There is some more sad news for up-Island, aside from Chilmark Chocolates being closed until Oct. 24: Tobias Vanderhoop is leaving us. He is leaving for a place even more remote than the Vineyard, Ketchikan, Alaska. He has accepted a position within the tribal community there. He has actually been going back and forth between Alaska and here for a little while, but he’s going for real very soon. A potluck dinner was held for him this past Monday. Goodbye, Tobias, and I wish you the best of luck, I know you will find new and creative ways to be of service to the community there. Thank you for your service here in our town.
The On the Cliffs sale last Friday was a huge success and a lot of fun. I always love the communal advice-giving that occurs as people are trying things on. All the female staff that was working that night at the Outermost Inn set up the restaurant and then came in a pack, shopped, bought and headed back to work.
On the Cliffs will stay open, weather permitting, through the end of the month. The Orange Peel Bakery Café will also be open until the end of October. The gift shops tend to stay open until around Thanksgiving. It’s curtains for Cliffhangers and the Outermost Inn; both closed this weekend.
At the Aquinnah Public Library this week, Story Time is on Thursday at 3:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 am. The After-School Club is on Thursday at 4 pm. On Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 am to 3 pm it’s Kids Crafts, and of course they will be making monsters for Halloween. The Kids Craft time will be Halloween-themed all month. The next meeting of the Book Group will be on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 4 pm. “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion is the book being discussed, and the library has plenty of copies if you would like to join in the discussion. The library will be holding a Spooky Halloween Party on Oct. 31 beginning at 3 pm. There will be crafts, games, and, of course, candy. Wear your costume to the library before you go trick or treating. Speaking of which, if anyone wants to be on the trick or treating list in Aquinnah, please let me know and I will make sure some goblins and princesses and Darth Vaders show up at your place on Halloween.
Today (Thursday) is National Fossil Day and you can celebrate it at the Oak Bluffs library from 4 to 7:45 pm for free. There will be interesting fossil displays on hand and many informed people to tell you all about them.
The annual All-Island Flu Clinic will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14 in the MVRHS cafeteria from 10 am to 1 pm. Come on by and get your flu shots.
The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society will present a free concert at 3:30 pm at the West Tisbury library this Sunday. The concert is titled “Three Centuries of Violin and Cello Duets.” Members of Quartet San Francisco will perform on violin and cello with David Rhoderick on piano.
The next Wednesday Short Story class presented by Philip Weinstein will be held on Oct. 18 at 7 pm at the Katharine Cornell Theater in Vineyard Haven. Mr. Weinstein (Phil, to his neighbors in Aquinnah) will be discussing some of Tolstoy’s short stories, including the classic “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.” This series is sponsored by the Vineyard Haven library, and you can find the full schedule at vhlibrary.org.
Attention to parents/caregivers of children ages 3 through 5: Head Start has openings for the 2017-18 program year. Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children ages 3 to 5 through the provision of education, health, nutrition, and social services to enrolled children and their families. The Head Start program on Martha’s Vineyard is a home-based program. There is no fee. For more information, contact Cindy Flanders, cflanders@mvcommunityservices.com or 508-693-7900 ext. 321.
