Editor’s Note: Memorial Day is a day of flags and remembrance established after the Civil War, where some 620,000 men died, more than in any other American war in history. The battle at Gettysburg is probably one of the most poignant symbols of that war.

Last week Gazette readers saw and read about the removal of trees and sod from properties on the Island, two of which are under the stewardship of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

Choral Concert

The choir of First-Plymouth Church, UCC of Lincoln, Neb., under the direction of Dr. John C. Cummins, will present a 30-minute concert on Friday, June 6 at noon at Trinity United Methodist Church in Oak Bluffs.

The concert will include music by Vierne, Viadana, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Two classic spiritual arrangements by William Dawson will be sung. All are welcome to attend. A free will offering is requested. More information is available by calling 508-645-3100.

They are welded, varnished and stitched together, reinforcing their defenses and trying to prepare for the surge of shoppers who will soon be overrunning their precious stalls.

Island artists are readying for the 10th annual Memorial Day Artisans Festival to be held at the Grange Hall May 24 and 25 from 10 to 4 p.m.

Andrea Rogers of Oak Bluffs launched the festival and continues to act as its supervisor and manager.

As she was updated on preparations for the 30th annual Tisbury town picnic on Memorial Day, to be held Monday from noon to 4 p.m. on 23 acres overlooking Lake Tashmoo, Isabel West thought about things.

“It’s been a pretty nifty event,” she said from her room at Long Hill assisted living in Edgartown where she now lives.

Mrs. West, who founded the town picnic, celebrated her own 96th birthday last Saturday, and the celebration continues on Memorial Day, where she will be guest of honor at the picnic.

The Vineyard Playhouse presents Island Interludes: New Work by Island Writers on two Saturdays, May 24 and May 31, at the playhouse on Church Street in downtown Vineyard Haven. This festival of new work is sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Tomorrow night sees staged readings of two short plays, Crosswords by Jay H. Kaufman and A Midsummer Night’s Alternative by Susanna J. Sturgis. On Saturday May 31, there will be a staged reading of Kim and Delia, a new full-length play by Brian Ditchfield.

Treehouse Studios in West Tisbury has re-opened in its new location on State Road opposite up-Island Cronig’s and will continue to feature fine art and selected antiques, as well as an assortment of art-related books.

Director Ruth Adams has announced that her new location offers expanded space within the gallery and plentiful off-street parking.

It was a slightly jarring juxtaposition: At the front of the gym class two professional dancers moved seamlessly from their feet to the floor and back again. Strong and agile, the performers made modern dance look easy. Behind them, a class of seventh graders awkwardly followed along, falling, out of sync, and laughing at themselves — a reminder of how hard it really was.

Cheri Christensen’s No Country for Old Cows sits on a wall in Eisenhauer Gallery in Edgartown. True to the name, it’s a painting of cattle. But the artist’s use of light, a faint yellow outline around her subjects, gives the cows an aura of majesty, as if rays of the setting sun chose only to fall on them.

Featherstone is hosting a show featuring the work of Vineyard photographers.

The new show is titled Favorite Vineyard Scenes, so the shots are friendly and familiar. All of the artists have previously shown at Featherstone, but this is an opportunity to preview their most recent images.

Twenty-eight artists were invited. Participants include Frayda Galvin, Alison Shaw, Chris Baer, David Welch, Harvey Beth, Louisa Gould, Kathy Rose and Robert Schellhammer.