Between now and mid-April, occasional migrating small birds arrive on the Island exceptionally early.

The body of an Edgartown man who reportedly drove off a cliff along East Chop in Oak Bluffs Thursday evening was recovered Saturday morning after being spotted by a woman aboard a Steamship Authority ferry in Vineyard Haven harbor.

Oak Bluffs police started their search for Benjamin Viera, 35, late Thursday evening after receiving a report from his family that they had received a disturbing message from him and were concerned about his safety.

Katherine Campbell of Vineyard Haven has been named to the dean’s list at Emmanuel College in Boston for the fall 2007 semester.

A suicidal husband, a vaudeville act down on its luck, a pair of commedia dell’arte clowns, two morbidly sensitive shepherds, and a train passenger trapped in the loo with an idiot conductor on the far side of the door. What do these characters have in common? Well, brought together in one-act plays under the aegis of Island Theatre Workshop, they represent a fruitcake slice of the human predicament. They are also, as samples of the absurdist tradition, a whole bunch of fun.

A young filmmaker perched on a stool in the Chilmark Community Center Saturday afternoon, microphone in hand. An Island woman born and raised, she waited for the lights to flicker on and then watched, her eyes twinkling, as the members of the audience joined in steady round of applause for her film about her Island and featuring the people who call it home.

Three questions came to mind as I headed out this past Friday to see Berklee College of Music students and faculty work their therapy magic on the Island. One, can you ever get high school kids to sit around and pay attention? Two, is there a career in music therapy? And three, can nursing home residents carry a beat?

Studio Sale Saturday

Doors open tomorrow 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vineyard Playhouse for a one-day studio sale of overstock, seconds and samples from Island artisans.

A large format, hardcover coffee table edition of the book Secret Spaces, Martha’s Vineyard Beyond the Landmarks, has been featured this past week at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International trade show in Las Vegas by the book’s manufacturer, GraphiStudios.

The book showcases a collection of Vineyard images by former Martha’s Vineyard resident and Gazette contributing photographer Michael Zide, with text by Island writers and artists.

The Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund presents the award-winning documentary film, Fisheries: Beyond the Crisis, followed by a discussion of sustainability and community-based fisheries management on Wednesday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Public Library.

A four-part, hands-on digital photo restoration class begins next week at the high school.

Participants will learn how to digitally restore and reprint damaged, fading snapshots; scan and make enlargements from negatives and slides of all sizes and formats; learn how to use Adobe Photoshop CS3 to digitally retouch and restore images; master the use of film and flatbed scanners; and make detailed enlargements for print or for the Web.