At the end of a Fourth of July celebration that spread across every corner of the Island from sunup to sundown, people and cheer filled the streets from Robinson Road to North Water street in the annual tradition of the Edgartown parade.

A man, 85 years old with far more than a century of stories to tell, walked toward a small shed behind his humble, white-shingled house on Music street. David McCullough had another story to tell.

Betsy and Jesse Fink know the power of a seed. The two philanthropists met in forestry school. They’ve also cultivated ideas, growing and nurturing them until they become forces in the world.

Every year, 6,500 tons of food waste is shipped off the Vineyard at a premium. Leaders at the Martha’s Vineyard Food Waste Initiative and its partners aim to change all that.

A group of 12 Vineyarders — politicians, writers, actors, ministers and boat captains — gathered in the pews of Edgartown’s Federated Church on Tuesday afternoon.