JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
The Aquinnah Public Library will enjoy coffee hour on Saturday morning from 10 to noon with hot beverages and a snack. Story time is 3 to 3:30 p.m. for toddlers and their parents. Welcome back to library director Cathy Thompson who has returned from her well-deserved vacation in the sun. The needlecraft group will meet on Tuesday, March 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Please bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, or any other stitching project you have. Refreshments will be served.
Tribal families are invited to the tribal building on Sunday, Feb. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. for a preview of the film We Still Live Here, produced by Anne Makepeace about the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project. Chowder will be served by Noni Madison and her husband, Dan Sauer, as well as breads and desserts by Julianne Vanderhoop.
Aquinnah Wampanoag women ages 12 and up are invited to attend knitting and crocheting classes at the tribal building on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Snacks and warm beverages will be served. The topic of conversation this past week covered family medical remedies of long ago and of course a little bit of genealogy.
The once-a-month elders luncheon was held at the tribal building on Feb. 17. We shared a delightful luncheon prepared by Kristina Hook Leslie with a shrimp appetizer, Orange Peel Bakery dinner rolls, corn chowder, roast pork, roast chicken, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, vegetables and blueberry pie for dessert. Most of us brought along photographs from the 1900s and enjoyed the display of the photographs of families that many are related to. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and will again bring family photographs and artifacts to our luncheon in March.
Speaking of special photographs — thank you to Michael Renehan for speaking up and rescuing a photograph of Capt. Walter W. Manning and Captain Donald L. Poole which was probably from the summer of 1980. Michael asked the Graves family if he could have the photograph to be copied and to share with the Manning and Poole families. The Graves family not only had the photograph enlarged but also framed for each family. Another chapter that has come full circle. Captains Manning and Poole were photographed by Mr. Graves for the June 1961 issue of the National Geographic. Thank you to Mike and to the Graves family for sharing with our respective families.
March 12 is the date for the next Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living cultural luncheon at The Grill on Main. Our guest speaker will be Kerry Alley presenting the influence and contributions of our Portuguese neighbors across the Vineyard. Tickets will be available after next week. Please stay tuned as everyone returns from their exotic vacations in warmer climes.
Save the date of March 13 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Aquinnah town hall to join in a potluck brunch. Please bring your favorite breakfast items to share. Lots of neighbors and families to catch up with after a cold and stormy winter.
Condolences to the family and friends of John Downs, who died recently. John was the son of the late Vineyard schools superintendent, Charles E. Downs, and former nurse and volunteer at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Margaret (Peg) Downs.
Condolences to the family of Joy Flanders who died over the weekend. Her services were held on Wednesday at Abel’s Hill. She will be missed by her family and by her many students she has assisted for the past 27 years.
Bill and Joan Kistner returned to their home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Thursday after spending the week with our grandson, Noah James Manning. They enjoyed many family dinners, visits with friends, attending Willy Wonka with Noah, and attending his violin class at Chilmark Preschool. It was a pleasurable week and they enjoyed being away from the mounds of snow in New York. We will all look forward to their return to the home of Paul and Theresa Manning in the very near future.
Condolences to the family and friends of Sheriff Christopher S. Look Jr. who died on Tuesday at his winter home in Florida. Huck Look was very generous and kind to many across the Vineyard especially if we stopped to listen to his humor. He will be missed by many.
“What a wonderful family” were the words of Anne Vanderhoop Madison who was honored on her 80th birthday with a large gathering at the Gay Head town hall. Anne stated “that is what I consider all those who came to celebrate my 80th year in this world at the Gay Head town hall on Sunday.” She noted, “We were all together! That is, making life pleasant and tolerable against all odds. I think this is the most beautiful town on the Island, but 40 miles of driving for every loaf of bread and bottle of milk is quite impractical. However, all this beauty and peace is quite addictive, meaning that all the young people who summered here return to see if we are still around and leave us good wishes.” In closing, she said: “Even though living here has been no bed of roses — we made it!” Thank you, Anne Vanderhoop Madison.
Naushon Vanderhoop and her friend Vernon returned to Brooklyn on Sunday evening after attending the party for Anne.
Congratulations to Jesse Wiener, son of Carolyn Feltz and Jerry Wiener, on his latest adventures as a Broadway composer. In honor of our presidents, NPR radio has a project airing during the month of February, and Jesse is one of the composers of presidential words put to music. The chorus Jesse sings with has been featuring one song a day. The piece that Jesse wrote was on NPR on Feb. 22 for the entire day. Jesse was also interviewed and spoke about President Ronald Reagan and the quote he put to music: “Above all we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of the free men and women.”
And, if that were not enough, Jesse has spent the month of February working with White Noise produced by Whoopi Goldberg. More on that over the next few weeks.
Thank you to Kate Poole Murray for her leadership as the director of Willy Wonka which was performed at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School over the weekend. She was assisted by musical directors Janis Wightman of Aquinnah and Michael Tinus. They were also accompanied by Shauna Davey Nute. Aquinnah students performing in the production included Clara Corjulo, Elsie Fantasia and Ella Mahoney. It was truly another grand performance by so many talented students. All the best to the students who performed and to all those who will represent the regional high school who will be performing in Prague and in Paris in a matter of weeks.
Happy eighth anniversary wishes to Mark Harding and Paula Peters, who will celebrate on Feb. 27.
Happy 35th anniversary wishes to Kenneth J. Belain and his wife, Janet (Roe) Belain, as they celebrate on Feb. 28.
Happy birthday wishes this week to George Berz on Feb. 26 and to Patricia Paiva Vanderhoop, who shares the same day.
Barbara (Perry) Francis will celebrate her special day on Feb. 27 and shares the day with Troy Vanderhoop Jr., who will be 11, and Jacob Antonio Bazzy, who will be 10. Robert Iadicicco and Carol Tankard Giosmas will celebrate a major milestone on Feb. 27, as will Lindalee Condlin, who is exactly one decade younger, and Island friend Linda Marinelli will observe a major milestone across the waters in Falmouth.
Krystle Rose will party on Feb. 28 and shares the day with Dora Morrow of Aquinnah and Montreal, and also with my great-grandson, James I. Millman, who will be eight.
Cameron Widdiss will be 10 years old on March 1. Joanne L. Eccher, Jackie Mendez, Tiara Lee and Heather Ferreira all share the day on March 2. Fellow Vineyard Gazette columnist Kathie Noble Case will dance the night away on March 3. Malia A. Bodnar, daughter of Jay and Margaret, will be two years old on March 3. Penny Huff will celebrate on March 3. Robert Rosenberg, Paul David Sampieri, Charlie Chaprales, and my daughter, Sharon Ann Spiller, will all share the day on March 4.
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