August rushes in like a rogue wave. I always anticipate its arrival yet it always catches me unprepared. Steamy heat, pastel sunsets, peaches, nectarines and zucchinis, fresh corn, offshore tuna trips, wild blueberries, beach bonfires, Chilmark Tavern onion rings, house guests and more.

Saturday, August 12 marks the 40th annual 5K Chilmark Road Race. Last year’s race was a battle for the many runners who endured sweltering heat which stuck with them for the entire length of the winding and rolling Middle Road. May good luck be on the side of all those who run this year, especially Team Texaco, my favorite squid T-shirt adorned posse including Bradley Carroll, Brooks Carroll, Peter Ruimerman, Jackson Cabot, Emma Dolan and Will Dolan. A super loud shout out goes out to the Chilmark Police Department who are all hands on deck assisting with traffic and other obstacles that may pop up along the way.

Speaking of the CPD, welcome back to Officer Pierce Harrer, who has stepped in to fill a few shifts while Matt Bradley is away.

Last week I mentioned the harbor just wasn’t the same without Sandra and Thornton Klaren and their boat Jest in the mix. I had my fingers crossed that the stars would align and they’d make it for a visit, even if a brief one. Sandra and Thorny are in residence and enjoying lobster rolls for dinner, friendly boating neighbors, visits with teen granddaughter Kelly and more. It is a pleasure to see them strolling Basin Road, stopping periodically along the way as there are so many conversations to be had.

Tom and Susie Tokarz were at the dock on their boat Panic Control over the weekend as was Grumpy with George and Barbara McLaughlin and Echo with the extended Marshal David clan. Dock dinners, late night ice cream treats and a whole lot of laughs made for a super weekend.

Happy Spongberg shared that she and Steve hosted David and Marianne Foster, who were in town for the book festival. David’s book, A Meeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha’s Vineyard, was highlighted Saturday and Sunday.

Sarah (Levy), Eugene, Sam and Josh Langner are in town for a couple of weeks visiting with Sarah’s father, Bernie Levy at his Prospect Hill home. I was lucky enough to catch up with the family that makes Newton their home as they were pulled alongside Dutcher Dock for a quick ice cream sandwich break before returning to the sea. Although boating with no real destination and ice cream are always highlights when the Langner family visits, for Josh, visiting Tim Carroll and Genc Brinja’s pea hen, Esmeralda, is equally as wonderful. There is a mutual admiration between the two.

Let’s all send positive healing thoughts to Bob Deitrich of Homestead Way who, unfortunately, had a stay in an off-Island hospital.

Jonathan and Christina Neumann of Portland, Ore. along with teen son Elijah made their annual pilgrimage to Chilmark to visit with Jonathan’s parents, Jane and Conrad Neumann of both Chilmark and Durham, N.C. In addition to visiting with parents and friends, they also checked in with daughter Simona, who has been in town all summer before heading off to her freshman year at Southern Oregon University. We mustn’t leave out that the Neumann family, of course enjoyed spending time with Jonathan’s aunt, the one and only Jane Slater.

Stephen Seward and son Jake, 15, packed up their truck in Placerville, Colo., plugged Menemsha Gate into the GPS, pressed down on the accelerator and hit the open highway. Destination, Chilmark. Steve’s wife, Cathy and younger son, Ben (11) opted for a quicker mode of transportation and met up with the road tripping duo at Marie and Stan Mercers’ where they will rest their heads for the better part of three weeks. Adventures have been had with Jake and Ben’s cousins Solon, Barrett, Delilah and Hollis Oliver, aunt and uncle Liz (Seward) and Kevin, and grandfather Doug Seward and his partner Susan Pacheco. To add even more to the excitement, Cathy’s mother Susan and sister Pam along with her husband Craig and their three girls, Zoe, Ruby and Stella all swooped into town for a long weekend. To top it all off, Zoe also had two friends in tow.

The Vincent house was full this past week. Bill Vincent, Katie (Vincent), Nick, Natalie and Vivian Persons all travelled from New York to have a fun filled week on the Vineyard. Just before arriving in town, Natalie and Vivian celebrated their fifth birthday in Plymouth, not only with their parents and grandfather Bill but grandfather Mike Persons and his friend Christine joined in the celebration. With the blast of the steamship whistle the Persons/Vincent family set off for a week of memory making moments on the Vineyard. Some highlights of Natalie and Vivian’s summer vacation included a morning at the Farm Institute and dinner at the Wharf where an employee took the 30-pound lobster out of their tank for the girls to see up close. Also traveling to the Vincent home to share in the fun was Bill’s late wife Priscilla’s sister, Sara Keiper. Sara traveled from Lansdowne, Pa. The extended family plans to gather at the Vincent house for Thanksgiving.

The Grey Barn welcomed 20 mama sheep and their 25 babies to the farm this week. In addition to all the sheep excitement, Molly Glasgow managed to harvest a two-foot long zucchini that was, in her words, “hiding in plain sight.” How many mouths does a two-foot zucchini feed?

Send Chilmark news to squidrow@vineyard.net.