This past Saturday, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival hosted a free surf film festival at the Chilmark Community Center. The all-day affair included surf lessons at Squibnocket Beach. There were volunteer instructors (including Spa Thorpe) and many eager supporters on the beach who would clap and cheer at the smallest sign of a student’s progress.
Having never surfed before, I decided to try it. I did not get very far in that I never managed to stand on the board. I did manage to get partially upright on it at one point, but mostly I just got bombarded with water and lots of it. My question to all of you avid surfers out there is: At what point does this activity become fun and not just endless pounding by the ocean?
The one serious benefit of the lesson was that for the time that I was attempting to surf there was so many things to think about and so many new sensations that I completely forgot about my fear of sharks, which is always in the back of mind whenever I’m in the water. Which is odd, because I was wearing a wetsuit, which is basically like a Halloween costume of sharks’ favorite food: seals. I can’t say that I caught the surf bug, but I would be willing to try it again, which for me is almost saying that I liked it.
This Saturday the Aquinnah Public Library will host “Negotiating and Creating Agreement: A One-Day Workshop”from 10 am to 3 pm. This workshop is led by the wonderful and talented Nancy Caldwell, and it is limited to 12 participants. You can register by calling the library at 508-645-2314.
The Aquinnah Cultural Center is still open. You can visit the Edwin Devries Vanderhoop Homestead, a restored 19th century Wampanoag farmhouse near the Gay Head cliffs. Right now exhibits include Wampanoag whaling in the 18th and 19th centuries and a new oral-history video program, “Land and Life in Old Gay Head.” The center is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. Call 508-645-7900 or email them at aquinnahcc@gmail.com for more information.
Chilmark resident Beatrice (“Beach”) Phillips Bennett, beloved wife of Bill Bennett and unstoppably great mother of Bella Bennett, passed away peacefully on Sept. 17. A celebration of her life will be held this Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury from 2 pm to 5 pm. You are welcome to bring a dessert to share for after the service. I knew Beach a little bit, and she was a lovely woman, and it seems very unfair that she is no longer with us. My heart goes out to her family and friends.
Under the “the off-season is a great time to learn/try something new” heading, there will be an ACE MV Course Sampling Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at MVRHS from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. You can come meet the teachers, register for classes (36 different classes are being offered), and sample refreshments made by some of the cooking instructors. There is a $10 late fee if you sign up on the day of the course, so it behooves you to register now. For more information, call Diane Abbot at 508-693-9222.
A select group of Martha’s Vineyard inns and hotels are offering packages to runners participating in the upcoming Gay Head 10K, “A Race against Time.” The race is being held on Sunday, Oct. 5, starting at 10 am. The following innkeepers are offering discounts:
The Doctors House B&B, Vineyard Haven, 508-696-0859
Hob Knob Inn, Edgartown, 508-627-9510, ext. 39
Totem Pole Inn, Aquinnah, 508-645-2815
Vineyard Harbor Motel, Vineyard Haven, 508-693-3334
In addition to the race, local and visiting cycling enthusiasts will have an opportunity to participate in an organized recreational ride on the Island on Saturday, Oct. 4. Two rides, a 50K and a 100K, are offered. The 50K ride features spectacular views of Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. Riders in the 100K will visit the entire Island, including the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah. There will be organized rest stops along the route, as well as road support. A post-ride pig roast with live music is also scheduled. Proceeds from the ride will benefit the Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard and the Gay Head Lighthouse. Register at active.com.
For more information and to register for the race, visit gayheadlight.org. There is an entry fee of $30, and the field will be limited to 500 runners. The committee is also welcoming donors to become involved immediately, through various levels of sponsorship. For more information on sponsorships, please contact Beverly Wright, chairman of the Save the Gay Head Lighthouse Committee, at gayhead10k@gayheadlight.org.
The National Park Service has named the town of Aquinnah as the recipient of the Gay Head Light Station. The town is now the official steward of the Gay Head Light. This is an important step forward in the race to preserve the Lighthouse. Thank you to everyone working so hard to preserve this historic landmark.
Happy Birthday to Spa, a man whom I could not imagine Aquinnah without; he celebrates on Friday. Wish him a happy birthday if you see him.