Wow. That was a busy Memorial Day weekend. I honestly don’t remember a busier one in the time that I’ve been here. The shops at the Cliffs were bustling. I had breakfast at the Aquinnah Shop on Monday morning, and Amera said that on Sunday they were packed inside and out. Even with the rain on Monday, we waited for a table inside at the shop (and yes, the blue corn pancakes are still amazing). Three hundred people came to the Gay Head Light on Sunday, many of them saying that they had seen the special on “Nova.” The new spots, Orange Peel Bakery Café and Cliffhangers, both had great weekends. The café will be open until 4 pm during the week and until 7 pm on Friday and Saturday. It’s closed on Tuesday. Wednesday pizza night is back at the Orange Peel Bakery, 5 to 8 pm.
Chilmark Tavern was very busy all weekend. Noni and Jed Smith came in to celebrate their 18th anniversary on Thursday. Many other Aquinnah summer residents were here for the weekend if not the whole season, including the Berkes, the Neelys, and the Jensens. It was wonderful to see so many friendly faces, and I was glad that everyone I spoke with was doing well and had a fine winter.
At the library this week: Today, Thursday, June 2, Story Time will be at 3:30 pm, and the After-School Club meets at 4 pm. On Saturday, June 4, Story Time is at 10:30 am; there will be a craft of making ladybugs out of egg cartons.
Chilmark Chocolates reopens today. Dance classes at the Yard have started: Monday through Friday from 9 to 10:30 am and Saturday from 10:30 to noon. There is a different style of dance taught every day, go to dancetheyard.org for the schedule.
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is looking for guides for the Gay Head Light from June 17 to Oct. 10. They need coverage on Wednesdays and Sundays from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. This is a paid position. Contact Betsy Mayhew if interested at bmayhew@mvmuseum.org, or by calling 508-627-4441, ext. 112.
The Chilmark School second and third grade classes visited the Aquinnah Town Hall last week. They got a tour of the hall and saw the old voting machine, the safe, and all the offices. They got a tour of the fire station, where they saw the new Jet Ski (that’s what my son called it, but it has to be some kind of rescue thing, right?), and the fire trucks. They also got to go on the ambulance, where second grader Claus Smith got his heart rate checked (he’s fine). My son said that the best part was getting to see the police equipment, including a cruiser, weapons, and handcuffs. I wonder if that was everyone’s favorite, or just the boys’?
The potluck on Memorial Day for the one-year anniversary of the moving of the Lighthouse was very sweet. Richard Skidmore gave a presentation about the discovery during the move of a wall beneath one of the outer walls on the upper part of the Lighthouse. There may be some more fundraising in the future to restore the Lighthouse to its original architect’s vision. Everyone had had a busy weekend and seemed happy to have a mellow time catching up with neighbors and enjoying the good food that was brought.
Berta and Vern Welch’s grandson Aiden is here for the month of June. He is almost 1 year old, and still has a crazy head of hair. Mallory and Len Butler’s son will be here from California in a week. They have not seen him in a year. His sister, Nina, will visit from Boston while he is here. The eldest Butler child, Jeffie, will be here in July with her family. Happy birthday to George Baird, who celebrates on Sunday, and to Sarah Saltonstall, who celebrates on Wednesday.
