Happy Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil will have made his prediction by the time you are reading this. I’m not sure what I hope for. The mild temperatures have been pleasant and easy on our wood pile, but it seems worrisome that the ground still hasn’t frozen here. It doesn’t seem right, and I do like having some winter.
Feb. 1 is the double birthday of Betty and Janice Haynes. They will share their annual surf and turf dinner, prepared by Bill, and celebrate the beginning of another year. That’s a lot of good to celebrate. Happy birthday to you both, my dears.
Come to the library this Saturday between 1 and 2:30 pm for the annual Martha’s Vineyard Community Seed Swap. Bring any open-pollinated and heirloom seed packets or saved seeds to swap, share, or donate to the seed cabinet. You can stay on for the piano concert by Peter Halperin that begins at 3:30. No sign-up is necessary for either event.
West Tisbury poet laureate Tain Leonard-Peck will lead a poetry workshop on Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 4:30 pm. To sign up, email wt_mail@clamsnet.org.
Tom Dresser will give a talk and slideshow at the library next Thursday, Feb. 9, at 4:30 pm. He and his daughter took a six-day walk last summer along the West Highland Way, north of Glasgow. They had a great time, and Tom is eager to share the experience with all who attend.
The Neighborhood Convention will hold its February meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 11 am, at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown. Edgartown library director Lisa Sherman will be the featured speaker, enumerating “Fifteen Perks of Having a CLAMS Library Card.” Bring your lunch.
Jen Rand has sent a list of open seats on town boards. Here’s the list: energy committee (two seats;) Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative director; municipal hearing officer; capital improvements committee; Complete Streets committee; conservation committee (associate); task force against discrimination; joint transportation committee; Community Preservation committee; and local Historic Commission. Let Jen know if you are interested in serving on any of these boards. Her phone number is 508-696-0102, and email is townadmin@weattisbury-ma.gov. Of course, anyone is welcome to take out nomination papers to run in a contested race, too. Town elections are in April.
A new exhibition opened last weekend at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. “Woven” shows historical examples of basketry, eel pots, and textiles crafted and used on the island. It will remain on view through spring. In conjunction, Bow Van Riper and Norah Kyle will lead a four-week program about “Martha’s Vineyard’s Wooly History,” on Thursdays in February at 4:30.
In honor of Black History Month, the museum is hosting a free program on Zoom, a panel discussion on “Black Resistance,” facilitated by Carole Copeland Thomas. The program is this Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 to noon. Besides the museum, the Oak Bluffs library, League of Women Voters, NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard, and ASALH are presenters of the event. For information and the Zoom link, 508-627-4441 or mvmuseum.org.
Thinking about the museum and programs and exhibitions there, I wonder what information, artifacts, and ephemera we will be leaving behind for future generations. People don’t write letters; they send emails. Photographs are digital. So is some of our art, newspapers, magazines, invitations. Everything is on a computer or tablet or phone. It’s unlikely that those images will be retrievable once the current device becomes obsolete.
If you are reading this in time, Dan Waters is the featured speaker at the first of the museum’s lunch lecture series. He will speak about his efforts to document every aspect of Island life to create a time capsule for future generations. You have to reserve your place. Lunch by the Little House, and Dan’s lecture begins at noon, on Feb. 3.
The Mayhew family is finally able to plan a celebration of Shirley’s life. She died during COVID when every gathering was on hold. They are inviting everyone to the Ag Hall on Friday evening, May 12, 4 to 7, for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Make sure to write the date into your calendar. May will be here before we know it.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
