Rolling out the red (white and blue) carpet

Hurricane Bill never really showed up, despite the threats and despite the fact that many area grocery stores were overrun Saturday afternoon and evening by anxious folks determined to stock up on crackers and bottles of water, just in case Bill turned out to be Son of Katrina. Saturday night brought nothing more than a few unspectacular showers, a steady breeze and some rougher than usual waves, which stuck around much of Sunday as well.

But Sunday brought a different kind of storm: the long-awaited (in some circles, long-dreaded) arrival of the First Family. Their touchdown on the island was delayed slightly by worries about Bill, but by late Sunday afternoon the word was out -- they're here! Of course, there have already been plenty of reported sightings of Michelle dining and shopping in Oak Bluffs over the past two weeks, hardly a surprise since there seem to be scores of well-heeled young women taking fashion cues from the First Lady. I admit even I had to look twice when I went to dinner at The Newes in Edgartown last week and caught a glimpse of a stunningly lovely lady who had done a sensational job of cultivating a Michelle Look. I wasn't the only one fooled: The waitress kept scrutinizing her carefully and seemed to make extra trips to the woman's table to refill the water glass.

If President Obama is looking for a friendly place to escape the tensions of the health care debate, he's made a perfect choice. The Vineyard has rolled out the red carpet and the Obamas seem to be exceedingly popular with the residents. Of course, this might be because the local merchants -- who weathered a disastrous June, thanks to a month-long series of rainy days and tepid temperatures -- have been betting the President's vacation will bring in a few thousand more tourists that are eager to spend big money in the hopes of seeing the First Family. Obama-themed merchandise is literally available on every corner, whether your tastes run to T-shirts, oil paintings or handbags with the word "HOPE" stitched on the side.

If you get hungry, there's Baracky Road Fudge or Barack-O Tacos. You can wash them down with a mug of Ale to the Chief or an icy Obamarita. There are even dog treats inspired by First Dog Bo. If there's a way to capitalize on the Commander-in-Chief, the Vineyard vendors have probably found it.

But the island is also dotted with welcoming signs put together by residents, including hand-painted signs from kids and far more elaborate displays by grown-ups. My personal favorite is the yard display down the street from my house: The family cleverly (and probably painstakingly) stacked red, white and blue balloons to form a six-foot-high OBAMA billboard.

Of course, the media is everywhere, filming Sunday morning shoppers in Vineyard Haven and Sunday afternoon shoppers in Oak Bluffs. The arrival of the Obamas was closed to the press, but the island is basically open-city and you can bet the Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to get what will amount to thousands upon thousands of dollars of free publicity, courtesy of CNN, MSNBC and all the dozens of smaller networks and stations that have sent reporters and photographers to document the visit.

There's something else on the island, too: roaring black helicopters in the skies. They've been flying around for much of the past week, surveying the landscape. They aren't limited to Chilmark, where the Obamas are actually staying; they are everywhere. A huge black van with a sky-high transmission tower on the roof was parked alongside State Beach last week. Since the license plate bore the "U.S. GOVERNMENT" insignia, it was fairly easy to guess who was inside.

But -- at least for the time being -- the horrendous traffic tie-ups and clogged streets that some feared would come with the Obamas have yet to materialize. I went to Vineyard Haven Sunday morning to swim at Mansion House and had no trouble at all finding a parking space. Late Sunday afternoon, I went to Oak Bluffs to eat dinner at Thai Cuisine and not only was parking a snap, it turned out I was literally the only customer in the restaurant (it's usually bustling). Sunday night I returned to Vineyard Haven to see a friend's band perform at Chez Lounge and catch a showing of "In the Loop"; again, no parking hassles and no mob scenes.

Maybe people were still hiding from Hurricane Bill, but since the weather Sunday was generally gorgeous that's a bit hard to imagine. After all, who wants to eat boring old crackers and cheese when you can run down to Sharky's for a Barack-O Taco instead?