Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
November 23, 2007
Artisan Tends the tradition of Lighting the Island Nights
Driving down Edgartown’s School street with lamp-maker Billy Hoff is like a scene from Men In Black — except that, instead of aliens, you see that lanterns handmade by Lamplighter Corner Inc., are right under your nose, and absolutely everywhere. “That’s a bullseye pane,” he says, steering his pickup past a blue-front glass piece on…
Chamber Music Society Gathers Quartet For Concert Both Modern and Romantic
The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, which has been bringing world-class music to the Island since 1971, presents its last concert of the year this Saturday evening in Edgartown.
Kerith Long Weds Robert Branca in Edgartown
Kerith Long and Robert Branca were married Aug. 4 at Nashmamois Farm in Edgartown surrounded by family and friends. Kerith is the daughter of Sandy and Mike Joyce and Annie and Ray Long, all of Edgartown, and the granddaughter of the late Kent Fritz and Sally Fritz of Edgartown and Aloha and Gordon Long of…
Club Hosts Shoot
Club Hosts Shoot The Martha’s Vineyard Rod & Gun Club will hold its annual fall shotgun shoot from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25 at the club, which is off Third street in Edgartown. Open to members and the public, everyone is eligible for prizes. This annual shotgun marksmanship competition takes place the…
School Wins Shade Grant From Melanoma Group
School Wins Shade Grant From Melanoma Group Students at the West Tisbury School have won a $1,500 shade grant from the Melanoma Foundation of New England for designing a television spot to promote protecting skin from the sun. The school was selected as a winner among hundreds of entries. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28,…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER 508-693-3880 (sunporch@vineyard.net)
Walk Off the Stuffing At Felix Neck Festival
After that Thanksgiving dinner settles, get outdoors and relax with family and friends at Felix Neck’s Fall Festival, set for Friday, Nov. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the wildlife sanctuary on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road.
Rubies of the Bog
I nominate cranberries for the best supporting role in a holiday dinner.
Oak Bluffs Waterfront Renewal Begins With Town Meeting Vote
Oak Bluffs voters next month will decide whether the town should fund an engineering survey of the town beach, expand the membership of its personnel board and start work to improve the road layout, sidewalks and railings along Seaview avenue. Selectmen on Tuesday approved 17 articles for a Dec. 11 special town meeting. Selectmen approved…
Lifetime Travel Perks for Governors Are Cause for Discussion at Boatline
Shortly before he voted with two other Steamship Authority governors to give himself free ferry travel for life, New Bedford governor David Oliveira on Tuesday defended the perk by noting the world was an unfair place. So employees of the boat line could not travel free after they retired, but governors could? That’s just the…
Enrolls at Dartmouth
Enrolls at Dartmouth Matthew Earle Scott of Aquinnah has enrolled as a member of the class of 2011 at Dartmouth College. Scott is the son of Francis E. Scott and Linda J. Scott.
International Feast Funds Those Suffering in Darfur
The third annual International Feast for Compassion Benefiting People Facing Devastation: Darfur is set for Saturday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center on Centre street in Vineyard Haven. All are welcome to come enjoy delicious international foods and music while helping the most challenged people on the planet. The musicians…
Turkey Gobbling
I woke up in that daze created by flying for 10 hours and waking up in an unfamiliar bed. “Leaping lemurs — did you hear that, Flip?” “Yes, if we weren’t in Madagascar I would swear it was a turkey,” he replied.
County Manager Still Undecided By Commission
In their ongoing search to fill the county manager seat, vacant since August, county commissioners are doing their homework. The sole item on the agenda at the county commission meeting Tuesday night was discussion about references and background checks on the three finalists for the position. The finalists are Thomas Bernardo of Chatham, Troy Clarkson…
Town Sues to Block Helicopter Landing On Chappaquiddick
William S. O’Connell agrees he cannot have a heliport on his Chappaquiddick property, but he still believes that he can occasionally land and take off from there in his helicopter. And the town of Edgartown has filed a lawsuit to stop him. The complaint was filed Nov. 11 in Dukes County superior court after a…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT 508-627-8894 (margaret02539@yahoo.com) According to the big oak in my front yard, the leaves are about a week later in falling than most years. All the leaves have put on a good show of color this year despite the dry summer which made it seem as if the leaves might turn only brown. With…
St. Nick’s Miracles Move to New Edgartown Stage
Miracles at Christmas returns this year with traditional carols and drama to add warmth to the Christmas season — but with a change of location to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edgartown. This Island Theatre Workshop production takes you back to a traditional Christmas, combining medieval carols and St. Nicholas plays.
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS Suzan Bellincampi’s All Outdoors column last week was so informative about plastic bags. All I could think about was the scene in The Graduate: “I have one word for you, Benjamin — plastics!”
Shotgun Season for Deer Begins Monday; Runs for Two Weeks
It is impossible to determine the total deer population on the Island, although most hunters readily agree to two things: the deer are out there, they are just harder to reach. With the Island deer shotgun season scheduled to start Monday and run through Dec. 8, there are reasons to expect a healthy if not…
Charter School Students Plan Katrina Relief Work
Charter School Students Plan Katrina Relief Work A group of high school students from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School will return to Biloxi, Miss., to continue their Hurricane Katrina relief work. The students will be traveling Jan. 6 through 12 to work with the Restoration Point non-profit organization.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE 508-627-5349 (kcase1@verizon.net) By the time you read this article, the turkey has been picked clean and ready for soup stock. The pies are half-eaten and you have had two or three of your favorite turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches. I hope whatever you did and who was with you that it was a…
Open Windows at Novice Computer Class
A basic computer skills class will be offered at Oak Bluffs Public Library on Thursday, Nov. 29, from 10:45 a.m. to noon. Learn the different parts of a computer, general tips for using Windows operating systems, how to use the keyboard and mouse, and strategies to help you learn more. There will also be time…
Open Land Foundation
On Saturday, Nov. 24, the Vineyard Open Land Foundation will hold the annual meeting of its board of overseers at the Mary P. Wakeman Conservation Center auditorium off Lambert’s Cove Road in Vineyard Haven. The overseers will meet at 1 p.m. The annual meeting of the board of trustees will follow. At 1:30 p.m., the…
Dean’s List
Dean’s List Scott Yapp, son of Robert and Debra Yapp of West Tisbury, was named to the dean’s list at Syracuse University for the spring 2007 semester. Mr. Yapp is majoring in computer art and minoring in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises.
Island Ambulance Services Seek New Volunteer EMTs
Island Ambulance Services Seek New Volunteer EMTs Vineyard ambulance squads once again are appealing to Island residents to become a volunteer emergency medical technicians. Jeff Pratt, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Association of EMTs and Tisbury ambulance coordinator, says that new emergency medical technicians are needed every year. Classes start in January and go through…
Marksman Achieves Perfect Skeet Round
Bill Damora of Point Pleasant, N.J., recently dropped 25 clay birds for a perfect round of skeet with his 20 gauge over and under shotgun at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club. A round of skeet consists of 25 clays or birds. Skeet shooters seek to acquire their first 25 straight targets in what’s…
History Is Spoken by Us All: Islanders All Ears at Workshop
It was Winston Churchill who said history is written by the victors. Not on this Island and not under the watch of oral historian Linsey Lee. “One of my goals in doing oral histories on the Vineyard is to give a voice to the voiceless,” Ms. Lee said Saturday during a workshop on the practices…
With Edgartown Buffs
By KATE J. CONDE This past Halloween may have been a little less spooky at the Edgartown School, where the ladder truck was stationed giving out free glow rings for all trick or treaters, but the kids sure were screaming here at the fire station.
Edgartown Great Pond Perilously Near Nitrogen Limits, Estuaries Study Finds
If the Edgartown Great Pond is to be restored to environmental health, town authorities must find a way to cut nitrogen pollution coming from household septic systems by at least 30 per cent, according to a comprehensive scientific study of the pond’s water quality.
Legion Will Join Wreaths Across America Ceremony
Legion Will Join Wreaths Across America Ceremony American Legion Post 257 has volunteered to conduct the Wreaths Across America ceremony this year at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven on Dec. 15. Starting at noon, post members will lay seven ceremonial wreaths to remember those who gave their lives in service for our country.
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA 508-693-3308 (vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com) Get out your handkerchiefs and checkbooks, here is my annual post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping wish list.
Wake Up and Read: Reggae Scrapbook
REGGAE SCRAPBOOK. By Roger Steffens and Peter Simon. Insight Editions. San Rafael, Calif.. 2007. 154 pages. $45 hardcover with DVD.
Garden Club Learns of Tough Trees That Survive Strong Winds
After thirty years serving the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich on Cape Cod, horticulturist Jeanne Gillis said she still loves to work with people and plants. Speaking before the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club at its October meeting, Ms. Gillis presented more than thirty colorful slides in a talk titled Flowering Plants for the Landscape.…
Black Friday, Island-Style
Ah, Black Friday. The busiest retail day in America, a paean to consumerism with images of the Capital One Huns and Visigoths gathering in predawn siege before retail palaces promising super sales and blowout bonanzas. On the Vineyard? Not so much. The day after Thanksgiving does officially kick off holiday shopping here as everywhere, but…
Vineyard Captures Fabled Island Cup
Even before the 30th annual Island Cup game began on Saturday, things didn’t look good for the visiting Whalers from Nantucket. When the players in blue and white stormed the field before the game and tried to plant their flag, the wooden mast snapped in half and the Whalers’ banner fell onto the ground. Things…
Church Annual Gift Sale
Church Annual Gift Sale
The First Congregational Church in West Tisbury invites the community to its Greens, Food, and Gift Sale on Saturday, Dec. 8 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Coffee, hot cider, and hot chocolate will be available early and a homemade soup luncheon will be served starting…
Horseback Riders Take To Edgartown Old Roads
Explore some of the old roads and ancient ways of Edgartown on horseback, with an informal (noncompetitive) trail ride on Sunday, Nov. 25. Riders are invited to gather their horses for a 10 a.m. start at the deer weighing station off Barnes Road near the state forest headquarters. There’s plenty of room to park trailers,…
Heritage Trail History Project Restructures Board of Directors
The African American Heritage Trail History Project is pleased to introduce their newly restructured board of directors. The board is currently led by co-founder of the project, Dr. Elaine Cawley Weintraub, history department chairman at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, a twice awarded Cuffe fellow íin recognition of her contribution to íoriginal scholarship in…
Red Stocking Fund for Children
Seventy years ago Addie Crist and Irene Flanders sat together to sew six red cloth stockings. They filled them mostly with necessaries but also with a ray of Christmas delight for six needy Island kids. They didn’t call it the Red Stocking Fund and could not have known their simple act of kindness would become…
Gazette Chronicle: A Real Thanksgiving
A Real Thanksgiving Written by Henry Beetle Hough. From the Vineyard Gazette edition of Nov. 19, 1971: Thanksgiving editorials and proclamations are, in general, too “usual”; there is nothing one needs to know less about in order to produce an appropriate measure of rhetoric. Thanksgiving is able to carry itself and should continue to do…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY 508-693-2950 (alleys@vineyard.net) Most of us are still recovering after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday shared with family and friends. The Steamship Authority and Cape Air have been very busy this week transporting people to and from the Island.
Recent Island Real Estate Transactions
Aquinnah Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank purchased property at Menemsha Pond in Aquinnah from Kenneth W. Murray for $7,116 on Sept. 21. Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank purchased property at Menemsha Pond from Suzanne J. Murray for $7,116 on Oct. 1. James F. O’Brien purchased property off Moshup Trail from Aerie Realty Trust and Katherine Keene Metell…
Hello, Freda
Hello, Freda Judy and Jon Legg, formerly of Oak Bluffs, are delighted to announce the birth of their third grandchild, Freda Ezzitt Kool, on Sept. 29 in London, England. Freda’s parents are Claudia Possamai and Gerard Kool. Her sister and brother are Martha and Rudy. Freda’s other grandparents are Ray and Judy Possamai and Mary…
Wampanoag Tribe Ousts Its Chairman; Cheryl Andrews-Maltais Takes Helm
Cheryl Andrews-Maltais’s landslide victory as chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) last Sunday stunned some tribal members, and while the chairman-elect was surprised by her margin of victory, her opponent said he was not. “I’m not surprised . . . the election was a case of the direction the tribe wanted to…
Glassworks Gallery Gives December Profit to Charity
Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks, a hand-blown glassworks gallery and studio, will donate five per cent of December sales to the Safe Haven Project, an Island-based nonprofit learning organization that provides educational opportunities for the greater community of young people living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. Libby Johnson, gallery manager and a member of the Safe Haven…
West Tisbury Resident Joins Semester at Sea
David Bouck of West Tisbury is enrolled in SEA Semester, a study-abroad program through Sea Education Association in Woods Hole while away from studies at Endicott College. David has successfully completed the Sea Semester’s six-week shore component earning academic credit for curriculum in oceanography, nautical science and maritime studies.
Raptors Seek Their Prey in Vineyard Skies
Raptor. The name carries a lot of weight. So much velocity and ferocity are associated with it. In the bird world, the title refers to owls, hawks and eagles, vultures and the osprey. The Vineyard has three owl species in summer and three or four more in winter. Three hawk species can survive here year-round.…
Extreme Tides
The full moon is tomorrow night and called the Beaver Moon. It is also one of the biggest full moons of the year and the closest. The moon is in perigee. Expect extreme high and low tides in the days ahead. When the moon is both full and close to the Earth, its gravitational pull…
Drawbridge Replacement is a Complicated Affair
By the time the new permanent Lagoon Pond drawbridge is finished in Vineyard Haven sometime in the next decade, it will be one of the most expensive projects in Vineyard history with a total price tag well north of $30 million. It will also likely go down as the longest gestating project in Island history;…
Craft-Making, Decorating Benefits Waldorf School
When the Elves Faire in Edgartown opens on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m., children and parents can enjoy craft-making together, producing gnome or princess hats, snow globes and many other delights. Other favorite attractions are decorating gingerbread houses and face painting. Booths are set up with all the materials and a coach for each…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER 508-645-3378 (slaterjn@comcast.net) Chilmarkers can save gasoline and shop in town this holiday season. Many shops will remain open weekends. The kickoff for the holiday shopping will be a flea market at the community center on Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Coco Adams asks all vendors of crafts and handmade…
Hello, Emily and Jane
Hello, Emily and Jane Catherine J. Coogan and Geoghan E. Coogan of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of twin daughters, Emily Clare Coogan and Jane Catherine Coogan, on Nov. 16 at Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Emily weighed 7 pounds. Jane weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces.
Lama Choepel Makes First Appearance at Bodhi Path
Dharma teacher Choepel will make his first visit to The Bodhi Path Buddhist Center in West Tisbury for two teachings on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p. m. The topic is What Does Spirituality Have To Do With Me? Lama Choepel will discuss the benefits of preparing solid…
With Science, Future Is Hopeful For Bringing Back Bay Scallops
If the bay scallop fishery can be restored to places like Cape Cod and Long Island, the Vineyard may be able to take credit for it. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is in the midst of a multi-year scientific experiment in Menemsha Pond that could have a wide-ranging impact on the future of…
What Ratty Said to Mole Still Counts: Author Loves Messing Around in Boats
The Journals of Constant Waterman, Paddling, Poling, and Sailing for the Love of It. By Matthew Goldman, Breakaway Books, Halcottsville, N.Y. 2007, page 336. $14.
Matthew Goldman has sailed into Vineyard waters with his book The Journals of Constant Waterman. Boat enthusiasts and especially wanna-be boat enthusiasts will enjoy the short stories assembled…
Aquinnah Town Column: Nov. 22
Congratulations to Cheryl Andrews-Maltais on her victory in winning the seat as tribal council chairperson for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). She will take office Jan. 5. Cheryl is the daughter of Joseph R. and Edith (Correia) Andrews of North Dartmouth. She is the wife of Daniel Maltais and the mother of 11-year-old…
Jae Elizabeth Strommer Weds Thomas Loring Rowe
Jae Elizabeth Strommer and Thomas Loring Rowe of Newport, R.I., were married June 9 on board the yacht Elysian at Newport. Capt. Stephen Connett performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Diane W. Strommer of Pawtucket, R.I. and the late John P. Strommer. She is the granddaughter of the late Eva and Loraine…
Turkey Farms Have Long Island History Before Development Gobbled Up Land
There was a time, in the not so distant past, when turkeys crowded more than just the roads of Martha’s Vineyard.
Geraldine Brooks Creates Fiction From the Facts
Geraldine Brooks has never written an entirely fictional book. She does not even think she could. She spent too many of her writing years, she says, “in service of the facts,” practicing journalism. In a way she still does practice journalism, for her novels are born of news judgment rather than imagination. The initial inspiration…
Timeless Hanukkah Story Told by Author on Dec. 7
In the midst of Hanukkah, children’s author Sarah Marwil Lamstein polishes up timeless motifs about the mysterious ways of God in Letter on the Wind: A Chanukah Tale, her dexterous retelling of a folktale from the Middle East. She will share the book on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. upstairs at the Bunch of…
Thanksgiving 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
Ila Briggs and Peter Halby Met on Vineyard
Ila Briggs and Peter Halby were married in Vineyard Haven on Sept. 8. The Rev. Ross Lilley, a close friend, performed the ceremony. The bride’s parents, Mary Vivian and Kirk Briggs, live in Vineyard Haven where the bride was raised. The bridegroom’s mother, Susan Halby, lives in Concord and is a summer resident of Vineyard…
Popovers Upon Rising
Popovers Upon Rising By CYNTHIA COWAN The Friday night after Thanksgiving is the busiest night of the year for restaurants. Even though there is a fridge full of leftovers, many opt out of the kitchen in favor of reservations. When guests tend to stick around until Sunday, there is plenty of time for leftovers anyway.…
Realtor Advances
Realtor Advances Lynn Buder of Coldwell Bank Landmarks Real Estate in Vineyard Haven recently received the designation of graduate realtor institute from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. The designation signifies 90 hours of advanced, in-class real estate education.
Of Course Girls Have More Fun: Show on Nov. 29
It’s Girls Night Out at Outerland next Thursday night, Nov. 29, when the New England male revue show Men in Motion comes to Martha’s Vineyard. In a bid to warm up the approaching winter, Outerland is importing professional male dancers for a fun evening that begins with dinner and drinks at the club’s bistro from…
Letters to the Editor
FOR NANCY WHITING Editors, Vineyard Gazette: I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Nancy Whiting, former librarian of the West Tisbury library. She made it classy to love books, and generations of up-Islanders benefitted from it.
Elizabeth S. Anderson Marries Scott E. Wolff
Elizabeth Sands Anderson married Scott Eric Wolff of Navato, Calif., on Sept. 29 at the Federated Church in Edgartown. The Rev. Gerry Fritz officiated. The bride was given in marriage by her mother, Mrs. Edmond L. Meinfelder of Pennsylvania. The matron of honor was Mrs. Geoffrey M. Curtis of Chicago, Ill. The best man was…
Researchers Find Blue Mussels Flourish in Island Experiment
On this November morning, the Menemsha lobster boat Shearwater has made its way three and a half miles south of Noman’s Land. Noman’s tall cliffs rise above the treacherous rocky waters. Sea birds are adrift in the moving current farther north. Waves roll from the open ocean and raise and lower the boat in a…
MVC Allows Tribal Community Center
After a brief public hearing and a whirlwind deliberation session, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a community center for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Black Brook Road. The community center is in fact already partially built. The tribe first broke ground on the center in the spring of 2004;…
Talk Links Ill Health With Environmental Causes
What do tick bites, moldy homes, depression and alcoholism have in common? The Vineyard Haven Public Library continues its evening lecture series with a presentation by Dr. Lisa Nagy on environmental health — and the controversial connection between ill health and chronic Lyme, depression, alcoholism, and living in a moldy home. The lecture is at…
Tree of Lights Silently Goes Missing
I’m trying to be thankful, and that should be easy at this time of year. Here I am in Chilmark where I enjoy the legacy left by my parents, Henry and Peggy Scott. That legacy is our family house, facing south on South Road, set between old roadside stone walls, close to an open meadow…
Mary Andrews, Brian Herbert take to Island beach.
Mary Wakeley Andrews and Brian Charles Herbert of Alexandria, Va., married Sept. 8 at the Federated Church in Edgartown. The Rev. Dr. Gerald R. Fritz officiated. The bride’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Davis Andrews Jr. of Alexandria, Va. The bride’s grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Lewis D. Andrews, and Captain and Mrs. William…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip. Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº Nov. 16 65 39 .75 Nov. 17 50 33 .00 Nov. 18 46 36 .00 Nov. 19 47 39 .00 Nov. 20 46 29 .00 Nov. 21 48 34 .14
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 50º F.
Free Instrumental, Choral Concerts Slated at School
Free concerts are scheduled for Nov. 27 and 29 at the Performing Arts Center at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. A regional high school instrumental concert featuring the concert band and the string orchestra is set for the center at 7 p.m. Nov. 27. Selections will include Greek Folk Song Suite, a contemporary selection by…
Artisan Sheds Light on Island Tradition
Driving down Edgartown’s School street with lamp-maker Billy Hoff is like a scene from Men In Black — except that, instead of aliens, you see that lanterns handmade by Lamplighter Corner Inc., are right under your nose, and absolutely everywhere. “That’s a bullseye pane,” he says, steering his pickup past a blue-front glass piece on…
Donna Louise Barry Marries Richard Silvia
Donna Louise Barry Marries Richard Silvia Donna Louise Barry of East Falmouth married Richard Allen Silvia of East Falmouth on July 16 at the Navigator in East Falmouth. The bride is the daughter of the late Donald R. Anderson and the late Gladys L. Anderson, who both lived in Oak Bluffs. The bridegroom is the…
Azor Arrives
Azor Arrives Jessica and Russell Hartenstine of West Tisbury announce the birth of a son, Azor Forrest Hartenstine, on Nov. 15 at Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Azor weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Big sister Sarah Ruth welcomes her new baby brother.
Edgartown School First Quarter Honor Roll
Edgartown School First Quarter Honor Roll The following Edgartown School students received honors for the first quarter: Eighth Grade High Honors: Korrine Altieri, Eva Faber, Elizabeth Francis, Meghan McHugh.
