The weather has been delightful and summer-like. It is getting busier each day as more people continue to arrive for their vacation.

Happy Fourth of July on Monday and welcome to the summer season and all the excitement it brings along with it.

The annual Independence Day parade in downtown Edgartown on Monday steps off promptly at 5 p.m. on Monday. Do yourself and your family a big favor and make getting to the parade and fireworks a whole lot easier by taking the bus to Edgartown and avoid traffic gridlock.

The strawberry festival at the church saw a huge turnout this year. The weather was superb and so were the strawberries. Marian Irving reports that it was a very successful day; all the money raised will go to help with church maintenance and projects. She is grateful to the community for the support.

On Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m. the West Tisbury library will host an artist’s reception for Rez Williams. His work will be on display at the library for the month of July. Refreshments will be served at the opening, and both the reception and exhibit are free to the public.

Hermine Merel Smith Fine Art will open for the summer tomorrow, and will be open Saturdays and Sundays 11 to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

Jim and Holly Coyne of Look’s Pond Way are thrilled that their daughter, Kate Coyle and son in law, Ryan Coyle, of Darien, Conn., will visit for the first half of July, bringing their twin sons, Ryan and James, and three-month-old daughter, Julia. Expect to see the whole brood on the town hall swings and jungle gym.

Phyllis Meras of Music Street has returned home from a trip to New York city. Lee Deacoupolous of Providence, R.I., was here in her absence holding the fort down.

Alan and Fran Kauffman, of Teaneck, N.J., are at their summer home on Plum Bush Point for the season. Fran is busy preparing for several house guests that will be arriving tomorrow.

Susan Dickler of Music street reports that her husband Sig Van Rann will be reading from his full-length play, The

Babylonian Talmud, at the Vineyard Playhouse on July 11, so save the date aside on your social calendar.

Arsen and Nicole and grandchildren Robert, Henry, Edward and Mark from East Taunton will be arriving on Sunday for a week at their grandparents house. This will be Eddie and Mark’s first Vineyard visit.

On June 30, 1942, John Palmeira, air raid warden and chairman of Civil Defense, issued an order to all motorists driving at night requiring them to use only their parking lights on all roads leading south off the Edgartown Road. Since school had been dismissed and the teacher who was in charge of the center, Miss Ruth Blanchard, had gone up to New Hampshire to be with her mother for the summer he moved the control center from the schoolhouse to his home for the summer. The alarm, should there be warning of an air raid, would be the ringing of church bells. Mr. Palmeira had just received a siren for his automobile to help him spread any alert. Sector wardens were making sure that blackout screens were in place on all homes every night.

Happy birthday to: John Miller, Deana Athearn, and Max Bradshaw Friday; Ava Plakins, Diane Abbot, Sioux Eagle, Elliott Tolen, Janaye Rooney and Joseph Thompson Saturday; Allison McKinley, Michelle Marks, Marsha Winsryg, Pat Goodell and Sandra Clark on Sunday; Dan Whiting, Cherrilla Brown, Abigail Bailey and Shawn Barber on Monday; David McCullough, Adam Bresnick, and Sarah Pallatroni on Tuesday; John Mayhew 3rd, Sarah Cottle, William Austin, Skip Manter, Jason Neago and Andrew Gardner on Wednesday; Rez Williams, Mary McDonough, Max Ellis and Gail Stevens on Thursday. Happy anniversary to the famous Webster socialites, Ed and Jane Konicki Saturday. Belated anniversary wishes to Ed Levine and Vicki Bijur and to the Field Gallery that opened to the public 46 years ago yesterday.

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

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.