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Written by Lane

lanterns

…Ah, now that I’ve caught my breath, on with August events. It is those of you that spend the last two weeks of the month with us who are the most adventurous and inexhaustible. I decided long ago that you all must go home and have another week of vacation to recuperate before returning to regular life and obligations.

The events that dominate the end of the season are three of the most family-friendly fun times you can imagine. Wednesday, August 19th, is the 137th annual Grand Illumination Night in Oak Bluffs. The tradition of Grand Illumination began in 1869 in honor of Governor’s Day. This year, start the night with an early dinner of lobster and fried clams on the harbor, then wander over to the Tabernacle in the campground by 7 to enjoy the Community Sing and the Vineyard Haven Band Concert that precedes the Illumination. Really, when was the last time you and the kids sang “Oh, Suzanna” together? As the evening grows dimmer, the tension and expectation mounts. The miracle occurs when it’s finally dark. In perfect synchronization, hundreds of Chinese paper lanterns light up the night, creating an absolutely magical spectacle. Outfit the kids with glow sticks to add to the magic, stroll the campground, compare the lanterns (many antique and unique), and chat with the owners of these incredible, colorful gingerbread cottages. Some residents even dress in period costume for you, and most have colorful tales to share. It’s a night you’ll never forget.

If you’re ready for more activity on Thursday the 20th, hop in the car or on the bus and head to West Tisbury for the opening of the 148th annual Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair. It gets underway at 10 AM. (If you’re totally done in from the night before, don’t despair. The Fair continues through Sunday.) They don’t make country fairs like this anymore. Ride the rides, watch the horse pull and woodsmen competition, join the contests (don’t forget everyone’s favorite – the skillet toss), view the blue-ribbon livestock and luscious home-baked goods, and eat local delicacies until you burst. Hint to those who love the fair, but have a difficult time with crowds: go on Friday night when the rest of the island is at the fireworks.

The fireworks: the grand finale of the Vineyard summer season. Sponsored and skillfully executed by the Oak Bluffs Fireman’s Civic Association, this event is a must for young and old. Bring your picnic baskets to Ocean Park on Friday the 21st and claim your spot for a spectacular display. Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is some small town, low budget offering. I’d match it against Boston any day. Of course, some of us remember the year it had been rain-dated twice, eventually taking place on a night when the cloud cover was so low, you couldn’t see anything bursting above it. We figure it can’t happen twice in the same place. The Vineyard Haven Band entertains from the gazebo, starting at 8 PM, and the main show goes on at about 9. You won’t be sorry.

You may be tired after all of this, though, so I’m happy to inform you that that is the end of a very busy week. The summer goes out with a bang! So head home, relax, laugh and reminisce about your 2009 August adventures, and rest up for 2010’s, because after experiencing them once, you’ll be hooked forever.

Image courtesy of Martha’s Vineyard Campmeeting Assoc.

 

Check Out Things to Do in Oak Bluffs on a Memorable Day Trip
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Martha’s Vineyard Events
Live like a New England Local This Spring
Martha’s Vineyard vs. Nantucket: Which One Comes Out on Top
Treat Yourself to Something New at Martha’s Vineyard Shops
A Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Weather through the Seasons
Explore Downtown Edgartown on Your Martha’s Vineyard Escape
Look at That: What to See in Martha’s Vineyard

sandcastlesHello 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

 

Check Out Things to Do in Oak Bluffs on a Memorable Day Trip
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Martha’s Vineyard Events
Live like a New England Local This Spring
Martha’s Vineyard vs. Nantucket: Which One Comes Out on Top
Treat Yourself to Something New at Martha’s Vineyard Shops
A Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Weather through the Seasons
Explore Downtown Edgartown on Your Martha’s Vineyard Escape
Look at That: What to See in Martha’s Vineyard

dance-nuno-duareA 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.

One of the most established venues is The Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven, a non-profit professional theater offering a rich selection of plays year round. Their summer season consists of three main stage plays, beginning on June 17th withFLY, a new play about the heroic Tuskegee Airmen of WWII.  Call 508-696-6300 to reserve.

For a more relaxed evening, pack a picnic dinner and join them at The Tisbury Amphitheater for this year’s Shakespeare presentation of SHREW, which will be performed every Wednesday through Sunday at 5 PM (weather permitting) July 22 – August 9. Tickets at the box office only. Also at The Amphitheater, The Fabulists, fun for the whole family, Saturdays at 10 AM, July and August. You can get the full schedule and full information at The Vineyard Playhouse website.

Also, not to be missed, is The Yard in Chilmark. Established in 1924 by Patricia Nanon, it originally began as an outlet to bring talented choreographers to the island. Now, under its current director Wendy Taucher, the theater has expanded to include world class events of music, opera, and an artists’ program throughout the season, with many free family matinees. The Yard kicks of its season on June 26 with an evening of dance, dessert, and champagne. Call 508-645-9662 for reservations or go to The Yard website for full schedules and information.

So swim, bike, and knock yourselves out during the day, then clean up, sit back, and prepare to be surprisingly and delightfully entertained all evening by some of the best theater available anywhere.

Image courtesy of Nuno Duarte

 

Check Out Things to Do in Oak Bluffs on a Memorable Day Trip
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Martha’s Vineyard Events
Live like a New England Local This Spring
Martha’s Vineyard vs. Nantucket: Which One Comes Out on Top
Treat Yourself to Something New at Martha’s Vineyard Shops
A Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Weather through the Seasons
Explore Downtown Edgartown on Your Martha’s Vineyard Escape
Look at That: What to See in Martha’s Vineyard

kids-rainConsidering 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…

Imagine you are finally here, under the roof you paid for three months ago and looked forward to with such gleeful anticipation, but it is the third day of rain, and if you hear ”Mom, what can we do?” one more time, you are going to go jump off Big Bridge at the state beach and continue swimming out to sea. Or maybe you happen to have a little one who, for some reason, just doesn’t like sand between her toes. Do not despair. There is life beyond the beach for our younger visitors and peace of mind for their parents.

I’ll start right here in Edgartown. Have a real farm experience, complete with crops and livestock at the Farm Institute in Katama. Visit as a family or sign the kids up for one of the Children’s Programs, for ages 2 – 17.

Every week, the Edgartown Library on North Water Street has Toddler Time for ages 1 – 4, and Story Hour for 3 – 5 year olds.  They also offer special events, such as learning the phases of the moon using Oreo cookies or the Bear’s Picnic, that you can bring your favorite stuffed pal to.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum has Kid’s Arts and Crafts each week and also have special events, like Archaeology for Kids.

If the rain lets up a little in the evening, grab everyone and go on the MV Trustees of Reservations (Not-So-Creepy) Creatures of the Night Family Hike.

And that’s just Edgartown. Featherstone Gallery in Oak Bluffs has Children’s Artsweekdays from 2 to 5 PM. There is also Children’s Art daily at the Stone Gallery in West Tisbury. The Vineyard Playhouse’s Summer Stars Theater and Art Camp in Vineyard Haven is a favorite of 9 -14 year olds, and The Yard in Chilmark offers Creative Theater, Music and Movement. And don’t forget the MV Adventure Camp or tennis lessons at theVineyard Tennis Center. I could go on and on.

So don’t let a little drizzle put a damper on your family vacation. By the time the sun comes out again, you and the kids will be totally exhausted from all these activities and ready for a lazy day on the beach again.

 

Check Out Things to Do in Oak Bluffs on a Memorable Day Trip
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Martha’s Vineyard Events
Live like a New England Local This Spring
Martha’s Vineyard vs. Nantucket: Which One Comes Out on Top
Treat Yourself to Something New at Martha’s Vineyard Shops
A Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Weather through the Seasons
Explore Downtown Edgartown on Your Martha’s Vineyard Escape
Look at That: What to See in Martha’s Vineyard

Fed up with the rain? Me too! I am hard-pressed to remember a spring so chilly and dank. Looking in my closet for yet another sweater to wear, I wonder if the sundresses and sandals will see the light of day this year. But then I gaze out my windows, and if I can force myself to focus beyond the moss growing on the deck railing, I can’t help but notice that the yard has rarely looked so lush and healthy. And so it is all over Martha’s Vineyard. So instead of moping around indoors, letting mildew accumulate behind your ears, pull on your wellingtons, grab an umbrella, spit back in Mother Nature’s face, and treat yourself to a Vineyard getaway to admire just what she has brought us.

Although I’d be flattered to have you drive by my modest plot of land and comment on how lovely the peonies and roses are, many more satisfying vistas are available to you. First, put yourself in nature’s beauty at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury. Feeling gloomy while surrounded by 20 acres of magical plants, trees, and shrubs is nearly impossible. They are open daily from 9:30 AM to 4 PM, and offer tours at 2 PM.

For a peaceful afternoon, hop aboard the On Time Ferry in Edgartown and head to Chappaquiddick, where you will find Mytoi, a delightful Japanese-style garden nestled within an open pine forest. I guarantee you’ll feel your blood pressure drop while strolling around this gem of tranquility. It is open daily, sunrise to sunset.

And since you are already enjoying Chappy’s gifts, linger a little longer and visit the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge or Wasque, both havens of indigenous seashore growths of the northeast. Just driving place to place, you will notice the extra lushness and height of the seagrass and bountiful white and magenta blooms weighing down the rosa rugosa.

By this time, you’ll be pretty damp and ready for a mug of hot cocoa or, better yet, a hot toddy. Park the car back in Edgartown, and on your stroll to the nearest pub, notice the profusion of cottage roses beginning to pop and the abundant, heavy buds on the hydrangeas that will follow close behind. Yes, it is going to be a gorgeous summer (eventually), and you will not only have cheered yourself up, but also have gotten a very special preview of what’s right around some dryer corner.

Image courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations

 

Check Out Things to Do in Oak Bluffs on a Memorable Day Trip
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Martha’s Vineyard Events
Live like a New England Local This Spring
Martha’s Vineyard vs. Nantucket: Which One Comes Out on Top
Treat Yourself to Something New at Martha’s Vineyard Shops
A Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Weather through the Seasons
Explore Downtown Edgartown on Your Martha’s Vineyard Escape
Look at That: What to See in Martha’s Vineyard