What a busy weekend in Edgartown! With the Food and Wine Festival taking place in venues throughout town, the Pumpkin Festival over at Morning Glory, and the final Derby weigh-in — not to mention, about eight thousand weddings — town was bursting at the seams.
Kudos to the ladies at the Board of Trade on another successful weekend of food, wine, and fun events. I made it to one of the wine tastings on Friday, and the room was packed. From what I understand, nearly every seminar, tasting, and party was sold out. Bravo.
Congrats to the winners of the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, and to all the organizers and volunteers for another successful year on the books. A special shout-out goes to Brice Contessa for his Grand Slam win, which is awarded to the angler who weighs in the heaviest aggregate (total weight) of the four species of fish in the tournament — that is, a striper, a blue, a bonito, and a false albacore. Brice is only the second fisherman in Derby history to accomplish this feat with a flyrod. I love the spirit of this prize, because it truly reflects the joy of fishing, and Brice really embodies that joy.
We had a visit last week from my two biggest fans from the Lone Star state, Tim and Matt Morgan. The two were in town to visit family, and Matt, who hasn’t made the trip in a couple years, had a full agenda. From a musical sit-in with Sara Piazza and Co. to lobster dinner, Matt managed to cover all the bases in a short amount of time.
The winter migration has begun. Tim and Laura Bryan have packed up the truck and headed for their off-season digs. Kevin Ward and the Keldi crew set off on their course to Florida. Fair winds and following seas everyone. We’ll see you next year!
I mentioned last week that Tom Dresser and Jerry Muskin have been making the rounds to promote their new book, Music on Martha’s Vineyard. This week, I sent a request out to Tom for some tidbits about Edgartown folks and places represented in the book. Tom mentioned a piece about Kevin Keady of Chappaquiddick, whose song “One Way Home” is featured in the Chappy Ferry Book. And of course, the legendary Hot Tin Roof is well represented. The book recounts the time all five Taylor siblings were on stage, singing away. Kate Taylor recalls, “There wasn’t room to fit a paper clip on stage. All of a sudden, who should appear in the wings but John Belushi! With his uncanny physical agility and grace, he did a couple of cartwheels across the front of the stage, grabbed a mic, sang a couple of numbers and waved good-bye to the screaming crowd.”
You can catch Tom and Jerry at the Edgartown Library, Wednesday, October 29, at 7 pm, to learn more about the book, and get the lowdown on your favorite musicians and the musical history of the Vineyard.
Fall Electronics Disposal Day will take place Saturday, October 25, from 9 am to 2 pm at MV Community Services. Recycle your personal or business old and tired air conditioners, cell phones, computers, copiers, dehumidifiers, fax machines, microwaves, monitors, laptops, printers, ranges, refrigerators, scanners, stereo equipment, televisions, washers and dryers, and so on. Your small fee will benefit MVCS and all of their much needed programming.
Birthday wishes go out this week to Maria Thibodeau, who celebrates October 24; to Paula Dello Russo, October 25; and to Heather Smith, October 27. Hope you all have a good one.