Approximately six weeks before ole Kris Kringle pays a visit to the littlest residents in the town of Chilmark, his team of elves start to limber up. The list of littles is updated. Invitations are sent to Chilmark resident children— newborn through fifth grade. Toys are gathered. Wrapping paper envelops packages neatly tucked in at the corners with Scotch tape and handwritten labels. The sleigh is packed for its journey from the North Pole. The reindeer will need a rest so, for the final leg of the journey, Santa is transported to the CCC by fire truck. The community is invited to watch Santa distribute the first gifts of Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 5:45 p.m. If we’re lucky, the Biskis family will lead us in song which brings true and joyful merriment. It’s a potluck, too, so bring a labeled dish to share.

On the last day of November, a small but mighty group boarded the Theresa M and took to Menemsha Pond. Amidst the salt spray and chilling breeze, Laurisa Rich, Chris Murphy and a team of strong and mighty Beach Befriender volunteers, grabbed 21 discarded plastic bags caught the wind, 218 beverage cans left to the elements and a long list of other items - 2,007 pieces of trash in total were gathered from town beaches and properly disposed of. There are two additional cleanups planned in town, so if you’re interested in joining the fun, please reach out to Laurisa at [email protected].

The more the merrier.

As an aside, Laurisa is also a member of the Chilmark cemetery commission. At the time of my writing, she was venturing off to the New England Cemetery Association’s 55th Annual Frederick Laffond Cemetery Management Seminar in Sturbridge. I wonder what information she’s going to return with?

After the exhaustive efforts of health agent Anna McCaffrey, the Chilmark board of health now offers expanded PFAS testing options for town residents. The board held its first large-batch PFAS sample drop-off on Dec. 18 with additional opportunities forthcoming. Please reach out to Anna at (508)645-2105 or the town website for the full scoop.

Admiration, determination, satisfaction and inspiration are all words that can readily compliment long distance runners. I extend all of these as a generic, hip, hip, hooray to Meg and Dan Athearn who traveled to Millinocket, Me to lace up their shoes and take to the streets and byways side by side with fellow Amity Island runners. They both completed a half marathon with this Dan’s, I believe, first.

Among others, my niece Emme Carroll and dear friend Penny Athearn, are 4-H Katama Cowpokes. They work with their bovine counterparts on halter training, walking on a lead and eventually pulling a cart driving a wagon. These two are taking their jobs very seriously and have their calves out on walkabout quite often venturing as far as the Texaco for treats. What a deeply rewarding and fun experience that fosters responsibility, a connection to nature, and valuable life skills.