Eric F. Pachico stepped out of the heavy rain carrying a large striped bass this morning. It was 8:42 a.m., the derby headquarters had been open since 8 a.m., but he was the first angler with a fish.

The heavy rain began this morning at 6 a.m., and in two hours already half an inch had fallen at the National Weather Service cooperative station in Edgartown. And the forecast was for more. While the fish don’t care, anglers lose interest when it rains.

The Great White Way, on Oak Bluffs avenue between Sea View and Lake avenues, was the heart of the summer resort’s entertainment area. Its evolution can be traced in a group of postcards from the first quarter of the 20th century.

Ellen Chambers of the nonprofit group SPEDWatch will conduct a workshop titled Basic Rights: Denied on Monday, Sept. 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Manor House School of Cape Cod in South Dennis.

The workshop is suitable for those whose children already receive special education services, and for those who feel their child may have been inappropriately denied eligibility for services.

Want to bring a little magic into the life of a child? Big Brothers Big Sisters needs people like you. Volunteer today to be a Big Brother or Big Sister to a kid who could use an adult friend in his or her life. Call 888-412-BIGS, or visit bbbs.org.

In his first State of the Union speech, Abra ham Lincoln declared that “the Union must be preserved.” One hundred and forty-seven years later, I ask, “Must it really?”

As a fairly progressive Democrat, I’ve made a point in the last year to listen to as much Rush Limbaugh as Air America, to watch as much Fox News as MSNBC. I wanted to find out how divided we are politically, economically and sociologically.

My conclusion: horribly, profoundly and irretrievably.

I arose before dawn.

Raced to my favorite fishing spot.

The shore by the Vineyard Haven bridge.

I cast from 5 to 6 a.m.

No fish.

But I did see the 6 a.m. ferry depart.

Not a great start.

I was joined by a fisherman

Really dressed to fish.

Every item of clothing matched head to toe.

Waders and khaki shirts blended well.

I am sure if need be he could

SACRED COW

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Reading about Bradley Square brings me back to fairly recent history on Martha’s Vineyard. Remember when the golf wars dominated the headlines, and allegations of conflict of interest assaulted the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Island conservation community?

Tending Their Flocks

From earlier Gazette editions:

It is recorded that when Major General Sir Charles Grey made his raid upon the Vineyard during the Revolution he requisitioned 10,000 sheep and 300 oxen, together with hay for them. Apparently 10,574 sheep were actually supplied, under duress, to the British, the quotas of the different towns being as follows: Chilmark, 3,903; Edgartown, 3,919; Tisbury, 2,752.

As a man who is so bad at games of chance that I was once beaten in blackjack by my dog, I never thought I would be a high roller at a casino. That is why I had never been to a casino until I recently visited Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., where I defied the odds, despite being a bit odd myself, by hitting the jackpot on a slot machine and pocketing a grand total of $11.50.

Asters to Call Our Own

They come out just when the summer people go home, as if on cue for the Islanders who stop working so much and are out and about for fall walks and swims in the still-warm ocean.

They are the New England asters, sturdy, long-blooming and marked by more varieties than can be listed in this space. At least five or six varieties are in bloom right now, including stiff and showy asters. Their colors range from deep purple to pale periwinkle, and they look gorgeous in arrangements with goldenrod and rustic native grasses.