Updated 4 pm, Thursday, June 11.
The pizza oven at Flatbread’s on Airport Road in Edgartown will be stoked once again, for the first time this season, when the natural-ingredient pizzeria reopens for the summer on Monday, June 15. The first day will be capped off at 10 pm with the music of the popular Island regulars, the American roots-music and Nashville-based band Woody Pines, along with the sounds of Mike Benjamin. Woody Pines features the fabulously talented guitarist and backup singer Brad Tucker, who grew up on the Vineyard, and the group will be celebrating the release of their new self-titled CD.
The show is produced by Phil Darosa’s TPS Productions as part of the Martha’ Vineyard Sound series, and the group plans to book more music on the Flatbread concert stage throughout the summer. Already scheduled are Dwight and Nicole and Good Night Louise on Friday, June 19, at 10 pm, and Donavon Frankenreiter on Monday, August 10, at 9 pm.
To complement the good music, Flatbread will continue serving its tried-and-true menu of pizza and salads for takeout or eat-in, according to new manager Paul Cucchiarelli. This year they’ll also be open for lunch for the first time; the kitchen will open at noon, and remain open until 10 pm.
In January the owners of Flatbread, headquartered in New Hampshire, put their part of the building that once housed Hot Tin Roof up for sale, telling The Times that it was difficult to survive on only the summer months and that they found the shoulder seasons especially difficult to manage. The owners share the building with M.V. Wine and Spirits, and despite opening for the summer, their ownership in the building is still up for sale.
Regional manager Jim Harrison told The Times this week that they have decided to give the Vineyard another shot. “We love the Vineyard, and would really like to find a way to make it work,” he said.
The restaurant will continue its tradition of hosting Tuesday-night fundraisers for local organizations. The Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve and expand the Island’s shellfisheries, will be the season’s first beneficiary on Tuesday, June 16, and Rising Tide Therapeutic Equestrian Center in West Tisbury will be the focus on June 23. On Tuesday, June 30, the restaurant will show support for the the Beatrice Bennett Great Aspirations Memorial Scholarship fund (BBGAMS). The night will include a silent auction, and 10 percent of the price of every pizza purchased will be donated directly to the scholarship fund, which will then be granted as scholarships to graduates of the Regional High School (MVRHS) and The Charter School.
Another Flatbread tradition returns, the Backyard Boogie, featuring local musicians, on Sunday nights from 6 to 8 pm. Mr. Cucchiarelli said the Island-based group Good Night Louise will be playing a number of the Sunday boogies. Also returning this year is the YMCA’s annual Stars & Stripes Festival on Friday, July 3, which will celebrate the organization’s fifth anniversary and will feature the Walk The Moon, Alex Winston, and Santah.
And the ever popular Dance-a-Rama hosted by Mona Rosenthal will keep children, parents, and grandparents on their feet, come two dates in July and two in August to be announced.
Flatbread, open noon to 10 pm seven days a week, serving pizza and salads with a full bar. The doors open for the evening concerts at 9 pm, with most shows starting at 10 pm. The evening shows are 21-plus unless otherwise noted. Admission for the Woody Pines show on Monday, June 15, is $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
A previous version of this story neglected to mention the band — Walk the Moon— headlining at Flatbread on Friday, July 3 for the YMC’A’s annual Stars & Stripes Festival.
