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 21, 2008
News Update: Saturday, November 22 – Triumphant Vineyarders Carry Home Island Cup
NANTUCKET – – – The Vineyard high school football team defeated Nantucket 43-22 on a frigid, windswept field Saturday to bring home the Island cup for the sixth straight year. Senior quarterback Mike McCarthy threw for three touchdowns including a spectacular 40 yard pass in the second quarter to wide receiver Doug Asselin. Vineyard coach…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Nov. 14 61 48 .03
Nov. 15 63 56 .45
Nov. 16 64 53 .63
Nov. 17 54 40 .01
Nov. 18 49 37 Trace
Nov. 19 44 28 .00
…
Fracas in Courtroom Follows Heroin Bust
Six people — three from the same Vineyard Haven family — were arrested on felony drug charges earlier this week following one of the largest heroin busts in Island history.
Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task force executed a search warrant at the Garde home on Spring street in Vineyard Haven just…
Help With Benefits
Help With Benefits
Donald Brown, director of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, is now offering regular office hours on the second Wednesday of each month at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, to assist Island residents in applying for benefits. Call 508-862-6600 for information.
Thanksgiving Across Four Generations
When I was a young boy my family gathered for Thanksgiving at my grandparents’ house on Long Island. It was usually a fairly small affair, perhaps a dozen or so family members and an occasional friend. When my grandmother died suddenly my grandfather decided that without her help he would give up hosting. By that…
Saving Energy, Saving Money: Cape Light Compact Adds Up
Officials from the Cape Light Compact are holding meetings on the Cape and the Vineyard in November to discuss their proposed 2009 energy efficiency plan. The Vineyard meeting was held last night at the high school.
Vineyard Notebook
Nov. 22, 1963: Pat and I were living in Paris; Sperry Gyroscope Co. had sent him there on business. One night in November we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner. The door was opened by our host and his wife who looked very serious and said, “Have you heard the news.” They said…
Chocolate Cake Speaks Louder Than Words
I have the best chocolate cake recipe. Besides five squares of chocolate, it calls for brown sugar, sour cream and hot coffee. I have made it every year for my husband’s birthday and, once or twice I think, even for my own.
Gazette Chronicle: Saltwater Hedge Fund
Saltwater Hedge Fund
From Gazette editions of November, 1958:
Letters to the Editor
VNA RESPONDS
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
I write to address the Vineyard Nursing Association’s efforts to accommodate an increased demand for physical therapy services here on the Island, a demand which has been made keener by our absorption of the entire case-load of the Visiting Nurse Service unit of the Martha’s Vineyard…
Educating Children Early
Educating Children Early
Investing in early childhood care and education is not about ideology. It’s simply a smart investment, a thing otherwise elusive these days. Investing in young children pays big dividends.
The Vineyard Affordable Child Care Project is a model program, run on a shoestring by two people who use…
Pond Stock Rising
Pond Stock Rising
The late Foster Silva, longtime superintendent for The Trustees of Reservations on Chappaquiddick who loved to tell perfect strangers that he had received his degree from Katama University, had an opinion on the subject of bay scallops. Cape Pogue scallops, he said, were the sweetest. No arguments.
Adagio Arrives
Adagio Arrives
Rebecca and Charles Esposito of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Adagio Esposito, born on Nov. 14, 2008, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Adagio weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.
Announcing Chloe
Announcing Chloe
Kelly Silva Boccia and Jason Boccia of Milford announce the birth of their daughter, Chloe Emma Boccia. Chloe was born on Nov. 9 at Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham and weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces. Island grandparents are the late John B. Silva of Chappaquiddick and John A. and Kathleen A.…
CPR Teacher Training
CPR Teacher Training
The American Red Cross, Cape Cod and Islands Chapter is looking to train CPR and first aid instructors to teach classes on the Vineyard. Instructor training courses will be held at the Chapter House at 286 South street in Hyannis on Dec. 5 and 8 from 9 a.m. to 5…
Shabbat Service Honors Veterans Past and Present
Veterans, merchant mariners and others involved in past and present service will be honored at the Nov. 21 Shabbat Service at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center. An Oneg Shabbat with refreshments will follow the service honoring veterans. The Island community is invited to the service.
Chappy
Margaret Knight
508 627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
All of a sudden the leaves are all off and the world looks like winter, except my marigold “tree,” which is still blooming in the garden. And I’m still picking green beans – granted they’re tiny and few – and eating the last of…
Edgartown
Kathie Case
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
I think the whole Cape woke up to a surprise as we watched the snowflakes fall. It didn’t amount to much but it told us what time of year we are in.
Students Take Places on Tisbury School Honor Roll
Tisbury School has announced the first quarter honor roll for the academic year 2008-2009:
Fifth grade high honors go to Benjamin Davey, Olivia Jacobs, Nelly Katzman, Casey McAndrews and Dayanna Middleton. Fifth grade honors go to Matthew Barton, Noell Coburn, Yuri Da Silva, Edwin Gould-Hatt, Celena Guimaraes, Karem Guimaraes, Mya Houston, Jacob Janak,…
Stargazing
The week ahead offers perfect moonless nights. There is a New Moon on Thanksgiving, so for the coming week the moon resides only in the early morning sky.
Veterans Park: Please Keep Off the Grass
Don’t be fooled by the lush, new green grass at Veterans Park in Vineyard Haven. The park, the first place football was played on Martha’s Vineyard, is off-limits for football this season. It will be off-limits for soccer and softball games in the spring, too, and still for teams next summer. It’s “Keep off the…
Tribal Council Elections Maintain the Status Quo
There will be little change in the tribal council makeup at the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) as a result of elections, held Sunday, in which three incumbents prevailed.
Richard Randolph will remain vice chairman of the tribal council, trouncing challenger Shelley Carter with approximately 70 per cent of the vote.
Hello, Lily
Hello, Lily
Ellie and Steven Wise of New York announce the birth of a daughter, Lily Wise, born on Oct. 26 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York city. Lily weighed 8 pounds at birth. Lily joins her sister Anna and brother Henry.
Ellie Wise is the daughter of David and…
Aquinnah Cannot Get a Quorum
A second attempt to attract a quorum failed in Aquinnah last Thursday, with just 17 voters turning up for a special town meeting.
Four per cent of the electorate made the journey to the old town hall on Thursday night. The minimum quorum requirement is 39 voters, or 10 per cent of the…
SSA Will Keep Trips Into Oak Bluffs
The town of Oak Bluffs emerged a winner from Tuesday’s monthly Steamship Authority meeting, which set next year’s summer and fall operating schedules. Vineyard Haven was a loser, as was the boat line itself. Marc Hanover, the Vineyard’s governor, was just angry.
Credit hard economic times for all of the above.
Tisbury Selectmen Vote to Shift Tax Rate, Favoring Commercial Property Owners
The average year-round resident in Tisbury will pay an extra $110 in property taxes next year, following a successful push from town businesses to shift the tax burden off commercial property.
A nonresident property owner whose Vineyard Haven home is of average value — $860,425, according to the town assessors — will see…
Young Quarterback Carries Family Legacy to the Snap
It is a chilly November evening; the sun has just dipped below the horizon and Mike McCarthy, quarterback for the Vineyarders football team, stands in back of the high school answering a reporter’s questions about this weekend’s Island Cup game.
Nearby a group of cheerleaders is spray-painting signs and posters with words of…
Vineyard Travels to Nantucket to Play for Storied Island Cup
The annual Island Cup game between the Vineyard and Nantucket football teams has long been a high-stakes affair, played to the bitter end for the right to dominate the world — or at least bragging rights between the two Island rivals.
And until six years ago the Whalers won the game on a…
Wildest Turkey Case Is Closed
The story of a hostile, feral turkey that prowled the neighborhood of Old Ridge Road terrorizing residents with beak and spurs ended on Father’s Day, June 15, with its fatal shooting by Chilmark police officer Jeffrey Day.
Responding to a distress call about an aggressive turkey, Officer Day shot and killed the bird,…
Construction Sees a Sharp Downturn
The Island construction industry has fallen off sharply in recent months, most indicators show, with a growing number of carpenters and tradesmen out of work.
Although contractors are reluctant to speak publicly about the problem, by most accounts the construction trades on the Island, which form a key segment of the Vineyard economy,…
Preservation Trust Buys Historic Boathouse
The Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust announced this week that it will buy and preserve the Norton property on the Edgartown harbor that includes the Osborn building, the oldest structure on the Edgartown waterfront.
The trust will buy the Dock street property owned by the Norton family which includes two buildings and a dock…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Chilmark woke up to a chilly morning on Wednesday last as our impending winter sent us a warning of things to come. For some, it was a reminder of the holidays that will soon be here and the rush to prepare for them. Hopefully,…
Touchdown Club Helps Teams Over Line
The Vineyard football team may be on the field for two and a half hours of game time tomorrow, but it takes days, weeks and a year of effort by another team to get them there. The Martha’s Vineyard Touchdown Club, a nonprofit organization, works to get those players onto the field for each of…
Recapping the 2008 Season: Defense Helped Lead Way
It was a triumphant return to form for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team in 2008.
After a run of successful but ultimately frustrating seasons, the Island team dominated its Mayflower League Large opponents and went undefeated in the conference, earning a berth in the Division 3A Eastern Massachusetts playoffs for…
On Waxwings
Last week I got an earful.
It was not for any wrongdoing on my part; rather, it was an earful of wax (not to be gross) wings. A group or flock of these birds is called an earful or a museum of waxwings. It is now common to see groups as large as…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Senator Robert A. O’Leary Winner of Audubon Award
Cape and Islands Sen. Robert A. O’Leary was recognized with a legislative leadership award by Mass Audubon on Nov. 6 for his role in the passage of the Oceans Act, an ocean management plan to protect fisheries and sensitive marine habitats, as well as promote responsible development of renewable energy.
Sightings While Sailing
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), inland waterway, or the Ditch, as it is also known, is an incredible piece of water. It offers the boater, whether by sail, paddle, oars or motor, a fascinating peek into the history and natural history of the Eastern Seaboard. The ICW doesn’t officially start (mile marker number one) until Norfolk,…
Edgartown’s Morgan Woods Wins Award for Excellence
Morgan Woods affordable housing development in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard has won the 2008 Urban Land Institute’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Award.
The award recognizes exemplary developments that meet workforce housing needs in high cost communities. Entries are judged on specific criteria including: extent of affordability, involvement of public/private…
Island Gourmand Relishes Fall’s Hold on the Senses and the Table
In many ways, autumn is the same as it ever was: the result of our Island, our region — this hemisphere — turning slowly away from the sun. Days still shrink as the nights grow longer. Temperatures gradually drop towards winter’s frigid lows, although perhaps not as low as they used to go. The trees…
Chamber Music Concert
Chamber Music Concert
Island music lovers always have packed calendars between now and Christmas, and here is another date to set aside: on Nov. 29, the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society has planned an extraordinary concert for Islanders. That’s on the Saturday evening of Thanksgiving weekend, at 7:30 in the Old Whaling Church.
Surviving a Saturday at Sassafras
Eeeep-Eeeep!
As I make my way down the trail winding through the Aquinnah highland forest, the strange call repeats itself.
Eeeep-Eeeep!
I look around for the colorful bird that is surely the source of the noise. Perhaps it is one of those migratory species the Island is home to…
Rock Octogenarians in the Spotlight
It’s a rock doc like you’ve never seen before: The average age of the singers is 81, and the group is a choir, not a clapped-out band of has-beens busting guitars on stage. The film Young at Heart follows the eponymous chorus from Northampton who belt out Sonic Youth and James Brown tunes, punk, pop,…
Radio Play Auditions
Radio Play Auditions
The Vineyard Playhouse is holding open auditions today, Friday, Nov. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. for the supporting roles in Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life–The Radio Play by Philip Grecian. Auditions are at the playhouse, 24 Church street in Vineyard Haven, for older teens, men and women, plus…
Oak Bluffs Tree Lighting Includes Brass Band, Santa
The annual Oak Bluffs tree lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The community is invited to this free event, beginning with caroling at 6:30 p.m. at Post Office Square. The Vineyard Classic Brass Ensemble will perform a medley of traditional holiday carols and board of selectmen chairman…
Peacecraft Holiday Sale Benefits Global Community
Peacecraft holiday craft sale will be located at 9 Beach Road in Vineyard Haven this year, opening the day after Thanksgiving and running through Dec. 24. Organizers hope to recruit enough volunteers to be open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chapter 27: The Calm Before the Storm
In this year-long serialized novel set on the Vineyard in real time, a native Islander (“Call me Becca”) returns home after two decades to help her eccentric Uncle Abe keep his landscaping business, Pequot, afloat. Abe has a paranoid hatred of Richard Moby, the chief executive of an off-Island wholesale nursery, Broadway. Convinced that Moby…
Jeff Serusa’s Seaworthy Gallery Offers Fresh Perspectives on a Timeworn Theme
November is an unusual time to open an art gallery on Martha’s Vineyard. The summer crowds, with their disposable incomes and endless leisure time, have been replaced by the year-round residents with their bills and 40-hour work weeks. And in this economic climate, with art markets large and small starting to feel the trickle-down effect…
