On any given summer day, the Vineyard’s year-round population is boosted by tens of thousands of people. For some, an Island visit is a novelty, a chance to see what the fuss is all about, perhaps to gawk at celebrities.

For others, this Island is not about getting away from it all, but about coming home to a summer community that includes the whole fabric of their lives. Certainly one important facet of the Island economy is built around the stream of summer visitors who take only pictures and leave only dollars. But the visitors for whom we are most grateful are those of the faithful summer community which returns each year to the Island and calls it home.