Emotions ran high at a public hearing of the West Tisbury planning board on Sept. 12, when a request for a new farmstand entrance onto State Road prompted safety concerns and impassioned speeches.

Every September for the past 27 years, Bill Miner has hung a purple Go Vineyarders banner on the front porch of Sports Haven, his Vineyard Haven store. But this year, in block red letters, the banner reads: Store Closing Sale.

The owners of the Lambert’s Cove Inn came before the West Tisbury zoning board of appeals last week to request a continuation of outdoor dining, a practice started during the pandemic.

To define how West Tisbury responds to increased calls for commercial use, the select board appointed a zoning change advisory committee with a mandate to advise the planning board on zoning regulation changes regarding food trucks and commercial sales in the town's rural and village districts.

Summer is over; there are many ways to tell. Late season greens such as kale and spinach will remain abundant, melons are finally coming into their own, and garlic will soon be planted for next year.

The next step for the ongoing Menemsha commercial dock replacement will be a special town meeting on Monday, Sept. 26, aiming to appropriate $44,000 in town funding.