JAWSFEST Weekend on Martha's Vineyard

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As several of my previous posts indicate, I've always enjoyed attending film festivals and visiting places where famous movies were shot. So, imagine my delight to discover an event that combines both. Known simply as JAWSFEST: The Tribute, this curious event is set to take place on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, during the weekend of August 9-12.

To be honest, I was an adolescent when I last visited Martha's Vineyard – and back then, I spent more time creating a stone path on the beach than considering the fact that, roughly 14 years earlier, this amiable island had served as the backdrop for the blockbuster thriller Jaws (1975). In fact, I hadn't even seen the film yet; given my impressionable mind, I don't believe you'd have found me in the Atlantic Ocean that summer if I had. Since then, of course, I've seen Jaws numerous times, so I can certainly understand the fervor of its fans. Directed by a young Steven Spielberg and based on the novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws is still a fan favorite to this day – so much so that JAWSFEST 2012 is sure to be as well attended as the one back in 2005.

In essence, the four-day event will explore how the making of Jaws has impacted the lives of those who ventured to Martha's Vineyard (a.k.a., “Amity Island”) in 1974 and how the blockbuster film they created continues to thrill and inspire others all around the world. Coinciding with Universal Studios' centennial celebration and the 25th anniversary of Discovery Channel's Shark Week, JAWSFEST is part of the island's “Summer for the Sharks,” a season-long initiative to raise awareness and funding for shark conservation. Besides serving as a tribute to the men and women of Jaws who have since passed away – particularly, screenwriter Peter Benchley and stars Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw – JAWSFEST will feature engaging discussions on the making of the film, a display of film-related photographs and memorabilia, a trivia hunt, the opportunity to meet shark experts, and other family-friendly activities, including, of course, an outdoor screening of Jaws itself.

So, are you, too, a fan of the film, and more importantly, will I see you at this year's JAWSFEST?

If you do plan to go, be sure to bring along Jeff Perk's Moon Spotlight Martha's Vineyard – or the larger Moon Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket guidebook, just in case you get the urge to island-hop.

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As always, I’m open to ideas for future posts. If you have any suggestions, burning questions, or destinations that you’d like me to explore in greater detail, please comment below or contact me via laura [at] wanderingsoles [dot] com.

Disclosure: While I occasionally accept free or discounted travel assistance when it coincides with my editorial goals, my opinion is never for sale, which means that everything written in my American Nomad blog and Moon travel guides is my unbiased reflection of the things that I see, do, and experience while traveling across the United States.

Theatrical trailer of Jaws courtesy of Universal Studios / Text © 2012 Laura Martone

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Laura Martone is Moon’s American Nomad and the author of Moon Michigan, Moon Florida Keys, Moon Baja RV Camping, and the upcoming Moon New Orleans, which will be published in September 2012.