The Edgartown select board voted unanimously Monday to start Dock Dance an hour earlier after hearing concerns from Chappy ferry co-owner Peter Wells and the Edgartown police about underage drinking.
The Dock Dance Band (made up of John Stanwood, Jamie Greene, Alex Karalekas, Niko Ewing, Adam Petkus and Rose Guerin) returned to their old stomping ground to open the season and play for a packed Memorial Wharf crowd.
After Covid-19 and police staffing challenges suspended the Edgartown event, the Dock Dances at Memorial Wharf will be back for the first time since 2019.
The Edgartown select board voted Monday to not allow dock dances at Memorial Wharf, at least for now, after the police chief raised concerns about his ability to provide coverage given short staffing this summer.
Memorial Wharf joins the Edgartown Yacht Club and the Vose family boathouse as Edgartown looks to preserve historic harborfront buildings in wake of climate change.
As it has every Tuesday for the last three summers, the Dock Dance Band had brought the wharf alive with Islanders and tourists, dancing and celebrating under the glow of the moon and a few fluorescent lights.