The smell of lobster rolls and fried dough wafted through the air as thousands of people crowded the streets of Vineyard Haven for the annual Tisbury Street Fair on Sunday evening. The event celebrates Tisbury’s birthday — it was incorporated as a town in 1671.
Islanders and visitors browsed merchants tables, posed for photos with the Vineyard Vines whale, and said hello to an alpaca puppet brought by Island Alpaca (the real alpacas remained at the farm for fear that the large crowds would startle them).
Tyler Olden was covered head to toe in pink Silly String.
“We wanted to have a duel,” he said, referring to an epic battle he was in the middle of with his sister Mira and their friend Lilly Mulcahy.
Many Island retailers and restaurants set up shop along the street with tables or booths. Island Music displayed milk crates filled with classic records.
“The store has been here for 26 years and has participated in the fair for almost as long,” said employee and Vineyard-native Becky Williams. “I just love to sit here and people watch.”
Lines were long at the Tisbury Firefighters Association grill, set up next to the Capawock Theatre. “All of the money made here this evening directly benefits the association,” said Capt. Ken Maciel, who was hard at work cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. A bright yellow Tisbury fire truck was parked at each end of Main street.
“We’re also selling glow-sticks and neon-yellow kid’s T-shirts to match our fire trucks,” Captain Maciel said.
Rev. Leo Christian joined parishioners from First Baptist Church selling cotton candy in front of Murdick’s Fudge.
“This is Tisbury,” Reverend Christian said, looking around at the sea of smiling faces. “This is what it is, neighbors and friends coming together. The Island is full of friendly, wonderful people.”
One of those smiles belonged to Islander Robin Mussell, whose collection of handmade jewelry was being sold for a personal cause.
“I’m here to raise money for Dakota, my cousin’s four-year-old son,” Ms. Mussell explained.
Ms. Mussell has been a part of the street fair for the past 32 years. This year her revenue will support Dakota’s fight against brain cancer. Her table included wampum pieces, earrings and necklaces, along with beaded healing bracelets featuring a photo of Dakota, smiling widely in front of a baseball field.
Further up the street, Nina Harris stood alongside a poster that posed a prompt to passersby: “tell us what love is.”
“I’m with CONNECT to End Violence which operates in part with Martha’s Vineyard Community Services,” Ms. Harris said. Markers were provided for people to write down their definitions of love, eliciting answers like peace of mind, acceptance, family and friends.
“Having something like this at the fair is a great way to connect with the community,” Ms. Harris said, pointing to a response towards the top of the poster. It read simply, “love is in the air.”
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