A sense of excitement filled the Old Whaling Church on Friday evening as visitors from around the country filtered in for the 14th annual Hutchins Forum, sponsored by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

Olive Tomlinson remembered the cottages and the shared car rides, the simplicity of summer life. With just a few phrases, Jessica Harris evoked memories of front porches and morning swims.

When Teresa Younger was a girl growing up in North Dakota, she fostered a deep connection to an organization that would become one of the most formative of her life: the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Most daytrippers come to the Island for sun and fun, but on Sunday Karen Long came for the art. Ms. Long traveled from Concord to attend the annual Chicken Alley Art and Collectable Sale.

In the classic stage version of Peter Pan, Sandy Duncan flew across the stage with apparent ease. But she was a whippet of a woman who could fly if a strong wind blew through the theatre.

A number of high-profile politicians converged on Oak Bluffs on Friday for a low-key but spirited book signing and talk by the South Carolina congressman, who is a longtime Vineyard visitor. The book signing was among many events this summer with connections to African American history and culture.

Kendra Mills of Vineyard Haven was named to the spring 2014 semester dean’s list at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

The Vineyard Gazette and a middle school class from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School have won a first-place award in the national Newspaper and Education Contest. In the project the Gazette helped the class, which was studying the history of slavery in the U.S., create a newspaper about the modern day slave trade.

Emergency management leaders have been busy planning within their respective town boundaries, but coordinating an Islandwide response has been slower to get off the ground. Late last week about 50 people gathered to restart the effort among the six towns.

The Hon. Richard Chin said in a written opinion that the county manager may not serve as an ex officio nonvoting member of the airport commission, and that the county treasurer may not refuse to pay airport legal bills. The ruling clears the way for the case to go to trial.