Spring must be on its way; the Island Theatre Workshop’s spring play festival, now in its fifth year, is about to begin.

This year’s festival runs Thursday, March 10 through Sunday, March 13 and then again from Thursday, March 17 through Sunday, March 20. Evening shows begin at 7:30 p.m. with additional Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. All shows are to be performed at the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven.

Next Sunday, March 13, at 11 a.m. the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard is going vocal with guest preacher, Reverend Bill Clark and special musical guests, the Pleasant Street Quintet.

The quintet is on holiday from the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Mass. They are composed of flautist Mies Boet-Whitaker, French horn player John Chapin, clarinetist Michelle Markus, oboist Carl Schlaikjer and bassoonist Jean Renard Ward and will be playing music by composers Claude Paul Taffanel, Amy Beach and Joseph Haydn.

Greenhouse Relief

Daylight saving is just a week away. Spring arrives in two weeks. Hmm, what to do with all of that additional light available other than simply soaking it up and restoring your levels of Vitamin D?

How about building a solar greenhouse. No excuses, either, about not knowing how.

On Tuesday, March 8, the Farm Institute begins a five-week solar greenhouse workshop. From soup to nuts, or rather from frame to roof, they’ll help you create a cozy dwelling to begin sprouting your crops.

Party in the Pews

Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, most likely conjures up images of celebrating decadence. From the beads and nearly-bare ladies on the balconies of New Orleans to the even more scantily clad bodies at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival parties, folks seem lit by a fire paralleling religious ecstasy.

Now add to that list the West Tisbury Congregational Church.

Irish Alpacas

Skip the beer and go for the yarn.

Island Alpaca is having a St. Patrick’s Day open house on two consecutive weekends: March 12 and 13 and March 19 and 20.

Check out the alpacas on a self-guided walking tour, enjoy some hot cider and shop for one-of-a-kind alpaca products. Island Alpaca is located at 1 Head of the Pond Road in Oak Bluffs. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.

For more details, call 508-693-5554.

Lifeguard Class

The YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard is offering a lifeguard certification course beginning March 14.

The course will run over two weeks on Monday through Thursday evenings. Participants must attend all classes in order to receive the certification. Anyone interested must also be experienced swimmers and able to swim 500 yards in freestyle, sidestroke and breaststroke.

Waterfront certification is not included in the class.