Herbert N. Putnam 3rd of West Tisbury died Sunday, March 9, at his home. Visiting hours will be held Tuesday, March 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Oak Bluffs. A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 11 a.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Cemetery, West Spring street, Vineyard Haven. The family has requested that no flowers be sent but that donations in Herb’s memory be made to Pancreatica.org, 149 Bonifacio Place, Monterey CA 93940.

Who is Maynard Silva, anyway?

Certainly, he is a classic blues man.

Island born and raised, Mr. Silva has appeared on stages on and off the Vineyard for nearly 40 years, his voice a familiar throaty growl.

His public persona is the sheen on a core of enormous strength and wisdom, shaped by time and pressure.

Maynard Silva is the sum of the elements of his life code: tradition, humility, the value of relationships and of mentors. And he has a wriggling delight in our inexhaustible opportunities to experience joy in life.

After logging many long hours on the couch and mindlessly devouring one too many buttery bags of popcorn, the votes are in. No, not for the Oscars, but for the official selections of the eighth annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival. The brains behind the wintertime event are so excited about the roster they have decided to host a special kick-off screening more than a week before the festival officially begins.

Island artist Peg Thayer opens an exhibition of her recent paintings at the Chilmark Library on Saturday, March 1, with a reception from 3 to 5 p.m.

The show continues during library hours through March 27.

Peggy Thayer has been a practicing painter for more than 30 years, working in a variety of media including acrylics, watercolors, pastels and oils. Her recent landscapes portray her intuitive relationship with nature.

While filmmakers were picking up Oscars in Los Angeles, guests at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society party Sunday night t the Oyster Bar Grill also picked up a statue — an Academy Award brought by an Islander whose father won the prestigious statue in 1948 for a short film documentary while serving in the Army Signal Corps..

Words and numbers were flying through the minds of those at the Chilmark library this past Saturday afternoon, as 15 adults and 3 youngsters gathered for the Crossword and Sudoku Challenge. Outdoors it was chilly, with snow in the air. Inside the warm library, tables were clean, pencils were sharp and the place was quiet, all set for an afternoon of indoor puzzle fun.

It took about 30 minutes to bring out the winners. Steve Auerbach of Oak Bluffs won for completing his crossword puzzle the fastest. George Balco of Tisbury won in the sudoku contest.

PFLAG of Martha’s Vineyard — Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays — will host an important and informative talk for the general public on family law issues related to gay, lesbian and transgender couples and families at 4 p.m. on March 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard in Vineyard Haven.

High school senior Rebecca Swartwood sits casually on an artist’s stool, remarkably poised and well-spoken. She exudes an inner confidence, without the bravado often associated with youth. She brims with enthusiasm at the life she sees ahead of her, with art an integral but not overriding part of a well-considered career path.

Only slow food will do for this bird.

Faster prey would fly, run or otherwise get away before it became a vulture’s meal. Vultures like their food not just slow, but stopped cold (and dead too.) Fresh kill is good, but, in a pinch, the vulture can eat meat that has begun to rot. Luckily (or, thanks to adaptation), the vulture won’t get sick.

Although spring is in the air, the recent snow still makes birders dream of different habitats and warmer weather. Travel out of the country is becoming dearer and air travel is about as irritating as it gets. So perhaps a road trip to Florida is an option. The image that comes to mind for most folks when I mention Florida is Disney/Epcot, Miami or Cape Canaveral. There is much more to Florida than those areas and the birding is spectacular, even in Miami and Cape Canaveral.