The Chilmark Community Center is just what it says it is - a social center for the townspeople of Chilmark, summer visitors and year-round residents alike. In July and August the Center hosts a program for children and families which offers a play school, a morning program with a full range of indoor and outdoor activities, and an evening program of movies, lectures, dancing and music for children and adults of all ages. Off-season, it provides the setting for a variety of events, including pre-school classes, wedding receptions, clambakes and the Fire Department's annual Christmas party.

The Center began as a handful of informal traditions which took place during the summer in private places around town. On Mondays, the Masons hosted a sing-along; on Wednesdays, the Leventhals showed movies in their basement; and Curly Carroll fiddled and called square dances at the Cornerway. Then, in 1956, through the efforts of the Town Affairs Council, an association of summer and permanent residents, and a gift of land from Roger Baldwin, a building was erected to house all these activities and more.

Since its creation, the Center has grown in activity and membership, but it has not changed significantly in style. It remains a spontaneous and informal place where families gather naturally, and older and younger children interact with ease. It also has an old fashioned budget. The fees for the summer program are set at a minimum "break even" level, based on estimated operating costs. When necessary, capital improvements are funded through voluntary contributions and appropriations as voted by the residents of the town.

The Center is a source of particular pride in Chilmark. For new families, it is important to remember that it is not a day camp, not a day care or drop-in center, not an urban outpost. It is quite simply a familiar Island place, where there is no sense of entitlement, and where the pleasures of summer may be enjoyed in full.