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Community Corner

Illumination Night Arrives, Sea Turtles Released, Harry Belafonte Honored

Five things that make this the most exciting Wednesday of 2013 on Martha's Vineyard.


Of course, the annual Grand Illumination in Oak Bluffs is the centerpiece of our Wednesday on Martha's Vineyard and we've got the details for you below.

But first, there are a few other things happening on and around the Island as well:

  1. Six endangered sea turtles are being released in nearby waters Wednesday, according to the Boston Globe. Rehabilitated at New England Aquarium, the two juvenile green sea turtles and four young Kemp’s ridleys turtles were named by biologists Frank Hardy, Spenser, Kay Scarpetta, Nate the Great, Benton Wesley, and Precious Ramotswe. (Do any of those names sound familiar? Tell us in the comments.)
  2. Speaking of familiar names: Harry Belafonte is the guest of honor at a FREE all-day forum at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. Titled Take Two Aspirin: Race, Place and Health in the 21st Century, the forum is moderated by Harvard Law School's Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. with participants including Drs. Kenneth C. Edelin, Alvin F. Poussaint, Deborah Prothrow-Stith, David Satcher, Louis W. Sullivan, Augustus A. White III, and David R. Williams with musical performances by Lawrence Watson. Starts 10:30 a.m.; doors open at 9:30 a.m.
  3. The weekly Family Dance-O-Rama at Flatbread in Edgartown is renamed "Dance-O-Bama" this Wednesday, with dancers encouraged to wear red, white and blue attire. 4 to 6 p.m., no cover charge, menu available.
  4. Illumination Night festivities begin at 3 p.m. at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, where you can paint your own paper lantern. The Oak Bluffs Public Library has a party with lanterns, refreshments and lights-out at 4 p.m. to watch the colors glow. 
  5. When the sun goes down, the magic begins! Head over to the Tabernacle in the Oak Bluffs Campground for the Grand Illumination. For parking and security information, please see What Time does Illumination Night Begin?
About the Grand Illumination, from the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association:
  • This event is usually held on the third Wednesday in August.   
  • The cottages are adorned with colorful Chinese and Japanese lanterns, and both a Community Sing and a band concert are held in the Tabernacle.   
  • Grand Illumination started in Oak Bluffs over a century ago and was initially intended as a way of marking the visit of the Governor of Massachusetts. 
(source: mvcma.org)

For more things to do on Martha's Vineyard this week, please see our Events calendar. You can post your own events there any time for free.

Do you have another event to recommend? Please tell us in the comments.
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