JUNE MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

The Aquinnah Public Library will sponsor a visit from Curious George on August 15 at 11 a.m. George is on vacation and visiting Vineyard libraries.

On Thursday, August 20 the Katama Trio will perform at the library for an early evening of music with this lovely Island-based trio of musicians.

The Aquinnah/Gay Head Community Association will be hosting a wine and cheese reception on Monday, August 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Aquinnah town hall. Ample parking will be available. The theme for the evening will be shipwrecks off the Gay Head coastlines and around the Vineyard in general. Guest speaker will be Arnold Carr, a native Vineyarder who became fascinated by shipwrecks as a youth and then became an expert in locating and photographing such wrecks. He has found over 30 shipwrecks off the Vineyard shores and over 300 in New England waters. This should be a fascinating evening for all to enjoy.

Sue Battiste returned to her home in Cape Breton this week after spending the weekend with Carl Widdiss and Pam Glavin. She enjoyed visiting with her former neighbor and friend Barbara Francis and with many of her friends whom she has not seen in years since she resided in Aquinnah with her late husband Tom Battiste. On her way home to Nova Scotia, Sue stopped to visit with her mom in Newburyport.

Lisa Bibko Vanderhoop has published her Vineyard Sea Dogs calendar for 2010 and is presently available at many sites across the Vineyard, especially at the Aquinnah Shop.

Samantha Bruce of Manhattan is working with Marshall Lee and Martha Vanderhoop at their HatMarCha Shop at the Cliffs. Samantha is the granddaughter of the late Clifton and Mildred Bruce of Aquinnah. She is living with her aunt Nancy for the summer. Samantha, the daughter of Ted and Cathy Bruce of Manhattan, is a beautiful young lady who is presently a sophomore at Adelphi University where she is majoring in acting. Her childhood friend Caroline Pohlmann, a student at the University of Vermont, is also working at HatMarCha.

Condolences to the family and friends of Jerome Downs who died recently in New Hampshire. He was a multi-generational family friend of ours.

David Jensen and his wife Diane were at their Aquinnah Circle home over the weekend, after having recently moved to a new abode in Brookline. Their weekend guests were her son Peter and his wife Kelley and their family.

Joseph Lee, son of Marshall Lee and Martha Vanderhoop, is working at Faith’s Seafood Shack for the summer. He recently attended the Native American Summer Program at Harvard University which his brother Samuel participated in several years ago. JoJo and his friends David Melly and Daniel Connolly are juniors at Newton South High School. They are all on the track team together and have been classmates since middle school. JoJo, David and Daniel all participated in the Chilmark Road Race on Saturday along with Martha, who came in seventh in her age group. David came in first in his age group and was fifth overall.

Samuel Lee, son of Marshall and Martha, a student at Yale University, has spent his summer in France studying French in Paris through Columbia University for the month of July. He is presently a volunteer on two farms in southern France with his friend since kindergarten Alex Caplow. They are “Woofing” during August — while volunteering for the Worldwide Farming Organization.

Amalia Lieberman, daughter of Marcia Okun and Josh Lieberman of Aquinnah and Newton, is working at the HatMarCha Shop for the summer. Amalia is a student at Walnut Hill School. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Okun.

Alex Seibel of East Pasture, is working at Menemsha Texaco for the summer. Alex is also a student at Newton South High School.

Condolences to the family and friends of Gerald Sullivan, who died this week. Gerry was the husband of schoolmate Martha McDonough Sullivan and the brother of Dr. Richard Sullivan of Aquinnah and Cambridge. Gerry worked for the McDonough family and made deliveries to many Vineyard businesses in the 1960s and 1970s and is fondly remembered by many across the Vineyard.

Douglas Vanderhoop, his wife Linda and their granddaughter Brooklyn departed on Tuesday after spending the past two months at their Aquinnah home. On their journey back to Utah, they will stop in Washington, D.C., and tour the National Museum of the American Indian for their first visit. While on the Vineyard, they attended the surprise birthday party for longtime friend and schoolmate Michael Colaneri. Mike and his wife Karen also celebrated their 40th anniversary during the party in July. Unfortunately, my calendar was packed away and I missed the festivities by a day.

Peter Weiss and his wife Cora have arrived for their summer sojourn. They will be sharing their knowledge of the Obama family at their daughter Tamara Weiss’s exquisite shop, Midnight Farm, on August 27 in Tisbury. They were friends of the father of President Obama in 1959 and the early 1960s.

Happy 11th anniversary wishes to Todd and Jaeleen as they celebrate on August 15.

Happy third anniversary wishes to Allen Carney and Maura Fitzgerald as they celebrate on August 19.

Happy Birthday wishes this week to Vernon E. Jordan Jr. as he spends his annual vacation on the Vineyard and celebrates on August 15. Robert Carroll will celebrate on August 15 as well and you will find him offering his unique words of wisdom as always. Kate Taylor will also party on August 15, celebrating with her newly released compact disk.

Vineyard Gazette front desk manager Kendra Frakes will celebrate on August 16. Aquinnah police officer James Neville parties on the same day. As you pull into Menemsha Texaco on Sunday, please wish Carl Crocker a very happy one.

Samantha D. Maltais will be 13 on August 17 and will finally be able to sign on to Facebook.

A very special happy birthday wish to President William J. Clinton as he celebrates on August 19; we all thank him for his overwhelming diplomacy in assisting with the release of the two young journalists from North Korea with Al Gore.

Wendy Swolinsky will party on August 20 and shares the day with Barbara Bassett.