YMCA Says Pick Your Pool Party

The second annual Cool Pool Parties fundraising event to benefit the YMCA is this Saturday, July 28, from 7 to 10 p.m.

The idea is simple and yet ingenious. Guests are invited to choose one of three private Vineyard properties to relax poolside and enjoy a party matched to a particular theme.

Batch on Hatch is hosted by Kathy and Jim Gidwitz and takes place in Vineyard Haven. This party features music by Andy Suzuki and food by Kitchen Porch catering.

What follows are the three winning essays from the annual Della Hardman essay contest at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Students were asked to write opinion pieces about the use of digital devices at the high school. Winning essayists will be recognized at the annual Della Hardman Day event in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, July 28. The Gazette publishes the winning essays annually in advance of the daylong event which celebrates the arts and literature each year on the last Saturday in July.

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By BRIAN HURLEY

Hilary Dreyer, daughter of William and Stephanie Dreyer of West Tisbury, was named to the dean’s list at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. for the spring 2012 semester.

Jaime Billings of Oak Bluffs, Jillian Grzesiuk of Edgartown and Abigail Larsen of Chilmark were named to the dean’s list at Roger Williams University for the spring 2012 semester.

With a shark tournament, a local festival and summer crowds in town, Oak Bluffs police had a busy weekend: Friday through Sunday, the department made 21 arrests, placed four people in protective custody, and responded to 140 incidents.

According to the police weekend log, there were 10 charges of disorderly conduct and three incidents of minors possessing or attempting to procure alcohol. Most of the activity happened on Saturday night, when there were nine arrests between 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

There’s a new crop of conservationists on the Island ­­— albeit of an unexpected sort. Three students from Boston Green Academy, who have never spent much time outside the city, let alone gotten up close and personal with worms and frogs, have traveled to the Island for a paid monthlong internship with the Nature Conservancy.

An increase in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding could spell more money available for a wider range of projects for Vineyard towns.

Last week, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that will allocate $25 million from the fiscal year 2013 state budget surplus to the CPA trust fund.

When state Agriculture Commissioner Greg Watson made his swing through a series of Vineyard farms last week, there was detailed discussion about what constitutes organic farming.

Against that backdrop, two Vineyard farms are now federally certified as organic.

With the July sun setting over the Katama Plains and a sliver crescent moon rising as cows grazed in the vast fields, the pastoral scene was set naturally for the Farm Institute’s annual Meals in the Meadow fundraiser Saturday night.

I woke up early the other morning to perfect conditions for kayaking. The brackish water of Stonewall, Quitsa and Menemsha ponds was so still it looked solid until, that is, I made that first push from shore. Below me I could see sidling crabs and the eelgrass yielding to the direction of the outgoing tide. The surface of the water reflected the detail of every wisp of cloud so I felt as if I was floating and flying. The top half of a boat mooring that rose above the water was reflected in an optical illusion suggesting a perfectly round ball sitting on top of the water.