I want to start this week’s column with a welcome to Eileen Maley, the new West Tisbury columnist for the Gazette. It has been way too long. Eileen is a fabulous writer, and one of the nicest people you would want to know. She has lived in town forever, been an active and well-known presence, and has a great sense of humor. I think that checks all the requirements. I couldn’t be happier to have her as an esteemed colleague.
There was the longest thunder, lightning, and rain storm last Monday night. It kept Abby awake, trotting down the stairs, then up the stairs, jumping onto the bed, and then off again. Not much sleep for any of us. I heard rain totals of up to 3½ inches. Since then, we have had perfectly lovely days, and everything is well-watered.
Ginny Jones and her grandson, Everett Healy, displayed her 48-star American flag outside her house off New Lane over Memorial Day weekend. It is one of her treasured possessions, and comes with a story.
In Ginny’s words, her maternal grandfather, Joseph Howes (born in 1874) “just happened to have one — one with appropriate historical antecedents. He was given that flag about the turn of the 19th-20th century, and there is even a memory that he told me he was given it by T.R. Roosevelt.” It measures about 12 feet by 8 feet or so, and it is at least 100 years old. Ginny remembers her grandfather hanging it on the front of Howes House, facing State Road. Jane Newhall acquired one soon after, and hung hers facing the road across State Road. That must have been quite a stirring sight.
North Tisbury Farm opened last week, and is open every day. Allen Whiting’s sign is out, his gallery open by appointment. Kara Taylor’s gallery is open Saturdays through June, or by appointment. The Granary and the Field Galleries are open every day.
Friday, June 7, UMass Rural Scholars will present a review and analysis of the programs they have worked on with Dukes County Health Council since 2009. Students from the medical school and nursing school gain experience working in and with rural communities and healthcare systems. The program begins at 2 pm at the West Tisbury library.
Kanta Lipsky is the library’s artist of the month. There will be an artist’s reception on Saturday afternoon, June 8, from noon to 2 pm.
M.V. Democrats’ monthly meeting is Saturday, June 8, at 9:30 am on Zoom. Besides committee reports, there will be plans for marching in the Pride parade in Oak Bluffs, a table at the Tisbury Street Fair, and the Fourth of July parade. For information and the Zoom link, email demsmv@gmail.com.
The Up-Island Council on Aging will host a series of “A Matter of Balance” classes on Tuesdays from 10 am to noon, June 11 through July 30. Sign-up is required; call 508-693-2896.
Mike and I are happily welcoming our many summer friends, who are returning to town. We are making plans for breakfast at the Plane View, for garden visits, afternoon teas, and lots of conversations to catch one another up on a winter’s worth of news.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
