Chilmark lifeguards and town first responders lived up to their name on August 1, saving the life of a visitor who was pulled from the water with the help of bystanders at Lucy Vincent Beach.
On Sunday Featherstone Center for the Arts celebrated Lucy Vincent Beach with its own art reception. The party marked the opening of an exhibit that runs through May 8.
The show came into being after artist Linda Ziegler surveyed the damage done to the beach by Hurricane Sandy and wanted to find a way to honor what has long been a favorite Vineyard destination.
Once towering, now crumbling, the cliff at Lucy Vincent Beach has inspired artists and photographers throughout the world. Beginning this weekend Featherstone Center for the Arts will showcase artwork featuring the Chilmark beach and its famous cliff in both its present and past formations. The theme was suggested by Linda Ziegler, and provides an opportunity to reflect on the ways the landmark has been documented in various mediums, from painting and photography to sculpture, poetry and music. An opening reception will take place Sunday, April 21 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Last Sunday afternoon, under wintery skies, there was yet another pilgrimage to Lucy Vincent Beach. For many it was a solemn moment as they stood and looked without saying a word.
Pam Bunker, chairman of the Chilmark beach committee, was there taking stock of how nature had once again changed the landscape of the beach.
“The whole eastern seaboard, from Plum Island all the way down the coast, is eroding . . . . It is a melancholy feeling,” she said.
Shifting sand at both Wasque and Lucy Vincent Beach has uncovered what may be parts of two shipwrecks.
Last Sunday afternoon, Andrew Orcutt of Edgartown and Albany was out walking the shoreline near Wasque and the Norton Point breach. He discovered remnants of what appeared to be a ship in the wash.
As drastic erosion continues to eat away at Chilmark’s south shore, town officials this week expressed grave concern for public safety and impeded access to Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket beaches. The Chilmark board of selectmen also approved a study for the extreme Upper Chilmark Pond, known as Upper Upper Chilmark Pond to some, for a possible dune restoration project.