Some say February on the Island is a ghost town, a place of quiet refuge and low whispers. Where watching the moon rise serves as a main event before heading to bed by 8 p.m. Where walking in the middle of a downtown Main street, at midday, at midweek, is perfectly safe and acceptable. Where yawns are frequent and dog walks an activity of great anticipation not just for canines but humans too, eager for something, anything to do.
Hogwash. The Island in February is a loose cannon of activity, if you know where to look.
Consider the slate of activities scheduled for this Saturday alone. At the Agricultural Hall, Siri Swanson of Yankee Rock Farm in Vermont returns to the Island to put on a show, shearing Slough Farm’s Tunis Flock. Stop by from 10 a.m. to noon to learn all about shearing and wool processing and what sheep look like without their wool. Warm cider is provided.
After shearing, head over to the West Tisbury Library, where at 3:30 p.m. David Mintz will be bringing the Great American Songbook to life with a set of jazz standards from the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Mintz is a guitarist and singer and will perform songs by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and others, in addition to bossa nova songs sung in both Portuguese and English.
Mr. Mintz studied classical guitar but gave it up to become a Spanish/English interpreter in federal court in New York City. In retirement in Oak Bluffs, he returned to music.
“This music dates from way back when sheet music was an industry,” he wrote in a press release. “The songs were intended not only for elite performers, but also for ordinary people to sing and play for each other. I’m carrying on that tradition, so that live audiences can enjoy these beautifully crafted, clever and elegant songs.”
After spending time with sheep and jazz, head down to the Oak Bluffs library for its Putts & Pints event, a mini-golf extravaganza through the bookshelves, with some beverages to make it go down easy. Golfing is from 6 to 9 p.m.
Not into golfing at night in a library? No worries, there is some sedentary counter programming going on at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, with the fourth and final screening of The Farmer and The Shark. The documentary unveils the story Craig Kingsbury’s influence in the filming of Jaws, as he helped shaped Robert Shaw’s portrayal of the shark-hunter Quint.
After the film, stay for a conversation with filmmaker John Campopiano, producer Rick DiGregorio, Craig Kingsbury’s daughter, Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw, and some surprise guests. The event begins at 5 p.m.
Happy February.
This article appears in February 6, 2026.