In the Wampanoag language, the word “noepe” means, according to one interpretation, a still place among the currents. The Wampanoag people gave the name Noepe to this Island to indicate that it was a piece of dry land among opposing tidal currents.

In downtown Edgartown, a still place exists at the intersection of three roads. It is a refuge of sorts, which has for years provided shelter and peace of mind to visiting artists.

In the winter of 1993, travel writer and essayist Edward Hoagland was travelling in Eastern Africa on assignment for Harper’s Magazine. He had visited the region twice before, in the years 1976 and 1977. This time, however, a civil war was raging in Sudan and a crippling famine gripped the region. Political, ethnic and religious conflict had created a web of alliances that divided the country, making travel outside the cities a dangerous and complicated ordeal. As he ventured into famine zones alongside NGO
(non-governmental organizations)
aid groups, Mr.

Come one and all to join the Animal Shelter’s contingent marching in the big parade on the Fourth of July in Edgartown. The Black Dog will be giving out commemorative T-shirts to the first 50 marchers to assemble. A donation of $10 to the shelter will guarantee you one of these keepsakes. The line will form between 4 and 5 p.m. behind the Edgartown School.

Three teenage girls stood on the deck of The Bite in Menemsha wearing sweatshirts over their swimsuits to keep the chilly dusk breeze at bay. The sun was setting and the last call for fried clams was about to go out, but the blue-painted picnic tables next to the small cedar-shingled shack were still full of people eating.

What would Dionnis Coffin Riggs do? That’s the question Cynthia Riggs asks herself every time she finds Victoria Trumbull, the protagonist in her mystery book series, in a precarious situation.

“She is patterned as closely as I could make her after my mother, and yet she has taken on a life of her own,” Ms. Riggs said at her family home the Cleaveland House in West Tisbury this week. “Victoria is her own self.”

Logan Settle, 8, and Damian Hudson, 23, had a bet. If Damian won, Logan would have to fix him a hot dog with mustard. If Logan won, Damian had to bring Logan a Golden Oreo cookie.

The two stepped into a pair of sacks and hopped off on the lawn of 215 Upper Main street in Edgartown. Damian won, and was promptly challenged to a rematch. He agreed but first he needed to finish the hot dog.

I miss having goats on the farm. As annoying as it was to wake up each morning to milk, it was a labor of love.

Sometimes 130 miles per hour isn’t all that fast. Ask Chris (Fibber) Magee, 49, of Vineyard Haven. When Mr. Magee is at the wheel of his custom-built Dodge Charger, after the green flag has flown and he’s centrifuging around the curves at Seekonk Speedway, when he’s jostling for position among the other cars on the track, speed is just a number.

Do you feel lucky? The Seastreak fast ferry is offering a trip to Foxwoods on Saturday, July 13. Departure from Oak Bluffs is at 9:15 a.m. with arrival in New Bedford at 10:15 a.m., then on to Foxwoods where the bus arrives at 11:30 a.m.

The return trip leaves Foxwoods at 4:30 p.m. arriving on-Island at 7:30 p.m.

The trip is $45 all inclusive with a $15 gaming credit and a voucher for a free buffet.

Call 1-800-BOATLINE or visit seastreak.com.

The summer reading program at the Vineyard Haven library begins June 29 when Andy and Veronica Fish lead a free kids’ comic workshop for ages 8 to 12 from 1 to 1:30 p.m. They will also lead a Japanese Manga workshop later that day for ages 13 and up from 3 to 3:45 p.m.

The library offers a summer reading program for adults, too. To participate, create an online account by visiting the library’s homepage, vhlibrary.org. You can log the books you read over the summer, write reviews and register for prizes.