Welcome to the busiest week of the summer: Illumination night, the fireworks in Oak Bluffs, the Fair, and of course, the first family is still here. If you are looking to avoid any crowds this week, I recommend staying up-Island, and truth be told, there is a fair amount going on in our little town if the flashier events don’t suit you. The Island will mellow out after this week, and we can all take a breath. Just remember, 18 days until Labor Day.
At the library this week you can stop in on Thursday at 3:30 pm or Saturday at 10:30 am for Storytime. The Summer Speaker Series continues tonight at 5 pm with Linda Coombs and Giles Welch. They will discuss the History and Art of Wampum. Light refreshments will be served. There will be a Kids Craft: Making popsicle stick air planes from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday. Also on Saturday, there will be an Ice Cream Social with face painting at 1 pm. This is a really fun event and not to be missed. The last meeting of the Kids Summer Club is Tuesday, August 23, at 3 pm. Also on Tuesday at 5:30 pm, Philip Weinstein will discuss “Notes from the Underground” by Dostoevsky as part of the Islanders Read the Classics series. All talks are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The Book Group will meet on August 30 at 5:30 pm to discuss Jeanette Walls’ “The Silver Star.”
This Friday at the Aquinnah Cultural Center at 4 pm Sam Low will show the film “The Navigators” and follow up with discussion about the history behind the journeys of Hokule’a, which was here in June. This will be a very interesting film and discussion. Thank you to the ACC for bringing Sam here again as I’m sure many people didn’t see him when he was here in June. On Saturday at 3 pm, the ACC welcomes Aquinnah Wampanoag artist Carole Vandal who will play traditional Native American flute and share some of her original compositions.
For more information about the ACC programs and exhibits, please call 508-645-7900 or email aquinnahcc@gmail.com. Regular admission prices are $5 adults, $3 seniors, and children 12 and under.
Joan LeLacheur will host an Open Studio this Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm at 42 Old South Rd. Joan makes beautiful wampum jewelry.
There is a new exhibit up at the Sargent Gallery (formerly the Gay Head Gallery), “Contrasts in Art & Nature” opened this past Sunday and features the work of Barbara Norfleet, Ellen Liman, and John Nickerson Athearn. The gallery is located at 32 State Rd. in Aquinnah and is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. Call 508-645-2776 for more information.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah will host the “Legends of Moshup” pageant on Friday, August 26, at the Tribal Center. The pageant will be held at dusk and lasts about 45 minutes. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children and elders.
Congratulations to Len Butler who received the 2016 Martha’s Vineyard Medal last Monday, it was presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in recognition of his leadership and “commitment on the Vineyard to preserving history” for his work on the relocation of the Gay Head Lighthouse. He was introduced eloquently and beautifully by his fellow Lighthouse champion Richard Skidmore. Len’s fellow recipients for 2016 were Bob Douglas and Kay Mayhew, both well known for their lifelong efforts at preserving the history and culture of the Vineyard. Many thanks to all three of them and to the museum for their recognition and dedication to the same cause!
Happy birthday to Barbie Bassett, who celebrates on Saturday. Happy birthday as well to Noli Taylor and Trisha Mulligan, who both celebrate on August 23.
