Fall is here, leaves are changing, chickens are in at North Tabor Farm. I roasted mine stuffed with Beetlebung Farm radishes and apples, besides throwing Ghost Island Farm blue potatoes, onions, and carrots in the pan.
I love Nancy Aronie’s new column. If you haven’t seen it yet, check bit.ly/nancyaronie.
Thomas Bena shared that he encountered blue-green algae in the western part of Squibnocket Pond, and advised, “People should be safe and follow the guidelines by our board of health if they come in contact with it.” He also reached out to Marina Lent, who wrote, “Highest risk: ingestion; next highest: spending time with sores in your skin that mean the toxin gets into blood circulation; next: spending extended periods of time with intact skin, and not rinsing it off; next: short exposure of intact skin followed by a thorough rinse.” She also added, “What I do not know is how to assess the hazard of aerosolized toxin (breathing above the water), and at what concentration or wind speed or whatever that becomes a factor.” This is no joke, please be careful.
Derby season is in full swing. I love seeing the Menemsha lot full before 8 am. There was a trio of men in waders in Monday’s morning mist at Squibby, more a silhouette from a distance. Just love so many things about home. Enjoy your nature walks before hunting season begins from Oct. 19 to Nov. 28. Lucy Vincent Beach is open, no lifeguards are on duty. No dogs allowed until after Oct. 15.
On Thursday, Oct.1, at 7 pm, the virtual music series continues with Mac and Cheese: Irish, Celtic, and American Traditional Music with Twin Cities, Minn., duo Pete McCauley and Tim Cheesebrow. See “Borderland: The Life and Times of Blanche Ames Ames,” on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 6:30 pm. A documentary that chronicles Ames’s life as an artist, an activist, a builder, an inventor, a birth control maverick, and a leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Massachusetts. Email tthorpe@clamsnet.org to sign up and get the Zoom invitation. For library info, see chilmarklibrary.org, and sign up for the weekly newsletter on the Programs page.
The VIP Yard and Art Sale returns to Chilmark Chocolates on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 am to 1 pm, featuring arts and crafts and Chilmark Chocolates collectibles (sorry, no chocolate).
The Yard’s Jesse Keller Jason is offering adult virtual dance classes Mondays from 2 to 3 pm and Wednesdays 10:30 to 11:30 am through the West Tisbury library. To receive the Zoom invitation, please email the West Tisbury library at wt_mail@clamsnet.org. Mollie Doyle continues to offer virtual yoga classes, see mollieyoga.com. There’s one more week of Foot Workshop classes, or try a biomechanical healing Kaiut Yoga class, while Restorative Sound continues the first and third Wednesday each month, see peakedhillstudio.com.
Walk Island Folk Pottery’s magical quarter-mile sculpture trail created by artists Bill O’Callaghan and Heather Goff, open daily 10 am to 5 pm free of charge; pottery shop is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm, or by appointment. See islandfolkpottery.com.
The Chilmark Church Sunday 9 am services continue on Zoom.
Menemsha Texaco is now open from 8 am to 4 pm. All clothing is on sale at Pandora’s Box. Enjoy all Menemsha’s shopping, the deli and both fish stores, while everyone’s open.
Chilmark General Store will have food to go through Indigenous People’s Day (Columbus Day) and continue to offer groceries until they sell out. North Tisbury Farm will be open through Thanksgiving. And we can always count on all our other wonderful local farm stands; thank you, Beetlebung Farm, Mermaid Farm, and North Tabor Farm. Native Earth Teaching Farm continues programs and limited offerings; see nativeearthteachingfarm.org.
Schedule a free COVID-19 test at 877-336-9855. If you need any help, Chilmark Neighbors offers volunteer assistance. You can find them, and anything COVID- or town-related at chilmarkma.gov.
Vote early by mail or apply for an absentee ballot at chilmarkma.gov/town-clerk. The deadline to submit a vote by mail or absentee application for the state election is Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5 pm, either drop in the secure box next to main door of Chilmark Town Hall, 401 Middle Road, email to townclerk@chilmarkma.gov, fax to 508-645-2110, or mail to Chilmark Town Clerk, P.O. Box 119, Chilmark, MA 02535. You can check your voter registration at sec.state.ma.us. The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 state election is Saturday, Oct. 24; go to sec.state.ma.us, or in person at Chilmark Town Hall, 401 Middle Road, from 2 to 4 pm and from 6 to 8 pm on Oct. 24.
If you’re on Facebook, check It’s a Chilmark Thing for up-to-date information about our town and Island.
Have a good week.
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Valerie Sonnenthal, vsonnenthal@gmail.com.
