The Fourth of July is upon us. And now the Vineyard joins the rest of the nation in celebration of our national day of independence, the first long holiday weekend of summer, a moment when the season explodes on the Island, a time when we all hope the fragile resources of this special place will withstand the crush of crowds and traffic and tens of thousands of vacation visitors.

Fourth of July on the Vineyard brings a unity to the community, a gathering of people from near and far. And so they come to the Vineyard for this Independence Day celebration. The skeptics may ask why and we are reminded of an answer published in the Gazette long ago:

"Day by day they come, more and more of them, the summer migrants called by the sea and open country, by shore, hill and country sky. Scientists, we remember, even maintain that our home is the sea itself; if not that, then an Island comes nearest."