Jannette Vanderhoop will be the presenter at the Aquinnah Cultural Center today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vanderhoop Homestead. There will be a $10 craft fee as you learn how to create a sailor’s valentine and as you listen and learn about Wampanoag whaling. On Saturday, Jason Mancini of Connecticut College and the Mashantucket Research Center, will present a lecture titled Preserved on the Mighty Waters. Admission is $7. It’s all part of the whaling exhibit.

A few of the Aquinnah winners at the 152nd Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair include Amos Sauer who won a third prize ribbon for his hand-sculpted wooden boat; Waylon Sauer won first place and blue ribbons for his sculpture of an eagle and a wooden fighter jet, as well as third place for his woven beach grass mat.

As the first family’s vacation nears its end over the weekend, I truly hope the Obama family has enjoyed their time on the Vineyard. The road closure was not that much of an inconvenience. On my way home on Monday evening, I joined a few friends in front of Howes House to wave to the motorcade as they drove through West Tisbury.

The 35th annual Art Buchwald Possible Dreams Auction will be held on Sunday, July 28 at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown. Tickets are only $25 per person and benefit the largest social services organization on Martha’s Vineyard, serving more than 6,000 people every year.