With the season heralded by the Memorial Day holiday just two weeks away it’s time to begin filling in the calendar for what is already anticipated to be a busy summer. Nostalgia may be the principal emotion for those returning to our shores.

The Cottagers celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2016. Once upon a time there were a few black women with the foresight to invest in some affordable homes of Oak Bluffs during a rare period of economic malaise. Some found compensation from renting rooms to friends and relatives. Others, like my more modern folks, were more attracted to the dispensation of extending relationships as hearts grew fonder, thanks to a couple of months of absence. Still others reveled in a place for children where race didn’t have the stress or importance that it had over in America.

Promoting culture, pride, a sense of purpose and place, along with a willingness to give back through community service, the Cottagers will be celebrated by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in an exhibit beginning July 15 in its Spotlight Gallery. Over the years, Cottagers members have hosted clam bakes, home tours, arts events and exhibits and fashion shows to raise funds for Island causes. Over the years this singular organization, started by fewer than a dozen women, has contributed to the high school, police and fire departments, the Oak Bluffs Library, the NAACP and the Island Food Pantry to mention a few.

In August, the museum salutes the Polar Bears, the now iconic group of people who share the season at the Inkwell, proving Oak Bluffs to be the ironic town where most, but not all, of our Polar Bears are black. Many of the original members of the Polar Bears were indeed Cottagers. The Polar Bears gather in the early morning in bathing suits and in the comforting waters of Vineyard Sound. Both organizations, although unique to the American experience, are complementary to each other — and the diversity we share in the remarkable town of Oak Bluffs.

Mark your calendars for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s inclusive exhibits this summer. Also, don’t forget to check the Cottagers website, cottagerscornermv.org, for its scheduled events, including the White and Bling Party on July 8, the house tour on July 21, the fashion show on August 4, and events around the 60th Anniversary from August 10 to 14.

Oak Bluffs police chief Erik Blake (president of the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP) is participating in the 2016 Dads Honor Ride to raise funds to support the Children’s Trust Massachusetts Fatherhood Initiative. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to this worthy cause go to: crowdrise.com/the-childrens-trust.

Chief Blake has scheduled Coffee with the Chief next Friday, May 20 to discuss such issues with the public as officer engagement and the design of the new cars that hopefully gets rid of the sunglass darkened windows of the cruisers.

The grapevine has it that a popular local restaurateur has almost finished constructing a new restaurant beneath the Lampost with an entrance through the back parking lot opposite the 20byNine whiskey bar on Kennebec.

Congratulations to Charlayne Hunter-Gault. She gave the commencement address at the University of Richmond, and received an honorary degree. We can now call her Doctor Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

Lola’s is back for its 23rd year, having opened with the typical huge crowd for its Mother’s Day Brunch last Sunday. See you at Lola’s.

On Friday, May 13, a speaker will present a talk at the Oak Bluffs School entitled Heroin is Killing My Town, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Our hearts ache for Christine (and Catherine) Todd.

Keep your foot on a rock.

Send Oak Bluffs news to sfinley@mvgazette.com.