On the last Wednesday of every month, the Up-Island Council on Aging hosts a free lunch gathering for seniors at the Town Hall. It is offered as a vehicle to combat the isolation that frequently comes with retirement age. On the last Wednesday in June, it was scorching hot outside as I took myself up there to help prepare the food. As the volunteer crew prepared the tables with fresh flowers and tablecloths, and, in the kitchen, a summer menu of chicken salad, potato salad, coleslaw, rolls, and dessert were prepared, we wondered whether people would actually show up. To my surprise and delight, about 25 people did, the number of regular attendees supplemented by summer residents. I serve on the council’s advisory board as one of the Aquinnah representatives, so I felt that I should help with the hosting duties, and took my seat at the table. I found myself next to Wampanoag elder Beverly Wright on my left, a man I didn’t know on my right, and across from a couple I had never seen before. We started to chat, and I was intrigued to find that the couple were regular West Tisbury summer residents who loved the Vineyard, but didn’t really know very many people here. They had bravely driven to Aquinnah and entered our Town Hall looking for welcome from this room filled with unknowns. It didn’t take long for a feeling of fellowship to form and for conversation to freely flow. It was a heartwarming hour, fulfilling the hope and promise of this service by the Up-Island Council. I was grateful to be there.
This is going to be a full week. The tour welcomes the tribal community and visitors alike. Tickets are available at the ACC for $10 per adult, with tribal members always free. Janette will be leading these tours again on July 9, 16, 23, and 30, and on August 6, 13, and 20.
Then, of course, the Fourth of July is a great day to be in Aquinnah. Decorate your car, your lawnmower, your scooter, or your roller skates, and be ready to parade your thoughts about the birthday of our country. There will be a prize for the Best Patriotic Float. At 10 am, cars line up on Moshup Trail at Old South Road, and at 11, the parade begins going up Moshup and around the Circle. Then, starting at noon at the Vanderhoop Homestead (behind the Aquinnah Cultural Center), there will be a community cookout, live music featuring Missus Biskit and Friends, and kids’ games.
On July 9, another family-friendly series will begin. Produced by musician Mike Benjamin and the Vineyard Preservation Trust, this is a new lively summer tradition that will take place every Wednesday until Sept. 3. On the front porch of the Grange Hall in West Tisbury from 5 until 7 pm, there will be live music from the Island’s best local bands. Food and drink will be for sale, or you can bring your own picnic along with your own chair or a blanket. Come and gather as a community for some rollicking good fun.
Make sure to give a birthday greeting to Adrian Higgins on July 5.
That’s it for this week in our neck of the woods. The weather promises to be pretty great, the ocean waters are beckoning, and the shops are open on the Cliffs (I recommend the fish tacos at Cliffhangers, so beautiful they look like a delicate watercolor). Summer feels pretty good.
