Town Column : Aquinnah
By Molly Purves
Published: April 23, 2009
I just returned from Vermont and I'm happy to report that there is another place where the spring is cold and slow to come. The daffodils there are not even blooming yet and the trees still look very wintry. It was so nice to come home to blooming flowers and budding trees. I heard that the Aquinnah shop was open for breakfast this weekend. Juli Vanderhoop reported that the waitresses were no nonsense and that the food was delicious. I can't wait to get some blue corn pancakes.
There will be a public forum at the library on Monday, May 4 from 5 to 8 pm. The trustees will host a community dinner from 5 to 6 pm, and the public forum will start at 6 pm. Cheryl Bryan, a consultant with the Southeastern Massachusetts Library System, will facilitate the discussion. If you have an opinion about the library and what direction it should be going in, or what its priorities should be, this meeting is for you. One topic sure to come up is where the library should permanantly reside. But this meeting is not just a public griping session. It is being held to come up with a realistic plan for the library's future and to identify steps to complete that plan. It has become clear over the past couple of years how vital a resource the library is to our community. I hope to see you at the meeting.
The other day, I spoke with Peter Temple, executive director of the Martha's Vineyard Donors Collaborative (mvdonors.org), an organization that has created an amazing resource at the Oak Bluffs Library. It is a grant-writing database and resource center, which saves those seeking grants from having to go to Boston or New York City to find information. Nonprofits on Martha's Vineyard have traditionally relied on summer fundraisers for their funds, but as the number of nonprofits increases and the economy slows, it's becoming a less reliable source of income. Anyone is welcome to use the resource center.
Saskia Vanderhoop and her daughter Nanauwe just returned from nearly a month in Holland. They were visiting Saskia's family and while there Nanauwe spent a week going to school with her cousin. She was completely immersed in Dutch culture, speaking the language, riding her bike to school, and spending time with the children there. Saskia said that the first day was hard for Nanauwe but that the rest of the trip was a success. Saskia is in the process of organizing her summer program for kids and will let me know when everything is finalized and then I will pass that information along. u
