It’s a new year and time for new resolutions. The Vineyard is the perfect place to try something new this year. Get out and hike the island trails with TrailsMV. Try a new cooking class at the Farm Institute. Virtual classes are still going strong - try pilates or painting classes at the West Tisbury Library. Bundle up and explore the beaches then home to enjoy an early sunset by the fire. Here are a few of our favorite things to do this January on Martha’s Vineyard. “...Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true…” Tennyson.
- New Year's Day Open House at Island Alpaca - Saturday, January 1, 2022 at 10:00am to 4:00pm - Bring the family and your out-of-town holiday guests for a unique experience. This New Year's Day and weekend, get up close with the friendly fluffy alpaca and meet our two newest babies in our special viewing area. Enjoy some tasty treats and hot cider while watching our alpaca or take in their alpaca video presentation.
- Met Opera Live: Cinderella - Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 12:55pm - In this New Year’s Day performance, Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s Cendrillon, a hit of the 2017–18 season, is presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute adaptation, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as its rags-to-riches princess. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume leads a delightful cast, which includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Cinderella’s Prince Charming, soprano Jessica Pratt as her Fairy Godmother, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and bass-baritone Laurent Naouri as her feuding guardians. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.
- Winter Walk at Polly Hill Arboretum - Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 10:00am to 11:00am - In every season the Arboretum offers something of beauty and interest to visitors. At this time of year, plants display unique foliage color, textures, structure, cones and berries. Each tour will be led by a PHA staff member and will highlight winter interest plants that are particularly captivating each month. Tour sizes are limited. Registration is required.
- Screetch & Hoot Full Moon Owl Prowl at Felix Neck - Monday, January 17, 2022 at 5:00pm to 6:00pm - Hoo's out there? Owls silently fly through our Island woods and fields. Join us at Felix Neck for a bright moon stroll to look, listen and learn about these nocturnal birds. Dress comfortably for the weather. Registration is on our website.
- Pasta Club at the Farm Institute - Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 5:30pm to 7:00pm - Participants will learn how to make their own pasta with farm fresh eggs with Katie Leaird. We’ll do a small tasting and each participant will take home a batch of their own pasta to cook up at home, bring your own container to do so if possible. Sign up for one class, or sign up for them all.
- Prime Rib Wednesdays at La Soffitta - Wednesdays in January at 5:00 pm - Savor Piedmont beef, Tuscan white beans and grilled rapini. Come early, limited supply.
- Winter Beach Safari at Cape Pogue - Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 12:00pm to 1:30pm - Explore the winter landscape of Chappaquiddick’s only wildlife refuge on this open-air, over-sand adventure. We’ll trek the barrier beach and keep our eyes peeled for winter wildlife; if we’re lucky we may even spot a snowy owl. Dress appropriately for the weather (think layers) and for walking on sand. Binoculars and cameras encouraged. Tour starts at Mytoi Garden parking lot (approximately 2.8 miles drive/walk/bike from Chappy Point). Parking and bike racks are free at Mytoi Garden. We are not offering pick ups from the Chappy Ferry. Be prepared to leave yourself enough time to drive over on the Chappy Ferry. A Chappy Ferry cam is available on their website. Advance, pre-registration is required.
- Pizza Making at the Farm Institute - Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 3:00pm to 4:30pm - Join Nina, owner and chef at Stoney Hill Pizza for this hands-on wood-fired pizza making class. Nina will teach participants the basics of making and rolling out dough, sauce selection, and how to choose the best seasonal toppings. Each participant will make their own pizza and bake it in Nina’s mobile wood-fired pizza oven.
- MLK Jr. Day Family Explore the Shore - Monday, January 17, 2022 at 12:00pm to 1:30pm - Get outside and adventure this MLK Jr. Day with a guided oversand exploration of Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge. We’ll prowl the barrier beach in search of migratory birds, otters, seals and more. Mermaids hair, dead man’s fingers, sea snot; you never know what we’ll find on the bay, sea and pond. Tour starts at Mytoi Garden parking lot (approximately 2.8 miles drive/walk/bike from Chappy Point). Parking and bike racks are free at Mytoi Garden. We are not offering pick ups from the Chappy Ferry. Be prepared to leave yourself enough time to drive over on the Chappy Ferry. A Chappy Ferry cam is available on their website. Advance, pre-registration is required.
- Met Opera Live: Rigoletto - Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 12:55 pm - Bartlett Sher’s bold new take on Verdi’s timeless tragedy arrives in cinemas on January 29. The Tony Award¬–winning director resets the opera’s action in 1920s Europe, with Art Deco sets by Michael Yeargan and elegant costumes by Catherine Zuber, themselves boasting a combined 11 Tony Awards. Baritone Quinn Kelsey, a commanding artist at the height of his powers, brings his searing portrayal of the title role to the Met for the first time, starring alongside soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda and tenor Piotr Beczala as the Duke of Mantua, with leading maestro Daniele Rustioni on the podium. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.
- Playhouse Art Space: My Horizons - Tues, Thurs, Sat in January from 1:00 to 4:00 - New work by the Island artist Norma Bridwell.
- Art Exhibition: Washington Ledesma & Dena Porter - Fri-Sun in January from 110:00 to 5:00 - PathwaysArts presents a two-person art exhibition featuring early paintings by Washington Ledesma and a series of photographs, Reflections Here and Now by Dena Porter. Mr. Ledesma's paintings from the 70s through 90s have never been seen before, and were produced in Uruguay and New York City before he arrived on the Vineyard some 40 years ago. Large scale works on canvas, of a personal nature, these paintings reveal his early influences. Ms. Porter's new body of work shifts her perspective from urban subjects to her new surroundings on the Vineyard. Inspired by an earlier series of reflections, these images make us look deeper.
- Exhibit Opening: The Chasm Is Not Closed at the MV Museum - Beginning Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:00am to 5:00pm - In the two years since plaques from Oak Bluffs’ Civil War statue were removed and installed at the Museum, we have been working to provide a deeper understanding of the statue’s complex history and multiple meanings. During our research, new insights have come to light and with them new questions. This exhibition will present our findings and encourage feedback and discussion from visitors.
- TrailsMV - TrailsMV is a free App created by Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. It is intended to build a community among those who love the Vineyard’s trails. Soon, users will be able to communicate with each other and with trail stewards, sharing photographs and trail information.
- West Tisbury Free Public Library - The Library hosts so many events – both virtual and in person: jazz concerts, art classes, pilates. They have books too!