‘Jaws’ actor on his own shark attack death scene off Martha’s Vineyard
Jeffrey Voorhees played Alex Kintner in the original ‘Jaws’ movie, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. He was 12 years old at the time.
- A colorful sign at Play Arcade in New Bedford points to real and fictional locations.
- The sign includes Amity Island from the movie “Jaws,” listed as 20 miles away.
- The fictional Amity Island is largely based on Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, where the movie was filmed.
- Created by a local artist, the sign has become a popular photo spot for visitors.
NEW BEDFORD — If you’re curious about what direction to head from New Bedford to Paris, London, Tokyo or even the infamous Amity Island from “Jaws,” check the sign on the deck of Play Arcade.
A colorful directional sign points visitors toward more than a dozen destinations, mixing real-world cities and countries with a wink to pop culture.
Honolulu, Dublin, Paris, London and Tokyo are all represented, but one of the biggest conversation-starters is Amity Island, the fictional setting of Steven Spielberg’s classic blockbuster “Jaws,” listed as just 20 miles from New Bedford.
According to Play Arcade co-owner Adam Katz, the distances are all in good fun.
“They are pointing as a crow flies to that location,” he said jokingly. “We wanted it on deck as commemoration to those signs on Martha’s Vineyard and in the Caribbean to complete our beach bum vibes.”
Where is Amity Island, anyway?
The blockbuster movie, about a series of shark attacks around the Fourth of July. was filmed almost entirely in Martha’s Vineyard, and it is largely based on one particularly town on the island.
While Spielberg and crew filmed parts of the movie in Vineyard Haven, Menemsha, and Chilmark, most of the filming was in Edgartown.
Play Arcade’s sign is a photo hot-spot
The sign has quickly become part of the arcade’s personality, giving guests a playful photo-op between games, drinks and waterfront views. Visitors often scan the arrows to find a favorite vacation spot, hometown or dream destination.
“People love it for photo-ops and trying to find their home or favorite location,” Katz said. “It does include one movie location too, Amity Island, because I’m kind of obsessed with ‘Jaws.’”
The piece was designed by local artist Jeremy M. Pereira, also known as JP, of Wicked Good Signs. With its beach-town colors and globe-trotting arrows, the sign adds a little wanderlust, and a little shark-infested movie nostalgia, to Play Arcade’s deck.
The deck also serves both food and drinks, adding to its laid-back hangout feel with specialty themed cocktails such as Ms. Pac-Man, made with prosecco, Aperol, strawberry, seltzer, and Spyro, named after the PlayStation video game dragon hero featuring gin, lemon, grape soda.
For those skipping alcohol, the mocktail menu includes the kitchen sink, a refreshing mix of every juice and syrup in-house packed into one drink.
And while sipping a drink, you can officially discover what direction to point the way from New Bedford to Amity Island.
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram: @Official_Seth_Chitwood. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today
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