Friday is the start of the long holiday weekend. Labor Day is on Monday and the end of the high summer season. All municipal buildings and the post office will be closed. The VTA buses begin their fall schedule next Tuesday; also all schools, except Tisbury, open that same day. If you have to go downtown you will immediately notice the drop in the volume of automobile traffic and you might even find a parking place.

Activity around the school has increased dramatically, as teachers have started work preparing for the opening of school on Tuesday morning. School buses will soon be on the road, so be prepared stop when you see red flashing lights at the top of the buses, as the driver is about to put out the stop sign.

Beach stickers will still be required at Lambert’s Cove beach until mid-September.

Phyllis Meras, of Music street, held her annual season-ending party on her back lawn and it was well attended. A good time was had by all.

Fran Kaufman, of Plum Bush Point, reports that she and her husband hosted members of their family last week. They enjoyed the weather and went to the beach nearly every day.

Warren and Marilyn Hollinshead’s daughter Dana, with husband Todd, were most helpful around the house and yard last week. Warren and Marilyn got some grandparent time with grandchildren Evan and Lauren.

Dick and Diana Reische were delighted to have both of their families visiting this past week. Son Eric and grandson Daane made the trip from Aspen, but had to leave dog Mugsy home, and Eric’s wife Sandra was visiting family in Switzerland. Kirk and wife Susan and their children, Luke, Heather and Bonnie, came from Pelham. Dick reports that they all had a wonderful time.

Sig Van Raan, of Music street, reports that recently five members of his wife Susan’s extended family arrived from England and are staying at their Menemsha cottage. She is excitedly awaiting the visit of her daughter and son-in-law with the 15-month-old grandson.

Andrea Rogers, the manager of the 24th Artisan’s Labor Day Festival, reports that it begins Friday at 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. over at the Agricultural Hall grounds. Many Island artisans will take part in the show, with all types of art work on display, including furniture, jewelry, photography and much more. All the art is made by Island residents. There will also be wagon rides for the kids, music, food from Little Rock Farm, many demonstrations and free admission. She reports that the parking fee will go toward the Vineyard Artisan’s Scholarship Fund. There will be a special preview of the Festival tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

Over at the library, Olivia Larsen invites everyone to join them between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday to celebrate children’s librarian Nelia Decker on her last day on the job. She will be retiring after 25 years of service to the community. There will be a free lunch served from 12 to 1 p.m., and a cake to share at 4 p.m. Please welcome their new children’s librarian, Alexandra Pratt. On Wednesday at 4 p.m., Alan Dershowitz will discuss his newly released book, Defending Israel.

The West Tisbury School opened for the school year on September 8, 1947 with twenty students registered for all four grades. Helen R. O’Donnell returned for her fourth year of teaching all of the grades. New students this year and enrolled in the first grade are: John Alley, Virginia Bardwell, George Churchill and John Gaffey; for grade two, Winifred Alley, Dixon Rogers and Robert Vincent; in grade three, Rita Alley, Elizabeth Churchill, Margaret Duquette, Ann Hotchkiss, Joan Merry, Walter Vincent and Margaret Wilkinson, and in grade four, Judith Barker, Alfred Churchill Jr., Crichton Magee Jr., Linda Magnuson and Denys Wortman. The Churchill children will be here permanently as their parents recently purchased a home in town, Anne Hotchkiss will go to Arabia the latter part of October with her mother and brothers and Denys Wortman will return to Vineyard Haven later in the fall. Miss Irene Landers is the school nurse and Miss Dorothy Kenney music supervisor will visit the school during the opening week.

Happy Birthday to: Luiz Oliveira, Cheryl Lowe and Frank Viviano today; Pat Mitchell, Chuck Wiley, Michael Smith, Marilyn Wortman and Janet Johnson tomorrow; Ebba Hierta, Tessa Wall and Candace Webster on Sunday; Hilary Blocksom, Ann Bassett, Nelia Decker and Jane Dreeben on Monday; Dick Burt, Bonnie Eldridge, Amanda Cram and Mary Sobel on Tuesday; John Hough and Samantha Cochrane on Wednesday, and Ward Just, Tucker Smith, Laurie Mazer and Gloria Sylva on Thursday.

Happy 13th Anniversary greetings to Jay Segel and Celine Gobard on Monday, and belated 57th anniversary wishes to Dick and Diana Reische of Yellow Brick Road.

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

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.