Sprinkle a little salt over your left shoulder before reading today’s column as it is Friday the 13. Well it was a toasty warm weekend with the temperature reaching almost 85 degrees. Leaves are out in full in all the trees and the pollen was and is at a high level. Lots of folks went to the beaches and held backyard barbecues. Well, it is getting busier by the day and if you drove down to Vineyard Haven last weekend you experienced your first traffic jam of the season. My computer crashed just as I was about to send in the news. My apologies if I forgot an item or two.

Tomorrow is Flag Day and it has a little more significance this year. The American Legion Post 257 will rededicate War Veterans Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven with a parade beginning promptly at 11 a.m. beginning at St. Augustine’s Church. The Northeast Navy Marching Band will play patriotic songs at the ceremony. They will entertain you at 7 p.m. in the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. For more information call 508-627-6483.

Father’s Day is on Sunday. It’s origin dates back to near the beginning of the last century. President Calvin Coolidge made it a national day and President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law with a presidential proclamation. A Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there.

Ed and Jane Konicki, of Webster and old friends of ours, arrived on Monday to spend time visiting people and relaxing. Ed holds the distinction of being the first non-Island person interviewed by MVTV at the fair several years ago.

Phyllis Meras, of Music street, returned home last Saturday afternoon after a business trip down to New York city.

John and Ellen Cronin, of Drexel Hills, Pa. have arrived for the summer at their Plum Bush Road retreat.

Jill Carlton and her husband Pete Karman, of New Haven, Conn. have arrived at her house and plan to settle in for the summer.

Simi Horwitz, a frequent summer visitor, emailed me giving me a rave review about Jib Ellis new book Bandstand the Search for Oak Island Gold. She strongly recommends you read it. Simi was an award-winning reporter for Backstage for 15 years.

Ellen Weiss, of Old County Road, arrived from New Orleans, La. on Sunday to spend the summer at her home. She has taken to her seat as a regular on Alley’s Store front porch.

Amy Hoff, over at the library, reports that on Tuesday and again on Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. the library will be hosting a free two-part poetry workshop for adults called The Sight and Sound of Line Breaks in Poetry taught by poet Jill Jupen.

Anna Carringer reports there will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on the lawn and the opening of Martha’s Vineyard: A History in Photographs, in conjunction with the new book. See a selection of the original photographs used in the book recently published by the museum’s chief curator Bonnie Stacy. The 18th century Cooke House will open for the season with a new boat-building display and refreshed archaeology exhibit, and visit the Charles W. Morgan exhibit in the Spotlight Gallery.

Aela Hill reports that Restaurant Week begins this coming Sunday. It offers culinary adventurers and everyday diners the chance to experience the bounty of the Island at a fraction of the price it might otherwise cost, with special price-fixed menus. Call for a complete list of participating restaurants. Lunches are being offered by many restaurants this year.

Perhaps the most elaborate and certainly one of the most popular events in the history of the Agricultural Hall was held on June 15, 1920. The play Gifts of the Past written and directed by Emma Whiting was written so that most all of the people in town had a part in it. The show was enthusiastically received by an overflow audience in the Hall. The play was a historical drama with 14 different scenes depicting highlights of the life of the town. We were part of Tisbury until we seceded in 1892. The entertainment was under the auspices of the ladies of the Congregational Church. The pageant captured the history of the town from 1750 up to 1920. Many descendants of the first settlers played a part in this elaborate extravaganza. It was widely known that the costumes and family heirlooms used in the play were priceless. At the close of the production all of the people in the play gathered together on stage and sang Auld Lang Syne and the audience joined in with them. It was an emotional closing to a wonderful evening.

Happy Birthday to Anna Botti, Brian Smith and Daniel Pesch today; Elaine Pace, Tim Sweet, Max Conley, Leslie Gray and Bea Amaral tomorrow; Joyce Currier, Cynthia Riggs-Attebery, Jackson Van Rann and Fred Barron on Sunday; Mike Diaz, Ruth Campbell and Anne Fischer on Monday; two special women from Webster, Donna Annese and Deborah Kokernak, Leslie Baker, Don Rogers, Erin Rathmell and Benjamin Golfein on Tuesday; Maggie Barron, Sam Bryant, Peter Eldridge and Randi Baird on Wednesday; Debra Levesque, Travis Thurber, Karen McDonald, Marjory Potts and Sarah Montrowl on Thursday.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news please call or email me. Have a great week.