As I write today on a rainy and gray Saturday, I have trouble believing that we are heading into Memorial Day weekend. The way things are greening up and blooming is a sure sign, though. And the traffic is definitely picking up. So ready or not, here we go into the summer season of 2023.
Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Liza Dolby on May 27, Paul Vertefeuille on May 30, and Bob Brown on May 31.
Friday afternoon is the annual March to the Sea for the Edgartown School. We will head out of the school after lunch, and walk down West Tisbury Road and Main Street to Memorial Wharf for a ceremony honoring those servicemen and -women we have lost. It’s a very special and sweet event. I hope to see you there. In case of rain, alternate plans will be made, with the ceremony usually happening in the school gym.
The Edgartown School’s annual Plant Sale will be on May 24, 25, and 26, from 1 until 3 pm. You will find tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, flowers, herbs, kale, and much more. Cash or check only. All proceeds benefit the school’s garden. We are such a lucky school to have such a wonderful garden program. Help support our cause.
Want to learn how to make focaccia? Teri Culletto of Vineyard Baker is hosting a hands-on class at the FARM Institute on May 27 at 10 am. The cost is $48 for members and $60 for nonmembers. Participants will take home a loaf that they create. Registration is required by going to thetrustees.org/event/82886.
The Community Greenhouse public plant sale continues this weekend, from 1 until 4 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Learn more by going to marthasvineyardgreenhouse.org. The Community Greenhouse is located on New York Avenue in Oak Bluffs.
Also happening this weekend is the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club’s annual plant sale. It takes place on Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Old Mill, 690 Edgartown–West Tisbury Road in West Tisbury.
The 29th annual Memorial Road Race for Hospice and Palliative Care of M.V. will be on Sunday, May 28, at 10 am. Registration can be done online at runsignup.com for $30, or the morning of the event for $35. Bib pickup and check-in is on May 27, 4 to 6 pm, and May 28, 8 to 9 am in the lobby of Summercamp Hotel. A limited number of T shirts are given to registrants on a first-come-first-served basis.
Ellie Bates will be reading from her recently published book, “Seasonal Wonderings Poems for Summer Fall Winter Spring” on Thursday, May 25, at the Edgartown library at 4:30 pm.
Did you know there is a cribbage club in Edgartown? Mary Alice Russell shared this week that the club happens at the American Legion on Wednesday nights. They share dinner from 5:30 until 6 pm, and start games at 6 pm sharp. She also shared that Dick Kelly, who is 90 years old (I can’t believe that!), is one of the players. That news alone would entice me to go, if I knew how to play cribbage anymore. If you’re looking for a good way to play cribbage and a reason to get out, it sounds like this is your opportunity.
Edgartown Books is hosting a book signing with Tom Dresser for his new book, “Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties,” on May 28 from 2 to 4 pm. Per their announcement, “The Roaring Twenties were filled with a range of events, experiences, fears, laws, and advances that impacted Martha’s Vineyard. Island residents were involved in rum running, dozens died of the Spanish Flu, women voted on-Island, Dorothy West joined the Harlem Renaissance, immigration from the Azores slowed, airplanes landed in Katama, tourism blossomed, and business boomed.”
While Memorial Day is a wonderful time to gather with family and friends, and the start of our busy season, please take a moment this weekend to remember the fallen servicemen and -women who are meant to be honored during this holiday. All gave some, and some gave all. Whether you join the March to the Sea ceremony on Friday afternoon, head over to the parade in Vineyard Haven on Monday morning, or have a moment of silence by yourself, let’s remember to pay our respects.
That about does it. Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. Remember — patience and kindness go a long way, especially during the summer season.
If you have any Edgartown Town Column suggestions, email Gail Gardner, ggardnermv@gmail.com.
