There was a lot of hustle and bustle last week with Thanksgiving. The boats were filled with grown children returning home to their parents for the weekend and Islanders headed to visit off-Island families. There were also many college students making the holiday trek home after their first semester away. It was a treat to get off the boat last week and see so many happy reunions. The countdown to Christmas has begun, and after New Year’s Eve begins the long dark night of the soul that on the Vineyard starts Jan. 1 and lasts until the end of March.
There is much sadness in the Madison family; Hakeem Madison, brother of Amira Madison and first cousin of Nonie Madison, and a member of the Wampanoag tribe, died on Nov. 25. Hakeem’s family would like to encourage anyone who was touched by Hakeem to attend any of the following services: On Thursday, Dec. 3, there will be a memorial service at Mashpee Government Center at 483 Great Neck Road in South Mashpee from 5 to 7 pm. On Friday, Dec. 4, services will be held on-Island. There will be a funeral service at Chapman, Cole and Gleason in Oak Bluffs at 11 am. This will be followed by a burial at the Gay Head Cemetery on Rose Meadow Way in Aquinnah, and a reception at the Aquinnah Town Hall. For anyone coming from off- or down-Island, there will be a shuttle van departing the Steamship Authority at 10:30 am and leaving the Aquinnah Town Hall around 6 pm. Flowers can be sent to Chapman, Coleman and Gleason. Peace be with the entire Madison clan during this difficult time.
The Aquinnah Public Library hosts an afterschool club every Tuesday from 4 to 5 pm. Kids are welcome to bring their homework, practice their reading, or work on a project. The librarians are on hand for homework questions. Craft time is always Saturday starting at 11 am. The next book group will meet on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 5 to 6 pm. They will discuss Sara Gruen’s “Water for Elephants,” which is available at the library.
The Yard will be hosting the Bang Group this Saturday at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center for a deconstructed “Nutcracker” called “Nut/Cracked.” The show is at 6:30, and you can get tickets at dancetheyard.org. I have a feeling this is going to be a great show. The Yard hit it out of the park with their site-specific Halloween show, so if they say this is the show to see this Christmas, then it is.
Pathways is back at the Chilmark Tavern. The arts space opened this week. They have a holiday store that is open noon to 4 pm every day through Christmas. The store showcases Island artists. Tuesday nights at Pathways are Poetry/Writing Nights, starting Dec. 8 at 7 pm. Any writer/poet is welcome to come and share writing, and anyone is welcome to come and listen. There will be an Evening of Music this Friday, Dec. 11, with Alex Karalekas, Matt Stamas, and others starting at 7 pm. All events are free, and refreshments will be served.
It is holiday craft show time here on the Vineyard. Along with the gift gallery at Pathways, there is the Featherstone gift show, open every day from noon to 4 pm. There are some pop-up gift shops open in Vineyard Haven. All of them feature artists from all over, including many from up-Island. Next weekend is Christmas in Edgartown, and Vineyard Haven will also have special deals and events that weekend. I just want to mention here that I will miss the PeaceQuilts for Haiti pop-up that happened every year at the Chilmark Santander Bank. Progress is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Ken Wentworth and Liz Witham are off on an amazing journey: They are filming the U.N. Climate Control Conference in Paris. The footage will become part of their documentary and environmental series, “Greening Eden.” You can follow their progress on their personal Facebook pages and on the “Greening Eden” Facebook page. I can’t wait to see the finished product, because so far the pictures I’ve seen are pretty great, including one of indigenous people gathering for a sunrise ceremony and blessing.
Happy birthday to Margie Spitz, who celebrates on Monday.
