West Tisbury Town Column

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone is having fun at the library Halloween party this afternoon from 3 to 5 pm, at other parties, or out trick-or-treating. I hope the balmy weather we had last week will prevail through the night, that there will be piles of leaves to kick, delicious treats to eat, and plenty of spooky entertainment.

I spent last Saturday at the Public Safety Building again. It was the last day to register to vote before the election. We had a fairly steady procession of voters, and by the end of the day, 83 had voted. My companions for the first half of the day were Laura Murphy and Susanna Sturgis, and Tara, of course. We were relieved by Susan Wasserman and the Silk Sisters at 1 o’clock. Early in-person voting will continue through Friday, Nov. 1, 8 to 11 am. The tally so far is 293 early votes.

Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day. Voting booths will be set up at the Public Safety Building. Polls open at 7 am and close at 8 pm. Town Clerk Tara Whiting-Wells has asked everyone to please respect state laws regarding electioneering at the polls. Signs and placards promoting a candidate must be 150 feet from the building, and are restricted to the grassy area nearest State Road as you pull in the driveway.

Please note: No one can wear or carry ANY campaign gear into the polling place. No candidates’ names or slogans or suggestions thereof: NO pins, buttons, hats,T shirts, duffle bags, coded messages or symbols, or service dogs wearing any of the above. You will be asked to remove or cover it up before being able to enter and vote.

“Here’s to a safe and fun election day! How lucky are we to have fair and free elections!” It’s a quote from Tara, to which she added, “Thank you to the poll workers who help make the day run.”

I was at the library last Thursday afternoon, and had the pleasure of seeing young Michael Gately. He was visiting his mother, Olivia, in her office, having come with grandmother Susan Larsen to hear grandmother Betsy Gately playing her ukulele with the group in the Community Room. Michael is clearly a ukulele aficionado. He was paying rapt attention to the music.

Upcoming library events include a seed-processing workshop led by M.V. Community Seed Library on Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 to 2 pm. There will be an artist’s reception for Elizabeth Greene from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. On Wednesday, Vineyard Power will set up an information table from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Matthew Stackpole was elected life trustee of the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown. He had previously served three three-year terms as trustee. He wrote, “As is often the case, the ship does have Vineyard connections. Specifically George Claghorn, who as ‘naval constructor’ oversaw its construction, was born in Chilmark in 1748.” Congratulations, Matthew.

I was surprised and sad to learn that Geoff Currier died on Oct. 20. Geoff was a colleague at The MV Times, a wonderful writer, with a rich knowledge of our Island, its residents, and its quirks. Many of his articles were reminders of times past. His family is planning a gathering sometime in November.

I heard a quote from Tyler Perry that referred to his memory of watching his grandmother sewing her patchwork quilts. He said he thinks of America “as a quilt made up of many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, many textures — but everybody fits.” I thought it was a lovely image, so am passing it along to you.

If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.