The Island is known for its iconic animals. There’s the black dog, the flying horse, the Jaws shark. But long ago, there was also a red cat. According to Island lore, she was a handsome young gal with fiery red hair who tickled the fancy of Stan Hart, Island bibliophile, sailor and author, who died in 2010.

A new season means new food on Martha’s Vineyard. Across the Island, eateries are shuffling chefs, inventing new menus and changing locations for the summer. Other restaurants are starting from scratch.

Restaurateurs are offering an exciting array of new fare from eggs Benedict to lobster as they gear up to serve summer crowds.

Bekah Brunstetter was feeling lackluster about her play last week. She had already completed a first draft, but there were still kinks to work out.

“I told her to go have a lobster roll with it or something,” said Brooke Hardman Ditchfield, the co-founder and producer of New Writers, New Plays, a part of the Vineyard Arts Project. “She sent me a picture of herself with her open notebook at the Edgartown lighthouse that said, ‘We’re in love again.’”

Visitors are filling Island beaches, men on ladders are cleaning street lanterns along Main street Edgartown and an endless line of cars waits behind the stop sign at the Triangle — all indicators that it’s July Fourth week. Tomorrow is the national holiday. This will be Edgartown’s 43rd consecutive year hosting its annual Independence Day parade. A crowd of thousands of Islanders and visitors will line Main street to witness another year’s string of marchers and floats.

A new building has been added to the Vineyard Haven skyline. Well, actually it isn’t new—it’s been there since 1895, but a recent clearing of trees has exposed the 10,000 square-foot former marine hospital to the Lagoon Pond, to cars entering Vineyard Haven via Beach Road and to boats leaving the harbor.