Aquinnah

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On Wednesday morning, June 13, Gladys Widdiss, former Chairperson of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah, respected member of the community, and all around great lady, passed away. She was 97.

There was a viewing at her home on Saturday until Sunday morning at around 10 am, when a cortege formed to circle the town and revisit her favorite places. Graveside services were held at the Aquinnah cemetery afterward. I was unable to attend but heard that the service was lovely. Someone joked that Gladys was never one for dragging things on, and that she would have wanted people to “Get on with it” and not go on and on at the service. Her son Donald spoke along with Jason Baird, medicine man of the tribe. There was drumming and singing and a fire burning throughout the ceremony. Afterwards people gathered at Gladys’s house, where there were refreshments and a photo board of pictures of Gladys and her family throughout her life including, one taken just last week when her son Carl took her out for a ride in his hot rod. She looked very happy.

Philbin Beach stickers are available for purchase at the Town Hall Sunday through Friday from 9:15 am to 12 noon. For information on pricing go to Aquinnah-ma.gov.

Aquinnah summer resident Lexie Roth, who lives the rest of the year in New York City, has been performing a lot, including a show at the Bitter End tonight with her dad Arlen. It’s things like this that make me miss New York. I’m looking forward to her coming back to the Island and hearing all about her shows and hopefully seeing her sing here.

The 24th annual Strawberry Festival is this Saturday from 12 noon to 4 pm at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury. For more information, call 508-693-2842.

This Sunday, June 24, at 11 am the Community Baptist Church of Gay Head in Aquinnah will join First Baptist Church on Spring Street in Vineyard Haven for Music Appreciation Sunday. Come and enjoy a service of music (there will be no worship at Community Baptist Church at 3 pm on Sunday).

For more Information, call 508-693-1539.

Featherstone Center for the Arts is honoring Vineyard Copley Society artists at an opening reception on Sunday, July 1 from 4 to 6 pm. The show continues through July 18, from 12 noon to 4 pm daily.

The Copley Society is the oldest not-for-profit arts organization in the U.S. that invites outstanding artists to participate in shows in order to promote the artistic endeavors of its juried selected members. Vineyard Copley artists from up Island are Leslie Baker and Mary S. French from West Tisbury and Stephanie Danforth from Chilmark.