Robert S. Douglas, captain of the topsail schooner Shenandoah, received the Walter Cronkite award Saturday at the 21st annual Sail Martha’s Vineyard Seafood Buffet and Auction at Tisbury Wharf. The award is bestowed to those who have distinguished themselves above and beyond, following the precepts of Sail Martha’s Vineyard’s own goals, to enrich the lives of others.

Chilmark tends to be on the darker side. Edgartown is rather light, and in springtime, the honey produced in West Tisbury and Vineyard Haven is so light in color it’s almost clear.

“They’re all different, and people really like that — they like the local, local, down to the town,” Tim Colon, owner of Island Bee Company says, standing over one of his hives in the backyard of his Vineyard Haven home. Mr. Colon has 130 hives across the Island in every town except for Aquinnah. “The color all depends on what’s blooming.”

It’s summer on the Vineyard, and they’re on the front lines, delivering lobster rolls to hungry hordes, serving up beers to thirsty tourists.

For wait staff at Vineyard restaurants and bars, the summer is the big show, the time of year where crowds make up for the slower off-season months. Summer days — and nights — are crazy, some say, but the benefits, like living on the Vineyard and being part of a tight-knit “industry” community, are big enough to keep them going, year after year.