A Talk to Rock Your Socks Off

Specializing in the very groovy (pardon the pun) sounding field of neotectonics, noted geologist Patrick Williams will explore the origins of the Island’s major landscape features in a discussion billed as Hills, Hollows, Bays and Bogs: A Geologist’s View of Martha’s Vineyard, taking place Saturday, May 15, at 3 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum library.

Kids’ Fishing Jamboree

Bring the kids to the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters’ Kids’ Jamboree on Saturday, May 15 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Meet at the Edgartown School parking lot for free mini-seminars on casting, beach fishing, knot-tying, ice-fishing, fly-fishing, where to catch fish on the Vineyard and more. Please plan to stay with your kids. Hot dogs, chips and refreshments. The rain date is Sunday, May 16.

For details, call 508-693-3360.

Blessing the Bikes

A Blessing of the Bicycles will be held on Saturday, May 15, at 10 a.m. in front of the Federated Church, 45 South Summer street in Edgartown.

Alzheimer’s Overview

Learn how Alzheimer’s disease differs from other dememtias, how to obtain a diagnosis, how to recognize the signs and symptoms, how the disease progresses and how Alzheimer’s disease differs from normal age-related memory loss, in a talk called Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia on Friday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Vineyard Haven Public Library. Please sign up online at vhlibrary.org, or for more information, e-mail info@alzcapecod.org.

Garden Manager

Becca Munro has been named garden manager at the Farm Institute. She will be managing the farm’s eight-acre production garden, including its produce CSA program, its local farm stand and its stand at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market.

From farm country in southeastern Pennsylvania, Ms. Munro is a graduate of Warren Wilson College.

Talking Water

Felix Neck needs birders and sponsors to participate in Mass Audubon’s 27th year of birding competition. Birders and donors raise money for Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and its programs by getting pledges per number of bird species seen or making a donation to the Felix Neck team.

The 24-hour competition starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 14, and runs through 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 15. But you don’t have to participate the entire time — rotating shifts among teammates is encouraged.

Slow Food Potluck

Everyone is welcome at a Slow Food potluck dinner on Thursday, May 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury, where the topic for the evening will be permaculture.

Adult Farming Programs

The Farm Institute in Katama is expanding with adult programming — 11 weeks of workshops for grownups, on Wednesday afternoons (from 1 to 3 p.m.) and Saturdays (from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) this summer.

Upcoming courses include: Building Solar Ovens with Steve Ruzanski Solarazza, Pickling with Sheila BenDavid, an Eat Global, Cook Local ethnic cooking series with Jan Buhrman and Robert Lionette, as well as mushroom cultivation, cob building, fermentation, and canning, jamming and drying!

Connor Gifford, a 28-year-old man from Nantucket, was born with some extra chromosomes. Sometimes that little bit extra can be a burden; other times, a boon. But it will always mean that Mr. Gifford has Down syndrome.

Roughly one out of 1,000 people are born with Down syndrome. They share specific and easily-recognizable aspects of appearance and behavior, similarities in facial features, body type and difficulties with speech and cognition.