Spring. It’s a time of miracles. A time of watching flowers and grasses pop up through the ground after their long winter nap. A time that is celebrated throughout the world, in festivities that celebrate the rising of the sap in the trees, the advent of fresh life sprouting on what had appeared to be dead branches, the birth of tiny creatures, and even the return of the bugs. It’s a time of hope.
We celebrated here in Aquinnah with what has become a tradition, the annual Kite Festival. Usually held on Easter, this year it took place on the Saturday before Easter in a bow to the rain forecast for Easter Sunday. Dozens of colorful kites danced and fluttered in the beautiful blue sky over the Aquinnah Circle as the sea sparkled below. Seniors and toddlers and every age in between could be seen heads up, arms raised, pulling or running, or simply admiring as their kites went up, up, up, or crashed to the ground, waiting to be retrieved and sent into the winds again. It was a glorious greeting to the new season.
A new season may bring the chance to make a new friend. On Friday, April 10 at noon, the Up-Island Council on Aging is hosting a luncheon at the Chilmark Community Center. These lunches always provide good food, good conversation, and a chance to meet up with old and new friends. This is offered free to all seniors, and is worth a trip to Chilmark.
The new season also gives you a chance to improve your health. On Saturday, April 11, the Vineyard Community Health Fair takes place from 8 am to noon at the M.V. Hospital. It’s a chance to have some free health screenings done, and to meet people who will share resources and information on health, fitness, ticks, and more. Kids can get an inside look at an ambulance, and learn helmet safety. There are lots of prizes, including event T shirts and Steamship Authority gift cards. There’s no charge.
Every year the month of April is designated National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. This April, the Aquinnah library is celebrating by hosting an informal reading of our favorite verses on Saturday, April 11, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. You can join in by reading a favorite poem, sharing your own writing, or by simply sitting back and listening. They are going to serve coffee, tea, and pastries, and the program is free.
While thinking about writing and reading, the Aquinnah Library Book Group invites you to join them in reading the monthly book selection. This month, it is the international bestseller appropriately titled “What You Are Looking For Is in the Library,” by Michiko Aoyama. It’s a charming collection of stories about people who come to their local library looking for something that is missing in their lives. It’s a sweet read in a little book. Go and check it out, curl up, and give it a read. Then come to the discussion on Saturday, April 18, at 2:30 pm.
Circuit Arts has put out a call to performers who want to share their art at its “Locals” production. The show, set for Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the M.V. Playhouse, is an opportunity for performers to share a story, music, theater, dance, or even improv. Circuit Arts is looking to celebrate the creative process and encourage first steps and new beginnings. Interested in performing? Contact them no later than April 10 with your proposal at info@circuitarts.org, or call 508-560-2134.
Happiest birthday wishes this week go to the marvelous Barbara Wallen on April 12, and to Erick Moore on April 13.