“I hope you got a lot of money, ’cause this ain’t gonna be cheap,” Walter barked at me as I pulled myself into the cab of his well-used tow truck.

When Labor Day weekend ends and the vast sea of tourists and summer residents begin to trickle home, Island businesses and restaurants feel the pinch. With so much of the Island’s consumer population disappearing, it isn’t always easy to keep turning a profit. For some, the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival might be the solution. Established six years ago, the Food and Wine Festival gives restaurants and businesses the chance to continue their commercial success into the shoulder season.

Nutrient-dense but encumbered by a bad rap for the cholesterol in their yolks, eggs amount to near perfection for ecology-minded farmers. Every part of an egg is useful right down to crushing the shells for a fine abrasive suitable for scrubbing pots and pans when mixed in a little dish soap. You could mix the crushed shells with a little egg white and make yourself a nice facial mask.

When James Brown said, “Maceo, I want you to blow!” Maceo Parker got down to business with his soulful saxophone. Mr. Parker has played with the best and now he’s bringing his funky sound to Flatbread tonight, August 2.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are available at Alley’s General Store, The Green Room, Aboveground Records, Corner 5 or online at ticketsmv.com.

Vineyard Gardens continues its tradition of merging the beauty of nature with artistic merit. Each Friday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. the nursery hosts a Gallery in the Gardens event, featuring a new artist each week.

Tonight, August 2, Valentine Estabrook shares the spotlight with the foliage. There will be champagne, too.

The All Island Art Show is Monday and Tuesday, August 5 and 6. This annual event at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs is what you would call all-artist inclusive. The adult show is on Monday, from 9 to 4 p.m., and the junior art show is on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon.

A group of artists are coming together at the Gay Head Gallery for a group show, Changing Coastlines: Changing Ponds to benefit the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group and the Martha’s Vineyard Water Alliance. The work captures the beauty of the coastline and reflects the impact that wind, storms, currents and a changing climate has on local resources.

Thunder Ben David of Chilmark died Thursday, July 25, after seven glorious years as the biggest attraction at Native Earth Teaching Farm owned by Rebecca Gilbert and Randy Ben David. “He was our rock star boar,” said Ms. Gilbert.

It has been a busy year for West Tisbury poet laureate Justen Ahren. Recently he opened the Noepe Center for Literary Arts, a creative refuge on the Island to foster writing through the gift of time and solitude. He also just completed his first book of poetry, A Strange Catechism. He will give a reading at the Noepe Center, 104 Main street, Edgartown on Tuesday, August 6 at 7 p.m.

The new Vineyard Seadogs calendar has arrived just in time for the dog days of August. Take a journey around the Island with these dogs who delight in all things Vineyard — the beaches, harbors, porches and even reading rooms. Maybe they can read after all.