purchasing keepsakes for the whole family containing their masterpiece? The school earns a profit from every order. And as a thank-you for participating, we provide each child with a sheet of stickers imprinted with their artwork, absolutely free. Watch for more details about the campaign and order deadlines. All online and paper order forms must be turned in by the due date on your child’s custom catalog. No late orders can be accepted. Together we can help support the school, build your child’s self-esteem, and create lasting keepsakes from your child’s artistic achievements. This is a great fundraiser for the school, and a great way to have special keepsakes for years to come. I’ve got mine from when my kids took part in the program.
I don’t know if we ever officially said “thank you” to this wonderful community who helped support the eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C., with our auction a couple of weeks ago. We had so many wonderful donations, and people got some amazing deals while helping send the kids off on this memorable trip. Thanks to all who helped with another successful event.
In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, that’s all, folks. Have a great week. I hope you are all adjusting well to the time change, and that your critters and young kids are letting you sleep past 5 am. It’s always a few rough days when we first change the clocks, no? I can’t believe it’s November. Time is flying. Have a great week.
