As the Sunday night sun was beginning to lower itself in the sky and set the scene for a spectacular sunset, musical instruments and their music makers began to gather on Squid Row. Chris Carroll was the first to arrive, quickly followed by Anthony Gude, then Geordie Gude, Brad Tucker, Josh Campbell and more.

The sun continued to lower itself as folks gathered to listen. There were plenty of familiar faces in the crowd that quietly began to file in and take a seat around the folksy tunes the group was sharing: Margaret Maida, Claire Ganz, Tom Singer, Susan Murphy to name just a few.

While the music was being played and voices were being shared and as the sun began its evolution casting its rays across an apricot sky, F/V Grayhaven made its way into Menemsha harbor. Captain Johnny Osmers along with Evan Hammond, Rudy Sanfillippo and Kent Healy quietly made their way to the Commercial Dock where the fanfare eagerly awaited.

A group of friends and passersby gathered behind the Seafood Collaborative where Tyler Gibson of The Fish House had his box truck waiting. After a little finagling, the gin boom raised the 650-ish dressed bluefin tuna from the blanket of ice in which it sat on Grayhaven. Opening day of the season was a good one for Johnny and his crew.

A Chilmark kid of a few days gone by exchanged wedding vows with his sweetheart and best friend this past weekend. Whitney Hyde, the youngest of Liz and Robin’s offspring, and his bride Antonia Rutter, called on friends and family to surround them in Bristol, R.I. as they exchanged vows, tied the knot and whooped it up with joyous celebration. Congratulations to the newlyweds.

With a jam-packed, event-filled Labor Day weekend in the books, the big yellow school buses are back navigating the roads. Trish Peters, one of our terrific up-Island drivers, welcomes her passengers with a wide smile and quick conversation about summer adventures. She eases their nerves and helps drown out a few of those first day jitters.

Happy first week of school to some of our youngest elementarians Yes, I made that up. Definition: noun, elementary students including Mae, Gryphon, Emi, Teddy, Wren, Cash, Razmus, Mischa, Booker, Cormac and more. I hope the first days of school go well for them, their big siblings and all of the other kids in town who made the transition from bare feet to sneakers and an earlier bedtime.

Well wishes to all of our preschoolers including Finley Wilbur who, over a drippy Italian ice, shared not only how very excited she was to go back, but the excitement for her little brother Oscar to also attend was palpable. Learning is fun, but doing it side by side with both old friends and new is really just the best.