Winter may diminish the Island population and daylight hours, but it doesn’t have to be a time for hibernation. Our relatively mild winters make for plenty of opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature (albeit with a few more layers on). Restaurants and organizations find creative ways to keep us entertained and well-fed. There’s also more time to enjoy family and friends, and make your own get-togethers. So when you’re feeling that winter isolation, fear not: Step away from the wood stove and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
1. Beach time. Seaside lounging days may be over, but winter walks along the shore bring us to the ocean at her most dramatic. Waves break heavily, snow and ice glisten on the sand, and sometimes rare winter wildlife makes an appearance. Snowy owls, gannets, and oceanic ducks such as buffleheads and mergansers migrate from the tundra regions south to our comparatively balmy climate. Early morning and dusk may be the best times to see these northern visitors, but birding, like fishing, can be unpredictable. Edgartown’s Norton Point is notable for its lively avian scene. Best bets for sightings are the shoreline of Katama Bay, as well as the beach grass and salt marsh areas between the bay and ocean. The area has nearly five miles of inland trails, which start at the left fork of South Beach and continue toward the breach. Take the inland trails along the bay and walk back along the ocean shore – or go the other direction, depending on the wind. Whether you make an arctic friend or not, Norton Point is a great place to witness the south shore’s winter charm.
2. Food fights. What’s better than eating? Eating for a good cause. Two big Island events capitalize on this logic:
Wingfest (Saturday, December 1, at Sharky’s Cantina in Edgartown) to benefit the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club, and the MVY Big Chili Contest (Saturday, January 26, at the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs), raising money for the Red Stocking Fund. Wingfest, now in its fourth year, draws rollicking competition as to whose sauce trumps the rest. Competitors sling their wings from creatively outfitted booths, and attendees vote on best wings and best booth. The MVY Big Chili Contest has been heating up Island winters for almost three decades, as chefs, caterers, and amateurs, along with discerning eaters and hungry bellies, pour in from across the country to compete and eat (free shuttles run to and from the ferry and airport). The ticket price for each event covers all you can eat, and both are twenty-one-plus and have cash bars. Wings cost $25 in advance and $30 at the door (www.wingfestmv.com); chili is $30 and usually sells out in advance (www.wmvyradio.com). Hearts will burn this winter.
3. Ear warmers. Enliven those long nights and hit the town. Offshore Ale Company in Oak Bluffs hosts jazz night every Tuesday at 6 p.m.; Atria in Edgar-town puts its own spin on jazz Friday nights in its Brick Cellar Bar starting at 7 p.m. For the dancing soles, both Johnny Hoy and Mike Benjamin’s bands crank out tunes on the regular at The Ritz Café in Oak Bluffs (see the lower Circuit Avenue bar’s outside board for schedule). And for the less refined and more hilarious, Seasons in Oak Bluffs hosts multiple karaoke nights every week (listed in the papers), with various hosts, flat notes, and stellar belt-outs. Whatever your tempo, there’s some music to warm the ears.
4. Instant feasts. There’s certainly strength in numbers during the hibernal months. Potlucks are a fabulous way to get people together over some good food and drink, without one host being responsible for feeding an entire crew. A little division of labor goes a long way, as does a little planning – make sure to coordinate what guests are bringing to avoid six salads and no dessert, and ask for input from guests to play to people’s culinary strengths. There are also several public potlucks throughout the winter (keep an eye on the newspapers and community bulletin boards). Good company and bon appétit.
5. A winter getaway. The Secret Garden will be unlocked at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in Oak Bluffs this winter, as the drama department revives the Tony Award–winning Broadway production based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 young adult novel. Students will enact the story of children finding friendship and healing old wounds on a stark English moor at the school’s Performing Arts Center February 14 to 16. Big choral numbers, along with solos, duets, and quartets, will showcase the diverse talents of some sixty students, who will have a Skype conversation with the composer, Lucy Simon (Carly’s sister). The school’s orchestra, along with a few community members, will play the score. Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. Escape winter into the garden.