Well, that was quite a week. COVID cases continued to rise, the fair went on as planned and the week ended with what was supposed to be a hurricane, then was downgraded to a tropical storm, and ended up seeming like regular Vineyard bad weather. I do not want to make light of what was a terrible storm in other areas, but it was not anywhere near as bad as they were predicting for us.
Even though there were instructions to shelter in place, at the height of the storm (and high tide to boot) my husband and I went to Menemsha Pond to check on our kayaks, watch the boats thrash on their moorings and see how the storm was progressing. We were not the only ones with this idea, as we ran into Buddy Vanderhoop, Jim Wallen, Seth Woods, who had a boat on a mooring in the pond, and Jay and Francoise Theise. It was a lively scene on the pond and had it not been so wet I’m sure someone would’ve broken out some refreshments. We all checked on our respective boats, took a wind meter reading (30 mph) and compared notes on storm preparation. At that point we thought we were in for an entire day of rough weather, but it turns out that that was the worst of it and after a couple of hours it died down, with the sun breaking through at the end of the day.
The fair was wonderful, and I wish I had more time to go a second time. I had the best chicken sandwich of my life courtesy of the Good Farm, coupled with a tart ginger beer from Katama Kombucha. As always, the creativity on display in the exhibition halls was amazing. Congratulations to Clyde Smith on his blue ribbon for his handmade wooden boxes, which were stunning. I heard many fairgoers musing about how one could become a taster for the baked good entries and that it seems like it would be a tasty gig. There were a wide variety of animals as well, including a momma pig with 12 piglets! Congratulations to all who participated in the fair’s contests, and we will see you next year.
Noni Smith has kittens available! Call her at 508-939-9272 if you would like a new cuddly friend.
The Aquinnah library is open Tuesday and Thursday, from 11 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm. This Saturday they will host “Henna on the Deck” from 3 to 4 pm. Bridgette from Maple Mehndi will be making beautiful designs on people. Space is limited so please pre-register at jmatecjek@clamsnet.org.
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival will host its first Martha’s Vineyard Disability Film Festival from August 26 to 28. The festival will take place at the drive-in at the skating rink. Films include “The Reason I Jump,” “Crip Camp,” and “Best Summer Ever.” Go to tmvff.org to reserve tickets now.
Happy Birthday to Jennifer Burkin, who celebrates on Monday, August 30. Happy Sept. 1 to all of us, it will be celebrated on Wednesday.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Molly Purves, mlpurves@yahoo.com.