JUNE MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

The Aquinnah Public Library will be holding the final day of the spring book sale on Saturday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in observance of National Library Week. All proceeds benefit the library, the programs at the library, and the activities there.

There will be great bargains. For example, with the purchase of a Friends of Aquinnah Public Library canvas bag, you will receive 10 books for a total of $19.95. There will be books on display on the new porch for your perusal. Stop by and enjoy.

The Dukes County Charter Study Commission is holding two public meetings next week. For up-Island, it will be on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at the Chilmark Public Library. For down-Island it will be at the Oak Bluffs Senior Center on Thursday, April 24, at 5 p.m.

The purpose of the meetings is to ask the citizens of the Vineyard for their reactions to the tentative decisions the charter commission has reached in their 15 months of study. Questions that they addressed include, regarding should we keep county government? Should the county executive be a professional county manager or one of the county commissioners? How many county commissioners should there be? Should they be elected at large or from districts? How long should their terms be? If we keep the county, are there ways to make it more accountable and effective?

This will be the last opportunity for Vineyarders to affect what goes on the ballot in November regarding county government. For further information, please call Paddy Moore at her office at 508-693-1627.

Congratulations to tribal member Justin Cusick and his fiancée Casey who were recently engaged while on a two-week furlough in Rome. They are both serving in the same unit in Kuwait and have been in the same National Guard unit for the past several years. We will look forward to their arrival home in June.

Nancy Delaney returned home this week after spending 10 relaxing days away and a wonderful time celebrating her birthday. She spent four days with summer neighbor Midge Hockmuth at her beautiful condo in Exeter, N.H., and an early celebration there. The remainder of her vacation was spent with her daughter Gayle, her husband Andy, and grandson Raymond Dineen in Melrose. The Delaney and Dineen family are so proud that Raymond is now playing second row viola. Nancy was surprised with another lovely celebration dinner at the Capital Grille in Burlington. Her husband Walter joined the family for the occasion and helped her get through yet another milestone.

They attended the New England Conservatory Prep School Gala on April 6 at Jordan Hall. The program presented by the young musicians was positively fabulous. It was such a thrill to see their grandson Raymond take his place on stage that evening. After the concert, Nancy had the honor and pleasure to meet maestro Benjamin Zander personally. He has been on the New England Conservatory faculty for 41 years and is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, to name just a few of his many accomplishments, and as such has had the opportunity to guide the lives of countless young musicians in the Boston community. An outstanding gentleman. And so, it was certainly a birthday celebration that Nancy will never forget.

Condolences to the family and friends of Sherri Jardin who passed away over the weekend at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Samuel Vanderhoop Lee, son of Martha Vanderhoop and Marshall Lee, and his fellow seniors at Newton South High School have created a bulletin board with all their rejection letters from various and sundry colleges to prove to each other that they are not alone in the college admission process and it allows them to commiserate with each other.

Condolences to the family and friends of Charlie Marinelli who died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday. Charlie and I served together for many years on the Oak Bluffs town personnel board where his openness and fairness is greatly remembered.

The kindergarten and first grade classes of Chilmark School took a field trip and grand tour of the Chilmark Post Office on April 9. First grader Levi Moreis was very proud to show his schoolmates where his father Leigh Moreis works and how the postal service actually works.

Welcome to our newest tribal member, Tyler Anthony Moreis, who was born on April 6 at Falmouth Hospital, weighing in at 5 pounds, 10.2 ounces. He is the son of Joshua and Ellysia Moreis of Falmouth, grandson of Wendy, and first great grandchild of Madeline (Midge) Moreis of Tisbury. His immediate Aquinnah family includes his uncle and aunt Leigh and Christy Moreis and their children Jeffrey and Levi.

Aquinnah selectman Jim Newman and his wife Kathy recently returned from a wonderful trip to Istanbul and Rome. It was Jim’s first trip to Rome in 48 years. They always seem to take the most exotic trips each year. While in Rome they spent a lot of time with Philip and Penny Weinstein of Sandcastle Lane. Their planned afternoon of tea turned into a wonderful dinner. Jim and Kathy arrived home to the news of a new grandchild who was born in Fort Collins, Colo., to their son Peter and his wife.

Baron Ludvig Von Peter Ochs and his wife Gudrun Waltenstorfer arrived from their winter home in Vienna, Austria, and have been spending the past two weeks in Aquinnah. They are trying to find a place for rent from May through September. If you have any accommodations available, please call Peter at 508-645-2720 as they really wish to remain in Aquinnah.

Friends of Maynard Silva are organizing a benefit for him on May 4 at the Outerland. There will be three musical bands playing throughout the benefit and one of them will be Barbara Puciel Hoy and her Squash Meadow band. There will be lots of excitement throughout the early evening just for Maynard. Further information will be forthcoming.

Happy birthday wishes this week to Eleanor M. Francis Hebert as she parties on April 19. Richard N. Randolph will observe a major milestone on Saturday. Linda Ridley Vanderhoop will celebrate on April 21. Lauren Hobbs will party on April 23.