It was a quiet vacation week here in town. I did not see pictures of or hear of many people going away to warmer climes this year. Many people opted for skiing either in-state or just over the border in New Hampshire. Driving to an outdoor sport definitely felt safer than flying to a beach, no matter how much we all want to fly to a (warm) beach right now. I’m curious to see how the weather is going to play out this month. Usually, March weather on the Island is alternately vicious and/or miserable. There will be lots of mud for sure, but will we also get frozen roads, another blizzard (after the crocuses have come up), torrential downpours or all of the above? Time will tell. Perhaps we should start a March weather bingo card with different options, whoever gets the most squares filled wins a prize.
The Smith family has more kittens available. Three ridiculously cute tiger striped little ones with fuzzy faces. Call Noni Smith if you are interested in adopting one at 508-939-9272.
If you are not sure when you will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, go to mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine. Once you are eligible, you can schedule your appointment online at
bit.ly/3e5C6Rc. If you need to schedule an appointment by phone, call the MVH call center at 508-684-4500. For more information and daily updates, please visit bit.ly/302NCos. Hopefully, all of us will be vaccinated soon.
A friendly reminder that there are some deadlines coming up in regard to serving on committees and voting in town. The last day to submit nomination papers to the board of registrars for certification is March 25, 2021, by 5 pm. The last day to file nomination papers with the town clerk is April 8, 2021, by 5 pm. The last day to register to vote for the annual town meeting and annual town election is Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The annual town meeting will be held on May 11 and the elections on May 13. There are many open positions that need filling, so please consider running if you are interested in doing service.
Did you know that Aquinnah, then called Gay Head, was the last town in the commonwealth to receive electricity? The town got power on Feb. 15, 1951. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of this milestone, teacher and historian June Manning retells the fight to get electricity to the most western part of the Island in a 2018 interview. The Aquinnah Club, a Gay Head women’s organization, led the push to convince the Cape & Vineyard Electric Co. to invest $22,000 to extend the power lines the rest of the way up Island. You can see June tell this story at bit.ly/302pbaQ.
The Oak Bluffs Public Library offers access to a database full of grant opportunities. Even though the library is closed to the public, you can still access these resources by contacting Nina Ferry, their reference librarian, at nferry@clamsnet.org or by calling 508-693-9433.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Molly Purves, mlpurves@yahoo.com.
