Town Column : Aquinnah
By Molly Purves
Published: September 10, 2009
Noni and Jed Smith threw a fifth birthday party for their son, Clyde, on Philbin Beach this past week. While we were there dozens of swallows swooped over the beach grass in seeming pursuit of a swarm of dragonflies. It was quite a sight, the swallows so determined, yet delicate, and the dragonflies ever elusive. The kids had a great time, running and rolling in the sand and building a house from salvaged driftwood, every activity instantly dropped when Noni brought out a delicious homemade ice cream cake. The adults chatted, caught up with friends not seen much over the summer, and went swimming. And of course, we all ate well. It was a wonderful way to end the hectic days of August.
Get ready, the fifth annual Aquinnah Wampanoag Powwow is this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13, at the east end of the circle. This is the first two-day Powwow. The gates open at 11 am and grand entry is at 1 pm. On Saturday, there will be a memorial song for medicine man Luther Madison soon after the grand entry, and at 3 pm the youth who revived the Powwow tradition here will be honored. On Sunday, at 3 pm, past chairmen will be honored. Other events include: native vendors, 50/50 raffle, tee-shirts for sale, raffle items, spot dancing contests and dancing. Admission is $10 for adults, $15 for both days; children 5 and up and seniors over 65, $5, $7.50 for both days; children under 5 are free.
Remember that the Town Nurse Clinic, free to residents of Aquinnah, is this Monday, 1 to 3 pm, at Town Hall.
A big thank you from the Aquinnah Public Library to the following merchants, the Aquinnah Shop, Hatmarcha, How WassWee, Faith's Seafood Shack, The Dream Catcher, and Stony Creek for providing coupons to summer reading participants all summer long. Thank you for your help.
If you have an idea for an art project, performance, or class that benefits the community come to the Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Cultural Council on Monday, Sept. 21, 7 pm, at Howes House in West Tisbury. They will take you through the process of applying for a Cultural Council grant.
It is back to school time. Many working parents are breathing a sigh of relief because camps ended weeks ago, and delightful as our children are, our schedules do not allow us to be with them all the time. Many Aquinnah kids were off, or back to college this week, including Ana Sargent to Goucher and Nina Butler to Wellesley. If you're feeling an itch to go back to school, Adult and Community Education classes start Oct. 5 and the course sampling fair is Sept. 22 at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) cafeteria, 5:30 to 7 pm. You can register there or the next day in the lobby of MVRHS, 5:30 to 7 pm, or online at acemv.org. New this year are three undergraduate and graduate classes available for credit in collaboration with Northeastern University.
I hope everyone is enjoying the fine fall weather and the lighter traffic. It always feels like August lasts three months instead of one and then Labor Day comes and it's as if no one was ever here.
