When Petra Page-Mann stood to face a circle of Island farmers and gardeners at the Agricultural Hall on Saturday, she was wearing floral overalls printed with tiny gnomes and a chain of marigolds around her neck.
Just a week out from the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair, farmers are eyeing their vegetables, Island artisans are putting the final touches on their wares and cooks are honing their recipes in search of first place blue ribbons.
Become an Agricultural Society member by August 1 for free entry to all four days of the fair.
After 50 years with Cushing Amusements, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society signed a five-year contract with Fiesta Shows, a New Hampshire-based company, to provide the amusements.
Thirty years have passed since dozens of Islanders traveled to New Hampshire to disassemble an old dairy barn. Six months later, the community came together to build what is now the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury.
Brian Athearn and Julie Scott are stepping down as chair and vice chair, respectively, from the Agricultural Society board of trustees due to term limits. The organization limits trustees to two four-year terms.