Shearer Cottage in Oak Bluffs has a history of being part of history. The 103-year-old summer inn was a haven for African American families in the early part of the 20th century during a time when few establishments would offer hospitality services, and has continued to be part of a vibrant community tradition.

Shearer Cottage in Oak Bluffs has a history of being part of history. The 103-year-old summer inn was a haven for African American families in the early part of the 20th century during a time when few establishments would offer hospitality services, and has continued to be part of a vibrant community tradition.

Meet the executive producer of Precious, the Academy Award-winning film directed by Lee Daniels, on Saturday, August 21, at 10 a.m. at the Harbor View Hotel. Hosted by the Weekend Renewing America’s Promise, the event includes a preview and discussion of a new movie underway led by Lisa Cortes, executive producer of Precious, and filmmakers Lisa Collins, Mark Schwartzburt and Maxim Thorne, founder of WRAP. The topic for discussion is Can We Create Change and Social Justice through Film?

Blue crab is a Vineyard seafood delicacy. For many years, the idea of eating blue crab here was kept quiet among those who knew where to find them. They were the Vineyard’s secret seafood.

But increasing awareness of the health of the Island’s great ponds has moved the topic above a whisper; the only secret now is where.

Friday, August 13: Hazy morning. East wind. Temperature rises to the high 70s. Sunny. Fair weather cumulus clouds over Telegraph Hill. Starry night.

Saturday, August 14: Cool morning. Air is crisp. Temperature starts in the mid 50s. A bright-clear-sunny, late summer day. The air is dry. High flying cirrus clouds move slowly over the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market. A cloud of dust follows a car driving down a dirt road. A small parade of motorcycles head up-Island in the afternoon.

Nesting terns have for quite awhile been under pressure to find appropriate and safe nesting habitat on the beaches of New England. The coastal waterbird program at Mass Audubon and the Island’s management unit of The Trustees of Reservations both dedicate a lot of manhours and resources to the task of protecting tern colonies over the course of the breeding season, roughly from June until now.

Bring the family to the next Shearing Day celebration, when Island Alpaca Farm shears their newest alpaca babies, or cria, from their summer birthing season on Friday, August 27 from noon to 3 p.m. at the farm near the blinker.

In this fleece-to-fiber transition, observing expert shearers work their clippers through the baby alpacas’ fabulous fleece. Admission is $5 per person.

Martha’s Vineyard Magazine highlights a diversity of subjects in its August 2010 issue, including the fate of retired ferries, where to spot migrating shorebirds on the Island, and the winners of the magazine’s second annual photo contest.

FOUR FISH: The Future of the Last Wild Food. By Paul Greenberg. Penguin Press, New York, N.Y. July 2010. 304 pages. $25.95, hardcover.

The title is too narrow. Don’t think for a moment this is a book only about salmon, cod, bass and tuna. The book goes beyond the history and plight of four fish, to our hunger for fresh fish of all kinds. For anyone who wonders where the swordfish went, how we emerged from the collapse of the whale fishery, or simply which fish is safe to order at the restaurant, Four Fish offers much.

This is a place where bare feet and imaginations run free.

It was the beginning of what would be a long day for the then-future president of the United States, Barack Obama. He’d finished up on the campaign trail about 1 a.m., then returned to his hotel to steal a few hours of sleep with Michelle, who had been busy campaigning separately from her husband. Now the two were gearing up for that day’s primary in New Hampshire. Their paths would diverge again that morning, but first there was a 20-minute bus ride, their only chance for some quiet time alone together.