Things looked brighter on the Vineyard over the Fourth of July weekend, as the sun reemerged after a month of hiding and a healthy crowd of visitors arrived for the holiday.

Merchants reported a robust weekend, about on par with last year.

“It was awesome, we did well,” said Jason Leone, owner of the Island Hoppers moped dealership in Oak Bluffs. “After 40 days of rain it was nice to see the sun again. It finally felt like summer.”

George Laktash of Martha’s Vineyard Bicycle Rental in Vineyard Haven agreed. “It was good. I think the weather helped,” he said. “Bike rentals are a fair weather sport, and when you get a couple of clear, sunny days with a nice breeze on the Fourth of July you can’t ask for more.”

Steamship Authority general manager Wayne Lamson said traffic figures for the weekend are incomplete, but early reports are positive.

“Things were really busy Saturday; I know the [parking] lots in Falmouth and Bourne were totally full and we were turning people away,” Mr. Lamson said. “My understanding is there was a large volume of people traveling to and from the Vineyard.”

He said it is not a straight-line comparison with previous holidays, since the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday this year. But overall weekend volumes appeared comparable with the same three-day period last year, he said.

Todd Bidwell, general manager of the Island Queen, a passenger ferry that runs between Falmouth and Oak Bluffs, said boats were packed.

“We had an excellent weekend. I think everyone was thinking, ‘Finally, the sun is back,’ so spirits were flying. The floodgates opened up Friday, and we stayed busy right through the weekend. We were bringing a lot of people home on Sunday, that might have been our busiest day,” he said.

Martha’s Vineyard Airport manager Sean Flynn said the volume of planes coming and going from the Island was about the same, although jet fuel sales were off about 13 per cent. He said the volume of planes landing at the airport was down between 20 and 25 per cent in June due to a combination of factors.

“We sort of predicted June would be off this year. We had a good June last year, but saw a downturn in July, so we expected our numbers to be down this June . . . of course, the poor weather didn’t help,” Mr. Flynn said.

Edgartown harbor master Charlie Blair said things were hopping in his harbor all weekend. Unlike previous years, however, when the number of boats gradually increased leading up to the Fourth of July, this year boaters showed up all at once when the weather improved.

“Usually we have a buildup, but this year everyone showed up on Friday and Saturday. All of a sudden all these boats were here; it was like instant summer,” Mr. Blair said.

And he said clear skies provided perfect conditions for Saturday’s fireworks.

“The fireworks were better this year. Last year it wasn’t so clear, but this year it was spectacular. I think we were busier this Fourth of July than last year, which is good news,” he said.

Dennis daRosa, president of the Oak Bluffs Association, said he received mixed reviews from businesses. While eateries and bars reported a strong weekend, some retail shops said things were slow. “Some people did just fine and others were left wanting for more,” he said.

Mr. daRosa said although the weekend was good, there is still much apprehension among members of the business community due to the recession.

“Now that the Fourth [of July] is over, I think a lot of people are asking: what will today bring? Will things be the same during the weekdays? Will we have to live weekend to weekend this summer? Things are always hard to predict, but this year things are up in the air more than ever,” he said, adding:

“If the early summer was any indication, people are not spending with abandon. I don’t think we’ll really have a sense of how the economy will affect us until the end of the summer.”