We had perfect weather for the 164th Ag Fair, a little cooler than the weeks before, and sunny, with a breeze. There was enough shade for everyone to find a comfortable place to sit and eat at picnic tables, often with a friend you hadn’t seen all summer. Music wafted across the grounds.
The barn was full of baby pygmy goats, piglets, lambs newly shorn, the grandest roosters, and the fluffiest Silkie hens. There were demonstrations of rug hooking, spinning, weaving, and sewing in the Fiber Tent. And the Hall itself was filled with one fabulous display after another.
The quilts always amaze me. This year was no different. All the crafts, both those made by children and adults, were a splendid array of everything imaginable that could be made by hand. The children’s pie-tin gardens appeal to my love of miniatures and miniature settings. Art in every medium was displayed. The tallest sunflower reached to the rafters. Flowers. Vegetables. Fruit. Eggs. Butter. Cakes. Cookies. Brownies. Pickles. Preserves. There were lots of rides and games of skill. It was all wonderful.
I love the fair.
Iyla’s birthday is in mid-August, so it always coincides with the fair. She won some ribbons, and managed to have three days of birthday celebrations. I am very proud of her birthday expansion; birthdays are special, and should be enjoyed for as long as possible. Next year, maybe a week?
This Saturday, August 22, is the last day to register to vote before the Sept.1 primary. Town Clerk Tara Whiting-Welles and registrars will be at the Public Safety Building between 9 am and 5 pm. It is also the first day of in-person early voting, which will continue Monday, August 24, through Friday, August 28, 8 to 11 am, at the Public Safety Building. The last day to send in your request for a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, August 25. Please check with Tara at 508-696-0148 if you have any questions.
Events at the library:
Friday at 3 pm: Mike Mok and the Em-Tones rock ’n’roll concert.
Saturday at 3 pm: Kirtan: Live Call and Response Chanting at noon, followed by the staged reading of a play by Bob Kaplan, “The Fight is With Yourself.”
At the Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, August 26 at 10.30 am will be Children’s Story Hour. Bring a blanket to sit on.
Back at the library, a full day on August 27, that begins with Morning Pages, led by Kate Feiffer, on the porch at 8 am. Learn CPR at 1 pm, led by Alan Ganapol. The Summer Reading Program for kids ends with tie-dying Summer Reading Program T shirts. Bring yours to dye and decorate at 3:30 pm. At 5:30 pm, Tom Dresser will discuss his latest book, “Historic Storms of Martha’s Vineyard.”
Out of town are Illumination Night and the fireworks in Oak Bluffs, two big end-of-summer highlights. Enjoy.
