On Sunday morning, a huge nine-by-17-foot United States flag will be hung at an Eastville home as part of one family’s Fourth of July tradition. The flag, which has 46 stars and is thought to be 100 years old, is known inside the Rowan family as the 1910 Battleship Flag.

A descendant of Abigail Luce Smith, Christine Smith Rowan lives year-round at 178 New York avenue with her husband Chris Rowan. They are originally from Connecticut.

School officials have refused to comment on student disciplinary appeals held during an executive session of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee Monday night over the six-month exclusion of four high school students for drug infractions.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said any decisions would be kept confidential. “These are student matters with minors, and we wouldn’t release that information,” he said. “Those minutes would be sealed.”

As the nation celebrates its independence this July Fourth, Louie and Beth Larsen, along with the rest of the crew at The Net Result, will be busy marking the silver anniversary of their well-known Vineyard Haven fish market.

Martha’s Vineyard endured a precarious existence in those heady days of the young republic. As the founding fathers debated the philosophical underpinnings of liberal democracy in Philadelphia, entire British and Hessian fleets skulked just over our horizon (as reported by contemporary whalers). The vulnerable and largely defenseless Island was caught in limbo and few natives ventured to offend the Crown. As the war drew on, though, and these specters increasingly emerged in Vineyard harbors to exact their punishing toll, Islanders became patriots.

For over a decade, Antone (Tony) Bettencourt, the new police chief of Edgartown, served as the department’s special event coordinator, which meant organizing police response to large community events during the summer, including visits by President Clinton, the annual fireworks display and the Fourth of July parade.

The scenario has played out on the Vineyard for decades.

Someone spends a lot of money to buy an expensive waterfront home and expects to be able to build a dock to go with it. The dock is denied by a local conservation commission. The decision is appealed, denied again, appealed again. The cycle continues, this time in court.

Bevy of Bands in Kahoots for Concert

The popular Vineyard band Kahoots will headline a summer music festival at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Saturday, July 3 on the center’s outdoor stage in Oak Bluffs. Titled The Best Festival, there will also be performances by Apollo Sunshine, Pierre, Belle and the Bees, Dukes County Love Affair and Colin Ruel.

The Louisa Gould Gallery presents Quintessential Vineyard, featuring the works of Christopher Pendergast, Maya Farber, Jeffrey P’an, Robert Jewett and Jules Worthington, beginning now through July 20. An opening reception is Saturday July 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. Come listen to live music and enjoy refreshments. The exhibition offers a balanced mixture of different art media: oils, glass, acrylic, and ceramics.

On Tuesday, July 10, at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House in Edgartown, the public is invited to buy goods and do good at the same time. A one-day shopping event, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., will feature some one-of-a-kind items, including handsome jewelry, blankets, shawls, stationery and more. Exhibitors have generously offered to provide 10 per cent of the proceeds from the sale (and on a repeat day August 10) to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.

Inspired by summer residents Marte Humbert and Cindy DeLotto, the boutiques are organized by Monica Shelton Reusch.

Max Currier of West Tisbury was awarded a bachelor of arts degree from Connecticut College at its commencement ceremony on May 23.

Mr. Currier majored in East Asian studies and Chinese language and literature.