Sponsored by The Black Dog, Cabrinha kites and John Amundson Customs, Black Dog businessman Rob Douglas, in what was described as “one of the most thrilling kite speed races of all time,” recently set a new U.S. record at 40.21 knots, a record held since 2003 by Robby Naish.

Mr. Douglas placed second among all competitors at the Fuerteventura Kite Speed World Cup in Canary Islands, Spain, beating the current world champion and world speed record holder.

JUNE MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

Longtime family friend Linda Maury BenDavid has been undergoing medical care each week at Massachusetts General Hospital. Please send get well cards to her at Box 415. Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.

Condolences to the family of Eileen Blake. Those of us who live up-Island especially have had the pleasure of enjoying her famous pies for several decades. It was testament to Eileen’s baking skills when even a tour bus was spotted in her parking area earlier this summer.

JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark is alive and well this week after experiencing all kinds of weather that included heavy rains, loud thunder and bright lighting ... followed by sunny days and clear skies! Our visitors were out and about and appeared to take it all in stride. The pressure of so many things to do seems to keep us all moving through these summer days, rain or shine.

Fishing is still good in our up-Island waters and many tables have been featuring bluefish in many culinary variations.

Welcome Emma

Mollie Doyle and Thomas Bena of Chilmark announce the birth of a daughter, Emma Elizabeth Bena, on August 3, at Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Emma weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces at birth.

No Walk in the Park

The town of Oak Bluffs had concerns about the aggressive expansion of the popular Boston Pops outdoor concert first staged in Ocean Park last summer, and most of them have proven to be on the mark. National operator Festival Network, which ran an ambitious, exciting event here in 2007, instead of letting it grow organically, pushed too far this year in trying to exploit its initial success. The risk is that a mutually beneficial event with so much potential will be soured for the future.

Message in a Bylaw

Despite its two-time defeat on the town meeting floor, the pioneering Aquinnah energy bylaw remains ready for revival. Voters have sent a clear message to the town selectmen, planning board and other leaders and the message is this: the bylaw needs refining, with more open, public participation.

CRITICS OUT OF LINE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The Martha’s Vineyard Festival was a stupendous celebration again. Thank you dearly to all who made it possible.

Flotsam and Jetsam

From the Vineyard Gazette editions of August, 1958:

Among the many paintings by New Bedford’s marine artist, Benjamin Russell, which are now on show, is the Wreck of the Christina. The wreck of the Christina was one of the most famous as well as one of the most tragic that occurred in Vineyard waters.

Recently there have been a number of pieces of legislation on the national and state levels that are concerned with telephonic communication. On the national scene our Congress acceded to the wishes of the administration and allowed that warrantless eavesdropping on citizen’s phone calls was acceptable and further that those who aided in that electronic surveillance could do so with impunity and immunity from prosecution.

The number eight in Chinese brings good fortune, I learned from the scheduling of the Olympic Games. That is why they began last week on the eighth day of the eighth month in the year 2008.

I am not Chinese, I am not an athlete and I live on the Vineyard, not in China. So I should not be surprised, I suppose, that little good has happened to me since I turned the calendar page to August.