In case you were wondering, my vacation was wonderful. Squam Lake in New Hampshire is not only beautiful, but it was not as crowded as it is here in the summer. New Hampshire also takes their “Live Free or Die” motto quite seriously. I was attending a family reunion and one of my cousins smokes, and no one, not once, asked her to not light up or told her that she couldn’t smoke on the patio of the restaurant we were eating at or on the beach we were sitting on or at the inn we were staying at. While I no longer smoke and don’t enjoy being around it that much, I found the absence of scolding very refreshing. New Hampshire’s attitude seems to be, “If you want to kill yourself and annoy others in the process, go right ahead.” This we know would never stand here. There would be at least three parents telling my cousin not to smoke, asking her to put it out, and pointing out that there were children around and that she was endangering them as well. Their “requests” would be delivered with righteous smugness, and my cousin would be shamed into smoking behind a dumpster in the Chilmark Store parking lot. In New Hampshire, I felt like it was the late Seventies/early Eighties again, and it made me want to ride in the way back of my parents’ station wagon lying on a blanket, looking out the back window with no seat belt even available. Which is, incidentally, how I traveled to Martha’s Vineyard the first time I came here at age 10.
Tonight in Menemsha, you can “Meet the Fleet” from 4 to 7 pm. Meet the fishermen and women who catch all the local fish you eat while you are here. The event is held on the commercial dock in Menemsha Harbor, and is sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust. There is a shuttle bus from the Tabor House Road parking lot and Captain Flanders’ House.
There is a lot going on at the library this week. Thursday, August 4, story time is at 3:30 pm. The Summer Speaker Series continues with Holly Hodder Eger, who will be talking about her book “Split Rock,” a novel. Holly will speak at 5 pm at the Old Town Hall, and refreshments will be served. On Saturday, August 6, story time is at 10:30 am, and there will be a kids’ craft from 11 am to 3 pm; the theme of the craft is “Where the Wild Things Are.” The Friends of the Aquinnah Public Library will hold their Annual Meeting/Open House on Saturday from noon to 2 pm. Food will be served, and everyone is welcome to attend. On Tuesday, August 9, from 3 to 4 pm is the Kids’ Summer Club, and at 5 pm there is Music on the Deck. At 6 pm you can get some henna tattoos.
The Aquinnah Cultural Center is hosting an opening reception for “Our Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History” on Friday, August 5, at 4 pm. This is the inaugural exhibit of Plymouth 400, and it is returning to the ACC for the second year. In addition to the original “Captured 1614,” the newest panels with “The Messenger Runner” will be featured. Refreshments will be served. On Saturday, August 6, the ACC welcomes Mashpee Wampanoag artist Gail Hill, who will demonstrate the traditional style of Wampanoag pottery. Attendees will be able to try working with clay (not from the Cliffs) if they wish. Gail will be there during regular operating hours, 11 am to 4 pm. The ACC is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. For more information, please call 508-645-7900, or email aquinnahcc@gmail.com. Regular admission fees are $5 adults, $3 seniors and children 12 and under.
Joan LeLacheur will be holding an open studio at 42 Old South Road on Saturdays August 6 and August 13, from 10 am to 5 pm, featuring her wampum jewelry — earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and mosaic tiles, along with art cards made by Susan Shea. Contact Joan at 508-645-9954 or Joanlela57@gmail.com.
MVCS Veterans Outreach Program, in collaboration with the Theater Alliance of Washington, D.C., and in association with Kicking Pig Productions, will host a play titled “Occupied Territories” this weekend. It will be shown at the Edgartown American Legion, and there are three shows, Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and at 6 pm. Tickets are $35, and can be purchased at mvcommunityservices.ejoinme.org/OccupiedTerritories.