Chappy Ferry Day

It will be an opening event like no other Sunday, July 1, at the Old Sculpin Gallery on Edgartown harbor. The gallery will host an Island-wide celebration of the Chappy ferry and the launch of the new book, The Chappy Ferry Book: Back and Forth between Two Worlds – 527 Feet Apart.

 The book launch will include an exhibition of historical photographs from the book and new photographs by Alison Shaw. Chappy artist Gail Rodney will exhibit pastels and oil paintings that focus on ferry and the immediate locale on either side. Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association will showcase artwork that celebrates the working waterfront of Edgartown, with the Chappy ferry at the heart of that story.

The book, written by Tom Dunlop and recently published by Island publisher Vineyard Stories, celebrates the more than 200-year history of the ferry, which is believed to be the oldest waterfront business on the Vineyard. The show includes eleven photographs by renowned island photographer Alison Shaw and a “how it works” illustration by Dana Gaines.

 Shaw’s work ranges from a two-minute time exposure of the ferry making the crossing at dusk, to a close-up of ticket stubs in a white plastic bucket. In the course of shooting The Chappy Ferry Book, Shaw photographed Santa Claus taking a spin around the harbor on the ferry, a sheep making the trip to Chappy in the back seat of a Honda, and the West Tisbury Congregational Church bell choir performing an evening concert on the deck of the ferry. She photographed the Chappy Ferry at sunrise and sunset, in thick fog, during Hurricane Irene, and in a driving snowstorm.

 The event will also include an artist reception, book signing, refreshments and music by Chappy musician Kevin Keady. Keady wrote and performed the song One Way Home which was used in the 15-minute film The Chappy Ferry Movie produced by John Wilson. Dick Ebersol, a seasonal Chappy resident and famous for his leadership of NBC Sports, narrates the film, which is included with the book in the form of a DVD.

 John Wilson’s stepfather is Bailey Norton, who is a member of one of the oldest families on the Vineyard. A private boathouse owned by the Nortons and located near the Chappy ferry will be opened for public viewing during this special event.

 In addition, Edgartown selectmen have declared July 1st the official Chappy Ferry Day. They, along with a long list of past captains and ferry owners and others who have been involved with the ferry through the years, have been invited to the event.

 For more than 50 years, the Old Sculpin Gallery was the shop of the legendary Edgartown boatbuilder Manuel Swartz Roberts. In this historic building he built scores of freighting and fishing catboats, as well as, several of the ferries that crossed on the 527-foot run back and forth to Chappaquiddick. The building is now owed by Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust serves as the home of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association, who will host the event.

 The celebration is free and runs from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Old Sculpin Gallery is located on Dock Street, just across the street from the ferry and Memorial Wharf. For more information visit www.oldsculpingallery.org or call (508) 627-4881