Even the Grinch couldn’t help but get in the Christmas spirit Saturday morning for the annual parade through the streets of Edgartown. He traveled from his home outside of Whoville to join in the revelry with the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Basketball team.
“Don’t believe what they show you in the movies,” Mr. Grinch said. “I love Christmas and I love kids.”
His spirit was shared by hundreds of people as they lined the streets to cheer on floats of all sizes and shapes. Candy was thrown, music was played and fake snow was sprinkled through the air as Santa was also welcomed to town.
Mary Dombrowski dressed as a giant snowflake to watch the parade, joining friends encased in inflatable snowmen costumes. They call themselves the Yeti Squad and travel to the Island from Connecticut each year for Christmas in Edgartown.
“It’s a great community thing and that’s what the Vineyard has been my whole life,” Ms. Dombrowski said. “This is like old-time America that you don’t see a lot. It’s about family, community, great friends and having a good time.”
The Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club kids decorated their truck with paper peppermint swirls and colorful squares to resemble the board game, Candy Land. Barbara-jean Chauvin, the club’s new executive director, wore a bright blue wig and sparkly dress, greeting parade-goers as Frostine.
Many events for the weekend, such as Point B Realty’s annual Teddy Bear Suite and HoverFly Events’ holiday ball at the HarborView Hotel on Friday evening, were fundraisers for the club. Ms. Chauvin said all funds raised go directly to their operating budget, which is entirely determined by donations.
“They support us 100 per cent and we are just so grateful for the generosity from everybody in this community,” Ms. Chauvin said.
On Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., the club will host a pancake breakfast with Santa.
Edgartown kids Chloe and Niccolo stood beside friends outside of The Carnegie Heritage Center to watch the parade. They said they are hoping to get hoverboards, American Girl Dolls and virtual reality headsets for Christmas.
“I saw Santa but I saw that he was wearing a wig,” one of the kids shouted. “I saw his brown hair underneath.”
The group concluded that it probably wasn’t the real Santa as he was preparing for Christmas in his North Pole shop.
Seasonal resident Kathy Gardner biked alongside her husband Richard Whitehead, who was dressed as an elf. Friends wearing reindeer onesies and even Cindy Lou Who accompanied them. After being parade spectators for close to a decade, the group decided to join the marchers for the first time.
Ms. Gardner said she always looks forward to Christmas in Edgartown.
“The Island’s great any time of the year, but we just love this weekend,” she said. “We love the festivities and we also do a little bit of Christmas shopping.”
After the parade, participants visited various restaurants and took part in events around town. Many headed over to the Edgartown School for their annual craft fair, where over 40 artisans sold holiday ornaments, pottery, seashell jewelry and stationary.
Islander Amy Benford has been selling her art at the fair for several years. She collects pebbles and sea glass, then glues them onto a miniature canvas to create animals, lighthouses and other whimsical scenes.
It is also a hard day, she said. Eleven years to the day, she lost her daughter Abbie to an allergic reaction.
“I incorporate Abbie into my pieces,” Ms. Benford said. “All these easels that have the writing, that’s her handwriting. And in every piece I have her initials stamped on the back.”
She said the holidays can be a difficult time of year but at the fair when the community stops by the table to see her work and converse, she feels uplifted.
“I ship around the world and most people don’t know the story, but I love that her words are going everywhere,” she said. “And especially this time of year, it’s really meaningful.”
Events continue tonight and tomorrow throughout town.
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