Help ring in the Christmas season while at the same time participating in a Vineyard tradition. Christmas in Edgartown is a weekend full of festivities, and of course shopping, which is guaranteed to get everyone in your family into the holiday spirit!

The weekend starts with the lighting of the Edgartown lighthouse. Come enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while listening to music provided by The Contemporary Music Center. After the lighting bundle up for a hayride through the decorated streets of Edgartown.

The fun continues into Saturday, which is filled with activities for all ages. Whether you get your picture taken with Santa, with proceeds benefiting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Martha’s Vineyard or sinning along to the Minnesingers Holiday Family Concert the day will filled  making holiday memories.

There are many more activities that go into Sunday evening. If your looking for a weekend getaway, or just want to bundle up and hop the ferry for a day trip, come experience all that Christmas in Edgartown has to offer!

When the days turn cooler and get a little shorter, and the summer crowds have thinned out, the local spring to life for a most beloved autumn tradition. The 64th Annual Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby has begun, running from September 13th to October 17th. Friends gather in their favorite places, spending long days on the water – sometimes squeezing in time before or after work and oftentimes taking a vacation time after a long and hard-worked summer. Stories are made, tales are spun, but most importantly, fish are caught!

You can register online or stop by Coop’s Bait & Tackle, Dick’s Bait & Tackle, or Larry’s Tackle to pick up your credentials.  For more information, visit the Derby’s website where you can also keep tabs on the front runners and daily news concerning the derby and the Vineyard.

The derby was started just after World War II and today it brings in fishermen from all over the world with participation reaching 2,000 in recent years. According to 1987′s derby president Ed Jerome, “From the informal committee-type approach, we’ve gone towards the formal non-profit structure. This is a tournament run for and by fishermen. It now takes the derby a full year to organize. From the organizational standpoint the new derby begins just as the old one draws to a close.”

And, there’s a new mission that is very Vineyard, in light of its dedication to giving back. Since 1987, the derby has given $64,000 in scholarships to Island high school graduates.

Some derby rules to remember:
Ice Your Catch: Donations to our fillet program MUST be iced.
Respect The Island: Pack out trash and obey private property signs.
Respect The Fish: Carefully and quickly release all fish you do not weigh in.
Know The Rules: Be aware of MA fishing regs and Derby Rules/Boundaries.

This year, I’m proud to say, is the first year that I’ve entered a fish in the derby! Total thrill!

Martha’s Vineyard is as progressive and very eco-friendly as it is beach-filled and gorgeous. We’ve embraced the living local movement with gusto, many members of our community are actually leaders in the rally! All spring, summer and fall, the markets are filled with local produce, meats, art and music. The restaurants plan their menus around what island farms are harvesting. Even our grocery stores carry local goods.

And every fall, the Island Grown Initiative throws a massive festival to celebrate the Vineyard’s local community. The Living Local Harvest Fest runs this weekend, Oct. 2 & 3 and is “a rich program of free community events that aim to increase awareness and accelerate the uptake of sustainable living on Martha’s Vineyard.”

From food, live demos, panel discussions to a gorgeous market from local artisans, herbalists to energy specialists – this festival has it all. There are stories from the Wampanoags, kids activities, music and even community yoga. Everything can be found at the West Tisbury Ag Hall…I’ll meet you at the pie eating contest!

For the full schedule, please visit http://www.livinglocalharvestfest.org/

Okay, so it’s not quite warm enough to hit the beach, but the fun on Martha’s Vineyard really doesn’t stop when the cool breezes start to blow. This Saturday, September 19, is Oak Bluff’s annual Tivoli Day Festival. Marking the end of the summer, this party is one big neighborhood celebration meets huge street fair.

Live music, awesome food from local restaurants and arts and crafts for the island’s artisans fill the streets. Not to be missed, many of the Circuit Avenue merchants will be offering bargains left over from their summer stock. Tivoli Day is a always a family event and super kid friendly, with the children’s parade taking the top spot as one of the best parts of the day! The island’s youngest decorate bikes, wagons and, sometimes even their pets – before taking to the streets to show off their finery.

Oak Bluffs is known for the picturesque and charming Cottage City, a wonderful neighborhood of gingerbread cottages just beyond Circuit Ave. where Tivoli Day takes place. Whether it’s your first or fiftieth visit to OB, make sure you take time to take a stroll through to see the colors as they hold the warmth of summer just a little longer than the rest of the island!

Admission is free and the festivities run from 12-5 pm. FYI, the rain date is September 20. For more information contact Dennis daRosa at 508-693-0110 or dendarosa@yahoo.com.

If you’re looking for an Oak Bluffs vacation rental, please contact me!

On Thursday, September 10 through Sunday, September 13, the 2009 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival takes over Vineyard Haven! All four days will be filled with the best feature and short films from the biggie film festivals like Sundance, Berlin and Cannes – and new films that have yet to be discovered.

This year’s festival films come from every corner of the globe: Palestine, Russia, China, India, Norway, France, Israel, Germany, Spain, Japan, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and more. Some highlights:

• Rudo Y Cursi – one of the top-grossing Mexican films of all time.
• Waltz with Bashir – an innovative animated drama from Israel that was nominated for a 2009 Oscar for Best Documentary.
• Munyurangabo – awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the American Film Institute festival, it explores the Hutu-Tutsi genocide from the point of view of an orphaned teen and is the first film ever in the Kinyarwanda language.
• Local Martha’s Vineyard filmmaking – lead by islanders Liz Witham and Ken Wentworth of Film-Truth Productions.

Of course, there is more to this Vineyard film festival than movies. An opening night cocktail party on the roof of the Mansion House kicks things off, and there will be nightly parties, art gallery and meet-the-filmmaker gatherings for the festival’s duration. Live music, DJ’s food from top island chefs and open bars round out the weekend.

Visit the website for a full schedule and tickets to films and exciting events.

It’s only fitting that the Grand Illumination in Cottage City, Oak Bluffs lands just days before President Obama and his family arrive for their Martha’s Vineyard vacation. Over a century ago, this wonderful tradition was created to welcome the Governor of Massachusetts to the island.

This Wednesday night, August 19, 2009, as the sun sets in Oak Bluffs, the gingerbread cottages at the old campmeeting grounds, hundreds of colorful Chinese and Japanese lanterns are lit – effectively ‘illuminating’ the houses, the ground, the ocean-salty air. Visitors and islanders, newcomers and old friends walk around the campgrounds and sit on porches chatting, enjoying and taking in the sights.

Music can be heard from the center of Cottage City as a Community Sing and a band concert happen in the Tabernacle -the ‘physical and spiritual center of the Campground.’ Built in 1879, the Tabernacle and the community hold weekly church services and many musical events all summer. It’s a beautiful place to listen to music – especially with the glow of lanterns surrounding and adding to the music!

For more information about the Martha’s Vineyard Campmeeting Association and the Grand Illumination, visit their website.

And to book the perfect Oak Bluffs rental, contact me!

Let’s me see…

• Summer?…Check!
• August?…Check!
• Warm and steamy beach days?…Check!
• The summer event we’ve all been waiting for?..Check!

It’s time for the Martha’s Vineyard annual Ag Fair! Beginning August 20th and running through the 23rd from 10am to 11pm (7pm on Sunday!), it’ll be non-stop fun. Here’s a smattering of what we all have to look forward to at the fairgrounds in West Tisbury!

• Fair food – cotton candy, lemonade, fried dough and more!
• A full assortment of amusement rides from Midway
• Games and contests
• Skillet toss and the horse pull
• Woodsmen competition
• Fiber-arts tent, photography and painting
• Live Music!
• Dog & livestock shows
• Biggest and best local produce
• Puppet shows and live dance performances
• Local wares and goods
• Workshops
• Celebrity sightings (okay, I can’t promise this, but the Obama’s will be in town and the island is crawling with celeb families that truly love this old-time fair!

It’s 10 days away, but guess what? We do still have some last minute openings for August rentals if you decide on a last minute trip to the fair! Contact me for details, options and more information.

Hope to see you at the Ag fair! It’s a great place to be for kids, families, teens and beyond – there truly is something for everyone.

Image credit: OmarOmar

Every year on the second Saturday in August, islanders, summer people and visitors all gather at on Middle Road to make the 5K journey to Beetlebung Corner known as the Chilmark Road Race. It’s anual event that promises hilarity, fun, a nice workout and the experience of the Chilmark and the island community. 

The 2009 Chilmark Road Race starts at 10:30 a.m on Saturday, August 8. You can run, walk or just cheer your little heart out…just like people have been doing since the race started in 1976. In the past, there have even been celebrity sightings! Jake Gyllenhaal anyone? You won’t want to miss it as this is one of those big events that marks the days of summer on Martha’s Vineyard.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Chilmark Community Center – a wonderful spot on the island that hosts the film festival, speakers, music, special events and their renowned summer camp.

Check out www.chilmarkroadrace.org for more info and to register for the race!

Martha’s Vineyard attracts talent – of the spiritual, artistic and musical variety – every summer. A few weeks ago, I was lucky to see the Drepung Loseling Tibetan Monks perform. As part of their foundation with Richard Gere, they travel the world, bringing the culture of Tibet wherever they go.

On the Vineyard, they held daily meditation and a series of lectures on everything from meditation from depression and stress to practicing universal kindness.  The famed multiphonic singers performed traditional temple music and mystical masked dances at the Oak Bluffs Tabernacle. The incredible show featured elaborate costumes, traditional instruments and their unique singing.

The monks also constructed a sand mandala painting of Green Tara, a female Buddha that represents prosperity and accomplishment, by extraordinarily pouring millions of grains of colored sand into place over a period of days. Below is an incredible video of the monks at work:

The monks have made the Vineyard a regular stop on their tour – they’re bound to be here next year! I can’t wait…I hope you’ll make it out to the island for a little beach time and a healthy dose of mediation and culture.

“Featherstone, the island’s only year-round non-profit arts center, celebrates 13 very fruitful years of bringing art, in a myriad of forms, to island audiences and participants. With gallery shows, workshops, art camps, evenings of music and film, and fundraising events, Featherstone has been the living beating heart of the Vineyard art scene for over a decade now.”

And it’s where I found myself for yet another magical Musical Monday night. Musical Monday’s feature great musicians and harbor an enveloping community on Featherstone‘s outdoor stage every week from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for $7!

This past week was a fantastic concert. Imagine an old fashioned, small community get together. You bring your lawn chair, blanket, dinner, family and friends. We packed a picnic dinner complete with fried chicken, slaw, pasta salad, potato salad, wine, lemonade and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. The kids ran around and played some catch while we enjoyed Jemima James along with Willie Mason, her son, Kate Taylor (James’ sister) and her nephew, Jethro.

The setting is intimate and warm…and beautiful. We drove out of Featherstone just in time to witness a beautiful sunset over the tree line.

Here’s the Musical Mondays lineup for Summer 2009:

July 13 Tristan Israel, Nancy Jephcote & Paul Thurlow

folk, country, blues and original tunes

July 20 Johnny Hoy & The Blue Fish

July 27 Barking Daisy featuring Christine McLean, Ray Frazio & Chris Seidel:

eclectic mix of music from the 50’s to today

August 3 Kevin Keady

folk and Americana

August 10 Mike Benjamin Band

rootsy Americana music

Check it out!!!

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