Midsummer Steam

The evening sun is picking up its pace, and so is everything else on the Vineyard. As the sun races too fast for the horizon, we all seem to be racing, too — racing too madly along our rural roads, racing to tick off all our vacation traditions, racing to make enough money from the season. We even race to find some relaxation, knowing it’s ridiculous.

And, really, with all that the Vineyard will offer next week, better perhaps to embrace it with all our remaining energy because the experiences promise to be energizing. The Agricultural Fair turns 150 years old, celebrating with a parade on Tuesday before entries stream in on Wednesday and gates open on Thursday to rides, ribbons, farm animals and fried dough (but don’t forget, your entry forms must be turned in to the fair folks on Monday). Then the twinkling lanterns of the Oak Bluffs Camp Ground clear the darkness all at once for Grand Illumination Night on Wednesday, preceded by a community sing and the unveiling of the annual secret . . . who has the honor of lighting the first light this year? Friday brings the fireworks in Oak Bluffs.

These are the things that, thankfully, never change too much. They are among the best Island traditions as we round the final corner of summer. Enjoy them; take a deep breath while trying to park, expect it to take too long to get home, revel in their simplicity.

Other things regrettably have not changed too much. Separate But Unequal is the title of the annual panel discussion at the Old Whaling Church hosted by Harvard professor and seasonal resident Henry Louis Gates Jr. This Thursday he brings a new crop of intellects to discuss the still yawning education gap between students black and white, impoverished and privileged. On Wednesday his Harvard colleague and friend Professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. gathers another group from around the country, including columnist Charles Blow, professor Anita Hill and broadcaster Gwen Ifill, to talk about Race and Media in the 21st Century. That evening, yet more of the Island’s intelligentsia gather to present Voices for Obama, just hours before Air Force One is due to carry the Obamas here for their annual family vacation. Also this week, the poet Naomi Nye will read, the author of The Well from Hell will take questions, and a Tony award-winning director will speak about engaging the younger generation in the continuation of the civil rights legacy.

This kind of thoughtful discussion is as much a tradition here these days as the fair and the fireworks and fun on the beach. It allows us all to think about the way we interact with the world. The mix of Islanders and seasonal residents and visitors, all under a summer sky, gives a rich context and respectful tenor to the talks. As debate online and in cable news studios so often turns coarse, it is good to be in a library or church or tent or school, face to face with people whose lives would not normally intersect. Enjoy this too; try to hear things we ordinarily tune out, understand another perspective, realize the complexity.

It often seems heavy-going to a daytripper expecting another kind of seasonal resort, but it’s the Island way. We’ve come to depend on it, as we have on the economics of it. Business owners and nonprofits, nearly all heavily reliant on summer money, are reporting a mixed season this year. Not unlike the stock market this week, one gala fundraiser is down, another is up, a gas station owner reports a year worryingly down from even last year’s lows, a retailer reports stronger sales.

As most readers know too well, the Vineyard is not impervious to the uncertainty that has shaken the nation. We have soldiers whom, thankfully, we welcome home. We have hundreds more people who want jobs than we have work. We have tensions that seize on our immigrants. We are soaking up more energy while trying to preserve our environment. Our community is much more than a second-home seasonal economy, but indeed because of that, the Island is a place where the wealth gap is writ large.

This should not elude our most notable visitor, President Obama, as he prepares to take his annual retreat here for a third summer. Even the Commander in Chief needs time away with family and friends to refresh himself — physically, mentally and spiritually — and we hope he finds that here on our Island. We also hope that the effect of his revitalization will be to return to work with renewed vigor and a clear sense of purpose. Much is at stake, and the Vineyard is a better place than most — for all of us, the President included — to find the vision, energy and inspiration needed to take on challenges within and beyond our shores.