Ronan Murphy stood by the boathouse and posed the question: “Where do a bunch of college students from a small island west of Europe go for the summer?”

The answer — “An even smaller Island!”

The assembly of sailing instructors let out a chorus of booming laughs, a nearly constant sound track for the group, it seemed.

The benefit concert at the Tabernacle on Tuesday will be quite the sight to see. More importantly, it will be the one to hear.

David Crohan, celebrated pianist and former owner of David’s Island House in Oak Bluffs, is performing with several other musicians to benefit Freedom Guide Dogs breeding and training facility in New York and the Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group.

It should have been the best moment of Chris Herren’s life when he signed a contract to live out the dream of every boy who grew up playing basketball in Boston. But as Mr. Herren spoke in his thick Boston accent about what an honor it was to be a hometown kid coming back to play for the Boston Celtics, he had his mind on something besides basketball — the 800 mg of Oxycotin waiting in his drug dealer’s pocket.

The stage was set with its characteristic flare of color. The cabin was packed, as always, with kids and adults pouring off the seats and onto the floor. Everyone knew what to expect from Camp Jabberwocky’s annual play — an uplifting spectacle well worth a hardwood seat. This year the Camp put on The Great Gatsby.

When James Balog first photographed glaciers for National Geographic in June 2007, they filled his camera frames. Incomprehensibly large and imposing blocks of frozen history, most were decorated in a brilliant sheen resulting from a constant stream of melting ice on the glaciers’ surfaces. The glossy finish made for great photography, but it also hinted at a problem for the planet — the melting of the polar ice caps.

Those attending the Arts Stroll in Oak Bluffs tomorrow, July 14, can expect paintings, sculptures and prints, naturally. But be prepared for capes and crowns, too.

Lucinda Sheldon of Lucinda’s Enamels, located at 11 Vineyard avenue, has dedicated a whole corner of her studio to decorative fabric capes and complementary felt crowns.

“I’m an artist,” she said, looking at her collection of fantasy costumes for kids, “But I’m also a grandmother.”