Last Saturday there was a memorial service at the Martha’s Vineyard Unitarian Universalist Society on upper Main street in Vineyard Haven. The gathering of family and friends was for John Eggs, a unique individual. Several spoke up about their experiences with John. A few brought down the house with laughter. They all loved him and I think they all feel lucky. I’m one of them. Near the end of the hour, Peter Boak led the whole congregation in the singing of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. I never thought of this piece to be sung at a memorial service, but it was effective. If the church doors were open, they heard us at Five Corners.

As a 46-year-old woman and full-time resident, I felt compelled to write this in response to the job hunting experience I have had this spring. Early on I submitted my resume with 25 years of retail management and sales experience including a college degree in marketing to virtually every retail store in the three down-Island towns.

I went to the Tuesday selectmen’s meeting this week to talk about the new angled parking, but opted not to speak in the public comment time because very few listen with empathy. Politicians are funny birds; they know all and are best left to themselves.

I was pleased to learn on Tuesday morning that the former Thimble Farm, the land that the CSA and others have been working for eight years to protect as an Island resource, has finally made it into the hands of an Island nonprofit. Island Grown Initiative (IGI) will be the new owners, thanks to Eric Grubman, who purchased the farm in 2007, and a very generous family from Chilmark.

This Saturday Oak Bluffs Harbor will be packed with food, faeries, and fireworks.

The annual Harbor Festival, celebrating the summer solstice and
approaching season, starts with a stretch of over 40 vendors selling arts, crafts, antiques and food. There will also be non-profits talking about their missions and plenty of live music.

A Dukes County superior court judge Friday denied a change of venue for the upcoming trial of a Vineyard Haven man accused of rape and soliciting the murder of a prosecutor, with the defendant’s lawyer arguing that news coverage of the case would prevent a fair trial.

The Tisbury Town hall offices at 51 Spring street will relocate for the day on Friday, June 15 to complete work on a town hall restoration project.

The tax collector will be available Friday at the town hall annex at 66 High Point Lane. The town clerk will be available at the public works office at 115 High Point Lane. The selectmen's office will sell permits at the council on aging at 34 Pine Tree Road.

Town hall offices will reopen at 51 Spring street on Monday.

It begins with a hiss, rises momentarily toward a cathedral organ blast, then fades to an echoing cry — ancient, urgent, soulful and powerful.

Before the end of the month, if all goes well, Vineyarders and visitors alike will hear this wail calling across Vineyard Haven harbor and, at other moments, along the Oak Bluffs shoreline for the first time since the late summer of 1973.

One hundred and fifty-six students gathered under the roof of the Tabernacle for one last time Sunday as they prepared to graduate from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School as the class of 2012.

In the moments before the ceremony began, families, friends and teachers chatted anxiously about the lack of sleep they suffered waiting for this day, using graduation pamphlets to fan away the heat — or perhaps their nerves.

Tisbury School Awards

The Tisbury School held its Recognition Day for the fifth to eighth grades on Wednesday, June 13. During the ceremony, all students were recognized for their individual contributions towards a positive school environment.

The following special awards were also given:

Jeffrey T. Goodale Memorial Award to James Douglas Norton - grade 5.

Dorothy Larkosh Roberts Award to Salyn Yancey - grade 6.

Rose Anthony Award for Achievement in Literary Arts to Alexandra Barlett and Ashley Wood - grade 7.