The Pit Stop, the music and performing arts space in Oak Bluffs with a gritty, coffee-house atmosphere that has attracted a large following in the

Unconvinced that the town is getting its money’s worth from the county integrated pest management program, one Tisbury resident proposed this week that the town establish its own program.

“I think we can do it for cheaper and also want to add skunks,” said Joe Tierney, who is chairman of the town emergency services facility building committee. His remarks came at the selectmen’s meeting Wednesday.

Joseph Palermo remembers his mother saying he was “born with a paintbrush in his hand.” If this is the case then Mr. Palermo has been holding a brush for 91 years. This weekend will mark the beginning of a month-long show of Mr. Palermo’s watercolors at the Chilmark Library and he plans to be there at the opening. “I think he’s an inspiration,” Elise Thomas said. She helps Mr. Palermo by taking photos of some of the images he’s interested in recreating, everything from waterfowl to lighthouses. Then, in a large alcove in his apartment within his son Greg’s home in Edgartown, Mr.

The curly-headed cherub strumming away on a harp is a time-honored icon. Try and consider Valentine’s Day without the sight of Cupid, his bow and arrows at rest for the moment, offering up a musical interlude. But what if Cupid had been allowed to grow up, pack on layers of muscle and play lacrosse and football, grinding out yards on the gridiron in front of cheering spectators. Would he still play the harp? And if so, what would he look like?

He would look like Nathaniel Horwitz, a 16-year-old junior at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

The Vineyard may not have a ball to drop, but that doesn’t mean New Year’s Eve Island style doesn’t compare with standing cheek to jowl in the Times Square mosh pit.

Far better, really, to dance 2012 right out of the picture and welcome what is to come with a sweaty, hell yeah.

The Harbor View hosts the Sultans of Swing but you had to be quick to the mark to make reservations. The only spots left are the packages with lodging.

The deadline for the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine’s photography contest is Dec. 31. Everyone is invited to enter the competition; the only rules are that the photograph was shot on or around the Island, be the original work of the person submitting the entry and not have been digitally altered (minor color correcting is acceptable). Photos also must not have been previously published.