Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, is a great place to spend the Fourth of July. It has what you would expect – a parade and fireworks, and so much more. The town, like the island, is sort of lost in time. It has all the quaint beauty and charm of small-town America. Strolling down its streets, you would swear you had either time-warped to the Nineteenth Century or were on Main Street U.S.A. in Walt Disney World!
Back when I was young, a “thousand years ago”, my family had a cottage in the neighboring town of Oak Bluffs. Every Fourth of July, my dad and I, and my friend Reed, would sail my dad’s boat over to Edgartown. That way, each year, we had just about the best seats to watch the fireworks. And, when they were done, we did not have to worry about bucking the traffic to get home. We just went below and turned in. the next morning, we would sail home.
One year, the U.S. Navy send one of their nuclear submarines over, moored it out in the harbor, and took people out to it for tours. Ironically, they called it the “Yellow Submarine”. Heaven knows what the Beatles would have said about that!
That year, the weather proved a bit murky. There was a heavy fog as we approached the harbor, and my dad had let me man the tiller. For a kid of age eight, that was a pretty big deal. Suddenly, out of the mist loomed a massive black mass. Reed and I were convinced it was a whale!
My father called out, “Ship ahoy.” It was the submarine!
Dad tossed a line to them, and we lowered out sail. Once everything was secure, the seamen helped Reed and me onboard. Dad followed, and we got our own private tour of the ship! Again, for two little kids, it was just about a dream come true. To be honest, we were frankly disappointed when it was time to go. The fireworks seemed a pale second place to the wonders we had seen there.
Still, as we were not official members of the crew, we could not stay. So, we got back on dad’s boat and headed into Edgartown Harbor. Picking out a nice spot, we dropped anchor and stowed all our gear for the evening. Dad pulled in his dinghy, and rowed us ashore to see the parade. As usual, it was a great example of small-town fun.
By the time the parade had ended, it was nearly dark. So, we headed down to the harbor – got a soft-serve ice cream along the way – and headed back out to the boat. Our timing was perfect. No sooner had we climbed onboard than the first rocket shot into the night sky. There followed the usual booms and bangs, pops and fizzles, as a whole rainbow of colors lit up the sky over and over.
When at last, it was all over, we turned in for the night. All in all, it was a great way to spend the Fourth, and it’s a memory that burns bright in my mind.
You can grab yourself your own memories by visiting Edgartown this Fourth of July. I can’t promise you a Yellow Submarine trip but the small town fun is the same. The parade is still wonderful, the ice cream is still delicious and the fireworks have been scaled up to impress even the most discerning of modern 21st century admirers.