Blue Skies, Ferris Wheels, Fireworks, Bonito: the Promise of August, and Now It's Here

By MAX HART

"There will be cool nights, and the mist drifting over the plain.
New crowds will come on the steamboats bringing their cars, and all the large, glossy cars will not go to Nantucket, but some will glide ashore here. The cicada will sing, and the human race will feel lazy, and the sunny afternoons will be as timeless as space itself."

Henry Beetle Hough,
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It is a transition as familiar to the Vineyard as the changing tides: visitors who came to celebrate the warm ebb and flow of July return to their off-Island homes while a new batch moves in, quickly filling their sandy shoes for summer's second act: August. On-Island it is known simply as changeover weekend, the summer's halfway point, and now it is here, faster than you can ask: Where did July go?

Of August, Charles Dickens wrote, "There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance." As fleeting as it seems, July leaves us with this promise of a more beautiful appearance: from blue skies over sun-baked sand to Ferris wheels and fireworks under the deep canopy of the Milky Way. For anglers, August marks the return of bonito and albacore to Vineyard waters, while bluefish and striped bass start moving toward shore in search of baitfish. For most of those who will come to the Island this week, it is a time to reflect and enjoy the waning moments of the Vineyard's busiest season.

For some, though, August can only lead to one conclusion: that with summer almost over, time is of the essence. And just as surely as the bonito will run, there will be a heightened sense of urgency as the end of summer nears. And that, some Islanders say, is also as familiar to a Vineyard August as fireworks, giving the month its distinctive flavor.

"People complain about the August crowd, but I think they get a bad reputation as being impatient when really it is more like they are just over anxious," says Edgartown native Mike Vaughn. "I think August brings with it the impending end of summer, and people feel that pressure to get the most out of it. I think we all feel that pressure."

Certainly that pressure is palpable and a part of the hurried nature of August. Past Gazette columns have frequently reminded Islanders and visitors alike that there is no time to tarry as July slingshots into August, encouraging a participatory role in the Vineyard's most active month.

"August, like the Island itself, is not a way station but a destination," wrote the editor years ago. "On the Vineyard, August is the month of ripeness, and the challenge it brings is to savor every day."

Savoring every day in August shouldn't be difficult this year, as the calendar is chock full of new events as well as Island traditions. Just a few of the annual goings-on:

* The Possible Dreams Auction, Monday, August 2. If you have the money, there is no telling what you can score at this benefit for Martha's Vineyard Community Services. Past auction prizes have included dinners with Carly Simon and sails with Walter Cronkite, and the evening is always filled with unexpected surprises. Art Buchwald returns as the auctioneer.

* The Chilmark Road Race, Saturday, August 14. It may only be just over three miles, but what a stretch it is. Rolling hills and beautiful Middle Road vistas make the race an August tradition.

* Illumination Night in Oak Bluffs, Wednesday, August 18. Tour the historic Camp Grounds in Oak Bluffs on the night when it is illuminated solely by Japanese lanterns, and you'll be transported back to another era.

* The Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair in West Tisbury, August 19 to 22. A four-day county fair straight out of Charlotte's Web that harkens back to that bygone era when winning the blue ribbon for best preserved jam earned you bragging rights for a year. Rides for children and adults abound, and the smells of cotton candy and fried dough mixing in the warm night still take you back to a more innocent time. The horse pull and evening dances are just two of the many highlights.

* Fireworks at Ocean Park, Friday, August 20. The grand finale of the Vineyard summer is an exclamation point in the skies over the bandstand. Get to the park early for prime seating and the band concert before the aerial show begins.

So as July once again slips into August, Mr. Hough reminds us of the inimitability of this time. His words seem as enduring and unchanging as a Vineyard summer itself. While August brings with it a renewed promise of too much to do and not enough time to do it, it may be the grandest of all months on the Vineyard.

"Make the most of August, all dwellers upon the Island," Mr. Hough wrote, "because it is the one far-off event toward which the creation moves, and now it is at hand."