Our first note of thanks must go to you, dear readers. Without our subscribers and all who buy the magazine on newsstands or read it in doctors’ offices, libraries, businesses, or as hand-me-downs, there’s no way we could have reached this twenty-five-year milestone.

Most often we hear from readers with story ideas or for more information (and sometimes because we’ve made a mistake) – almost all of these notes come with some appreciation, as with Ellen O’Brien’s e-mail last year: “I so enjoy this magazine. Great articles and fantastic photos! Working at MV Hospital in the lab, my co-workers and I ‘share’ this wonderful publication.” Thank you.

We also want to thank all the writers and photographers and people who have worked on the magazine since 1985. Phew, it’s a lot of people, a lot of members of this Island community, and they are the ones who are in the know. Of course, without great subject matter, they couldn’t produce great work, so thanks go to all the interviewees. Whether you’ve simply confirmed a detail or spent days being interviewed, your time is valuable and we appreciate it. Our readers do too.

Thanks go to our advertisers as well. Though we maintain strong journalistic principles that necessitate a division between advertising and editorial, we appreciate and give due thanks for the financial support of the Vineyard’s business community. We hope our readers continue to value our advertisers and everything they do.

As opposed to this twenty-fifth anniversary edition being about the magazine, it’s really about the Island and what’s happened over the past quarter century. We’ve excerpted from many old stories, and we revisit anew some topics that have come up before. Enjoy!