Unlike a lot of seals, who have managed to gain steady employment in circuses and aquariums, I have never tried to balance a beach ball on my nose. Considering the prominence of my proboscis, nobody could tell the difference.

But I once was a seal trainer for a day at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, N.Y. I even have a framed certificate and a photo of me being kissed by a 465-pound sea lion named Herbie.

Full Meal

Of all the harbingers of spring there is one that evokes not a smile but a sense of sadness: The end of the community suppers.

Each community supper, held on different weekday nights during the winter months at houses of worship around the Island, has a different feel. They range from soup suppers to large meals. There is even a periodic klezmer jam. But they do have one thing in common: All are welcome.

Well Done

Two weeks ago, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School hosted its second annual wellness day. Thirty-seven workshops were offered by faculty and community volunteers. The workshops covered a wide range of offerings including fitness, yoga, cooking, counseling and suicide prevention, to name just a few.

Edgartown selectmen approved an entertainment renewal license for the Atlantic restaurant on Monday afternoon despite a history of noise complaints from a neighboring hotel.

In a letter to the board, the Harborside Inn general manager Joseph Badot said he is pleased with conditions set by the selectmen but asked for stronger enforcement in the coming season.

Large clouds of billowing smoke rose over Chappaquiddick on Wednesday afternoon, on what was a perfect day for a controlled burn. State and Island firefighters helped the Nature Conservancy staff burn about 27 acres of grasslands at Wasque. The two hours of thick smoke was temporary, the smoldering landscape left behind was blackened.

By PHYLLIS MERAS

Jeff Kristal and Tom Pachico almost bumped, then warily skirted one another as they went to take their seats at Tuesday’s Tisbury candidates’ forum.

With the collision averted, the crowd laughed, but there was no denying a certain tension in the air as the two big men lined up to put their respective cases to be elected selectman.

Three years ago, Mr. Kristal won the position from Mr. Pachico, the incumbent, by a mere 14 votes. Now, Mr.Pachico is back for a rematch, in the one and only contest of Tisbury’s upcoming town elections.

At its regular board meeting held on Saturday, March 26, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital elected John H. Schaefer of Edgartown and New York and Walter S. Teller of Chilmark and California to its board of trustees.

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living is seeking to build a new facility on approximately two acres of land, formerly the Edgartown Water Company office off Meshacket Road. The endeavor, still subject to town approval and to a $3 million capital campaign, is in its infancy.

Kids and Medication

On Thursday, April 7 Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host a talk entitled Medication and Kids: How Do We Decide?

The talk is designed to answer some of the many questions concerning this issue including worries over giving medications to a child and what to do if someone tells you your child needs to be on medication because they are overactive or aggressive.

The talk will be given by Dr. Dominic Maxwell who has been with MVCS since 2009.