Oysterponds

Sarah Gillooly fills in this week for her mother, Carol, who is traveling.

A massive group of some 70 North Forkers, plus some friends and family, recently went on a 10-day pilgrimage to Israel. The volcanic ash may or may not have affected them, but the hope is that by the time this paper hits the newsstand (do we still have newsstands??), all of them will be back safe and sound on the North Fork with lots of wonderful stories to tell.

Mom always talks about small world stories, and this is definitely one, even if it was prearranged. While the group was in Jerusalem, mom got in touch with Linda Livni, former owner of The Arcade in Greenport. Linda currently resides in Jerusalem and was happy to visit the travelers at their hotel. Barbara (Staron) Cerrvone and Linda were classmates at Greenport High School, and were happy to be reunited and catch up across the globe.

Back to the local news! Last weekend’s Song Swap at Poquatuck Hall was a huge success, thanks to everyone involved. This weekend, head over to Peconic Landing’s auditorium for “To Try and Fail: Tales from the Griffin Diaries.” This event, offered by the Oysterponds Historical Society and Peconic Landing, will feature a talk by Fredrica Wachsberger, who transcribed, edited and annotated The Diaries of Augustus Griffin (1792-1852), which was published last summer. She’ll bring to life the trials and tribulations encountered by Oysterponds’ historian in trying to make his way in early America. The time is 4 p.m. Any questions, call 323-2480.

Just as mom always talks about OCA, I will hop on the bandwagon. Poquatuck is looking for donations to bring a concert grand piano to the hall. This will make the hall very attractive to musicians and musical groups. If you would like to donate to this cause, please mail your contribution to P.O. Box 34.

This weekend marks the unofficial start of the season at Orient Yacht Club. The club commissioning will take place Saturday, April 23, at 9 a.m. Head down there to help with some spring cleaning and get the boats and property ready for the summer season.

Saturday is also the first cocktail hour and spring dinner for the club. This event starts at 6 p.m. Please RSVP to Kim Agell at 323-1237 or get in touch with questions.

A week’s notice here to get ready for the North Fork Chorale concert on Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m. at Orient Congregational Church.

We wish a very happy birthday to spring chicken Betsy Latham, who turns 101 on April 27!

I hope our world travelers are safely nestled back on the North Fork by the time this is published. If not, I’ll see you again next week — and definitely for Mother’s Day!

SARAH GILLOOLY