Last week my wife Susan and I had the pleasure of working with the Martha’s Vineyard Habitat For Humanity team at Bailey Park Road. Along with about 15 other volunteers and two construction leaders, Lee and Bill, we accomplished three major goals.

This letter is written in the highest praise for the organizers of the Summer Institute at the July 26 lecture by David Gergen. I appreciated their valiant efforts to get as many people as possible into the auditorium.

Last weekend, brightly-colored rides and parts of the ferris wheel began to appear on the Agricultural Society field in preparation for the annual fair starting this Thursday, August 16. Also on Saturday morning in Vineyard Haven, Tim Laursen put the finishing touches on another piece of fair-bound machinery: his hand-welded pig smoker.

This is Mr. Laursen’s and friend Everett Whiting’s third year at the fair doing business as Local Smoke, serving up pulled pork sandwiches from their Island-raised pigs.

Art and nature are more closely tied than ever at the Gay Head Gallery on State Road in Aquinnah. A current show features art across a variety of mediums with special goals — to relay the beauty of the natural world and contribute to conservation efforts. A dozen artists have work on exhibit for sale, and anywhere from 10 per cent to 100 per cent of the proceeds from sales will benefit the Vineyard Conservation Society and the Moshup Trail Project.

With each shout of “Pull!” came a loud crack as the competitors tried to find their target at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club’s annual skeet shooting championship Sunday. With guns loaded, ear plugs in and glasses on, Bill Damora, Brian Reed, Laurence Clancy, Bill Shanok and Brian Welch hoped they had luck on their side as they sought glory in the competition’s first flight.

JawsFest's planned outdoor screening of Jaws on Ocean Park Saturday night has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 12 at 8 p.m. due to rain.

Visit jawstribute.com for more details.

On the morning that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan will be his running mate, Martha’s Vineyard Democrats focused on a more local political decision as they heard from the two candidates they will choose between in the congressional primary on Sept. 6.

On Saturday, August 11, this month’s Arts District Stroll in Oak Bluffs takes place. The stroll is from 4 to 7 p.m. and is an opportunity to check out all of the galleries along Dukes County avenue as they roll out the welcome mat, not to mention snacks and drinks.

The Alison Shaw Gallery is hanging a show full of brand-new work as well as celebrating The Chappy Ferry Book by author Tom Dunlop with photographs by Alison Shaw.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $116,215 for the business week ending on Friday, August 4, 2012. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the surrounding region, including coastal waters extending out 25 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and coastal waters from Montauk, N.Y. to Martha's Vineyard extending out to 20 nautical miles south of Block Island. This watch also includes the following includes the following adjacent coastal waters: Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound, Boston Harbor, Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound. The watch will remain in effect through 9 p.m.