Well, signs of fall are beginning to appear as the last gasp of warm moist air enveloped the Vineyard this past week. Canada geese are headed south each morning with time out for a last-of-the-summer dip in the Mill Pond. The berries appear to be plentiful, not at all like last season, and they are late. You felt a dramatic reduction in traffic on Monday. The fireworks are tonight in Oak Bluffs. The sun is now setting around 7:30 p.m. Labor Day is early this year and, yes, school begins Sept. 4. Starting next weekend the Farmers’ Market and Artisans’ Festival will be held once a week.

A lot of year-round people will be taking a well-deserved September vacation shortly, after a hectic August in what has been a busy summer season. Automobile traffic is beginning to thin out, but SSA boats are packed going to the mainland. Your mailbox soon will have catalogs featuring Halloween and a few Christmas books have arrived.

Geoff McCullough his wife Signe and their children Geoff Jr., Nellie, Louisa and Henry spent last weekend in the Kansas section of town. They came to visit his dad David and mom Rosalee. Geoff is prone to accidents and says they make the visit memorable. Two years ago he backed his car into a tree in his dad’s front yard. This year he broke the pot on his mom’s favorite coffee maker. To his credit, he tried to repair it with clear masking tape. He admitted that was tacky, plus it didn’t work. He is searching at the Dumptique, hoping to find a replacement.

Jim Coyne of Music street reports that their daughter Kate and her husband Ryan Coyle will be staying with them on Looks Pond next week along with their twin 2-year-old sons Ryan and James. Plans include helping with the garden, canoeing on the pond, watching the planes fly, grabbing brass rings on the Oak Bluffs merry-go-round and keeping the geese and ducks off the lawn. Grandpa has volunteered to help them learn about turtles, skunks and turkeys, up close and personal. Any other 2-year-old twins in town are welcome to join the fun.

Jill Carlton and her husband Pete Karman of State Road have returned after spending a week out west touring around with their son Alex. Jill reports that the scenery was spectacular and they enjoyed the really warm weather.

Ed and Jane Konicki of Webster came down on Wednesday to go to the fair and visit friends.

Charlie Kernick of Edgartown Road reports that they did not have an invasion of house guests this year for the fair, just a few family members and friends.

Marian Irving reports that on Tuesday, Sept. 2, between 5 and 9 p.m. the First Congregational Church will receive a percentage of Flatbread pizza sales. Ann Nelson is gathering silent auction surprises. There will be exciting, unusual and distinctive items to bid on. This is your chance to help support the church and its mission.

For all you sports fans, 75 years ago tomorrow the first televised Major League Baseball game was broadcast on station W2XBS from New York which, a few years later, was assigned the call letters WNBC-TV. Announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn that sunny afternoon. Red, who sat in the catbird seat as he called it, many years later became a Chilmark summer resident.

Happy birthday to Laura Gilman, Lauren Morgan and Robin Canha today; Armand Bergeron, Mo Bresnahan, Lindsay Webster, Bruno Oliveri, Bill Tsikitas and Steve Feinsmith tomorrow; Mike Olivera, Caryn Broitman, Vaughn Russillo and Timothy Daniels on Sunday; Kendall Chaves, TJ Hagerty, Sherm Goldstein and Scott Vanness on Monday; Hallie Armer, David Roderick, Ken Rusyk and Taylor Smith on Tuesday; Nancy Burelson, Alan Northcott, David Vigneault, Paige McCarthy, John Christensen and Shannon Larsen on Wednesday; Steve Hart, Bill Black, Mae Deary, Jessica O’Connor and Bob Potts on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Jen Zern and Lynn Ditchfield. Anniversary greetings to Matt Taylor and Dr. Carrie Flyer on Sunday, Sarah Monast and Elton Nascimento, and Don Evon and Denise Mount on Monday.

A bit of cocktail party trivia: Monday marks the 97th anniversary of the first telephone connection between the Vineyard and Nantucket. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop across the country 80 years ago, and last Tuesday 103 years ago a dispatcher in the New York Times office sent the first telegram around the world via commercial service.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or email me. Have a great week.

Send your West Tisbury news to: alleys@vineyard.net.