Despite months of vocal critiques and speculation, when the ABC Family docu-soap The Vineyard premiered Tuesday night, all appeared quiet in Oak Bluffs. Cat Todd sat at a bar surrounded by close friends and waited for the show to air.

Reality hit Martha’s Vineyard on Tuesday night as the new television show The Vineyard premiered on ABC Family.

Christine Todd, Oak Bluffs Association executive director and mother to cast member Cat Todd, hosted an informal premiere party at the Chowder Company in Oak Bluffs.

Chuck a choo choos, shooby doo wop dee wops and wah wah oohs echoed in Merrily Fenner’s basement at a band rehearsal for Serendipity, the Island’s new mostly-female doo wop group. The band features Ms. Fenner on bass or guitar, Christine McLean on rhythm guitar, Chris Seidel on drums, Janis Syslo on tambourine, Mark Mazer on guitar, and the occasional Penny Huff on bass.

The old pipe organ at Trinity Episcopal Church was restored over the winter and will be the centerpiece of a concert this Sunday at the historic Oak Bluffs chapel.

The concert begins at 4 p.m.

“Music has always been important at Trinity,” said organist Wesley Brown, who has been playing at the church for 20 years.

Everybody growing up in the small town of Kingman, 
Kans., took piano lessons, Delores (Dee) Stevens, 83, explained, sitting at the table of her Chilmark home on a sunny summer morning. That was just what you did. “I was so excited when I had my first lesson. I think I was about four,” Mrs. Stevens said.

Two of Lawrence O’Donnell’s admissions may sound surprising, especially for a guy who has made a good living in the television world. First, he claims he doesn’t like attention all that much. For that reason, among others, he didn’t name his show the Lawrence O’Donnell show, but instead calls it The Last Word.

“It will sound odd given this choice of occupation, but I didn’t like the attention of that,” he said. “I’d rather be on TV with a fake name.”