Dylan Thomas
The birds of the winged trees flying my name Above the farms and the white horses I rose in rainy autumn And walked abroad in a shower of all my days. – Dylan Thomas
September 15, 2023
Where are the Planets?
The only evening planet this month is the ringed planet Saturn. You can find Saturn rising in the east an hour or so after sunset. The planet is the brightest "star" in the east. Saturn is in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus. As the evening progresses, the planet will rise somewhat. The brightest evening planet is…
Summer Business Season Shows Mixed Results; High-End Shops Fared Best
How was commerce on Martha’s Vineyard this summer? If most business owners gave it only a passing grade, those catering to the wealthy had a different take.
Conservation Commission Considers Controversial Renovation
A proposed home renovation on South Water street went before the Edgartown conservation commission Wednesday, prompting concerns about construction in the property’s wetlands and a proposed “exercise spa.”
Historic Erford Burt Building Gets a New Lease on Life
After seven decades on Lagoon Pond Road, the Erford Burt house was moved last week in a bid to preserve and restore the historic building.
Stina Sayre to Embrace Winds of Change
Fashion designer Stina Sayre, long known for her elegantly-draped, easy to wear women’s clothing, is preparing to close her Vineyard Haven showroom and studio later this fall.
Aerial Acrobatics
Birds can fly. We know that. But some birds do more than fly; they dip and dart and make very acrobatic moves in the air.
Starting Them Young
Last Sunday and Monday mornings were so foggy, caution was required on the roadways. T
Local Eats
If you are what you eat, I might be a golden tilefish.
Land Bank Revenues
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $190,148.60 for the business week ending on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending Sept. 8
Kim S. Storey Trs., Douglas I. Katz Trs. and Kim S. Storey Living Trust purchased an undivided one-fifth interest in 4 Smith Lane in Chilmark from Meg Storey for $307,000 on Sept. 6.
Town Issues Cease and Desist on North Water Street Work
Edgartown officials have halted construction on a North Water street home after discovering the building had been demolished far beyond what the historic district commission had approved.
Edgartown Town Column: Sept. 5
Rain, fog and humidity is the story of the week.
Chilmark Town Column: Sept. 15
So many people have made the bold statement, “Summer is over.”
Steamship Port Council Recommends Seasonal Rate Hike
The Steamship Authority is proposing to raise its rates for the second year in a row to offset a projected $3 million budget shortfall, but most Island residents and walk-on commuters would be spared from the increases.
Chappaquiddick Town Column: Sept. 15
If the Chappy Ferry is forced to shut down regular service during the passage of Hurricane Lee and you have an emergency that requires you to retreat from Chappy, please call 911.
Darkness Into Light Suicide Prevention Walk
On Saturday Sept. 23 the sixth annual Darkness into Vineyard Light Suicide Prevention and Awareness Walk takes place, beginning at Bend in the Road beach in Edgartown.
Work Begins on Tabernacle Roof
Work recently began on the 90-year-old Tabernacle roof, which will be torn down and replaced with new concrete tiles. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 2024.
Stand Up to Racism
On an Island, and specifically in a town steeped in a rich history of Native/Indigenous and African American history, it is disappointing that Oak Bluffs is experiencing white supremacy and racism.
Gazette Chronicle: Eel Pots
From the Sept. 12, 1958 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: And when some youthful hearer asked what the Eel-pot may have been those same elders “closed their hatches” with abruptness and said no more.
Still Walking in the Wake of a Glorious Vineyard Summer
Did you have any heroes when you were nine years old? I did and his name was Robin Jackson.
Stop & Shop Plans to Open Expansion This Year
The long-planned expansion of the Edgartown Stop & Shop is expected to be finished before the end of 2023, capping the years-long saga to renovate the grocery store chain’s largest location on Martha’s Vineyard.
Islanders Prepare for Hurricane Lee
The storm, a category 3 hurricane as of Wednesday afternoon, is poised to lose some of its strength as it moves over colder Atlantic waters, but Islanders are readying themselves for strong winds this weekend.
High School Committee Moves to Wrap Up Turf Dispute
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional School committee is seeking a commitment from Oak Bluffs not to appeal a judge’s ruling in the ongoing dispute over a proposed artificial turf playing field.
Black Joy Food Love Is on the Menu for the High Holidays
Chef Ting of Black Joy Food Love and Juli Vanderhoop of the Orange Peel Bakery have created a menu of dishes from brisket to kugel in anticipation of the Jewish High Holidays.
Fall Sports Season Gets Underway
With the turn of the calendar comes the return of fall high school sports on the Vineyard. And after last’s year strong showing, the hype has returned, too.
Holy Ghost Association Reprimanded For Quahaug Handling
The Holy Ghost Association was warned by health officials this week for improperly tagging quahaugs at the Feast of the Holy Ghost in July.
Derby Opening Day Sees Two Triple Crowns
Sarah Kadison and five-year-old Tucker Schaefer both earned triple crowns (catching a bonito, false albacore and bluefish) on opening day. Tucker’s advice to other fishermen: “reel hard.”
Howes House Project in Holding Pattern
Plans to renovate the Howes House in West Tisbury are on-hold indefinitely as the town select board reckons with policy violations on the Up-Island Council on Aging, the intermunicipal body headquartered there.
Chilmark Looks to Stem the Pickleball Tide
The resounding thwacking of a pickleball against a paddle may be silenced by municipal regulation in Chilmark, at least for now, after the town planning board moved to enact a moratorium on building new pickleball courts at their meeting on Monday.
Migrants Return to Vineyard a Year Later for Heartfelt Reunion
Last weekend’s events were largely kept under wraps. If asked, attendees donning name tags and color-coded wristbands were told to say they were gathering for a family reunion. It was, in some ways, true.
Jewish High Holidays Observances
The Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center and Chabad on the Vineyard will hold public services for the Jewish High Holidays.
Len Butler Remembered in Aquinnah Ceremony
Beneath the Gay Head Lighthouse Sunday, Islanders celebrated the life of late Aquinnah resident Len Butler, known to many as “the man who moved the lighthouse.”
Driver Charged After Crashing Through Camp Ground
Police arrested a man on drunken driving charges this weekend after he allegedly drove through a pedestrian-only neighborhood in the Camp Ground, damaging porches of two iconic Oak Bluffs gingerbread cottages and other property.
A Well Dressed Portal to the Past
As we move from summer to fall I’m reminded of how in the early spring I was contemplating transitions and change.
Tivoli Day Celebrates September Season
Oak Bluffs’ Tivoli Day takes place Saturday, Sept. 16, offering a full day of fun with a street fair highlighting local business to celebrate the end of another summer season on Martha’s Vineyard.
Aquinnah Powwow Brings Many Nations Together
A plume of smoke curled against the backdrop of the rolling waves on Aquinnah’s south shore this weekend, as members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and native peoples from across the east coast gathered for the annual Aquinnah Powwow.
Derby Bell Rings and a Bonito is First Fish Weighed in
Despite a foggy morning, which promised a slow start to the 78th Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, Kevin Seger was waiting patiently in line at 8 a.m. Sunday with a 3.46-pound bonito cementing its status as first fish of this year’s derby.
MVC Denies Fireplaces Installed at Stone Bank Condos
Developer Reid (Sam) Dunn added fireplaces to three condominium units at his Stone Bank mixed-use property in Vineyard Haven without approval by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, which voted Thursday to deny his after-the-fact request to keep the amenities in place.
Falmouth Robbery Suspect Agrees To Guilty Plea
Petar Petyoshin, who was arrested in May for allegedly stealing more than $21,000 from the Davis Straits Rockland Trust, signed a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this summer.
