Bass Talks Side Effects

Pulitzer Prize nominee Alison Bass will discuss her book Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial, today, August 5, at 5 p.m. at the West Tisbury Free Public Library.

Side Effects is based on a true story of a landmark case that exposed greed, corruption and negligence in the pharmaceutical industry.

Sexton Brings Soul

American soul man Martin Sexton got his start playing on the streets and subways of Boston in the 1990s; Friday night he is playing at Outerland.

He released his seventh album, Seeds, last April on his label Kitchen Table Records. “I believe songs are seeds,” Mr. Sexton says about the collection, “once planted they can grow and nourish and inspire and with that, change the world.”

Bridge to Baseball

Walk-offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs: Baseball’s Grand (and-not-so-grand) Finales is the title of former Sports Illustrated baseball writer Jim Kaplan’s latest book — and an evening talk he’s giving Wednesday, August 6, at 7 p.m. at the West Tisbury Library.

Mr. Kaplan will chat about the connection between baseball and bridge, which he describes as being “joined at the hip.” The program will include a trivia quiz and the winner will receive a free book.

In previous years at the annual Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Possible Dreams auction, the final dream was Art Buchwald’s straw hat. This year it happened to be a round of golf for three with Vernon Jordan, though winner Barbara Walsh would likely have bid on anything.

“I just wanted to win something,” said Mrs. Walsh last night. “I told my husband I’m going to spend so much this year, next year I’ll have to volunteer at the event.”

Scoop Up Fun With Run

The annual Vineyard Scoops Fun Run begins Sunday, August 3, at The Farm Institute, with an 8:45 a.m. fun run for tots and 9 a.m. 5K run/walk for all. Entry is $15 in advance or $20 on race day for the 5K. It’s $5 for fun run, or $50 to register the whole family. Applications are available at Scoops Ice Cream on the corner of Main and South Summer streets in Edgartown or online at mvmultisport.com. For more information, call 508-627-8303.

The little information booth sits in downtown Oak Bluffs, an ornate yellow and red axis around which the machinery of summer seems to rotate. At 9 a.m. on a July Saturday morning, the breeze moves through the booth window and out the open door. Laced with buttered popcorn and the whine of passing mopeds, it carries the smells and sounds of a resort town at the height of the season.

Sails and masts from Bermuda rose high over Vineyard Haven harbor this past weekend. The 89-foot, three-masted schooner Spirit of Bermuda made its first visit to the Island, a collaboration involving two nonprofit organizations, Sail Martha’s Vineyard and Boston MedFlight.

The 2-year-old vessel’s inaugural visit was significant for a number of reasons.

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

This is a summer of leatherback sea turtle sightings by local fishermen. Capt. Dick Smith of the charter fishing boat Patriot Too has seen quite a few of these large sea turtles in Vineyard waters.

“During the summer, the jellyfish come through Nantucket and Vineyard sounds,” Mr. Smith said. “Leatherback sea turtles are usually out there on the Gulf Stream, but their diet is jellyfish, so they are here.”

Earlier in July, the captain said, he saw quite a few sea turtles almost daily.

Friday, July 25: Heavy rain overnight. The landscape is dripping wet from a night of thunderstorms. More storms in the afternoon. Loud rumbling thunder echoes through the streets of Vineyard Haven. Large puddles slow nightlife traffic in Oak Bluffs.

Della Hardman, an artist, educator, writer and columnist, was a pillar of service in the Vineyard community.

She died in December of 2005, but not before enjoying Oak Bluffs’ first Della Brown Hardman Day in July of that year.

“We didn’t realize it would be her last year,” Ms. Hardman’s daughter, Andrea Taylor, said of the first event. “It was a wonderful celebration. A great way for her to look back on her career.”