This may be the last column for a while that contains any real information. If I remember last year correctly, Aquinnah goes into hiding after the New Year. There are no parties, people stay home hunkered down against the weather, venturing out only for work, groceries and movie/book runs to the library. The roads take on an air of desertion and you rarely see anyone walking or jogging along them. So if you have any news – a trip, a birthday, a new hair color, a new pet, a winning lottery ticket, anything really – please let me know. Seriously folks, the news pickings get slim this time of year, so help me out. Don’t make me stalk you on Facebook.
A big thank-you goes out to Nonie Madison and Betty Joslow who organized the Thank You Santa party last Wednesday at the Old Town Hall. It was fabulous. Most of the Aquinnah kid population was there to partake in the treats, jump up and down in the bouncy house, make thank-you cards to Santa and just run around. Santa arrived about midway through the party to hand out personalized (and very thoughtful) gifts. Children were respectful and did not mob Santa and crush him to death. With prompting from parents, they waited for their names to be called to receive their gifts. Decorating the large Christmas tree were many colorful ornaments, each with each child’s name painted on it.
Berta Welch, representing the Aquinnah Cultural Center, passed out a wonderful book for kids telling the history and culture of the Wampanoag. Thank you Berta. My son is not old enough to read it, but he is going to enjoy looking at some of the pictures of people he knows in the book right now and it is a great introduction to the Wampanoag story. It’s called Wampanoag “people of the first light.”
New Year’s Eve was a very fun night. There were a couple big parties in Aquinnah, judging from the cars parked on the road and the pictures posted on Facebook (nothing incriminating, unfortunately). And some townspeople were off-Island attending the hockey game at Fenway Park. I went to a party in West Tisbury where I was disappointed not to see some Aquinnah ladies I expected would attend (you know who you are), but I had a great time dancing and ringing in the New Year.
Happy birthday to our head librarian, Jenny Christy, whose birthday was January 1. She and her husband celebrated with dinner at State Road Restaurant.
June Manning is staying with Gladys Widdiss while her own house is being completed, hopefully sometime over the next few weeks.
This past weekend brought more snow and it looks like we might be in for a snowy season. I say bring it on. As long as Carl Widdiss can plow our road and come rescue us when we get stuck in the snow.
