Coronavirus Forces Cancellation Of Oak Bluffs' Grand Illumination

OAK BLUFFS, MV — Just one day after the Oak Bluffs Fire Department canceled the annual end-of-summer fireworks in August, the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association made the same sad call: no Grand Illumination the summer. The August trifecta — the Agricultural Fair, Oak Bluffs fireworks and Illumination — draws crowds of thousands each year, making it impossible to safely socially distance during the coronavirus pandemic this summer.

Last year marked the 150th anniversary of the MVCMA's flagship summer event. Over the last century-and-a-half, the event has only been canceled one other time, MVCMA leadership said in a statement.

"It was a sad decision, but the right one to make given the current conditions," the statement read in part. "We hope to have an online tribute of some kind instead, to commemorate the evening. Illumination has always been more about celebrating family and community than it is about lights and lanterns… so it’s fitting to honor these values by continuing to stay strong and avoid crowds."

According to the Vineyard Gazette, the event was not held in 1969 after issues with ferry schedules led to confusion and a lot of stranded day-trippers the year before.

Fred Huss, a lifetime campgrounder, said he agreed with the decision to cancel.

"I am perfectly happy with the decision and if the Board of Directors had not canceled my house, which still uses candles, would be dark," he said. "With the limit now of 10 in a gathering the thought of thousands in this small area scares me. I remember years ago when we did not advertise Illumination Night because [there were] too many people here."