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
July 8, 2011
What Money Can’t Buy
What Money Can’t Buy
Are we rich? Kids often ask the question, and answering it can be a complicated business, especially on Martha’s Vineyard. Of course we are, considering the living conditions of kids in much of the world, and even many Americans. Most of us have plenty to eat, warmth in all…
Pedestrian Hit by Vehicle Listed in Critical Condition
A Coral Gables, Fla., woman remained in critical condition in a Boston hospital Monday after she was struck by a car while crossing Upper Main street in Edgartown on foot on Saturday night.
Patricia Guarch, 22, who is working at the Vineyard Arts Project on Upper Main street for the summer, was crossing…
News Update: Friday, July 8 – West Tisbury Beaches Open for Swimming
West Tisbury beaches are again open for swimming, the town health agent announced on Friday. Four beaches, including at Lambert’s Cove, Seth’s Pond and Long Point, were closed Thursday due to high bacteria counts found in the weekly water samples. Beaches were re-tested and all are now safe for swimming, health agent John Powers said…
Breaking News: Friday, July 8 – Town Administrator Resigns Under Pressure
Oak Bluffs town administrator Michael Dutton resigned on Friday morning, capping weeks of tension and speculation over whether he would remain on the job.
The five Oak Bluffs selectmen met behind closed doors for an hour on Friday and then announced in public that they had accepted Mr. Dutton’s resignation, which is effective…
Desire to Help Leads Principal’s Decision
The composition of this letter is a col lection of thoughts and feelings that I have already shared, and some that I have not to this point. Please know that this letter is from my heart. First, I am moved by the kind words and supportive actions on the part of so many staff and…
Home-Schooling Not Limited to the Home
To be homeschooled doesn’t mean one only receives teaching in the home. The family joke surrounding Kendra Mills’ education is that she was “schooled by the whole Island.”
Musical Treasure, David Crohan’s Special Gift an Island Institution
There are very few musicians in David Crohan’s league. He says so himself.
But he says it modestly as if, after more than 60 years of playing, he is still surprised by the fact.
“I was given an extraordinary gift. I can hear a popular song, and I can learn it…
Heart and Soul of a Congregation Returns, Restored in Body and Spirit
L ast Sunday, the strains of organ music floated in the warm summer air down South Summer street in Edgartown.
The stately 1830 pipe organ is back in the Federated Church, and for church organist Peter M. Boak it was a welcome return. “It was like having an old friend back at home,”…
Little League at Bat
Little League at Bat
The Martha’s Vineyard Little League under-nine travel team opens their season today, July 8, against Taunton West in the Rehobeth Summer Slam Tournament.
The 10-year-olds travel to the Cape on Friday to face Walpole in the Sandwich Summer Blast, after going 1-2 in the 10-year-old state Little…
According to Fluke
According to Fluke
Fluke fishermen young and old will be out in force this weekend as the 12th annual fluke tournament sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign War Post 9261 gets under way.
Lines go in the water at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The weigh-in station is the VFW Post headquarters on…
Streetball’s the Game, Fitness the Prize
Vineyarders and visitors alike gathered at Niantic Park on Saturday to take part in the ninth annual Vineyard Streetball Classic. The double-elimination basketball tournament for preteens and teens featured, as is tradition, three-on-three half-court ball. As part of the classic’s ongoing evolution, new traditions, including a free throw contest, were also added to the day’s…
Wizard Over Pests, T.J. Hegarty Turns Mosquito Potions Master
Thomas J. Hegarty drives around the Vineyard in his Dukes County pickup truck as though he could drive right out to the edge of the world. He holds up the peace sign to nearly every car he passes, or at least calls out the window to say hello.
He’s a man about town,…
Officer Steven Conley Promoted to Sergeant
Oak Bluffs police officer Steven Conley was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on Tuesday, July 5, with a ceremony at the Oak Bluffs Police Station. Officer Conley has worked for the department for just over five years.
The promotional process included a written examination, physical agility testing, psychometric and psychological exams, and…
Managing Menemsha Pond Will Be Focus of Public Forums
The shores of the beach at Herring Creek, which flows into Menemsha Pond, are clear. A string of rocks tapers out into the cove, a lone rowboat floats at high tide. In the morning the water stands still, rippling from the occasional gust of wind, resounding the chirps and chatters of coastal birds. Gone from…
West Tisbury Beaches Closed Due to Bacteria
Lambert’s Cove Beach, Seth’s Pond, Long Cove Pond and Tisbury Great Pond were all closed to swimming on Thursday after results from routine water testing revealed a spike in the bacteria enterococcus.
West Tisbury health agent John Powers said he expects the tests to be an anomaly and anticipated the beaches would be…
Eye on Horizon for Round the Island Racers
The Edgartown Yacht Club’s annual Round the Island race begins at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, and by Wednesday afternoon already there were 46 sailboats registered to start in the 67-mile contest. It is one of the three big racing events for the Edgartown club, with sailors from along the East Coast here for a full…
Parking Spots, Tickets Taken Up in Edgartown
Edgartown selectmen approved converting two loading zones on South Water street to short-term parking this week.
The spaces in front of the Harborside Inn will become 15-minute parking areas in an effort to ease traffic flow. Town highway superintendent Stuart Fuller said at the weekly meeting on Tuesday the new spaces will help…
Chilmark Prepares for Runners, But Flags Concern on Signage
Chilmark selectmen took up a series of summer housekeeping items this week, approving the Chilmark Road Race, wrapping up harbor repair projects and reviewing advertising bylaws.
The selectmen approved the annual road race at their weekly meeting on Tuesday with one requirement: There must be more portable bathrooms throughout the course.
Union Chapel
Union Chapel
On Sunday, July 10, 2011, the Rev. Kevin Pleas will be the guest preacher at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. Reverend Pleas received his M. Div. from Andover Newton Theological School in 1987 and has been a local church pastor ever since. He has served churches in Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut,…
Habitat Breaks Ground at Bailey Park
The house at 49 Bailey Park Road in West Tisbury has new owners.
At a groundbreaking ceremony last Saturday, Doug Ruskin, president of Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard, introduced Joe Fragosa Jr., his wife, Jennifer, and their five-year-old daughter, Briana.
Mr. Fragosa, 51, said he and his wife have been…
Cape Cod Scholarships
Cape Cod Scholarships
Several students from Martha’s Vineyard were awarded scholarships by the Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 26, in the Tilden Arts Center Auditorium.
Rebecca Tremblay received the Weezie Foundation Scholarship presented by the Weezie Foundation.
Paula Corts received the Thomas…
Baptist Pastor Installed
Baptist Pastor Installed
The First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven and the Community Baptist Church of Gay Head in Aquinnah will celebrate their new ministry at the Installation Service for their covenant pastor, the Rev. Ellen P. Tatreau, on Sunday, July 17, at 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on the corner…
Renaissance House Retreat Adds New York City Wing
Renaissance House in Oak Bluffs is opening a branch in Harlem, offering the same retreat it offers here.
Renaissance House was founded in the memory of lifetime summer resident Helene Johnson, and Dorothy West, a legendary Vineyarder. Both writers were members of the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic movement in the 1920s and 30s.…
Aquinnah Meets Tuesday To Vote Three Questions
Aquinnah voters will be asked at a special town meeting Tuesday night to restore the town’s full share of the Tri-Town Ambulance Service budget and pay for a portion of an affordable housing study.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the old Aquinnah town hall. Michael Hebert will preside over the short,…
Conservationist Edo Potter Sees Forest for Trees
It’s not surprising that Edo Potter’s favorite piece of conservation land is the next one. For decades she has been instrumental in acquiring plot after plot on her beloved Chappaquiddick for public use and enjoyment by future generations. She’s confident about the future of conservation on Martha’s Vineyard because of the health of the Island’s…
One Year After Menemsha Fire, Dockside Renewal, Reflections
Where the Coast Guard boathouse once stood in Menemsha harbor, the shore slopes slowly down to the sea, revealing a beach long hidden from view. Stretching out from this new landscape stands a concrete dock, a gray slab cutting across the view to the Sound.
This panorama, a significant alteration of how this…
Take the Sun, Put It in the Pump And Say Goodbye to Fossil Fuel?
To glimpse far into the future on the Vineyard, just visit the house of Ted Bayne in West Tisbury. Nothing levitates, lycra unitards are not standard and it is by all appearances much the same as any other typical Vineyard house circa 2011. The only difference is that, energy-wise, Mr. Bayne and his family are…
Lawmakers Weigh Property Rights on Ponds
A bill which has been quietly making its way through the state house could dramatically affect the future ownership of some of the Vineyard’s pristine barrier beaches, moving them from private hands to public.
The bill, which consists of just a single paragraph, relates to the barrier beaches that separate the Island’s Great…
Oak Bluffs Bid Charges Mount
As details came to light this week about even more alleged violations to state public bidding laws in Oak Bluffs, town selectmen were set to meet again this morning behind closed doors to consider the possible dismissal of their town administrator who is at the center of the controversy.
The executive session, the…
Mr. Smith Goes to Oak Bluffs But Reshuffle Ruffles in Tisbury
Upset at the prospect that they will lose their much-loved and widely-respected principal, two members of the Tisbury school committee this week lashed out at the Vineyard schools superintendent for his decision to move principal Richard Smith to the Oak Bluffs School.
At an emotional meeting Tuesday, committee members Janet Packer and Colleen…
Letters to the Editor
KEEP THE SS-A TEAM
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
The following letter is addressed to the Steamship Authority administration:
Key to Sharing the Road…
Martha’s Vineyard is a great place to ride a bicycle. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t live here, and I suspect many other people who love the Island wouldn’t either. Not because we all ride bicycles, but because the things that make the Vineyard a great place to ride are the things that make it a…
…Think Safety First
With the summer season un der way, it is again timely to remind people traveling around the Vineyard — visitors and Islanders, alike, whether motorist or bicyclist — of the need for safety among our narrow and often congested roads and shared use paths. For motorists and bicyclists to safely travel about, everyone needs to…
Honoring Those Who Give Back
Today is Philanthropy Day on Martha’s Vineyard. Proclaimed by Dukes County, it’s a day to honor everyone, seasonal and year-round, for the tremendous amount of time and money you donate to keep the Vineyard and its nonprofits running. We salute and thank all of you for giving back. You play a major role in keeping…
Warmer Oceans Are No Picnic for Fish
Eat fish, we are told, they’re good for the body and brain. Eat local fish to support the Island economy and limit the use of fossil fuels used to transport food. But eating traditionally local seafood will become a challenge as marine species struggle to adapt to changes in ocean waters due to human-induced global…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
The street fair returns tonight! Therefore, for this one day only, Grace Church lobster rolls will be on sale from 1 to 5 p.m. at the church, so as not to interfere with the fair.
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
July 1 80 58 .00
July 2 79 58 .00
July 3 78 62 .00
July 4 77 65 Trace
July 5 81 65 .00
July 6 86 66 .00
July 7 78 68 .00
…
East Chop
RICK HERRICK
508-693-8065
herricklr@verizon.net
East Choppers owe Liz Durkee a big thanks! Liz led the effort to fix Lake Huss, the annoying water problem along Mill Square road that developed following major rain storms. She found the money to solve the problem in a Coastal Pollution Remediation Grant. She…
Chappy
BRAD WOODGER
508-627-4216
(ibwsgolf@aol.com)
We used to wait. There was a joy in slowing down. We’d come to Chappy, away from ringing of home phones to the four-digit dialing quiet Island phones. If the phone rang at Grammy’s, someone wanted a ride home or a drink on the porch.…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
We had excellent hot weather over the long holiday weekend, just the way it should be for the Fourth. Ted Morgan down in Edgartown organized and marched in his 42nd Independence Day parade, and it was well attended, as was Woollcott and Leah Smith’s…
Gazette Chronicle: Soft Sell
Soft Sell
From Gazette editions of July, 1986:
This week for the second time in less than a decade, Alley’s Store, a veteran West Tisbury institution, is changing hands. Howard and Susan Ulfelder of Hingham are buying the store from Charlie and Teena Parton, who bought it from the Alley family…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
slaterjn@comcast.net
Chilmark enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend. The only thing in short supply was a place to park. Let’s hope everyone was finally accommodated. The weather was perfect, the mood was upbeat and there were many visitors. And did I mention that the fish were…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
This week the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is featuring two beautiful calico cats — Cupid and Butter. Both came from the same home and are probably sisters. They are about three years old and look very much alike. Both have recently been spayed and are very friendly around children…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
Welcome July! We now have hot and humid fog, thunderstorms, and some great days for the beach. Summer is definitely under way.
Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Charles Fenske, who celebrated on…
Old Stars
Tonight’s first quarter moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Virgo, near the bright blue star Spica and the ringed-planet Saturn. Use the moon to find Saturn, which appears higher and to the right of the moon. Saturn is not as bright as Spica. It has a yellowish tint which clearly distinguishes it from Spica, one…
Strolling Down the Avenue of Fine Arts When the Party Takes Over the Block
The atmosphere at the Art Stroll along Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs is more like that of a block party than a gallery opening.
“It becomes a real kind of a community gathering place where people meet their friends,” said Don McKillop, who owns the Dragonfly Fine Arts Gallery with his wife,…
Country With Bite, Deer Tick Vibe Infects
By NICK MOORHEAD
Deer Tick is not just a really nasty strain of insect you could find attached to your leg after too much time spent at South Beach. It is also the name of John McCauley’s folk/punk/blues band playing at Nectar’s this Saturday night.
Mr. McCauley has carved out a…
Harmonic Convergence at Ballfield
You never know when that tap on your shoulder is going to come. We’ve been watching you for a while, they say, as you look around bewildered. No, this isn’t a Skull and Bones initiation. It’s a cappella.
The Vineyard Sound have been delighting Island ears since 1992. From June to August they…
Baroque Is Back in Chamber Music Season Opener
The Chamber Music Society of Martha’s Vineyard is beginning their summer festival with concerts on Monday, July 11 at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown and Tuesday, July 12 at the Chilmark Community Center. Both concerts begin at 8 p.m.
Mysterious Ways of Sinister Minister
AN UNSPEAKABLE MISSION. By Judith Campbell. Mainly Mystery Press, 2011. 262 pages. $16.95 softcover.
Kevin Box Makes Debut at Dragonfly
Santa Fe sculptor Kevin Box and his wife and business partner, Jennifer Cady Box, will be on hand to greet visitors at the Dragonfly Fine Arts Gallery during the Oak Bluffs Arts District Stroll on Saturday, July 9 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Mr. Box celebrates the delicate nature of paper through sculptures…
Big Lady, Big Laughs, Comedy Tonight
Big Lady, Big Laughs, Comedy Tonight
Some call her Big Roz. Others call her Lady Roz G. Most just call her drop-dead funny.
Roz G. is on the Vineyard July 7 through 9, as the opening performer of a summer of comedy thanks to the folks at Knock-Knock productions. All performances…
SylvieBags Returns
SylvieBags Returns
After a three year hiatus, SylvieBags is back in business. Those who have been missing her colorful vintage fabric handbags can look forward to viewing new designs at the Vineyard Artisans Festivals this summer (Sundays in July, Thursdays in August, plus the Labor Day weekend show).
Additionally, a selection…
Painting With a Pro
Painting With a Pro
It’s a painting party! Artists all are welcome to join esteemed acrylics painter Debra Bretton Robinson as she paints en plein air (outdoors, from life) on North Water street in Edgartown across from the lighthouse next week, July 11 to 15, 9 a.m. to noon.
It’s BYOP…
Mexico’s Finest Will Delight Moviegoers
A battle-of-wills comedy that made film critic Kenneth Turan’s Top 10 films of the year? Tell me more! By a first-time and female director? Yes, Mariana Chenillo, in Turan’s words, “creates fully imagined eccentric characters, places them in a wryly comic and specific world and takes deft pokes at the occasional rigidity of organized religion…
Tisbury Street Fair Is POSTPONED to Saturday
The Tisbury Street Fair, scheduled for this evening, has been postponed until Saturday evening due to weather.
It will begin at 6 p.m. in Vineyard Haven promising the same great food, face painting, climbing walls and lots more.
The town of Tisbury is turning 340 years old this year. Forty years…
Not Taken for Granted, Playhouse Receives Award
The Vineyard Playhouse has been awarded a prestigious $10,000 grant from the Shubert Foundation Inc., according to an announcement by the playhouse artistic director MJ Bruder Munafo and board president Gerry Yukevich.
Marty Nadler Stands Up, Island Ducks and Covers
Veteran Hollywood comedy writer Marty Nadler will be performing his one-man show, Very Vineyard 2011, at Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven, on Saturday, July 9, at 7 p.m.
Mr. Nadler’s writing, producing and performing career spans more than three decades. In television, he served as script consultant for The Odd Couple, story…
Renowned Island Storyteller Takes Stage
We all like to hear stories and many of us like to tell them too. But something happens when you’re in the hands of a master storyteller, one who has honed her craft over years of telling stories and teaching storytelling too.
Susan Klein will be telling her stories in her own magical…
Featherstone: Fifteen Years as a Place Where Every Islander Can Be an Artist
A deep connection with the senses is synonymous with artists, those tactile beings who crave materials in their hands. The resting of a paintbrush in the palm of a painter, the click of a shutter in the hands of a photographer, the composition of a scene, the satisfaction of capturing the perfect Vineyard light.
New Minister Installation At Trinity Methodist Church
Trinity Episcopal Church welcomes Rev. Karen B. Montagno as celebrant this Sunday, July 10, at 9 a.m. All are welcome. The church is located across from the Steamship Authority in Oak Bluffs.
Coeditor of Injustice and the Care of Souls, the Rev. Montagno has worked for more than 21 years in higher education.
No Money Down, Free Fest Jam Nourishes Spirit of Community
Waban Park last Saturday was reminiscent of days when folk music swept the nation and outdoor concerts became legendary events representing a social movement of peace, love and community.
People lay in the grass, kids ran around and blew bubbles, and many local bands played short sets, including Willy Mason, Nina Violet, and…
Local Boys Give Back to Hospice
Two years ago Mike Parker walked into the trailer office of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard with $2,000 and a wide grin on his face. The previous weekend he had organized a benefit concert for Hospice. The money was his gift to the organization that had supported his family when his father was dying of liver…
Come Sail Away With Me, Lads
The Holmes Hole Sailing Association continued its summer season of handicap sailboat racing from Vineyard Haven harbor with a night race on June 30 and a Sound race on July 3.
Thursday night was a nice evening with a 15 knot west-southwest wind. Eleven boats posted for the 6 p.m. start at red…
Encouraging Growth
On some of the job sites I have been busy deadheading. The Nepeta and Blue Queen salvia both have seen better days. Both will rebloom nicely in a few weeks if cut now.
By LYNNE IRONS
On some of the job sites I have been busy deadheading. The Nepeta and Blue…
Island-Born and Fledged
It is July on Martha’s Vineyard and there are baby birds, fledgling birds and parent birds galore. The adults are frantically procuring food for their youngsters, the nestlings are noisily begging for food with open mouths. The youngsters are exercising their wings to develop their flight muscles and the fledglings are making short flights. It…
Crab to Nab
It is a shore thing.
For certain, you will find this crab in Vineyard waters, and once you know more, you will be even surer that you don’t want it here.
