As the holidays beckon and WinterFest preparations heat up for this weekend, we recall holidays and parades past on Vashon.
The blessed sameness of WinterFest traditions, year after year, can feel both deeply comforting and also jarring, all at the same time, for many of us as we grow older. Winter holidays can call up unbidden memories, some of which are painful.
As we greet and hug our friends at WinterFest, we should all keep in mind that grief sometimes feels very close during this season — the ghosts of Christmases past are real for many.
But remembering is a task we must constantly undertake — communally, if possible — if we are to understand ourselves. That’s necessary not only to cope with holidays but also, to grapple with bigger issues that affect our island and the wider world.
This weekend, two important events will mark World AIDS Day on Vashon — a performance of the play “The Laramie Project,” at Vashon High School, on Saturday, and a screening of the documentary, “How to Survive a Plague,” at Vashon Theatre on Sunday. (See page 5.)
Remembering the AIDS crisis — as many of us do with still-searing grief for lost friends and relatives, made worse by the long and disgraceful neglect of our government to mention or address the emergence of the disease — is necessary and important.
This is especially true as the second Trump administration prepares to take office after engaging in a campaign that specifically targeted and demonized LGBTQ+ communities across our country.
Vashon’s World AIDS Day events invite us once again to embrace human dignity and celebrate the brilliance of the LGBTQ+ community through outreach, advocacy, and sharing resources. It moves us toward the bright light of values we hold dear: tolerance, empathy, scientific inquiry, diversity, and collective responsibility for addressing and healing hate.
The theme of remembrance is also key to news we have also shared in recent weeks, about three highly effective community leaders who will be moving on from their jobs on Vashon.
On page 1, this week, we have recounted the relatively short but astonishingly productive tenure of Fire Chief Matt Vinci, who has now accepted a job as the chief of a much larger fire district in northern Spokane County. We’ve also covered the recent resignation of Jason Johnson, who so skillfully served as the executive director of Vashon HouseHold in recent years, and the upcoming retirement of Elaine Ott-Rocheford, who as the diligent executive director of Vashon Park District was also a highly efficient and effective leader in our community.
These three individuals made a difference on Vashon — showing us all how to lead: by putting our heads down and working hard to create the change we need to see.
