JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark’s weather is confused and so are the birds and plants . . . however, we are all enjoying the lovely spring weather. Our daffodils on Basin Road bloomed today! There are crocuses all over town now and the snowdrops are old news. But enough bragging; March could still be bringing a blizzard.

One of the main attractions in town this weekend is the 12th annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival at the community center. There will be films, food and goodies through Sunday.

The buzz at town hall is about the large number of applications that have come in for the Tea Lane Farm. It will be so good to see activity on the farm again — soon, we hope.

The Chilmark library is still offering a noon movie with free chowder included. The movie on March 21 will be Julie & Julia. That will conclude the noontime film series for this year. The Friends of the Library are still inviting all to the free Friday movies. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid will be shown on March 23 at 7 p.m. with free popcorn and drinks for all.

We hope that as you all enjoy the activities in the Chilmark library’s newly refreshed meeting room you will admire the fine paint job George Szilassy did last month.

The Chilmark Community Church is offering pizza nights on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. All are welcome and desserts and salads are welcome go-withs.

Peter Huntington has put together an art show for the West Tisbury library of some of the lithographs and etchings of his father, the late Will Huntington. Will was a popular local artist who lived and worked in Chilmark for many years. He built a house on Point Inner in Quitsa. The show can be seen during the regular hours of the West Tisbury library for the month.

Jan Buhrman’s monthly web magazine, Kitchen Porch, is out and full of wonderful ideas for spring meals. You may enjoy her pictures and writings by going to kitchenporch.com

It appears that Bill Rossi will run unopposed for the selectman’s seat being vacated by Frank Fenner. We all wish Frank well and thank him for all the years that he has served the town. We hope he will continue to share his wisdom with us.

Thanks to the annual efforts of Dorothy Bangs and Judy Baynes, the American Cancer Society will benefit from the sale of bunches of flowers on Daffodil Days, Tuesday, March 20 and Wednesday, March 21. On Tuesday, the flowers will be available in the afternoon at the Edgartown Stop & Shop and Tony’s Market. On Wednesday, they will be for sale at the Vineyard Haven Cronig’s and at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

This is that dreaded week that comes to me every year when there is no people news to write about. For these weeks I save a few things that have come to me as questions and corrections throughout the year. Here is a correction and some information that refers to the article in the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine of July last year. We hope it answers the question correctly about the name of the part of the dock in Menemsha called Dutcher Dock. This information was sent to us by Everett Poole and we trust his accuracy — after all, he was there!

The hurricane in l938 damaged boathouses and wharves in Menemsha harbor; it did not wash away any houses. Prior to the storm, R. Eugene Ashley of New Bedford leased docks along the east side of the harbor to fisherman. He owned the land from the brook to the bathing beach. His gas station along that stretch had burned in the spring of 1938. After the hurricane the town negotiated with Mr. Ashley for the land and built the bulkhead along the east side and a shorter extension along the northeast side of the harbor. That extension was designated for pleasure boats only.

After the storm, Rodney Dutcher, a Washington journalist who enjoyed spending time aboard his boat in Menemsha, initiated a fund drive for the Menemsha fishermen. Every fisherman who lost a boathouse and pier was awarded $400 from the fund. In appreciation of his interest and concern for the fishermen that resulted in considerable financial assistance, Chilmark named the pleasure boat section for Rodney Dutcher. The citizens of Chilmark continue to appreciate that his memory is permanently preserved in Menemsha. A plaque on a stone at Abel’s Hill Cemetery tells the story of his professional life, but the Dutcher Dock stands as a tribute to his generosity to the fishermen.