Saturday morning dawned clear and gently beautiful. The waters were calm and sparkling, the sky a gentle blue. At 7 am, a crowd of about 35 people gathered at the top of the Circle. The day had been announced as a national day of protest against the disorder and inhumane actions of our national government. Julianne Vanderhoop greeted those assembled with a Wampanoag prayer, and then said that we were greeting the day “in the Aquinnah way.” Quietly and meditatively, we then walked twice around the Circle, first following a sign that urged us to “be present,” and then a new sign urging us to envision our future. The muffled sound of our footsteps and the beauty of the morning merged into a form of prayer. Once back at the top, we stood in a quiet circle surrounded by all that beauty and smiled at each other, breaking through the silence only when Beverly Wright’s little dog walked into the center of the circle and sat up on her haunches, looking around at us as if to challenge us to “do some good,” and the sound of Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power” rang out. I went back home energized, strengthened, and grateful for being reminded that it is true that community gives us courage.
I was delighted to learn that the Gay Head Store is open again. Still in the hands of the Smalley family, it is now open every day but Tuesday, from 7 am to 7 pm. The store has been enhanced with a tiny kitchen, and now, in addition to a small array of lovely produce and basic groceries, serves up grab-and-go breakfast from 8 to 11 am, sandwiches, mezes, soup, salads, beverages, and chocolate chip cookies. The menu is creative and lovely. Go on by and support them.
Peter Temple took the time to answer the questions I’d posed in my last column about a survey regarding what is being referred to as the “Town Center Corridor Overlay District.” It turns out that the town received a grant to answer questions having to do with “zoning and creating changes that will allow some landowners and market forces to do things on their land that can’t be done now.” Peter reports that Derrill Bazzy, whose interest is in housing, is the visionary behind the project. Others involved are Peter, Mitzi Pratt, Jannette Vanderhoop, Bret Stearns, and Kevin Devine, along with Dan Doyle from the M.V. Commission. The grant covers the entire investigatory process, so there’s no taxpayer expense involved at this point. I strongly urge you to think about whether you wish to have an area of town designated as having less restrictive zoning for its landowners, and then go to the town website, aquinnah-ma.gov, and take the survey. It takes only a few minutes.
On Tuesday, August 12, at 3 pm, the Aquinnah library is hosting a Knit and Crochet Group for fiber artists of all skill levels to come and bring their projects and enjoy some tea, coffee, and conversation. They’ve scheduled a second gathering of the group for the end of the month. Then on Thursday, August 14, at 5 pm, the library will host its final installment of its summer ecology series. Rich Couse of BiodiversityWorks will introduce the Natural Neighbors program, and discuss how to support biodiversity in your backyard. All these events are free, and everybody is invited.
A reminder that on August 9 at 2 pm at the Town Hall, the Aquinnah Cultural Center and author Joseph Lee will have a conversation about Lee’s book, “Nothing More of This Land.” Then on August 12, the ACC and the Harvard University Native American Program mark the 350th anniversary of the War for the Dawnland, by hosting a reexamination of King Philip’s War. The event will be held at Stillpoint, from 9:30 to 12:30 pm, for the tribal community only, and then from 12:30 to 3:45 pm, it’s open to all. For more information, contact the ACC at aquinnah.org/events/war-for-the-dawnland.
Birthday greetings this week go to David Elliot Vanderhoop on August 7, to Evan Hall on August 8, to Kate Taylor on August 15, and to Sowanahsh William Vanderhoop on August 16.
Paul Manning reports that Missis Biskis will be playing on the Cliffs for the next few Thursday evenings. Come on by for some toe-tapping and good eating.