To the Editor:
I’d like to publicly thank all of those who helped make the sixth annual Best Fest a success. Since its inception in 2010 on the beautiful grounds of Featherstone Center for the Arts, Best Fest has meant a lot of things to a lot of people. At its core, the music and arts festival is a collective sigh of relief that another Labor Day has passed and we’ve earned the right to celebrate. The organizers of Best Fest are always seeking new avenues to enrich the music culture on the Island. We believe it could be better, we never settle for the status quo, and we think outside the box. In that spirit, we tried a couple of new things this year that are worth noting.
For those who haven’t attended, Best Fest is traditionally a three-part event, with live music happening in a park during the day, followed by a parade down Circuit Avenue, followed by more live music in a nightclub type of venue. Over the years, we’ve had the good fortune to have live music in Waban Park, Viera Park, Washington Park, and this year the crown jewel: the Ocean Park bandstand. Thank you, Oak Bluffs Parks Department.
Thank you, Oak Bluffs board of selectmen, for your continued support of our endeavor. It has been a pleasure working with you on a project that’s so positive.
Thank you, Oak Bluffs Police Department, for putting up with a 20-piece marching band taking over the downtown area for an hour. We do our best to keep it moving, and we appreciate your patience when it goes off-script.
Thank you Richard Paradise, Chris Mara, and the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, for taking a chance on having live music in the Strand Theater. Everyone is really happy that the historic Strand Theater has finally been renovated and is showing movies again. It was sad when the sign was falling down and it was the Sand Theater. It’s a beautiful venue with excellent acoustics, and we hope to do more shows in all the historic theaters on the Island in the future.
Thank you to all the members of the Extraordinary Rendition Band, for once again coming all the way from Providence, R.I., just to spread joy. It’s what you do.
Thank you, all you high-caliber musicians, who donated your time and talents just because you wanted to be a part of such a fun event. To the members of the Maniacs of the Heart, Kahoots, the Pickpocket Bluegrass Band, Electric Pie, the Hammerheads, and the Space Invaders: You do good work.
Finally, and most important, thank you to the Vineyard community that makes something like this possible. The marching band plays all over the country, but they’ve told me that this is their favorite place. There’s something special about it. Here’s hoping that we can continue to nurture what makes it that way.
Rob Myers
West Tisbury
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