A fierce wind blew through Aquinnah on New Year’s Eve, sending the last bits of the old year out to sea. It was the kind of wind that gets inside of you and rearranges your mind. Perhaps it just wanted to make sure we were ready for what the New Year brings, didn’t want us to hold onto any debris from the past. Maybe the wind was a warning of things to come. Maybe it was a gift. Maybe because it was New Year’s Eve, I’m reading into it too much. Maybe.
If the wind did not blow away the last bit of summer money you are hanging onto, there are some organizations in town that could use some of it. The Friends of the Aquinnah Public Library are raising funds to help build a new circulation desk at the library. FAPL has already purchased new chairs and book carts, and the new desk will help the librarians be more efficient and use the space more ergonomically, as the desk is being designed specifically for the library. You can send a donation to FAPL, 65 State Rd. Aquinnah, MA 02535. Save the Gay Head Lighthouse is still raising money to move the lighthouse this year. You can buy their special merchandise and make a donation at gayheadlight.org.
In December, first-grade students at the Oak Bluffs School raised more than $600 for the Gay Head Lighthouse relocation. Forty-eight students in three first-grade classes, under the supervision of their teachers, Larissa Bernat, Heidi Ganser, and Julie Rodenbaugh, made crafts that they sold in a pop-up store in the school’s lobby. The fundraiser is the first step in what will be a yearlong effort by the students to support saving the lighthouse. Go, first graders of Oak Bluffs; way to show Island spirit!
If you are carrying a balance in fines at the Aquinnah library, bring in a couple of nonperishable, unexpired food items during the month of January, and your slate will be wiped clean. All the donations go to the Island Food Pantry. Also, it’s the return of pizza and a movie for kids! Next Thursday, Jan. 15 at 5 pm, the Aquinnah library will show a movie and feed your kid(s) at the same time.
The Yard will be hosting a concert/dance party at the Chilmark Community Center this Friday, featuring Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish. The event is from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm, and tickets are $10. The concert is to raise money for the Yard’s program in the Island schools, “Making It: Kids Make Dance.” This will be a very fun time and a great excuse to come out and dance.
Shakespeare for the Massesis back at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven! This weekend we will be performing our highly edited and fast-paced production of “Richard III.” Performances will be on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3:30 pm. Both are free of charge.
The Chilmark School PTO Outing Program fundraiser will be on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Chilmark Community Center. Bring your checkbook and your dancing shoes; there will be a live auction and a silent auction, and Mike Benjamin and his band will be playing.
Happy birthday to Megan Woods, who celebrates on Wednesday.
It’s that time of year when Up Island Auto has a sale on gas on Sundays and many Island churches host a free supper every week. The Federated Church in Edgartown will be serving lasagna dinners from 12:30 to 2 pm every Sunday starting Jan. 11. Everyone is welcome, Island-wide. For questions, or in the case of inclement weather, please email antispung@aol.com.
