While Fourth of July evening is for fireworks and the afternoon is for barbecues, the morning is reserved for polar bear dips, walking the dog, and last minute shopping trips.

Parade floats and barbecues are all on the docket today as the Island readies for a day full of Fourth of July festivities. Celebrations are planned from Aquinnah to Oak Bluffs, but at day’s end all roads lead to Edgartown for the marquee events.

Thirty years ago this week, the Vineyard was under siege by developers. Worried that the big money was winning, a group of Islanders led by the late Michael Wild decided to take their battle public in the Fourth of July parade. Steve Ewing narrates.

The Edgartown parade will start promptly at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, with thousands expected to attend. Children's parades will take place in Aquinnah and Oak Bluffs.

With picture-postcard summer weather and teeming crowds on beaches and downtown streets, by most accounts the Fourth of July on Martha's Vineyard went off with hardly a hitch.

Edgartown's Main Street came alive for the annual Fourth of July parade that winds through downtown streets.

Edgartown’s annual Fourth of July Parade welcomed the entire Martha's Vineyard community Monday.

Fourth of July festivities kicked off with a patriotic start this morning with two children's parades — one in the Camp Ground and another in Aquinnah.

Parades, cookouts and fireworks are all on the agenda for the national holiday. The Edgartown Fourth of July Parade steps off promptly at 5 p.m.

Friends of the Edgartown Library sponsors a special reading of Frederick Douglass’ speech, The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro.