August August how swiftly you fly, Perseid meteor showers our night sky, hot even hotter the next day, eat of the sea and dream in the sand, ocean or pond enjoy bountiful cool berries eaten fresh from the vine, tasting summer in this wonderful land.
Rites of summer shared day and night, Chilmark remains a family delight, whether you’re First Family or always or making it anew, never stop celebrating what you hold dear tis true.
Chilmark Road Race done — congratulations to all who enjoyed another year making their way up and down Middle Road to town. A Lululemon Last Hurrah trunk show Thursday, August 18, 9 to 11 am at the Chilmark Community Center, and end-of-season slide show at 11:30 am. Family dodge ball Friday morning, the last day of the CCC summer season. See you all next year.
Head up-Island to experience The Keepers of the Light — The Gay Head Lighthouse Documentary and Historical Exhibit, housed in the historic Manning building in front of the Gay Head Lighthouse. Catch a sneak peek of several scenes from the forthcoming documentary “Keepers of the Light,” to air on PBS in the fall. The state of the art multi-media exhibit includes time-lapse photography, architectural renderings, photographs and videos of the recent engineering marvel of the lighthouse relocation, and celebrates this historic milestone for the Gay Head Light and the Island community, including iconic photos by Michael Johnson and Christopher Wright, along with historic and archival photographs that help bring the history of the light to life. The exhibit is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, through Labor Day, and on the weekends in September. The schedule is subject to change. Please visit film-truth.com for the most up-to-date schedule and details.
If you head to Aquinnah, check out the Sargent Gallery open weekends at 32 State Rd. Then stop by wampum artist Joan LeLacheur’s Saturday Open Studio between 10 am and 5 pm at 42 Old South Rd. Head to the Cliffs for food; you can’t beat the takeout or the view at the Aquinnah Shop.
Chilmark, New York, and Paris artist Irving Petlin, and Chilmark and New York photographer Mariana Cook, and local artists Leslie Baker and Rez Williams will all show new work at A Gallery on Uncas Avenue in Oak Bluffs; join them for their opening on Saturday, August 20, from 5 to 7 pm; the show is up through Sept. 11, 2016.
It’s Built on Stilts’ (BOS) 20th anniversary, the most fun dance festival anywhere, and it’s free. Performances are Saturday, August 20, to Tuesday, August 23, and doors open at 7:30 pm at Oak Bluffs Union Chapel, followed by drumming, dancers warm-up, and a stilting demo outside. Dance performances begin at 8 pm. If you would like to support this amazing festival, chat with festival performers, staff, and audiences and their families while enjoying light fare, beer, wine, and signature cocktails come to this year’s BOS Garden Party, August 26, at 5:30 pm (rain date August 29) at founder Abby Bender’s home at 9 Dukes County Ave. in Oak Bluff. Tickets are $25 single or $100 for a family group of 4 to 8 people, see bit.ly/stiltsgardenparty.
There’s a two-day pop-up Writing from the Heart Workshop with Nancy Aronie on August 23 and 24, 9 am to noon. Call 508-645-9692 or write to aronie@verizon.net to sign up.
Family papermaking is happening at Seastone Papermaking Studio in West Tisbury, come and make paper of different shapes, sizes, and colors with Larissa Bernat, for ages 7 to 12 with an adult. Call to reserve your spot 508-693-5786; seastonepapers.com.
Chilmark library is happening this week when freestyle Frisbee world champion Todd Brodeur (tied in with the Summer Reading Program) presents The Frisbee Show at the library on Tuesday, August 23, at 12:30 pm. Brodeur teaches the next generation new ways to learn Frisbee skills that increase hand-eye coordination. Dr. Peter D. Kramer will discuss his latest book, “Ordinarily Well: the Case for Antidepressants,” at the library on Wednesday, August 24, at 5 pm. Author of the landmark book “Listening To Prozac,” Kramer is a psychiatrist, and a faculty member of Brown Medical School specializing in the area of clinical depression.
Be sure to check out tmvff.org for the amazing films and their directors Spike Lee, (“Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall”) and D.A. Pennebacker (animal rights activist) among others who will be here this week to discuss their films.
Flanders Field softball continues on Sundays at 8 am, all are welcome.
Have a good week and enjoy the Ag Fair. Good luck to everyone who enters.
