Wow, what a weekend! Hopefully, you are almost fully recovered from it all as this weekend will test everyone’s stamina too. But before we talk about what’s ahead, let’s review this past week.

There was a big surprise on Tuesday when Phil and Ginger Robitaille headed to Ports to meet some family for dinner. Little did they know that daughter Laura and son Drew, had filled the place with lots of family and friends who were there to celebrate their recent 50th anniversary. Their mom’s reaction made all their work worth it. The party continued on at Glen Garry for more fun.

The family (30 of them!) all gathered again to watch one of their own, Elena Tarpley, perform in Dominic’s Diner at the Carousel. You can also catch Elena in Motown Moves starting Aug. 6.

If you missed Saturday, you missed a lot! At 8 a.m., the Pickleball players and their groupies assembled and started competition. 20 teams paraded onto the courts while Rocky blasted from the stadium’s new sound system. At the end, Nate and Julie Merrill - yawn - were again, the last team standing. Congratulations on your three-peat! This may be the end of the line for the pickleball pros though, as next year there is talk of teams being randomly put together through the draw of a hat.

Mark Spencer and John Merrill were once again in the finals, but couldn’t quite close it out. That duo’s recent history has drawn comparisons to the Buffalo Bills, but that’s not accurate as Mark and John have been crowned champions in the past, unlike Buffalo. Sorry, Bills fans!

After the trophy presentation, it was time for the scavenger hunt. Hillary Merrill Tenant deserves huge kudos for putting that together at the last minute. She had two teams scouring Bayville for all kinds of things. Sadly, the Thomas Boyd (huge bonus points if you know who that was) treasure was not found. Or if it was, no one’s talking. Thank you Hillary!

At 1 p.m. the Waterfront Festival got underway as DJ Spence spun the tunes for musical chairs. All danced around the chairs while the Guinness representative confirmed our numbers were just shy of a record. No matter, Nancy Coleman showed everyone how to groove to the Hokey Pokey. The youngsters really set the tone for the rest of the proceedings with their first class behavior.

If this year’s competitions are any indication, we are all in for a kinder election season, as everyone was well behaved and polite. There were no obvious - or even questionable - rules infractions anywhere, and musical chairs did not become a contact sport as in years past.

The improved decorum is probably due to the suspension this year of any prize money (as a result of ESPN pulling their sponsorship) and the fact there was no awarding of the Ruler of the Bay or Ruler of the Sea trophies. There very well could have been an inaugural Ruler of the Parking Lot, but I have no idea who won that, and who really cares? Now, the name of the game is just great fun! Thank you to the BIA and Master of Ceremonies, Laura Allison!

Due to the success of a two day protest in the Village center, delicious dogs, chips and watermelon were brought back to the Festival to fuel the athletes performances. John Merrill, after spending hours on the hot court, somehow ended up on the even hotter grill. As always, he and Greg’s talents were on display, but with their brother David sidelined with Lyme (damn those ticks!), there was an obvious hole in the line-up. Yours truly tried to fill the void but those shoes were just too big to fill.

As the events wound down, the kids turned their attention to the water. Soon, a large and colorful flotilla took over the cove and cleanup began. The real heroes of the day were the roadies who toiled many hours setting up and breaking down all the chairs, tables and equipment. Huge shout out to JJ Allison, Brian and Liam McNamara and their foreman, Mark Spencer!

The Ice Cream Social as always, was a hit. Connie, Ginger, Jill and Tika all looked dazzling in their colorful, striped aprons. There was a wide array of flavors offered, including Bayville Blues and Bayville Treasure Chest.

If you missed any of the fun, make sure you are here next July 26!

Thankfully, there has been another Philbert sighting since the unfortunate Buzz incident. It seems Phil (Roberts that is) and Philbert have developed quite the bond. Philbert has now perched himself on Phil’s golf cart and enjoys being driven around the Village. They are quite the pair! One can only hope that Philbert’s wing muscles aren’t atrophying and he is strong enough to fly south come fall. If not, Karen may have an extra mouth to feed.

Next weekend, it’s Friday Night at the Movies as the Bayville Movie House shows the classic for all ages, Jurassic Park at 8 p.m. Possibly 7:30 so check the Post Office for updates. Bring your blankets, pillows etc.

At 9 the next morning, it’s time for everyone’s favorite event, the annual Bayville Village Corporation meeting. As you should all know by now, the board has proposed a new fee structure. Hopefully, you were able to attend one of the three informational sessions that were offered. The feedback we have received is overwhelmingly positive and we hope the vote is the same. The initial thought was to have a vote immediately following our upcoming meeting, but that isn’t happening as the documents won’t be ready for awhile. There is no need to rush things, so it looks like some time in late October/ early November is more likely via a virtual meeting. Hope to see you all Saturday morning - and night.

Of course, that night is the real social event of the season - the Lobster Bake! Social hour starts at 5 p.m. Don’t forget to bring enough to share of your iteration of the Bayville Buzz.

There is a lot more news but it will have to wait!