Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair

Each August, the agricultural community of the island gets together to put on an old-fashioned fair to help promote the agricultural community on the island. They have exhibits where baked goods have been judged, an orange chiffon cake winning one of the prizes. The other exhibits celebrate and promote talents of those on the island. There are canning contests for the best berry jams and preserves, exhibits of children's artwork, and quilts and a kayak as drawing prizes for the raffle.

This enormous open field, which is normally home to a farm, is turned into a fair ground with rickety rides, stands doling out sugary confections and fried foods, and vendors selling home made items. There are pig races along with a barn full of roosters, chickens, cows, miniature ponies, for display. The best attraction were the Llamas. Yes, Llamas. The Llama farm is near our home and they were brought out for the fair, so that all of us could take a closer look at these exotic animals. There were sweaters made from Llama hair for sale, as well as hats and mittens. My son found all of it exciting and fun, especially the super slide, which he made his sitter go down with him four times in a row.

The drive out to West Tisbury for the fair is one I love. Imagine me admitting to loving driving anywhere. The scenery is pastoral, big open meadows and fields gracing each side of the two lane road, a canopy of trees shielding your car from the sun. The woods are interrupted by a dirt path, a mailbox at the entrance, letting you know there is a house tucked deep among trees and brush. My favorite part of this incredibly scenic drive are the 'stores' that you pass. There is the famous Eileen's pies shop, which is really her home turned into a store for the summer season. Eileen, a woman I've never met, but imagined, makes these delicious home made pies all summer, which people drive out to purchase. She sells her pies from a gazebo on her property. Chilmark Pottery is at the end of a windy dirt road. All the pottery is hand made by potters on the island. These delicate bowls, vases, and jars are in the hues of this island: greens, blues, some red, and yellows. There are a few antique stores also on this road with antique chairs placed outside to entice the driver to stop and browse.

But my absolute favorite part of the drive are the stone walls that border some of the properties. They are large sandy colored rocks, all different shapes that have been placed gingerly, one on top of another until a wall has been created. They are stunning in their simplicity. I always imagined Indians from long ago had made these walls, but of course that is not the reality. It is usually at this moment when I am passing a large farm, its borders defined by these walls, that I sigh in sheer happiness. I don't know what it is about these walls, but each time I see them I rediscover their singular beauty. Perhaps they are what each of us imagines when we read those Jane Austen novels, all set in the English countryside of sweeping meadows, trees, and these walls.

The news is full of gloom and doom about the ravages of hurricanes, high heat, and flooding. The onslaught of so much extreme weather should be worrying for us all. But yet, so few of us really consider our every day behavior and how each simple, uncomplicated task like driving two blocks to the market, can have such a devastating impact on our world. When I was in LA, a city that is not beautiful by any means, I thought less about the environment, other than how annoying it was that this issue had become so in vogue among the Hollywood set. But sitting here among the graceful wonders of nature, I consider the possibility of losing all of this to our thoughtlessness. The one outcome of this global warming is that the weather here has been glorious all summer. The heating of the planet has made this island ideal for all summer activities.

We left the fair, tummies full, each of us satisfied in this afternoon outing. There was nothing special about this fair, but the lack of special effects was what was so reassuring for me. The only disappointment was the fried dough stand, which was nothing like the funnel cakes of my childhood.