Another summer weekend in September, to mark the official end of summer and the start of fall. Temperatures in the 70s. Bright sunshine. Decent water temperature. You know what that means? Yup. I spent a large part of the weekend at the beach. And I’m beyond grateful. It truly is my happy place, where I can relax and recharge my batteries. I admit, I brought my homework with me, so it wasn’t all play. But if you have to do homework, I can’t think of a better place to do it.
Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 11 am is the date and time for the next Neighborhood Convention. This one will be with Sara Barnes of the Martha’s Vineyard Mediation Program, at the First Baptist Church in Vineyard Haven. All are welcome. Bring a sack lunch.
Climate Cafes are happening on select Sundays starting on Oct. 20 at Waterside Market at 2 pm. Gather for a coffee and student-led community conversations about local environmental issues and climate-related topics at different coffee shops. Don’t forget to bring your mug! These cafes are hosted by students of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, and Felix Neck. The topic in October will be Energy. The next one, “Food” will be at the Charter School on Nov. 17, followed by “Waste” at the Covington on Dec. 15.
Happy birthday to Heidi McDonough and Mark Corwin on Sept. 23, Steve Rose on Sept. 24, my ever so lovely niece, Evie Gardner Fleisher, on Sept. 27, and Todd Hollister and Lucy Ulyatt on Sept. 28.
In Edgartown School news, school banking with the M.V. Bank has started for the year. This is a great opportunity for Edgartown School students to learn about the importance of saving money. Every Thursday morning, kids can go into the school cafeteria and deposit money into an account. This is an awesome way to start saving for their eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C., or their seventh grade ski trip, or just to save to have money put away for a rainy day. You can go in with your student any Thursday and open an account.
In other school news, Vineyard Propane very generously donates to the school each year with your help with their School Days program. They donate 2 cents for every gallon of propane purchased. All you have to do is drop off your Vineyard Propane receipts at the front office in the school. The PTA and Vineyard Propane do the rest. If you are a Vineyard Propane customer, please consider helping. Thank you.
And hey, I know it isn’t Edgartown news, but while I’m sharing school information, the Tisbury School eighth grade is hosting their auction fundraiser at the Lobsterville Bar and Grille in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 5:30. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from any Tisbury eighth grade student, or at the Coogan Law Office. Tickets will also be available at the door. Light appetizers are included. There will be a cash bar for beer and wine. If you’re looking for something to do, stop by and help these kids out. They’re having a tough year with everything going on in what was to be their last year in the Tisbury School, and it would be awesome to give them a great community boost.
The Darkness into Vineyard Light Suicide Prevention and Awareness Walk is this Saturday, Sept. 28, 5:30 to 7:30 am. Join others in the community to raise awareness and prevent suicide. All monies raised go to support free mental health services here on the Island.
Volunteers are needed to help the arts community of the Vineyard. The Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council, a local cultural council of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, needs a few people interested in helping local arts grow. The towns of Vineyard Haven, Aquinnah, Chilmark, and Edgartown each need a community member to represent their towns in the distribution of local and state funding to help fund projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences. This is a three-year term, which involves two to three meetings per year, serving as an advocate for arts funding, and reviewing local applications. Please contact Rob Hauck, MVCC chair, at hauckr@gmail.com, or phone 508-684-8045.
It was so fun to be with my cousins this weekend. We’ve all grown apart over the many years and miles between us. But there is nothing like the times of our youth, when all of us cousins grew up together. I think the biggest gap in age is the few years between my cousin Jen Corwin and myself. Other than that, I think there was a Corwin, Gardner, or Goodwin in just about every grade for years. And boy, did we spend time together as kids. It’s something my kids haven’t experienced, and maybe isn’t very common anymore. But on Saturday when we gathered at the P.A. Club, we didn’t miss a beat. I’m grateful for the memories.
Welcome, fall. I’m still hopeful for summerlike days ahead, but I’ll embrace the fall and all the coziness that comes with it. Have a great week.
