The Vineyard Gazette Media Group in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Museum will host a day-long celebration of Jaws this summer, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the movie. 

The event takes place June 22 on the museum grounds, and will include movie memorabilia, live performances and meet-and-greets with Island residents who participated in the movie.

Monica Brady-Myerov, publisher of the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, said she was excited to celebrate the movie because it is a part of both the Vineyard Gazette and Island history.

“The Martha’s Vineyard community made Jaws what it is,” she said. “They were extras, they built sets, they drove boats, they painted signs, they catered — a lot of people on the Island participated.”

Cathy Mayone, the managing director at the museum, said she is looking forward to celebrating this unique part of the Vineyard’s history.

“At the time it was being made, nobody really knew what the significance of the movie was going to be,” she said. 

Ms. Mayone added that the museum will have a Jaws exhibit and related programming throughout the summer.

Tickets for the event are $35 and attendees will receive a free copy of the Vineyard Gazette Media Group’s specialty publication, Jaws at 50: Commemorative Anniversary Magazine, filled with rarely seen photos from the film shoot.

In addition to appearing onscreen, many locals played key roles behind the scenes. Carol Fligor worked as a child -minder on set where her four children were extras. She said that she followed them around with a camera of her own, capturing home movie footage as they watched the shark operators or played baseball with the actors when filming stalled. 

The production team then offered to pay her to watch the other children on set.

“After they saw me hanging around once or twice, they said, ‘hey, you’ve been a big help watching the kids so they don’t get into trouble, we’re glad to pay you the daily rate,’” Ms. Fligor said, adding that the rate was around $6. “The kids were good. I don’t think I said a word to any of them. They did as they were told.”

She said that 50 years on, Jaws is still a part of her life.

“Anytime I go out, kids will have Jaws shirts on. I tell people what went on where, I can point to places and tell them the story. I get a kick out of it. It was a lot of fun,” she said.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 22 and will be a part of the museum’s four-day Amity Homecoming celebration.

For more information, go to vineyardgazette.com/jaws.