Both Vineyarders and visitors are at the heart of springtime on the Island. Sure, nature vies for attention, but it’s not quite time yet. In summer our collective focus tends to be on visitors, from shopkeepers attracting day-trippers to homeowners hosting friends and family on vacation. Then touristing slows enough for nature to be the star of autumn. By winter, the focus turns to home, self, and the insular community of Vineyarders. But by spring, we are excited about greeting the seasonal folks returning as well as enjoying time with all of our Vineyard buddies before the many distractions of summer descend upon us.

This magazine pays tribute to some of the people who make this a welcoming, warm community. The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks baseball team is a perfect example of people from both on- and off-Island coming together with a common love (page 26). Our profile of radio stations similarly looks at all of the faces and efforts behind the voices and music we hear every day (page 58).

Individual achievement is often worthy of note, but more importantly on the Island, expertise is frequently shared. This is the case with home gardener Paul Jackson, who generously reveals how he grows his incredible ribbon-winning entries for the Ag Fair (page 48).

Since our annual photo contest began four years ago, we haven’t had many winning shots with people in them, but this year six of the ten winners include people (page 38). First place is of a little boy jumping off a giant rock on the beach – a perfect celebration of the energy and excitement of summer, which will be here soon enough.