Oysterponds: OHS North Fork Fresh slated for June 25

Orient kid Monica Brown (aka Sledjeski) was in from Dakar, Senegal, and did a whirlwind visit to the North Fork last weekend. Monica — daughter of the late Henry and Cristina, niece of Jessie and Hector Pemberton, cousin of Marie Pemberton Haeg, Linda Goldsmith and Christine Franke — graduated from Greenport High School in 1996 and then Boston University, where she studied international relations. She now serves the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service officer in Africa and will head to another exotic assignment next year. It was great to see her and we all wish her safe travels.

One of the season’s most anticipated events is the OHS North Fork Fresh, featuring local delicacies and wines that titillate the palate served in one of the most bucolic settings in the world. This year it will be held Saturday, June 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. Call 323-2480 for more info and reservations.

Since we often talk gas prices and mileage here, and besides that I have this inquisitive mind, I asked a woman who was driving one of those Cruise America RVs in Greenport what kind of mileage she was getting. It turned out she was from Berlin, Germany, traveling with her husband and three children. (I had to stop talking at my rapid pace so we could communicate; mea culpa there.) She chuckled when she tried to answer my question with an explanation of converting gallons to liters etc. But the end of the story came when she smiled and said, of course, that given Germany’s equivalent price of $9 a gallon, the RV’s gas consumption seemed reasonable by comparison.

St. Agnes Church will hold a special celebration of the Mass of the Anointing of the Sick — also referred to as the Sacrament of Healing — on Sunday, June 12, at 2 p.m. No miracles are promised, but it’s hoped you will feel that you are not alone in your struggle.

Flag Day is next Tuesday, June 14. Oysterponds doesn’t need to be reminded to fly the flag but, just in case, make a special effort.

At the last OCA meeting we chewed on community event dates for quite a while. I will skip to the chase: OCA will be creating an Oysterponds Google calendar so there won’t be major conflicts when OCA plans a concert, OHS plans a parade and the school plans a workshop, and so on. For now, email me with whatever local community event you have — including things like OYC’s steak night, etc. — and when I figure all of this out I’ll share how you can get access. We’re hoping that you’ll check in with every type of meeting: East Marion Homemakers, Rod and Gun Club, Rotary, Boy Scouts, church and library events and on and on. I’d prefer to hear by email at [email protected], but if that doesn’t work call me at 323-3899.

We also did a bit of reminiscing about the old community birthday calendar of decades past, which was an amazing asset to Oysterponds but, alas, a lot of work.

Special thanks to Julie Macomber of Cary, N.C., who once again sent two very substantial flags to OCA as a memorial to her parents, Helen and John Macomber Sr. As she stated, she was happy at the thought that the memory of her parents lives on in Orient. One of those flags flew at the Civil War monument and the other at the monuments by the Yacht Club dock on Memorial Day. OCA is always grateful to receive these donations.