Waban Park last Saturday was reminiscent of days when folk music swept the nation and outdoor concerts became legendary events representing a social movement of peace, love and community.

People lay in the grass, kids ran around and blew bubbles, and many local bands played short sets, including Willy Mason, Nina Violet, and the duo Jemima James and Dan Waters.

Two years ago Mike Parker walked into the trailer office of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard with $2,000 and a wide grin on his face. The previous weekend he had organized a benefit concert for Hospice. The money was his gift to the organization that had supported his family when his father was dying of liver cancer while Mr. Parker was still in high school.

The Holmes Hole Sailing Association continued its summer season of handicap sailboat racing from Vineyard Haven harbor with a night race on June 30 and a Sound race on July 3.

Thursday night was a nice evening with a 15 knot west-southwest wind. Eleven boats posted for the 6 p.m. start at red nun 6. The course took the fleet to nun 4 at West Chop, then to green can 23a at East Chop and back to nun 6. The first leg was a broad reach on the port tack. After rounding the nun, a starboard reach and run to the can was followed by a beat to windward to the finish line.

On some of the job sites I have been busy deadheading. The Nepeta and Blue Queen salvia both have seen better days. Both will rebloom nicely in a few weeks if cut now.

By LYNNE IRONS

On some of the job sites I have been busy deadheading. The Nepeta and Blue Queen salvia both have seen better days. Both will rebloom nicely in a few weeks if cut now. The Nepeta can take a severe cut but needs to be watered heavily right away. It will look pretty sad for a week but do not be discouraged. You will be pleased soon enough.

It is July on Martha’s Vineyard and there are baby birds, fledgling birds and parent birds galore. The adults are frantically procuring food for their youngsters, the nestlings are noisily begging for food with open mouths. The youngsters are exercising their wings to develop their flight muscles and the fledglings are making short flights. It is a time to make sure your cats are inside your house, you drive more slowly so you don’t hit an adult carrying food to their young, and you keep your distance from an active nest.

It is a shore thing.

For certain, you will find this crab in Vineyard waters, and once you know more, you will be even surer that you don’t want it here.

Lambert’s Cove Beach, Seth’s Pond, Long Cove Pond and Tisbury Great Pond were all closed to swimming on Thursday after results from routine water testing revealed a spike in the bacteria enterococcus.

West Tisbury health agent John Powers said he expects the tests to be an anomaly and anticipated the beaches would be open again by Friday. He said the contamination at Lambert’s Cove may be in part due to a breach at James Pond.

From the streetfront, the Vineyard Arts Project appears to be another large house on Main street. There is no hint that past its picket fence is unfolding, in turn: life on the Texas-Mexico border; family drama at a racially-charged estate; and people singing and dancing about the financial crisis.

Everybody loves a vacation, but perhaps nobody more than the boys who came to visit the Island last week from the Neighborhood First program of Bristol, Pa. They went fishing, swimming, bike riding and played in the arcade, but what impressed them the most was the peace and quiet and the people of the Island.

THE BEE BALM MURDERS: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery. By Cynthia Riggs. Minotaur Books, 2011. 304 pages. $24.99 hardcover.