COVID seems to be having something of a flare. I’ve been down with COVID and know of several people besides me who have been stricken recently. Having to isolate at this time of year is surely frustrating. I missed the celebration of the anniversary of the Martha’s Vineyard Nonprofit Collaborative honoring Gerald Jones. (Gerald has been the head of its board for several years, and is kind and loyal and community-minded. I wanted to be there to honor him.) I missed the end-of-month luncheon at the Aquinnah Town Hall sponsored by the Friends of the Up-Island Council on Aging, where several of my favorite neighbors gathered. I missed the gathering of the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many friends of Grandpa Don (Donald Smith), who had gathered to celebrate his life. I missed two days of work, and I’m paid by the hour, so that hurts.
The point of this whine is that if you have what might be symptoms, test and find out if it might be COVID, and if it is, stay home! While most of us are now vaccinated, and it isn’t as scary as it once was, many people are not vaccinated, or are immune-compromised, so this isn’t a joke, and missing out on life’s joys is definitely no fun. And while you’re at it, if you’ve got symptoms that might be related to a tick bite, get yourself down to the doctor and ask them to run a tick panel, and ask whether it is worth it to have a doxycycline shot. Tick-related illness isn’t a joke, and the little buggers are everywhere on this Island.
You may not receive this paper in time, but the Aquinnah Fourth of July parade and picnic in observance of Independence Day is happening! The parade of home-decorated cars, with kids and dogs and costumes and flags and sirens blaring and horns honking is always a heart lifter. Cars line up at 10 am on Moshup Trail at Old South Road; the parade starts at 11 am, and then travels around the Circle. There’s a prize for Best Float. And right afterward, there is a picnic for town residents at the Vanderhoop Homestead, with food and drink provided. It’s a gloriously fun time.
The Aquinnah Library Book Group has selected Percival Everett’s book “Erasure” for its next gathering. The film “American Fiction” was based on this book, and received an Academy Award. I’ve just begun reading the book, but it is proving to be both a hilarious and a heart-wringing tale of publishing and living in a racist world. Everett is going to be giving a talk at the M.V. Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs on July 21 at 7 pm as part of the Martha’s Vineyard Author Series. The series has a great lineup of authors, and this one is definitely on my calendar.
There will be a dedication ceremony of the music garden at the Chilmark Preschool on Sunday, July 7, from 3:30 to 4 pm. The ceremony will honor Chris Abrams, the founding director of the preschool. Chris had a passion for life, a gift for working with children, and a love of music. Her seven years of guidance at the preschool crafted much of what made it the high-quality program it is today. Go to the ceremony, honor Chris, and play the beautiful musical instruments. Thank you to Robin Smith, kindergarten and first-grade teacher for 30 years at the Chilmark School, for raising the funds to make this happen.
A happy birthday tip of the hat to Adrian Higgins on July 5.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Kathie Olson, aquinnahcolumn@gmail.com.
