Juli Vanderhoop hosted the last pizza night of the season two weeks ago. It was small but cozy, with a group of friends gathered to celebrate Curtis Langer’s birthday. The dessert pizza was a big hit with all the kids. Now without Daylight Saving Time, it feels like winter is upon us even if the weather continues to be mild. The leaves are still startling in their colors, but the winter gray is peeping out, and the Island seems quieter and quieter. I hope everyone has made it through Election Day all right, and that the animosity that this election has unearthed can begin to be healed. Note that I said healed, not ignored. I think the past year has shown us we have some serious work to do to achieve equality for everyone in this country. Just a reminder that we are all in this together.
At the library, this week: Story Time will be held on Thursday at 3:30 pm and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10:30 am. Also on Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm, kids can come in and make watercolor leaves. The Afterschool Club meets on Tuesday at 4 pm. The next Book Group meeting will be next Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 pm. They will discuss “At the Water’s Edge,” by Sara Gruen.
This Friday, Pathways reopens in the Chilmark Tavern space with a casual “Do Drop In” evening. Bring your ideas for their upcoming season and your favorite dance song (iPod format) for a postelection dance party, which we will all sorely need by Friday, I’m sure. The evening starts at 7 pm.
This Saturday from 6 to 11 pm at the Chilmark Community Center, there will be a Fundraiser and Potluck in Solidarity with the Standing Rock Tribe Water Protectors. Kate Taylor, Jemima James, the Earth Tribe Singers, Willy Mason, Alex Karalekas, Valerie Sonnenthal, Black Brook Singers, and Phil DaRosa and Friends will all perform. This event is to raise money for the anti–Dakota Access Pipeline movement. This is a cause that benefits all of us; please come and give what you can.
If you need some grounding and community, Sassafras is hosting a village fire on Sunday, Nov. 13 from noon to 2 pm. Bring a lunch, a craft to work on, a skill or a story to share. Sassafras is located on Church Street just past the library on the right; this event is free and open to all ages.
This is important information for all who are interested in what we can do to solve the housing crisis on Martha’s Vineyard. The second Housing Production Plan Workshop is this Monday, Nov. 14. It’s at 7 pm in the Old Town Hall, with a free community dinner at 6:30 pm.
People can participate even if they didn’t attend the first meeting. The selectmen, planning boards, and housing committees of all six towns are working to create housing production plans (HPPs) to address the Island’s housing needs. Over the course of the three interactive, facilitated public meetings, each town will decide how much housing it needs and where it wants to build it. A completed HPP will help us understand the best ways to meet our current and future housing needs while preserving town character and values. At this workshop, the vision statement that was drafted at the first meeting will be reviewed, and then goals and strategies will be developed to achieve the vision. More information, vision statements, and complete summaries of the first workshop are available at mvcommission.org/housing-production-plan.
The Martha’s Vineyard Partnership for Health is looking for people from each town to become new volunteer class leaders for “My Life My Health.” This proven program is designed to help people manage their chronic conditions, and learn and engage in strategies and approaches to stay healthy. Class leaders will learn to help participants adopt healthy behaviors that include exercise, cognitive symptom management, coping mechanisms, and communication with physicians. This free four-day training will be held on Dec. 5, 6, 12, and 13 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Preregistration is required. Training materials, lunch, and snacks will be provided. For more information, email ksamways@ihimv.org or call 508-627-5797, ext. 114.
The MV Times is holding a contest to design the cover of its “Island Holidays” supplement. What do you think represents the spirit of the holidays on Martha’s Vineyard? Submit your design, and it could be selected for the cover of 14,000 issues of the paper’s “Island Holidays” supplement, which is distributed to every postal customer on Martha’s Vineyard. Submissions must be original artwork or a photograph of something you made (a gingerbread house, a Christmas sweater, an ornament, etc.). Submissions are due Nov. 16, and can be uploaded here: bit.ly/IslandHolidays.
Happy birthday to Martha Vanderhoop, who celebrates on Friday (along with me), and to summer resident Susan Kline, who celebrates on Nov. 15.