Row Your Boat

March 8, 2019

It seems we are now making headway, though we continue to row upstream. We capture an extra hour of evening light this weekend when Daylight Saving Time takes effect at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Hurrah! Ospreys are returning to the Island, as are other migratory birds like red-winged blackbirds and tree swallows. A pansy was spotted in bloom by a front doorstep in Katama.

Anticipation can now officially begin: All the big summer dates have been announced.

Grand Illumination Night will be Wednesday, August 14.
The 158th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair begins on Thursday, August 15.
The Oak Bluffs Fireworks will take place on Friday, August 16.

As fun and necessary as summer anticipation is, we realize you need something to get excited about soon. Good news — the 19th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival begins Thursday, March 21. Even sooner: The new documentary film Apollo 11, based entirely on archival footage, opens at the MV Film Center with several showings this weekend, fresh from its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Friday, March 8

The Oak Bluffs Library will host an opening reception for Island artist James S. Evans from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tonight. Take a look at his landscapes and waterscapes painted with oil an canvas, then head to the movies if you like. Captain Marvel plays at the Edgartown Cinema at 6:45 p.m.; Apollo 11 shows at 7:30 p.m. at the film center.

Or you can head up to PathwaysArts in Chilmark at 7 p.m. to celebrate International Women’s Day with the Women Live! event. Performances will include dance, spoken word, music, and belly dancing.

Saturday, March 9

The big event today is the annual Police v. Fire Hockey Game, this year benefiting Island Autism Group. Bring the little guys to the Touch-a-Truck event at 4 p.m., then meet and greet the players before the game begins at 5 p.m.

If you need to walk off some energy before you sit in the stands, you can take a winter walk at Polly Hill Arboretum at 10 a.m. (meet at the Visitors Center) or go for a winter safari on Chappy with the Trustees at either 9:30 a.m. or noon.

Tonight the Winter Yard welcomes Guggenheim Fellows and 2017 Bessie-award winners Myrna Packer and Art Bridgman, whose collaborative dance focuses on integrating live performance and video technology. The performance begins at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 10

Remember to set your clocks forward one hour today. Wake up and head to Featherstone at 10 a.m., where VCS will conduct two winter walks simultaneously. A shorter walk will also include time for some nature-based creative expression, while a longer walk will suit the exercise-minded.

Classical ballet lovers will want to be at the film center today at 12:30 p.m. to see the Bolshoi Ballet performing The Sleeping Beauty. The West Tisbury Library’s Second Sunday Jazz Concert features the Jeremy Berlin Trio today at 3:30 p.m.

If you haven’t seen Best Picture-winner Green Book yet, catch it at Edgartown Cinema at 12:45 today. Apollo 11 is on screen at the film center at 4 p.m.