Community Corner
Obamas Welcomed on Martha's Vineyard
Crowds and welcoming signs greeted President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their first Vineyard visit since the summer of 2011. Here are some original creations by Obama fans.
The Vineyard's most famous vacationers arrived Saturday afternoon to a warm welcome, with spectators on the motorcade route and handmade signs sprouting along the roadway.
In West Tisbury, one sign welcomed not only President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia but Bo the dog as well, who arrived with the First Couple via Osprey helicopter from the Coast Guard air station on Cape Cod (see video).
Bo also appears in a sculpture by Jay Lagemann in Vineyard Haven (see photo).
Along with the homemade welcome signs, printed placards from 350.org have been posted imploring Obama to save the planet.
When the First Couple dined at the Sweet Life Café in Oak Bluffs Saturday night, writes pool reporter Kathleen B. Hennessey, "a sizable crowd formed outside the restaurant during dinner, filling up the sidewalk for about a block."
Locals are showing their support in other ways: On Facebook, the MV Sharks baseball team invited Obama to a game and the weekly Family Dance-O-Rama at Flatbread has been renamed Dance-O-Bama for this Wednesday (see photo).
Excitement over the presidential vacation has spread beyond the Vineyard:
Cape Codder Susie Widak created a pair of artworks welcoming the Obamas and sent the images to Martha's Vineyard Patch.
Needham jeweler Todd Krieger has designed a line of earrings inspired by Michelle Obama: They're available at Craftworks in Oak Bluffs.
Do you know the proper way to greet President Obama if you run into him on Martha's Vineyard? Read Holly Nadler's etiquette tips to be prepared.
For more about the First Family's vacation:
- Golf at Farm Neck, Dinner at Sweet Life: Obama on the Vineyard, Day 1
- Obamas Arrive on Martha's Vineyard (with video)
- South Road Closed for Obama Visit: Buses Rerouted
- Obama's Chilmark Neighbors to Face Checkpoints
- Obama Visits Martha's Vineyard: 9-Day Road Closure Planned
- Mysterious Mr. President: Obama on the Vineyard, by Holly Nadler
- Obama Family Expected on Martha's Vineyard During Agricultural Fair in August
Check back with Martha's Vineyard Patch for more about the Obama family visit. To receive email updates, follow our Government & Politics group.