Every August, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society hosts its annual Fair in West Tisbury. Four days of farm friends, fried food, ferris wheels, and – for the last five Fairs – custom airbrush!
When people on the island recognize me in the streets, it’s usually as ‘the airbrush guy from the Fair’ (that’s me on the left in the photo above).
The Ag Fair is sort of the culmination of the island’s high season. August is the busiest month on MV, and the Fair attracts native islanders, ‘washashores’ like myself, summer people, and vacationers of all ages. It’s an awesome tradition that truly symbolizes Vineyard Summer.
Every year at the Ag Fair I paint hundreds of custom t-shirts and trucker hats for the people of Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a true labor of love; the Fair opens at 10am and closes at 11pm, and during those hours I’m usually slammed with orders. It’s hot, the weather is often unpredictable, and it’s by far the busiest event I do with Island Spray … but it’s all worth it to be a part of this great community celebration.
The Ag Fair holds a special place in my heart at least partly due to childhood memories; not of the Martha’s Vineyard Fair, but rather, the Minnesota State Fair!
The Minnesota State Fair is the second largest in the country (after Texas), and it’s an absolute bonanza of Midwest farm culture and fried food. I grew up on Midway Parkway in St. Paul, just a few blocks from the main entrance to the Fairgrounds.
Every summer the entire neighborhood would go nuts during the ten-day-long State Fair, so now, being involved with the Ag Fair on the Vineyard feels like home.
On this page I plan to eventually chronicle the five Fairs that Island Spray has done up to this point. It’s a work in progress! Check back regularly for more photos from past Fairs. For now, here are some highlights from last year’s 162nd Annual Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair.
Ag Fair 2024
Sooo many shirts and hats .. that’s just a sampler! The Ag Fair turns Island Spray into a legit airbrush factory for four days.
It’s nearly impossible to choose a Fair Fave, but I like to try anyway. This young fellow came up to me with a photo of some glassware in his kitchen drying rack. ‘The way this rocks glass fits perfectly on top of that wine glass is kind of artsy, don’t you think?’ he inquired.
We started off with a neon pink trucker hat of the still life, which was such a hit that he had me do a matching shirt. You never know what people will come up with at the Island Spray Ag Fair Booth! 😭