Rose Abrahamson has a history of saying this is her last art show. Who can blame her? After all, she is 90 years old. But thankfully, thus far, she has not made good on her promise.

In case Olympic Table Tennis has you in the mood to swing paddles at lightning speed, the Chappaquiddick Community Center is hosting the annual All-Island Chappy Ping Pong Tournament on Sunday, August 12.

The tournament is open to all ages and levels of competition. The round robin competition begins at 11 a.m. Registration opens at 10 a.m. and is free.

Winners will take home the Island equivalent of a gold medal — Morning Glory pies.

For more information, call 508-627-7902.

Baa Baa for Red Cross

On August 21 the Black Sheep on North Summer street in Edgartown is hosting a fundraiser for the Red Cross of the Cape and Islands. What the Black Sheep does best is food and wine, (to stroll through the store is like taking an edible tour of France), and their goodies will be in great abundance.

The first pairing of the evening will be three cheeses along with three crisp white wines. The second pairing will be three charcuterie paired with three summer reds.

Director Matthew Heineman and co-director and producer Susan Froemke spent eight months researching the topic of health care before turning on the camera. As filmmakers, their major obstacle was clear — how to distill such a complex topic into something relatable.

A few weeks ago, while sitting on a porch here on the Vineyard, Jessica Ashley leaned back, closed her eyes and began to sing. Or rather, she belted out a few lines, totally absorbed in the music. Afterwards she opened her eyes and asked, “Do you know that one? My sister and I used to sing that one together.”

How does one end up writing a book about a star child? For that matter, what is a star child?

Author Kay Goldstein was wondering the same thing a few years ago when she started writing the first pages of her newly released novel, Star Child, a process which caused her to delve into the depths of human experience.

On an island off the coast of Georgia, moths beat against the screen as George Dawes Green and his childhood friends stay up late telling stories on a cozy summer porch.

Years later, Mr. Green sits in New York city growing tired of the loud, crowded and fast-paced parties of his adopted home.

“They were just so rapid-fire — no one could possibly squeeze in a word,” he remembered. “I just got tired of cocktail parties because I had been nurtured on stories and people telling them.”

Pulitzer prize-winning poet Jorie Graham has been coming to the Vineyard for thirty years. She often derives inspiration from the natural beauty of the Island.

“Perhaps my poems, if I am lucky, can awaken in [readers] a renewed relationship with the natural world which they can take with them into their lives...” she said.

The Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven is about to rock. True, the center has been rocking intellectually, spiritually and culturally all summer long with their varied programming, but next weekend they will literally rock. The lineup includes Joshua Nelson and his Kosher Gospel Singers with special guest, Lisa Gutkin.

Peter Pap buys and sells art you can step on.

“It was rather by chance that I ended up an Oriental rug seller,” he said. “I simply started by working as an assistant at a store in Boston.”