There used to be a sense that you could happen upon anything at Alley’s General Store: a Japanese hand hoe, a rubber chicken, Mexican jumping beans, or a bouquet of fresh flowers. It was a triumph of creative clutter and unhurried service, the kind of place where shoppers would step aside to let a little kid pay for his pack of gum with coins scraped off the floor of the car.

Two years ago, after the store was refurbished by Vineyard Trust, we went in a couple more times. It was still a convenient place to run in for a carton of milk, but there seemed to be an awful lot of expensive soap and we kind of stopped going there. Last April, the Trust announced new management and closed Alley’s to get everything ready for its reopening in summer.

Alas, as of this writing, the Dealers in Almost Everything remain shuttered. Up-islanders are getting pretty tired of the closure and perhaps their impatience is warranted. But looking around at the absolute craziness in the trades this year, I’m tempted to give the new managers the benefit of the doubt. It is safe to assume that they are just as eager to open the doors and start making money. If we can wait for a kid to count out pennies for gum, we can wait a little longer for these guys, right? Here’s hoping they are able someday to reopen the farm stand in back, too.

Right next door to Alley’s, the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury has returned to in-person services. Masks and social distancing are required. “After 16 months of worshipping from home, the congregation was delighted to be together in the much-loved West Tisbury church,” wrote David Fielder. The church has new audio-visual equipment, a worthy investment in inclusivity which is no doubt appreciated by those who cannot attend in person.

Go check out the musical interactive art exhibit at Up-Island Cronig’s: a piano on the porch. Andy Herr installed the instrument for all to come and play throughout the summer, tuned up by piano technician extraordinaire David Stanwood and gorgeously illustrated with Vineyard scenes by Alexis Russillo, Janette Vanderhoop, Lenston Daugherty and Susan Herr.

West Tisbury author John Hough Jr. has published a new novel, The Sweetest Days. Mr. Hough is one of the finest writers working on the Island, and I cannot wait to read his latest. Edgartown Books has it in stock and Bunch of Grapes was sold out when I called but will have received a big shipment by the time you read this.

On June 25, Sig Van Raan and Susan Dickler hosted a wedding in their Music street backyard for their daughter Sofia and her betrothed, Zachary Murray. The family had sensibly postponed the wedding due to the pandemic. Sofia and Zach went on to spend their honeymoon at the family cottage in Menemsha. All the best to them.

World Market Mondays begin at the old Grange Hall, every Monday through August, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This market raises money to boost women-owned businesses in Africa, Haiti, India and Peru. Stop by to stock up on arts and crafts; tuck them away for holiday gifts and opt out of last-minute Amazon shopping this year (mostly talking to myself, here).

There are piping plover nests at Lambert’s Cove by James Pond. Walk to the right, not the left. Also, can we expect these little birds to hinder, in various ways, future access to the not-yet-open Land Bank property, James Pond Preserve? Why yes, yes we can. Bank on it. However, we in West Tisbury care about eggs and birds and nature, and we will be very understanding about this.

Finally, this is technically August news, but I am moved to mention now, and probably several more times throughout the summer, that this year’s Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair will be dedicated to Emma Hall, a beautiful, talented and much-loved Island girl who died last winter at the age of 22. As soon as she was old enough, Emma devoted the lion’s share of every summer to the fair, alongside the other hard workers who make this amazing event happen every year. Her sister designed this year’s poster, which is spot-on perfect and amazing, and there will be a baking award at the fair in Emma’s name.