Sail Martha’s Vineyard will present a fireside dinner and slide presentation at the Black Dog Tavern on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. Capt. Peter Arenstam of Plimoth Plantation will speak on the unique history of the Mayflower II.

The ship, built in England in 1957, crossed the Atlantic in 55 days with a crew of sailors, schoolteachers and its mascot, a small kitten named Felix. There was a great deal of speculation whether this oddly shaped ship, such as had not been seen on the ocean since the 17th century, would make it safely to America.

Tonight is the benefit opening of Island Theatre Workshop, Inc.’s latest production, Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved family opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven.

Little String Stars Twinkle

The All Island Winter String Concert for students in grades one through 12 is set for Tuesday, Jan. 15th from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Admission is free.

One of the high points of this concert will be the combined elementary, junior high and high school orchestras performing Kings of Stone, a piece for mixed level ensemble inspired by Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. The high school and junior high groups also will perform independently.

Vineyard Haven artist Marston Clough is exhibiting original prints at Island Art Gallery-Kennedy Studios in Vineyard Haven. The works include etchings, linocuts, woodcuts and lithographs. Each print is an original, done by hand, and the artist prints very limited editions, numbering fewer than 10, all with strong Vineyard themes — lobstermen and fishermen at work and boats at rest.

The artist studied drawing at the Massachusetts College of Art and etching and printmaking at the Worcester Art Museum.