Labor Day Weekend is upon us!
Our little Island feels like it is slowly being returned to us year-round residents. While markets and events are still definitely on the schedule for September and beyond, for many, Labor Day weekend means the end of summer break.
For the past 10 years, this also meant (for me and many other local artists) spending the weekend at the Agricultural Hall vending at the Vineyard Artisans Festival: a three-day show that overlaps with the Saturday West Tisbury Farmers Market. This year marks the 31st anniversary of this show, celebrating local artisan makers all weekend long. To all those selling this weekend and beyond: I wish you cloudy weather and many sales.
This time of year also marks “back to school” season for students and teachers on Martha’s Vineyard.
Back to school always brings me right back to my days working at Edu Comp MV, the art/office/computer supply store that looks out on the beginning of Main Street in Vineyard Haven. And with Island schools sending us their special supply lists in advance so we could order and have in stock all the exact colors and sizes of different binders, folders, calculators, flashcards, or whatever else students needed for their upcoming year, it also marked our busiest days in the shop.
Some would be college-age, having us set up new laptops for the upcoming year. Other seasonal visitors would make sure to shop with us before heading home, to support the local shop they wanted to help keep in business.
But this year, my focus is all in on First Friday V.H. on Sept. 4, and then taking the weekend off!
September’s First Friday V.H. will be another chance to finish up those new passport books and receive your prize at our merch tent, day or night, on Friday. We will be having our usual Daytime Market on Beach Street Extension, 10 am to 2 pm, with live music along Main Street from 3 to 5 pm, before the festivities open in Owen Park at 5 pm. We have a lineup absolutely packed with food trucks, live music, and silent DJ party on the beach, along with Labor Day weekend specials all around town throughout the day and continuing all weekend long. Complete details can be found on the website, firstfridayvh.com.
Also, did you know Vineyard Knitworks in Tisbury hosts a weekly “Knit Night” every Wednesday night, 6 to 8 pm? Bring a current work in progress, start something new, or come and just meet others interested in fiber arts in our community! I hear there is a small but dedicated group of attendees who range from beginner to experienced, who are always happy to see new faces stop by.
I’m wishing for a very windy day this Saturday, Sept. 5, for the annual Wind Festival in Oak Bluffs. This great free event has been relocated this year to Waban Park, where it can expand to include food and artist vendors alongside all the showstopping kites dancing in the sky.
Happy birthday to West Tisbury library’s Olivia Gately on Sept. 7, and local artist Heather Goff on Sept. 10.
Do you have an upcoming birthday, event, or just something you want shared in a future Tisbury column? Email me at tisburycolumnist@gmail.com with your own stories of our town, or upcoming events you’d like to see spotlighted here.
