Besides warming up the grill and getting the outdoor showers in tip-top shape, the Island offers some other Memorial Day weekend activities.
The 28th annual Martha’s Vineyard Memorial 5K Road Race to benefit Hospice takes place this weekend. This year runners have the option to select either a virtual or in-person race. The virtual option can be anywhere you would like to run. Virtual runners can send in their times, but will not be eligible for place medals. For the in-person race, runners will follow a beautiful USATF certified course around Oak Bluffs Harbor and East Chop Lighthouse. There is also a 1-mile kids’ fun run. T-shirts are guaranteed for the first 300 runners who register.
Online registration is $30, in-person registration is $35. 5K Run/Walk begins at 10 am and the 1 Mile Fun Run starts at 9:30 am. Bib pickup takes place May 28, 4 to 6 pm, and May 29, 8 to 9 am in the lobby of Summercamp Hotel.
Tisbury’s annual Memorial Day Picnic at Tashmoo Waterworks is planned for Monday, May 30, from noon to 4 pm. Picnic-goers will enjoy live music, boating, games, and free ice cream, but remember to bring your own picnic food.
Tisbury School will hold its traditional event in recognition of Memorial Day. The March to the Sea parade is scheduled for Friday, May 27. Students and staff will leave the school at 12:15 pm and walk to Owen Park via Spring Street and Main Street. The ceremony will take approximately 45 minutes. Students will be dismissed from Owen Park at approximately 1 pm.
Per tradition, students in grades kindergarten to eighth will have flowers to carry in the parade and to throw in the harbor, commemorating the servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives for their country. The school band will play, flags will be waving, and students in grade eight will be helpers on the pier and with elementary classes.
In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place in the Tisbury School gymnasium at 12:15 pm, and dismissal from school will remain at 1 pm.
The Vineyard Artisans Memorial Day Festival at the Grange Hall is set for both Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, from 10 am to 4 pm. The festival features all Island artisans with handmade furniture, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, fine ceramics and more. Free parking and free admission.
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, in collaboration with the Vineyard Conservation Society , hosts the 8th annual Environmental Film Festival from May 26 to May 29. Films include “Fire of Love,” “Pushed Up the Mountain,” “River,” “The Ants and the Grasshopper,” “Last of the Right Whales,” “To Which We Belong,” and the One Ocean film tour.
Many Island galleries open for the season this weekend, including Cousen Rose Gallery in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, May 28, from 11 am to 5 pm.
The American Legion Post 257 in Tisbury will host its annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 30. The parade will step off from the post at 10:30 am and proceed to the Avenue of Flags at Oak Grove Cemetery where the ceremony will be held. This year’s guest speaker is Randy Dull, the new Veterans Service Officer for Dukes County.