The skyline of the most recent issue of the Vineyard Gazette was a quote from Sly Stone taken from the lyrics of Sly and the Family Stone’s wonderful song Those Summer Days.

I had a flood of thoughts, most prominent was how far we have come. I could not have imagined that those words might ever appear there. I lived and breathed (and danced) to these lyrics. At that time here on the Vineyard was a time of joyful mixing in so many ways. The songs on that album embodied the hope that was in the air at the time. We were pushing back against President Nixon and the war in Vietnam. People of many ages rallied together understanding that when we are united we possess an awesome power and the ability to make things better.

Thank you for remembering. Those lyrics help me to believe we will be okay after such a difficult time.

David Damroth

Chilmark