Monday is Patriots Day and it is also the beginning of spring break week at the school. Trout fishing in the Mill Pond continues to increase each day and should really pick up next week. Monday the town buildings will be closed to observe the state holiday. Tuesday is the 22nd annual Earth Day nationwide. Colleen Morris reports that this is national frog month for all of you who did not know. With the warmer weather here, expect a large influx of people all week long.

Kim Johnson at the First Congregational Church reports that the Easter Sunday service is at 10 a.m. in the Agricultural Hall. All faiths are welcome. Sunday school will be held during the 10 a.m. service with an Easter egg hunt after that service.

The Vineyard Transit Authority’s new bus schedule will start next Saturday morning at first light. The VTA carried a record amount of passengers last year and there is no reason to believe it will not be about the same or even an increase this year.

Amy Hoff at the West Tisbury library reports that on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m., Carolina Cooney will lead a discussion of the Hugo Award-winning graphic novel Watchmen, written by Allan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. You can join the graphic novel book club to discuss some thought-provoking and visually striking books. The book club is free and open to readers ages 16 and up. Copies of Watchmen are available at the front desk.

Phyllis Meras of Music Street hosted a surprise birthday dinner at her house last Friday night for Sal Laterra and Shirley Mayhew. Attending the lavish affair was Ann Burt, Paul Magid, Marjorie Pierce, Mary Jane Pease, John and Anna Alley, and George and Andrea Hartman. Sal is going down to visit his children for Easter. He wants to wish all of his Vineyard friends a very happy Easter.

Steve Lohman and his wife Jenifer Strachan of Waldron’s Bottom Road, returned home last week after spending the winter in New Orleans, La.

History note: On the evening of March 19, 1971, the newly opened and popular Black Dog Tavern, operated by Allan Miller of Christiantown, located at the rear of the old Dukes County Garage in Vineyard Haven, held a festive Mardi Gras party. Those present from this town were Travis and Merrily Tuck, Janet and Ed Cuetara, Mary Jane Case, Gerald Kelley, John Alley, Francis Crane, Jack Mayhew, Bill Prokoff and Lucia Evans. The guests all wore costumes and prizes were given in several categories: most delightful, most disgusting and most phantasmagorical. One of the prizes was won by former West Tisburyite Brandon Wight, who was dapper as a cavalry officer. He had the honor of cutting the seven-foot-long cake, fashioned as a dragon, complete with green icing. The cake was made by Paul Hardman and Steve Plummer.

Happy birthday to Norman Lobb, Lynne Whiting and Marina Sharkovitz today; Rosemarie Tedeschi, Martha Flanders, Justin Kelleher, Diane Emin and Lorraine Eldridge on Saturday; Ralph Jones, Kathleen Stevenson, Jeremy Berlin and Rebecca Ward on Sunday; Joyce Maxner, Joe Gervais, Lauren Martin and Terry Keech on Monday; Jeff Bryant, Brent Taylor, Dorothy Whiting, Chantale LeGare, Marshall Segall, Gary Rome and Sharon Gamsby on Tuesday; Hasty Runner, Anita Smith and Gordon Turner on Wednesday; and Barbara Levine, Patrick Callahan, Mike Diaz and Pricilla Cote on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Diane Nolan.

Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. If you have any news you would like to share, please call or email me (alleys@vineyard.net). Have a great week.

I am quite sure that on Sunday all the ladies will be wearing colorful Easter bonnets and the men sporting new neckties. Those of us with Portuguese heritage will continue the time-honored tradition of giving a loaf of Easter sweet bread (with hard-boiled eggs inside) to their friends and neighbors. Best wishes for a happy Easter and have a great week.