The success of the recent music jams hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center have provided proof positive that the Island loves klezmer music. So it makes sense that this weekend, the center will ramp up the game with instruction, dancing and performance, with the guidance and expertise of the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, a pair of musicians and teachers of international renown, specializing in klezmer and Yiddish music and dance.

Kids’ Creative Theater classes at The Yard in Chilmark, featuring fun and skills with veteran teaching artists as well as the opportunity to participate alongside professional actors, dancers and singers in The Yard’s Saturday family matinee, begin July 5.

There are six different week-long sessions for children entering first through eighth grades, and a trainee program for high schoolers. Sessions meet 9 a.m. to noon, Monday to Friday and 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays for the matinee. There is an open class for family and friends on Friday mornings.

Mr. Brigish’s Journey to the East

In 2008, South African-born documentary photographer and West Tisbury resident Alan Brigish set out on a journey that would become Breathing in the Buddha, a recently-published book that serves as an image-driven chronicle of everyday Buddhist life across Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Laos. This Saturday, May 29, Mr. Brigish will share some of the experiences he had along the way, illustrated with photographs and video clips, at the West Tisbury library at 4 p.m. The talk is free.

Story will be fending for itself this summer on the stages of Martha’s Vineyard. Stripped like the economy (and because of it), this season promises something much more seductive than blockbuster pretense, jaw-dropping set design, or celebrity leads: a glimpse at the so-called creative process.

By JIM HICKEY

The teenage girl who drove the car last June that claimed the life of her passenger, 18-year-old Jena Pothier, was sentenced to a year in jail on Friday morning by an Edgartown district court judge as part of a plea bargain with the Cape and Islands district attorney.

Kelly McCarron, 18, pleaded guilty to a charge of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol; all other criminal charges against her were dismissed.

Arboretum Volunteers

At the Polly Hill Arboretum, volunteers are very important, and as the arboretum grows, so do volunteer opportunities. On Thursday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon, spend the morning with volunteer coordinator Nancy Weaver, executive director Tim Boland, and other staff for an across-the-board introduction to the many ways you can become involved at the arboretum.

Great Job, Sarah

Sarah Ortlip-Sommers of West Tisbury represented Martha’s Vineyard as part of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Ensemble. Sarah, an eighth-grader at the West Tisbury School, played first violin in the ensemble’s annual concert at the Cape Cod Museum of Art on May 14.

The ensemble is chosen from auditions of advanced students throughout the Cape and Islands. Sarah is the first Vineyard resident to be invited to join. She was a mentor in the All-Island elementary string program this year.

Rental Opportunities

Applications for four newly built Tisbury affordable homes are now available at the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority at 346 State Road in Vineyard Haven (behind Craig’s Bicycles).

The Island Housing Trust announced the homebuyer application and selection process for one two-bedroom home and three three-bedroom homes at 325 Lambert’s Cove Road in Tisbury.

The sale price and maximum allowable income are:

House 1: $299,000 for three-bedroom home (income $78,500 to $98,200)

I have always been interested in current events except when it comes to electrical work. That’s because I am afraid a current will zap me in the event I tried to perform some mundane task like replacing a fuse, in which case I would either be eulogized with the words “ashes to ashes” or, even worse, get hit with a whopper of an electric bill.

So I was pleasantly surprised — but not shocked — when I recently passed a test from an electrician who showed me how to do simple repairs without burning the house down.

Student journalists from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School picked up the highest achievement award in scholastic editing and publishing from the New England Scholastic Press Association at its annual convention in Boston on April 30.

The honor acknowledged all the newspapers the students published during the 2009-2010 school year.

“We rocked it!” said junior and co-editor in chief Naomi Pallas, when she heard the news about the accolades.