The sound of gavels banging will be heard around the Island when the annual town meeting season begins with our own version of Super Tuesday, as voters in Tisbury, West Tisbury, Edgartown and Oak Bluffs gather to conduct the annual business of their towns. Town reports and paper warrants will be stacked on laps, the soft clack of knitting needles will be heard in the back of the room and moderators will call the meetings to order.

Annual town meetings will follow in Chilmark on April 23 and in Aquinnah on May 8.

April could be referred to as the month around the corner, the one that signals a directional shift from winter towards the Island’s shoulder season. It begins on a whim, celebrating the art of foolishness (take note Chappy column readers) and ends, at least here on the Island, with a clarity of purpose. The summer show is not far off, reservations are booked, the audience expectant, and the backstage crew working feverishly.

The news media are frequently criticized for focusing on tragedy, but it must also be said that it is human nature to be transfixed by tragic events.

According to the calendar, spring officially began on Tuesday. According to reality, it began on Dec. 22, ordinarily the first day of winter, when spring decided to do away with winter this year. A slight snowfall was a freak occurrence and temperatures below freezing as rare as a visit from the propane man.

The weakened economy has caused plenty of hardship on the Island, but we’re occasionally reminded that even in healthy periods years ago, the good times weren’t always so good.

In the movie Swimming with Sharks, a beleaguered young film executive played by Frank Whaley is asked why he entered the movie business. His answer; because of memories. Not those of the movies themselves, but the actual experience of watching them. He charted the course of his development as a person through this simultaneously very public and very private activity; where he was, at what stage of his life, and with whom he watched each film.