By LYNNE IRONS

Last Saturday was one of those perfect winter days — cold and crisp — not a cloud in the sky. An impressive crowd turned out for the memorial service for Bob Flanders at the Abel’s Hill cemetery. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day to be laid to rest.

Blood stain patterns. Paint ball accuracy and temperature. Snail behavior and water acidity. These were just a few of the topics picked by students at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School for the ninth annual science fair, held at the high school cafeteria and library last Saturday. Over 200 students participated in this year’s competition with over 40 judges to decide the winners. Projects fell into one of two categories: investigative and engineering, and were divided in the areas of biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics.

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is proud to announce its 9th annual science fair winners:

Grand Winners of the Science Fair Dr. James Porter Award

First Place: Naomi Scott, Fruit Fly Don’t Bother Me — Study of Non-Organic and Organic Fruits’ Effect on Drosophila Melanogaster.

Second Place: Caitlyn Francis, How Much Mercury Is Really in a Can of Starkist Chunk White and Chunk Light Tuna.

Third Place: Shaelah Huntington, Plant Growth and Oil Pollution.

North Shore Walk

The Trustees of Reservations will sponsor a walk in Chilmark on a private parcel covered by a conservation restriction on Sunday, Feb. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The walk is free to members of The Trustees and $15 for non-members. No dogs are allowed. Reservations are required, as space is limited. To register and for directions, call 508-693-7662.

The Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force has hired Theresa Manning, who long has worked with children and families on the Vineyard, as youth task force coordinator.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office recently awarded the task force a one-year, $90,000 grant. The grant will be used to target seventh and eighth grade students and their parents as a first step toward mobilizing the Vineyard community in preventing sustained substance abuse.

Six students from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Visual Arts Department have been honored at the annual Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, including one who earned a Gold Key, the highest honor.

“There are a ton of competitions out there, but this is the big one we focus on every year,” said Paul Brissette, chairman of the high school arts department. “For them to get recognition on this level is great.”

Sail MV Dinner

It’s that time of year. The American Cancer Society campaign to raise funds through the sale of daffodils is up and running. Dorothy Bangs and her volunteers will be around soon to take orders from many Island businesses and schools.

If you are a business we’ve missed over the years, please help us out and call Debbie Magnuson at 508-693-0081, or Susie Wallo at 508-776-6050.

Affordable Homes Will

Be Sold Through Lottery

Nine two and three-bedroom affordable single-family houses, now under construction on the newly named Jenney Lane between Curtis and Pine streets in Edgartown, will be sold in May.

The houses will be sold to households earning no greater than 80, 100, 120, and 140 per cent of the family median income for Dukes County. Houses will range in price from $160,000 to $330,000.

I learned a hard lesson last Sunday.

It was about two hours into my research and half an hour into the writing of this week’s column when I came across a disturbing fact.

Hail occurs in the spring and summer.

Normally this fact would not perturb me, but thinking I was nearing the end of my writing (and thus the beginning of my dinner), I was a bit put off by the news. The reason for my dismay was that I had to start all over.