May 2022

Hello Neighbor and Greetings from the Old Stone Dock Association!

I hope that this letter finds you safe and well. 2021 was a year which saw a gradual and cautious return to many of the routines and behaviors that we have become used to in our families and our Falmouth community. The Old Stone Dock Association plans to continue that trend in our neighborhood and town activities this year.

This letter is being sent to households who enjoy the Surf Drive Beach area and want to participate in the mission of the Old Stone Dock Association. If you are already one of our 235 member households (400+ members), we thank you and hope you will renew your membership.  If you are not presently a member, we hope you will join us after reading about our mission, activities, and plans for 2022. We think that you will find the Association a good way to stay in touch with your neighborhood and our Town.

The Association strives to promote a sense of community for residents in the neighborhood of Main Street to Surf Drive between Shore Street and Mill Road and all the streets and residents within those boundaries.  Some of our members are also from villages throughout Falmouth who share our love for the area and commitment to our mission: to work with Town of Falmouth officials for improvements in the Surf Drive Beach area for beautification, traffic movement and safety, beach house utilization and maintenance, road maintenance, and the general welfare of residents.

Traditionally (pre-pandemic), the Old Stone Dock Association (OSDA) performed a variety of service and social activities focused primarily on our neighborhood. These included such activities as our annual Surf Drive Beach cleanup, placement of the flower boxes on the Ellen T. Mitchell bathhouse and College Tuition assistance for children and grandchildren of our members, to name a few. In prior years, social events continued to be well attended and included our “End of Summer Annual Meeting and Social” and our “After-the-Parade Holiday Social”. These also provided a good forum for members, guests and Falmouth town officials to gather and discuss items of interest in the neighborhood and the Town.

The Old Stone Dock Association Board of Directors decided for 2021 to focus a portion of our efforts on activities that were independent of pandemic restrictions.

  • To begin the Summer Season, the flower boxes on the Ellen T. Mitchell bathhouse were planted and put out in time for the Memorial Day weekend. This provided a nice splash of color on Surf Drive.
  • Our Annual Surf Drive Beach Area cleanup was held on June 5 resulting in a ‘freshen-up’ of the bathhouse, beach and roadway area just prior to the summer season.
  • The college tuition assistance program, which the Association has offered to members children and grandchildren continued in 2021. We had three successful well-qualified applicants who received the awards last year.
  • We returned to our tradition of the Annual Beach Worker Appreciation Breakfast on July 27. All Falmouth Beach employees meet at the Ellen T Mitchell Bathhouse on Surf Drive once per week and OSDA served the Lifeguards, Swim Instructors, Parking Attendants, and Supervisors a breakfast to start their day. Town officials, Beach Committee members and OSDA Board members spoke and thanked the workers for their valuable service to our community before they headed off to colleges and jobs in the Fall.
  • On December 5, immediately following the full return of the Falmouth Holiday Parade, the OSDA hosted a modified version of our ‘After the Parade’ Christmas Party on the grounds of the Shoreway Inn. A beautiful day allowed the event to be held outdoors and 60 OSDA members gathered for chowder and various holiday treats.

We want to thank all the members of the Old Stone Dock Association whose dues were used in part to make these awards and donations possible in 2021.

For 2022 we will start with the annual beach cleanup on Saturday, 06/11/22 from 10 am to 12 noon (details and sign-up mid-May) and the planting of the flower boxes at the bathhouse should be completed by Memorial Day. Although we are experiencing decreasing COVID-19 cases and large numbers of us have been vaccinated, 2022 may require that we continue to adjust our expectations for large social gatherings until our Town, State and Country complete the return to more healthy and safe conditions for everyone. We are still looking at the possibility of an informal outdoor gathering in the late Summer and a gathering following the Holiday Parade in December. Old Stone Dock “logo wear” is always available by texting Steve Saunders at 508-930-8272.

OSDA Website – A wealth of information about past and future events and photographs from the events mentioned above and the neighborhood can be found on the OSDA website at www.oldstonedock.com. You can also reach us by e-mail at info@oldstonedock.com and your e-mail will be forwarded to the appropriate party or you can click on a link to reach one of our officers.

2022-2023 Dues – We have included a Renewal Application/Dues Remittance Form for June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.   Please complete indicating if you are a new member or a renewing member and remit with your $25.00 annual dues to the address provided.  Please respond by June 1, 2022.

We hope you find it worthwhile to join our association or renew your membership.  The present officers and board members are listed at the bottom of this letter.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us with comments and concerns about the neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Jay K. Thayer, President – Old Stone Dock Association