Nov. 11 turned out to be a lovely day to celebrate and thank our veterans. I remember some mighty cold ceremonies at Ocean Park when my kids were little but last Thursday was a beautiful day with a short and touching ceremony in honor of veterans. Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve.
I also took advantage of the warmer weather to take a quick dip at State Beach. It was not a swim by any means, as I pretty much jumped in and back out, but I did go under water all the way. It was quite cold but oh so good for my Island girl soul. Will there be more swims in November? Perhaps even December? I hope so.
My condolences go out to the family of Peter West. I spoke with Jeff Chapman last night who shared with me that Peter, long a resident of Katama, had passed away in Florida on Oct. 30 at the age of 88. Should I receive further news of services or such, I will be sure to share them here. Thinking of Peter’s family and friends at this time.
Happy birthday wishes go out this week to my dear friend, Meaghan Morris, who celebrated on Nov. 14 and who is a whole day younger than I am. I know I included her birthday, along with Caitlin Nichols and Charlie Morano, last week also. I guess I was all discombobulated with the early deadline. Additional happy birthday wishes go out this week to former Edgartown boy Rob Morgan on Nov. 18 and Myllena DeOliveira on Nov. 19.
Now that the 8th grade families have been informed, I can now officially announce that Meaghan Morris and I have agreed to be the 8th grade advisors this year as we try to put together a trip to Washington D.C. The trip was canceled two years ago as we went into the pandemic and then couldn’t happen last year either. So this will be the first attempted trip in three years. Keep your fingers crossed that COVID fades as kids get vaccinated and adults get boosters. As you probably realize, the trip is likely to be more expensive this year, with travel costs increasing and the need for extra hotel rooms in order to follow COVID safety protocols. Unfortunately, we’ve lost valuable fundraising time, with some of our big fundraisers usually happening in the summer before the kids enter 8th grade. We only have a couple planned at this point and are looking for ideas, suggestions, and sponsors from our community to help get about 40 kids to D.C. for four days. If you have ideas or would like to help, please feel free to contact me at ggardnermv@gmail.com.
Thanksgiving is next week. That snuck up on me pretty quickly. We haven’t made a decision yet about what we may be doing. With my kids away and having lost our Mimi, Don, Kiana, and I are thinking of eating out this year rather than having dinner at home. I hope you all have the opportunity to spend the day with friends and loved ones. It’s been a rough couple of years to be sure but hopefully we can all still find something for which we are grateful.
Thanksgiving also means an early deadline for next week’s column. If you have news you would like to share, please get it to me by Thursday this week, otherwise known as “today”.
Featherstone Center for the Arts is hosting their annual Holiday Gift Show again this year, most days from 12 pm until 4 pm, by appointment. It’s a one-stop holiday destination with handmade gifts from Island artists, including paintings, photographs, pottery, crafts, jewelry, clothing, accessories, soaps, dog goods, ornaments, cards, calendars, and stocking stuffers… Closed Thanksgiving day. For details, visit featherstoneart.org. With supply chains complicating holiday shopping this year, it’s definitely a good time to “shop local.”
The Aquinnah library is offering “Cranberry Day,” a discussion with Jannette Vanderhoop on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 3 pm via Zoom. Join her for a virtual reading of her children’s book “Cranberry Day” in honor of Native American Heritage Month. The reading will be followed by a talk and discussion for all ages about the history of this Wampanoag harvest celebration. For Zoom access, email jmatejcek@clamsnet.org, or call 508-645-2314.
Felix Neck will be having its 40th Fall Festival on Friday, Nov. 26, from 10 am until 2 pm. The cost is $7 to $10. For more information, call them at 508-627-4850 or email felixneck@massaudubon.org.
On Saturday, Nov. 27, at 10 am, the 16th annual 5K run/walk for KJ will take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School field. The 5K for KJ is a race through the Manuel Correllus State Forest, which is also the course for the Martha’s Vineyard cross country team. The race was established in honor of former MVRHS student and cross country runner, Kevin H. Johnson, who passed away at the age of 16 in an automobile accident. Proceeds from the race go to the Kevin H. Johnson Cross Country Scholarship Fund. This fund provides $1,000 scholarships for two members of the MVRHS cross country team upon graduation to use towards college. Visit bit.ly/3DpFArH to sign up for the race.
I am scheduled to have a tooth pulled on Wednesday this week. Nothing screams “you’re getting old” like breaking teeth and getting them pulled for implants. Sigh. At any rate, I’m not sure if there will be a column next week or not, given the early deadline and the timing of my appointment. However, I’m expecting that I will rally and will suffer no ill effects and will be functioning enough to share your news with readers, so please email me at ggardnermv@gmail.com with any news you’ve got.
