Arts & Entertainment
More than 60 participants traded in their books and bowls for sculpting tools on August 1 for the Edgartown Board of Trade’s annual sand sculpture contest, held at South Beach. Sand creations included a giant dog bowl, a mermaid, Pac Man and a shark chowing down on a swimmer’s leg, as well as a number of Olympic-themed creations. The winners, as judged by Jeff Donaroma, Libby Ellis, Bonnie DeSousa, Carlos DeSousa and Abbey Smith, are as follows.
Haven’t you ever wondered about the meaning of skulls, angels, urns and other symbols carved into gravestones? Or what it was like to live in the 17th century Chilmark Barn House, recently added to the national Register of Historic Places? This week is your chance to answer those questions and more, as Chilmark celebrates its local history at the Chilmark Library with presentations by two nationally-recognized historians.
Last weekend, brightly-colored rides and parts of the ferris wheel began to appear on the Agricultural Society field in preparation for the annual fair starting this Thursday, August 16. Also on Saturday morning in Vineyard Haven, Tim Laursen put the finishing touches on another piece of fair-bound machinery: his hand-welded pig smoker.
This is Mr. Laursen’s and friend Everett Whiting’s third year at the fair doing business as Local Smoke, serving up pulled pork sandwiches from their Island-raised pigs.
Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets under way.
An advanced screening of the films was arranged. In a world with few certainties, the kid critic is the critic to trust. This week’s reviewers are Henry (age 6) and Gus (age 3) Coogan.
Mechanical Musical Marvel (Dir. Chris Randall / U.K. / 2011 / 7 min.)
Names: Henry Finn and Angus (Gus) James Coogan.
Ages: Henry: 6 (as of Monday!). Gus; 3.
Schools: Henry: I was in kindergarten and now I am going into first grade (Oak Bluffs School); Gus: The big room at Garden Gate preschool.
Pets: Carl (dog) and Iron Man the fish.
Something new you are learning: Henry: I learned that starfish have eyes on the bottoms of their arms. Gus: one hundred stuff.
New place you would like to explore: Henry: Atlantis. Gus: Garden Gate.
Art and nature are more closely tied than ever at the Gay Head Gallery on State Road in Aquinnah. A current show features art across a variety of mediums with special goals — to relay the beauty of the natural world and contribute to conservation efforts. A dozen artists have work on exhibit for sale, and anywhere from 10 per cent to 100 per cent of the proceeds from sales will benefit the Vineyard Conservation Society and the Moshup Trail Project.
