Town Column : Aquinnah
Apparently it is now winter. We had some unseasonably warm weather a couple of weeks ago (I swear I saw mosquitoes) and now we have this unseasonably cold weather. I hope no one suffered any pipe damage due to the sudden drop in temperature.
Julie Vanderhoop's Orange Peel Bakery will be operating through the winter; she will be making bread and other goodies on Wednesday and Saturday every week, weather permitting. For those of you who don't know, Julie built an artesian oven outside next to her house, and a commercial kitchen on the side of her house out of which she runs the Orange Peel Bakery. Her bread is amazing. I am particularly fond of the wheat berry. And her cinnamon buns are usually gone by mid-morning. She has also been hosting community pizza nights on Wednesdays, but those are over until the spring. They have been remarkably successful; people bring their own toppings and for a suggested donation of $10, she provides dough, sauce, and cheese. It has been a great gathering place for the people of Aquinnah. Julie will be baking through the holidays, and she also is scalloping through April. If you want bread, just stop by. If you want bay scallops, come by in the afternoon or call 508-645-2025. The Orange Peel Bakery is on South Road; heading up-Island, take a left onto the road just before the dump.
No new date has been set for the town meeting that I mentioned last week but Jim Newman corrected my quorum info: we need 10 percent of the voting population for a quorum (40 people). I had stated we needed 10 people. My apologies, and I will definitely let you know when it happens.
Professional mountain bikers Mike Broderick and Mary McCouneloug have been training and living in Aquinnah this fall. Mike is a Chilmark native (his brother Tim just finished and moved into the house on State Road right before Julie Vanderhoop's) and Mary is from California. The Vineyard is their home when they are not racing. She is a two time Olympian, placing seventh in Beijing. After the Olympics they went on to the World Cup in Australia where Mary had a podium finish coming in fifth and Mike placed in the top 20. They have been here since October, training and relaxing with family and friends, and Mary has been doing a lot of cooking, which has been great for her friends. After Thanksgiving they head to California for more training, then on to the Trans Andes Challenge in Chile, a six day stage race that they will race as a team, a first for this couple. Mary loves training on the Vineyard and finds most drivers willing to share the road but has noticed many people driving and on the phone at the same time and she encourages people to pay closer attention to the others on the road. Good luck in Chile, Mike and Mary, and come home soon.
Shakespeare for the Masses is continuing on at the Vineyard Playhouse this weekend with a staged reading of "All's Well That End's Well." I mention this bit of Vineyard Haven news because, well, I'm in it. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and they're free. That's right, free. The show should also run just a little over an hour so it won't take long. Our last two shows, "Hamlet" and "Macbeth," were very well received. The two ladies who started Shakespeare for the Masses, Nicki Galland and Chelsea McCarthy, have done a great job editing the texts and adding some editorial comments to help the audience through the murky bits. It's great fun.
Happy belated birthday to Eric Vanderhoop and happy birthday to Michael Mahoney.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and please travel safely and stay warm.
