There was little need for ceremonial golden shovels during Wednesday afternoon’s groundbreaking for phase two of the Island Housing Trust’s Lake street project. Construction had already begun on the third and final duplex town house of the affordable housing mini-community in Vineyard Haven. When complete, the duplexes will house six families.

The Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard has announced the addition of Carlene Gatting and Paul Karasik to its governing board. Ms. Gatling, a native of Connecticut, has worked both as a nurse and as a lawyer for the New York firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. She moved to the Vineyard full-time in 2001 after the birth of her twin girls. She has served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Dukes County Commission .

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has kittens and more kittens — all ages and colors, males and females who are looking for forever homes. Won’t you please call or stop by the shelter to see these sweet little creatures?

Fifteen years ago Vineyard Gardens threw a harvest festival and they never stopped. This year’s party takes place on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vineyard Gardens is located at 484 State Road in West Tisbury. Ordinarily, directions would follow saying something about looking out for a garden center, plants and that sort of thing. But on Saturday follow the scent of free food (yes it does smell differently with no cost attached): chili and jalapeno corn bread, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, hot dogs and caramel apples — all of it homemade.

Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and Cy Young made headlines 150 years ago, and last week those headlines were uncovered when the shingles came off the front of the Littlefield house in West Tisbury.

Newspapers dating to the mid 19th century were discovered on the State Road home by Island builder Tucker Hubbell when he and his crew removed the front porch of the house for a renovation project. Mr. Hubbell estimated the last time the 1844 house had been shingled was around 1910, when newspapers were commonly used to help insulate and prevent wind from blowing through the walls.

“Tikkun olam” is a Hebrew phrase meaning to repair or heal the world. On Wednesday, a couple of dozen students from the Hebrew School at Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven did their part to make that a reality. They loaded 128 bags of nonperishable food into vehicles to be transported to the Island Food Pantry located a few blocks away at Christ United Methodist Church.