Oak Bluffs: Oral History Recording Studio

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—MV Times

August is here with its crowds, gridlocks of traffic, and very tired residents. Sooner than usual this year, because of COVID, the workers who have been struggling so long to bring needed services to all of us are ready for summer to end and then perhaps their lives will be less hectic. We all need to make that extra effort to be more patient and understanding of each other as we go about our daily lives. As my sister is fond of saying, “It is harder to be nicer than you really are for more than five minutes.”  Remember to be patient, kind, and understanding and continue to wear masks.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Pierre Trudeau, the 15th prime minister of Canada, is quoted as saying “Our hopes are high, our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong, and our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.” This could describe our country as well as Canada.

The Grand Illumination Night at the Campground in Oak Bluffs is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, but it will be a modified celebration due to COVID. You can expect to see fewer cottages decorated this year, but there will still be many illuminated with the beautiful colored lanterns. Sorry, but there will be no program or lighting of the first lantern in the Tabernacle but lanterns throughout the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association will all start to be lit at 8 pm. Visitors are welcome, but this year anyone walking through the grounds are required to wear masks.

Here is a reminder that the Island Grown Initiative Mobil Market stops at Island Elderly Housing every Friday. The truck will be at Woodside Village from 10:45 to 11:30 am. Get fresh Island produce right at your door. No pre-order is necessary and all forms of payment are accepted.

Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard will celebrate 40 years of serving our Island community during their Summer Soiree and Auction on Monday, August 9, at 5:30 pm at Farm Neck Golf Club. Unfortunately this popular event is already sold out.  Call the office at 508-692-0189 or email lperry@hospiceofmv.org to be added to the waitlist and you can still participate in the online silent auction that opened August 1 or  make a donation. Catholic Youth Day M.V. is coming to the Island once again. On August 14 from 1 to 7 pm, Catholic Youth from across the Fall River Diocese are invited to participate in activities, food, prayer, and music. They will celebrate Mass with Bishop daCunha and all middle and high school students are invited to participate. The group will meet at the Parish Center on School Street in Oak Bluffs at 12:45 pm and then will walk to the Tabernacle where the event will take place.

The Sankofa Festival at the Oak Bluffs library celebrates African American literature and culture. On Tuesday, August 17, from 4:30 to 5:45 pm you may participate in a free walking tour and learn about the history of the African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard as you walk the Highlands in Oak Bluffs. As space is limited, you are asked to register by calling the library at 508-693-9433 and speaking with Allyson, or you may email amalak@clamsnet.org.  Every Saturday in August, from 10 am to noon, at the library, anyone who wishes to participate in an oral history of Oak Bluffs will get a chance for a 20-minute recording session to relay your Oak Bluffs stories. This is open to all ages. Please reserve a time by calling 508-693-8433 or emailing Allyson at the address in the above paragraph.

Father Nagle, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, is retiring after many years of service to parishioners on the Island. There will be two opportunities to honor him before he leaves. One will be on Saturday, August 14, following the 4 pm Mass at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven. There will be an outside reception following the church service. On Sunday, August 15, following the 4 pm mass at the Tabernacle there will also be a reception at 80 Trinity Park in Oak Bluffs. No reservations are necessary and there will be lobster rolls, chips, and water available for those attending.

We send birthday smiles for the month of August to Woodside Village residents Annie Smith, Merrell Raymond, Josephine Tucker, Henry Rancourt, and Barbara O’Keefe.

Birthday smiles to Ben deBettencourt and Kaya Seimon on August 7, Ken DeBettencourt and Bob Gatchell on the 8th, John Rose and Liam Farris Hickey on the 8th, Daniel Sedlier, Sara Trudel, and Eric BenDavid on the 10th, Deb Hammett and my daughter Kati Alley on the 11th, and Terry McCarthy and Richard Mello III on August 12.

Enjoy your week. Peace.

If you have any Oak Bluffs Town Column suggestions, email Megan Alley, meganislandmegan@comcast.net.