After a few nice days, we seem to have returned to winter. It was windy and cold much of the past week. Rainy, too. It’s never smart to put away your sweaters and flannel sheets too early in the spring.
A large group of family and friends, wet and bedraggled, gathered at the West Tisbury Cemetery on Sunday afternoon, as the Rev. Cathlin Baker presided at the burial of Johnny Athearn. We reassembled at the Grange afterward for hot coffee and a service with lots of recollections and encomia.
I always love hearing stories about “old West Tisbury.” One of the highlights was learning the history of the West Tisbury song. It was written by Kathryn Baptiste Stewart sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. She was the music teacher for all the Island schools, and wrote a song for each one. Johnny had requested the singing of it to be part of the celebration of his life.
The West Tisbury Song
West Tisbury is to me my Home Town
In the state of renown of Massachusetts.
Where the breakers roll free
From far out on the sea,
I am happy to be on Martha’s Vineyard.
Where the swans float on the Mill Pond
And the sheep graze close beside it.
Where the shadbush and the beach plum
Blossom forth, out in the woods.
Oh won’t you come with me,
And I’m sure you’ll agree
That the best place to be
Is West Tisbury.
And it still is. I am more grateful every day to live here.
The town meeting and election were well-attended and well-documented. Caroline Flanders ably led us through a five-plus-hour meeting. In the only contested race, Dan Sauer won a seat on the board of health. Congratulations to everyone who ran for office and was re-elected to serve.
The Up-Island Council on Aging trip to a May 3 matinee performance of “Chicago” still has a few spots available. If you are interested, call the UICOA at 508-693-2896.
The annual egg hunt at the West Tisbury library will begin this Saturday morning, April 19, at 10:30 am SHARP. Bring your basket and meet outside the front entrance, or in the Children’s Room if it’s raining. Other Saturday events are Sandy Broyard’s improvisational dance class at 10:30 am, and a slide show and beading demonstration by Sarah Young of Vineyard Sky Bead Design. Attendees are invited to bring a piece of jewelry needing repair, for which Sarah will give a free consultation.
The library will be closed on Monday, April 21, for Patriots Day.
It’s school vacation week. Everyone is invited for free soup and bread lunches at the library between 11:30 am and 1 pm. There will be afternoon programs every day after lunch, so check the library calendar or website.
The West Tisbury Church Easter morning service will begin at 10 am at the Ag Hall, to be followed by an Easter egg hunt in the field.
The Fire Department Easter egg hunt will be held at Station 1 on the Edgartown Road. Bring your basket and be ready to start hunting on the dot of 11 am.
I have several friends who take self-directed daffodil tours around the Island at this time of year. It is such a gift to see the displays of daffodils everywhere around town. I urge everyone to consider the pleasure it gives your neighbors, and plant some extra bulbs where they can be seen and enjoyed.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
