We are very near the peak of the summer season yet some college students will begin leaving to return to school by next weekend. It is time to say goodbye to all the July visitors and wish them a fond farewell and trust that you have had a good vacation and enjoyed your summer. We hope that you will come back and visit us next year. At this time we extend a warm and hearty hello to all of our new visitors.

John and Jacqueline Zeisel had a full house earlier this month when a theatre troupe from New York city took up residence for nearly a week at their home off State Road.

The all-women theatre troupe, Clutch Productions, was recently co-founded by John and Jacqueline’s soon-to-be daughter in law, Miranda Noelle Wilson and two of her actor friends, Amy Kersten and Christianne Greiert, along with theatre director Michelle Bossy. The group was formed to commission and produce theatre by, for and with female roles. They brought with them actors Jennifer Dorr White and Evan Bass to work on a new play being written for them by writer/actor Heidi Armbruster, well-known from her roles in films and plays.

The group came here to work on a dramatic piece about a woman who has left her career as a concert pianist in New York city and returned to the rural town where she grew up to run the senior care home left to her by her mother. She is challenged by two sisters whose mother was the former pianist’s beloved music teacher and is now a resident of the home and suffering from dementia. The play explores the drama of differing attitudes towards dementia from the perspectives of the loved ones who want the best for their senior. The troupe’s stay here was an intense brainstorming and creative exercise, with the writer writing and revising the script, the actors reading and re-reading scenes, and the director planning how to stage the production and visualize the reality.

John and Jacqueline were thrilled to participate in a complete read-through on the last afternoon, where they were captivated by the creativity, professionalism, skill, talent and commitment of the group. The play will be staged at the Walkerspace in New York from December 2–20.

Marilyn and Warren Hollingshead, of Pond View Road, have returned from a week with college friends attending theatre at Stratford on Avon in Ontario. Warren says it is every bit as good in quality as New York or London with not only Shakespeare, but also the Diary of Anne Frank, the musical Carousel and much more. Now he needs to attend to his gardens that need a bit of care.

Geoff Currier reports that on the 4th there will be a Tuesdays at Twilight concert at the Grange Hall featuring the band Good Night Louise. The concert is sponsored by the West Tisbury Library Foundation and all proceeds go the library. Good Night Louise’s music is best described as a folksy medley of Americana and blues. The concert will also include appearances by Rose Guerin, Jemima James and other special guests. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the West Tisbury library and at Tisberry in Vineyard Haven. Tickets are $15 for adults and half price for kids 12 and under, limit of six tickets per person. The Art Cliff food truck will serve dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Grange grounds.

Suellen Lazarus reports that Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center the opening event of the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival will feature a dialogue between two high-profile journalists: Ta-Nehisi Coates, national correspondent for The Atlantic, and Michele Norris, National Public Radio host and founder of The Race Card Project. Saturday the festival moves to the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown where authors will be speaking in panel discussions running from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.. The panel at 11:30 a.m. will feature a group of Island and off-Island chefs and food experts.

On Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the festival is back in Chilmark on the grounds of the Chilmark Community Center. Three tents will be running simultaneously with authors speaking every 45 minutes. Erik Larson, with his best seller Dead Wake on the sinking of the Lusitania, will speak at 11:15 a.m. Also speaking at 11:15 a.m. are Rick Mast, chocolate maker, and Jennifer Tseng, discussing her new book, Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness. Congressman Barney Frank will speak at 1:45 p.m. and Bob Ryan, Boston Globe sportswriter, will speak at 10:30 a.m. The day concludes with a panel discussion on Dissecting the News that will include Mr. Frank, Jeff Fager of CBS News, and Charles Blow of the New York Times, moderated by Alex Jones, former head of the Shorenstein Center for the Media at Harvard.

Brandon Wight and Bruce Blackwell will be on the Vineyard starting on Sunday and stay until the 8th at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. It is has been a number of years since their last visit; they will attend the 50th anniversary party for Vineyard Conservation Society. They will be visiting Brandy’s nieces, Judy and Barry Lutender and Karen and Rich Duffy, as well as many other old friends. Brandy celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year. The Granary Gallery, which they founded, will have a special event for them on Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m.

The Friends of the West Tisbury Library will hold their 58th annual book sale this weekend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day at the West Tisbury school gym. They will have a large selection available. Sunday is half price day. All the books that are not sold over the weekend are free on Monday morning. They would like to thank everyone for their generous book donations.

The Ashley Medowski Gallery is celebrating its 14th year. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 367 Lambert’s Cove Road. This year’s theme is Shorebirds, Ships, Sea Life (paintings and mixed media boxes). Her annual show and reception will be Saturday, August 8 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Amy Hoff, over at the library, reports that paintings by Marie-Louise Rouff will be exhibited there during the month of August. The opening is scheduled today from 3 to 5 p.m.

Happy birthday to: Karin Magid, Dale Ferry, Eben Elias, Anita Knight and Trevor Grimes Friday, James Leroux, Liza Smith, Sarah Carr and Ben Cabot Saturday, Dick Goodell, Shawn McCormick, Joel Weintraub, and Shawn McCormick on Sunday, Carol Hunter and Laura Silber on Monday, Janet Alley, John Kelleher, Tristan Atwood and Loretta Ross on Wednesday, Mary Donlavey, Patricia Kent, Donna Diaz and Colleen Barnett on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Bob Ganz who celebrated his 90th on Monday. Belated anniversary greetings to Ed and Holly Eger.

Well that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please e-mail or call me. Have a great week.

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.