This is your friendly reminder that we’re coming into the last full month of summer, and here’s hoping that your summer bucket list has been tackled, if you’re one to make lists. We blinked and July came and went, and here we are about to come face to face with August, with a smile and an open heart, I hope. If your bucket list includes attending community events, this week holds much promise.
On Thursday, July 31, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, escape to the shores of Martha’s Vineyard with bestselling author Brooke Lea Foster, who wrote “Our Last Vineyard Summer,” and will be at the Carnegie, alongside Edgartown Books, chatting about her novel. That same night, after the book talk, walk over and enjoy “Music on the Square,” where Mike Benjamin and the Keepers will be bringing you live, local music in the heart of Edgartown. This collaboration between the Eisenhauer Gallery, Vineyard Square Hotel, and Chesca’s Restaurant is truly a fun time!
And if attending more musically inclined events is part of your summer fun, two other events, both happening at the Harbor View Hotel, are bound to delight you. On Friday, August 1, from 1 to 4 pm, head over to the hotel’s Roxy Pool Bar, and enjoy upbeat island rhythms with Rick Bausman, performing live on pan and guitar. His vibrant, feel-good music sets the perfect pool vibe — and although the pool is reserved for hotel guests only, if you’re not a guest, you can still come for the music and stay for the tasty food and drink they serve. It’s on my list to attend and tackle their pool bar menu, because items like their bulgogi beef skewer, tuna poke bowl, and lobster flatbread are calling my name. Plus, their signature cocktails and mocktails all sound incredibly well-thought-out and balanced, and a drink by the pool, even when I’m not dipping my toes in it, seems like a lovely summer afternoon. Another event happening at the Harbor View Hotel is on Thursday, August 7, at 9 pm, where DJ Valentina will be spinning tunes at the Bettini After Hours.
From musical events, we move to farm-fresh events, and this week. First up, a round of applause to the FARM Institute, because its event calendar is a fun-filled and packed one, and it gives us so many opportunities to check out the work they do. Thursday, July 31, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, attend “Preservation Basics: Pickle Party,” and learn how to make delicious pickles with all the produce that’s currently in our local farmstands and your own gardens. On Wednesday, August 6, from 5:30 to 7 pm, cook up a storm with Chef Jenny DeVivo in her class “Cooking from the Island: What’s Fresh and What’s Local.” I had the chance to attend one of Jenny’s classes this spring, and it was so fun and creative! Last but not least, there’s an incredible event called the “Iconoclast Dinner Experience: The King Is Dead” happening on Monday, August 4, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, where the development of an aspirational menu solely with Island-based ingredients and a festive outdoor celebration at the FARM Institute happens. All of the information for the events at the FARM Institute can be found on its website.
Another farm-friendly event, happening this time at Slipaway Farm, is a flower-arranging workshop on Thursday, August 7, from 5:30 to 7 pm — another opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and appreciate all that summer has to offer.
Whether you’re into music or farms, this week has a little bit of both. And now, on to some birthday wishes. Happy birthday to some of the amazing people who make Edgartown so special! Wishing a joyful year ahead to Jess Shai (August 3) and her husband Evan (August 6). Big birthday cheers to Melanie Rankow and Mairead MacClarence, celebrating on August 6 and 5, respectively; thank you for all you do in our community! And sending lots of love to the talented photographer Mila Lowe, turning another year older on August 8. Here’s to sunshine, cake, and all the good things this week to you all!