The presidential primary for Massachusetts is on Tuesday, March 3. The polls will be open from noon to 8 pm. Early voting in Aquinnah is happening through Friday, Feb. 28 from noon to 4 pm on Thursday, and noon to 3 pm on Friday. Anyone who needs an absentee ballot should email or call Gabbi Camilleri, our town clerk, at townclerk@aquinnah-ma.gov or 508-645-2304. If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain about who wins the election. Them’s the rules.
Anne Vanderhoop turned 89 last week! She was celebrated by her family on Friday with a potluck birthday party at her home. There were about 20 people there, including the youngest of her 15 great-grandchildren, Miles Vanderhoop. Anne’s daughter Juli made and presented the lemon birthday cake as everyone gathered around to sing. Happy birthday, Anne, may there be many more.
The Aquinnah library will host a kids’ movie night on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5 pm, pizza will be served. There will be story time at 10:30 am on Saturday, along with kids’ craft from 11 am to 3 pm. The Afterschool Club will resume Tuesday, March 3, at 4 pm.
Reminder that Pathway’s Gathering Space is closed this week due to the school vacation. It will reopen Tuesday, March 3, for Poets and Writers Night at 6:30 pm. It may look especially dark up-Island this week, as many, many people are away, but fear not — people will return from their sunny vacations and the lights will come on again.
If you have ever thought about becoming a foster parent, now is your chance. There is a huge need on the Island, so please, if you are interested, come to the annual foster parent recruitment event this Saturday, Feb. 29, from 11 am to 2 pm. It will be held at the home of local foster parent Elexis Wildanger, 3 Poplar Lane, in Oak Bluffs. Please call or text Elexis at 508-326-1155 for directions, to RSVP, or for more information. This will be an informative and casual get-together to learn about being a foster parent on M.V. Applications will be available, and DCF will be providing a foster parent training on the Vineyard.
Happy birthday to Jo-Ann Eccher, who celebrates on Monday. Brian Vanderhoop turned 11 on Sunday, and his grandmother, Evelyn, was in town to see him get his cake and eat it too. Jim Wallen seems to be having another one of his winter adventures. He was in Sweden with his son Zach and Zach’s girlfriend, Frida, over Christmas. He was also in Norway, and spent New Year’s in Latvia. Now he seems to be in Peru, unless he’s moved on — it’s hard to keep track of him.
