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
October 26, 2007
Regulators Approve Island Bank Merger
Federal and state regulators have issued their approval for the merger of The Martha’s Vineyard Co-operative Bank and Dukes County Savings Bank. The combined bank, to be named the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank, will continue to be mutually owned and locally based, with more than $460 million in assets. The merger will become effective for…
Welcome, Lillian
Welcome, Lillian Peter and Patricia Valenti of Edgartown are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandchild, Lillian Mae Laskowski, on Oct. 4, in Providence, R.I. Lillian, who weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces at birth, is the daughter of Brianna Valenti and Robert Laskowski of Providence. She is also welcomed by her uncles Michael,…
Gazette Chronicle: Toma
Toma From the Vineyard Gazette editions of October, 1982:
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Joins Seneca Nation in Bid to Build Casino
BOSTON — The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) publicly stepped back into the casino game this week, as tribal leaders formally announced that they have formed a business partnership with Seneca Nation, an upstate New York tribe that owns and operates three successful casinos. Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal chairman Donald Widdiss announced the partnership at…
Morning Glory Farm Set To Air on Television Program
Morning Glory Farm Set To Air on Television Program Jim and Debbie Athearn of Morning Glory Farm have received word that their farm is scheduled to appear on the Food Network show Tasty Travels with Rachael Ray on Friday, Oct. 26 at 10 p.m.
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY 508-693-2950 (alleys@vineyard.net) The weekend weather, which was unseasonably mild, allowed for plenty of outdoor work to get done. Traffic was at a near standstill on Saturday and Sunday evenings as nearly all of the television sets in town were tuned into the Red Sox-Indians baseball games. All of Red Sox Nation is…
Pumpkin Carving 101: Be Ready to Call 911
One of the most hallowed of Halloween traditions — the one that makes mere mortals susceptible to vampires because it involves not fake blood but the real stuff — is the carving of the pumpkin. When my two daughters were young, I would take my life in my hands by taking my knife in my…
Tiffany Smalley Finds University Life Rewarding
Ask someone when they think the first Native American attended Harvard and they might guess somewhere in the 1950s. Perhaps they’ll go back as far back as the mid-19th century. In fact, the first Native American was a Vineyarder, Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, and he graduated from Harvard in 1665. Now, more than 300 years later, the…
Irish Music Saturday
Irish Music Saturday The Arts and Society presents An Evening with David O’Docherty for traditional Irish music with story telling and infectious good humor, on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. at the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven. Tickets are $15 general admission, or $12 for seniors and students at the…
County Charter Nears Moment of Decision
Competent Leaders Needed By RICHARD KNABEL
Owner of Quitsa Strider in Menemsha Sells His Fishing Rights, Ending an Era
One of Menemsha’s most respected fishermen, Jonathan Mayhew, has quit fishing the high seas. Mr. Mayhew recently sold his federal permits, giving up his license to ply the offshore waters of Georges Bank for cod, flounder and other fish. A Vineyard native who grew up in a family of generations of fishermen, Mr. Mayhew, 56,…
Defeat Snuffs Football Superbowl Hopes
Asked to describe his team’s effort in last Friday’s crushing 20-16 loss to the Crusaders from Cape Cod Tech/Harwich, no-nonsense Vineyarders football coach Donald Herman doesn’t have to think long for an answer. “Soft,” he said roundly of his team’s effort in the loss that effectively eliminated the team from going to the postseason. “We…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER 508-645-3378 (slaterjn@comcast.net) This week has been the peak for viewing the fall leaf colors. All our roads are pleasant to drive as they have many red and yellow trees along the roadsides. Wednesday’s rain showers and strong wind reduced some of the colorful display but the show should last another week or…
High Tides and Planets
Last night’s full moon, the Hunter Moon, was the closest full moons of the year. A close full moon always brings extreme high and low tides. This weekend tides are highest near noon and midnight and low around sunrise and sunset. Boaters should be wary when tides are at extreme low tides, especially in inshore…
Beach Restoration to Cost $2.7 Million
Oak Bluffs voters may soon be asked to spend $100,000 to pay for engineering work associated with an ambitious waterfront improvement project along Seaview avenue from Oak Bluffs harbor to Farm Pond. The total cost of the project is pegged at $2.7 million. The news come on the heels of the release of a 35-page…
Shock Talk: Kitty Dukakis Touts Benefits of Therapy
Kitty Dukakis, the former first lady of Massachusetts and wife of 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, will be on the Vineyard Tuesday to speak about her struggle with mental illness, the stress added by the public life, and how electroconvulsive therapy saved her life. Her talk, Shock of Recognition: Depression, Addiction and Hope, is…
Award Honors Polly Brown, The One Always Ready to Help
Polly Brown of Tisbury, a founder of the Spirit of the Vineyard Award, was herself honored with that award Saturday morning by her colleagues at Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard. Hospice established the award a decade ago to honor volunteers who have given their time, talent and energy to a wide range of Vineyard charities over…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip. Day Max. Min. Inches. Fº Fº Oct. 19 72 62 .00 Oct. 20 72 60 .94 Oct. 21 65 51 Trace Oct. 22 72 56 .00 Oct. 23 72 59 Trace Oct. 24 72 63 .00 Oct. 25 67 50 .29
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 61º F.
Rogers Path Case Tests Public Rights On Island Ancient Way
Scott Bermudes jealously guards his privacy. So back on Nov. 27, 2001, when he got word that a land bank employee was coming to mow the old path which runs through his block in West Tisbury, he went down to order them off, as he had done with others who wandered across his land on…
Ready for Their Closeup, Drama Students Give Tuesday Preview of Fall Shorts Season
Catch a sneak preview of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s upcoming fall theatre workshops on Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Theatre department students will perform free on the theatre room’s black box stage, offering a conceptual tour of the very dramatic year to come. Kate Murray, director of theatre and television…
Island Professionals Study Trauma at Conference
Beginning today, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host the two-day fall training conference titled The Many Faces of Trauma at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. The conference is an opportunity for Island professionals to learn more effective ways to link services and envision new ways to provide integrated services that will support families.
Dogged Effort Reunites Biggie, Baby Bird With Their Family on Vineyard
A fast-growing puppy named Biggie and a cockatiel named Baby Bird from Florida were reunited with their Vineyard family recently after a summer of many tears and the coordinated effort of animal lovers. “My dad gave me this dog before he died; I think this is my connection to him,” said Tiara Lee, 13, seated…
Court Ruling Favors Aquinnah, Upholding Townwide DCPC
Marking a key win for the town of Aquinnah in its long-running legal battle with James J. Decoulos and Maria Kitris, who want to open up Moshup Trail for development, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled yesterday on two separate fronts, finding: • Mr. Decoulos has not won the right to subdivide two lots he owns…
Singer-Songwriter Plays Diverse Sets on Weekend
Alabama singer-songwriter Malcolm Singleton is playing Friday night at Offshore Ale Company in Oak Bluffs, and Saturday at the Wharf in Edgartown. Mr. Singleton influences are as diverse as Coldplay and Dean Martin. Born in the Atlanta suburbs, he made his first move, to Washington, D.C. at only one-week old. He lived in dozens of…
Apply Now for Red Stocking Gifts for Children
Red Stocking is a long-standing effort to provide food and clothing to Island children from birth through grade eight. Approximately 280 children were served last year by Red Stocking.
Debate Drags on Over Cape Wind
Some 61 per cent of residents of Cape Cod and the Islands favor the Cape Wind project, according to a major new scientific survey of 501 residents. So said the press release put out yesterday by the Civil Society Institute, which describes itself as a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank in Newton. The release made…
Island Schools Superintendent Braces for Reaction to Budget
Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss unveiled an eye-opening $3.5 million budget for the coming fiscal year last week, a 20 per cent increase over 2006. The bulk of the hike in the superintendent’s budget can be tracked to a greatly expanded special needs program for elementary school children, negotiated teacher pay raises from…
Doggone Truth Behind Book Is, Henry’s Happy to Have No Tail
Both Henry and Kate Feiffer make one thing absolutely clear: in real life Henry was never sad, like his character in the new book Henry the Dog with No Tail. In the book, Henry starts out wanting a tail more than anything. In real life, Henry never missed it. So what if he had nothing…
Federal Moves Push Prices For Fishermen’s Fuel Above $3
For the second week in a row, Chilmark selectmen on Tuesday addressed the continuing struggles of commercial fishermen on the Menemsha harborfront and the state of the town fishing industry. A number of fishermen, members of the shellfish advisory committee and the town harbor master turned out to discuss rising fuel prices and hear a…
County Commissioners Prepare To Interview Manager Finalists
After a screening committee tasked with reviewing and narrowing applications for the new county manager position told county commissioners they would not proceed with applications received thus far — and asked the commissioners to readvertise the position — the commissioners last week took over the search themselves. By yesterday, the search had narrowed to three…
Touring Oak Bluffs, Paranormal Boom Town Ablaze With Spirits
More and more ghosts are being drawn to Oak Bluffs’ attractive summer housing. “Some spirits have a sliver of their psyche attached to some place where they were happy,” explains Holly Nadler, Haunted Island author, bookstore owner and part-time ghost-hunter. As these properties change owners more frequently, some are becoming crowded. “This place is gooey…
Open Mike Night
Open Mike Night Open mike event is about to kick off at the community building at Island Co-housing, and organizers are looking for musical performers 18 years old and younger. The first Saturday of every month will be open mike night, beginning Saturday, Nov. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. A professional performer, Mike Kerr,…
Chilmark Voters Will Tackle Harbor, Land Deal Decisions
At a special town meeting on Monday Chilmark voters will face a slew of town spending requests ranging from money for repairs on the fire station, police station and Squibnocket beach parking lot to design work for a new building on Menemsha harbor. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Chilmark Community Center. Moderator…
Island Hunger Committee Pursues Meal Donations
The Vineyard Committee on Hunger, along with Reliable Market and several Vineyard houses of worship, are working together again this year to ensure that Island families who are in need will have a great Thanksgiving meal (and Christmas). The volunteer organizers are asking Islanders who can to sponsor one of these families by contributing the…
Out Alone: The Ghost Hunter’s Tale
The Island has more than its fair share of ghost stories — tales of haunted swamps, buried treasures, spiteful spectres and benevolent phantoms.
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER 508-693-3880 (sunporch@vineyard.net) Good news: Our town is safe from those sinister scarecrows assembled along Circuit avenue by students from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. My hypervigilant dog, Huxley, has seen to that.
People Raise Safety Concerns At MVC Hearing on Veira Park
Perhaps it was only fitting that the public hearing before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on a plan to expand the baseball field at Veira Park last Thursday took place during game five of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians. And both Jacobs Field in Cleveland and in…
Habitat Will Raise Roof
Habitat Will Raise Roof Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard is seeking volunteers with roofing experience to help with its fifth house this Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The building site is located off Edgartown/Vineyard Haven Road. Please call 508-696-4646 or e-mail houses@habitatmv.org for information and directions.
Horses Under the Sea
At night I see stars and by day see horses. Felix Neck (and the Vineyard, by extension) is a good place to be.
It is not that the stars shine brighter here; you can see them from your home no matter where you are. It is seahorses that might be harder to find.
East Chop
Rick Herrick 508-693-8065 (herricklr@verizon.net) A few years back a group of Island residents who were dissatisfied with the functioning of our county government petitioned their way onto the ballot and succeeded in establishing the charter commission. The purpose of the commission is to study the role of county government on the Vineyard. Its members include…
Man Convicted, Sentenced For Rape Three Years Ago
A Vineyard Haven man accused of sexually assaulting a woman after a wedding party three years ago was convicted of rape by a jury last week and sentenced to up to seven years in prison by a Dukes County Superior Court judge. The Hon. C. Brian McDonald last Friday sentenced Richard Skrzypczyk, 59, to a…
Gazette Web Site Reminder
Free access to the complete electronic edition of the Gazette ends on Oct. 31 for nonsubscribers. To subscribe, visit
Scary Scarecrows Appear On Vineyard Main Streets
What are Nancy Drew, The Cat in the Hat, and Winnie the Pooh doing hanging out on Main street? They are waiting to be judged in the eighth annual scarecrow contest sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. This year’s contest has a literary theme, with characters from Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte’s…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT 508-627-8894 (margaret02539@yahoo.com) There is a trail near my house which I’ve used for years, but this fall I noticed a little tree at a turn in the path for the first time when it became the most beautiful orangey red, contrasting with the still-green bushes and trees around it.
Old Houses, Living History
Old Houses, Living History There is something sad about an old house being torn down; it’s like a friendship that suddenly disappears, leaving behind only memories and melancholy.
Carolina Wren
It is not proper for birders, naturalists or any type of scientist to anthropomorphize: a 50-cent word that means giving a human personality to something that is not human. It’s often hard to avoid this, but the most difficult test for me is the Carolina wren.
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING 508-645-2574 (lthslnks@gis.net) The temperatures have remained in the sixties once again this past week with just a few clouds overhead. It is a pleasure to see the new road signs for Totem Pole Way, Rose Meadow Way and for Attaquin Way: vital necessities in an emergency situation. A few beach plums still…
Wind Futures
Wind Futures At a time when the economic and ecological costs of fossil fuels continue to climb, Vineyarders are growing interested in the power of wind. Following decades of almost no wind power generation on the Island, proposals are starting to pop up across the Vineyard to generate electricity through wind turbines. In recent weeks,…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS It is difficult to set my priorities this time of year. It is still so warm and pleasant. Should I finish picking and processing those late peppers, tomatoes, and green beans, or should I clean out the wood stove and gather kindling? I had so much to do the other day that…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE 508-627-5349 (kcase1@verizon.net) Mother Nature is painting our trees beautiful colors, it is warm, the Red Sox are in the World Series and the Patriots are undefeated. What more could we ask for?
Fall Days
Fall Days Autumn weather this year has been nonstop Indian summer, with mild temperatures conducive to all the best the Vineyard has to offer: hiking through long woodland trails with the soft crunch of newly fallen leaves underfoot, dip-netting for scallops and hauling a basket home to shuck for early Sunday supper, gathering armfuls of…
Have You Seen the Little Piggies Eating Pumpkins?
Pigs. Goats. Compost. What do they all have in common? They all love pumpkins! And they especially love those tasty, candle-roasted, day-after-Halloween jack-o-lanterns — the perfect nosh for the farm (minus the wax, please)! The Island Grown Initiative presents the first annual Feed a Pig a Pumpkin Day‚ Saturday, Nov. 3. Post-Halloween pumpkins can be…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA 508-693-3308 (vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com) I drove to my bank and looked through the window and saw a customer service representative at the desk with a baseball cap on. “Huh,” I thought, “it isn’t even dress-down Friday.” I entered Martha’s Vineyard Co-operative bank and, guess what? Every employee was dressed in Red Sox regalia. “Is it…
Letters to the Editor
STANDOUT TEACHER Editors, Vineyard Gazette: John Morelli was not the only great teacher I had at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, but he was the one who understood me best. I loved him very much. During my senior year I discovered Jack Kerouac and begged Mr. Morelli to let our class read On the…
Home-Baked Bread, Ready by the Road At the Orange Peel Bakery in Aquinnah
Julianne Vanderhoop’s front yard in Aquinnah features a modest house and small pond fed by a Black Brook underground spring. The property is otherwise unremarkable — unless you count the 20,000-pound beehive-shaped bread oven, made of several thousand terra blanc tiles mined from a clay quarry in France. The wood-fired oven produces 30 to 40…
Her Name Is Greta
Her Name Is Greta Greta Ellison Milne was born Oct. 11 at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge to Reade Kontje Milne of Vineyard Haven and Gregory Milne. She weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. The family plans to live in Belmont for another year and then return to Vineyard Haven.
Correction
Correction A story in last week’s Gazette about the opening of Tilton’s Market in Vineyard Haven reported incorrectly on the location of the market, which is on Cromwell Lane. The story also missnamed Capt. Owen H. Tilton, who is the great-great-grandfather of the owners, as well as Bob Tilton, who is their father, and Tuesday,…
