Happy July Fourth, everyone! Always a perfect evening to enjoy Menemsha, since everyone else heads down-Island. I moved to Edgartown 14 years ago, walked downtown with my kids for our first Island July Fourth, got our place along Main Street to watch the parade, smiling and laughing throughout, from the utter joy and love-fest of Camp Jabberwocky to well-known locals driving their antique cars. It had been the most quintessentially American July 4 of my life.
Do you have time to volunteer for our local EMS and fire department? If so, please contact Fire Chief David Norton at 508-645-2550. Want to seek out other organizations who need help? See bit.ly/helperWanted.
At the CCC on Thursdays from 11 am to noon, Island Grown Schools returns to lead kids in a variety of activities that connect them to where their food comes from, plant and harvest vegetables, and even get to taste their efforts. Another cool thing is entertainer David Darwin, the One Man Sideshow, returning on Friday, July 5, 11 to 11:45am. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers. WMVY hosts an all-ages Dance Party for the entire family on Fridays from 5 to 7pm. Following are Friday night concerts from 7:30 to 9pm, also hosted by WMVY, for only $5. Mark your calendars if you want to learn more about Lyme disease, when Dr. John Aucott, director of the Lyme Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins, and Dr. Mark Soloski research Lyme and tick-borne diseases, share their research, answer your questions, and update us on the latest developments in this steadily advancing field on Thursday, July 11, from 7:30 to 8:30pm. A full list of happenings at the CCC are at chilmarkcommunitycenter.org.
The M.V. Film Festival plays in Chilmark at the CCC on Monday and Wednesday at 8 pm, with dinner and music beginning at 6:30pm. Check the schedule and buy tickets at tmvff.org. Don’t forget Cinema Circus on Wednesdays from 5 to 7pm, free for all ages.
The Chilmark Flea Markets are ongoing on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm at 142 North Rd. More info at chilmarkchurch.org/service/index.php/chilmark-flea-market.
Catch Vineyard Sound on Tuesdays at 7 pm at the Chilmark Community Church on Menemsha Crossroads, weekly through August 20.
Join photographer L.A. Brown for her exhibit opening Friday, July 5, 5 to 6:30 pm at the M.V. Savings Bank.
Come out to the Grey Barn and Farm on Friday, July 5, from 5 to 7pm and enjoy an evening of art and cheese. Caitlin, their flower farmer, is also a talented painter. She grew up in Vermont living on the land that her grandfather farmed for many years, and she has now settled here, both inspiration for her work. Please check all the weekly offerings at thegreybarnandfarm.com. Enjoy the bounty at Mermaid Farm on North Road and North Tabor Farm on North Road, as well as at the West Tisbury Farm Market.
Head to the M.V. Museum in Vineyard Haven and see the “Benton’s Martha’s Vineyard” exhibit, up through August 11. This is the first major exhibit of Benton’s work on M.V.
Chilmark Softball’s official season begins July 7. Join in the fun, all ages are welcome; 8 to 10am Sundays at Flanders Field on Pasture Road, off Tabor House. Of its preseason-game opener, Sig Van Raan wrote, “On a stunningly beautiful Sunday morning at Flanders Field in Chilmark, 25 softball players, assorted wives, kids and two Labs gathered in a circle to pay tribute and memorialize Tony Horwitz. Almost everyone spoke, recalling a vignette, a memory, a funny incident, what he meant, his goofy and zany softball antics, his Talmudic lamentations — ‘My God, why did I swing at that pitch!’
“The elocutions were spontaneous and unplanned, they were heartfelt and sometimes emotional. Caleb Caldwell noted that when the field scoreboard was set up for this season, last year’s last game scores were still visible, recorded in chalk. The final score was on the extreme right as well as the names of the pitchers. Tony (Horwitz) was one of the pitchers in that game. Caleb indicated that he covered that area with a preservative so that Tony’s name will be preserved on the scoreboard. Hans Solmssen reflected that the softball game started in 1934, and that over the years, players have come and gone, and that the game will go on and continue with the future players, as he pointed to some of the kids standing around. There was a sweet silence among this group, this band of brothers and sisters who play the game where there is no time except for our own.
“Then the refrain ‘Gloves in!’ Sides were chosen, and the game was on. A typical Chilmark softball game under brilliant skies produced the usual early innings of miscues, dropped pop-ups, grounders between and around the players’ legs. Sig Van Raan lasted one inning until senior sciatica showed up.Caleb Caldwell took over and pitched masterfully, but Hans’ team prevailed 11-8. Next week’s Sunday, July 7, game will officially inaugurate the season, with Jim Feiner playing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ on his trombone. All are welcome.”
Stop by the Kara Taylor Gallery at 24 South Rd. to be inspired.
The Yard’s Quality Time Family Series presents “Go Home Tiny Monster” by Bonnie Duncan and the Gottabees: Puppets Go Wild and Go Home on Saturday, July 6, from 11 to 11:45 am. Check out the Yard’s five-week summer creative dance and choreography program for children ages 11 to 14 for Week 1, and ages 6 to 11 for Weeks 2 through 5. Participants have the opportunity to build dance skills and technique, nurture their creative voices through group choreography studies, and develop connections to the professional dancers in residence at the Yard and the Martha’s Vineyard community. Check out dance classes, upcoming performances, and memberships for the Yard at dancetheyard.org.
The Chilmark Public Library hosts a reception for artist Timo Elliot on Saturday, July 6, from 2:30 to 4:30 pm, exhibit up through July 12. Stories and Songs with Rizwan continues on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10:30am. Learn more at chilmarklibrary.org. Interested in heading to the Boston MFA, or any Trustees of Reservations property? If you have a library card, you can check out passes for reduced admission at our town library.
Long associated with the Rockefeller University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, besides being a main organizer of the first U.N. World Climate Conference in 1979 and so much more, Jesse Ausubel will introduce you to the eDNA in our Vineyard waters on Wednesday, July 10 at 5pm. As reference libraries of DNA grow, so-called environmental or “eDNA” could become a top way to understand the status of aquatic life.
Have a great week.