Hello friends. It’s hard to believe that the busy month of August is almost upon us. Those of you who are August regulars know that the BIG activities and events all occur in fast succession at the end of the season. Being a bit of a recluse myself, I have always admired our end of summer visitors. I figure they are happy people who, more than anything else, love being around other happy people. Sometimes the crowds can be a little overwhelming, but there is not one event in August that isn’t worth the inconvenience of having your toes stepped on occasionally.
So many things of note occur in August, that I believe I’ll have to commit myself to at least two blog posts, beginning with the first couple weeks of this extraordinary month.
Everything kicks off on the third of August with the annual Possible Dreams Auction. This wonderful event is in its 31st year and has become a legend in its own time. All benefits go directly to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, which provides accessible education and health and human services for islanders. We are eternally grateful to all the seasonal and year round celebrities and high-profile executives who generously donate their time and personal talents and gifts to this great cause. Not to mention the army of auction volunteers who knock themselves out making the entire event run smooth as silk.
I am not talking about bidding on Aunt Agnes’s vintage pearls, or Uncle John’s antique tool collection here. This year, you can bid on an opportunity to bring along 17 of your closest friends to enjoy a private suite at the Garden for the Celtics game of your choice, including a pregame dinner with managing partner Wyc Grousbeck and Celtics legend JoJo White.
The more hands-on bidders can try for a private kitesurfing lesson with Black Dog CEO Rob Douglas and actor Lenny Clark, finish with a Black Dog catered picnic on the beach, and go home with the kite.
Perhaps you’d prefer 18 holes and lunch at Farm Neck Golf Club with presidential pal Vernon Jordan.
Or moms and dads might like to treat your kids to a picnic with Clifford, the big Red Dog and his creator Norman Birdwell and take home an original painting of Clifford in a Vineyard setting.
These are only several of the Dreams offered this year. And there are always lots of surprises. True, the auction is not quite the same without dear Art Buchwald at the podium, and there will be an extra air of sadness that our beloved Walter Cronkite, a regular at the auction, is no longer with us. But it will not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants of 2009. We are all very excited about the new venue, two large tents on Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs, where even more people than before can enjoy the fun. The action starts at 3:30 PM. Don’t be embarrassed if you’re not there to bid. Spend the $25 admission fee just for the fun, or give yourself a special treat and go for the $300 post auction dinner. It’s all for an incredible cause, that you’ll be proud to have been a part of. For more information, the Possible Dreams website.
And if that’s not enough excitement for you, on the fifth, enter the 5th annual Sand and Sculpture Contest on South Beach from 10 AM until 3 PM. Then clean the sand from between your toes by the 10th, put on your casual best, and go to the Hospice Summer Soiree and Auction at 5:30 PM at Farm Neck Golf Club.
Phew! Wait until I get to the last two weeks of August and tell you about Grand Illumination Night, Oak Bluffs Fireworks, and the Agricultural Fair! Coming soon…
Image courtesy of hrh_23
A Vineyard experience doesn’t have to be all about the beach. After washing off a long day’s accumulation of sand, salt and oily sun block, why not discover the island’s superb theater offerings? Many visitors are amazed at the amount and quality of the professional entertainment available here.
Here is my perspective: I came to the Vineyard after living for ten years in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I lived in a condominium where bears came through the parking lot to the dumpsters on a regular basis and if I took a wrong turn out of the back yard, I could be lost for hours in the deep woods. THAT is a walk in the woods for me!
Considering the total amount of rainfall on the Vineyard this June, I’m hoping that the subject of this blog will soon be moot. However, my car mechanic tells me he remembers a Vineyard summer one year that never happened. So, just in case…
