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
January 23, 2009
Art Show Helps Club Sail Through Winter
This has not been exactly the type of winter the sailors of the Edgartown Yacht Club think of in connection with boats and sailing, so to keep the members happy, an art show was held on Friday.
It turns out that there are lots of artists, painters and sketchers who are members, so…
With Edgartown Buffs
By KATE J. CONDE
Capt. Geoff Freeman and the boys of the ladder truck set the bar high for our first dinner of the new year. Geoff managed to get his hands on a tender pork loin from his father in law at Reliable Market, plus there was Chris Hargy’s homemade chowder and…
Sustainability, Community, Heart: Jesse Boswell Visits Virgin Gorda
Dr. King would be proud: a young African American from Oak Bluffs is working alongside young people of color from around the world, who all started their new year with a vision and a plan for how they would build a better world.
Nineteen-year-old Jesse Boswell is a second year African American Studies…
Surfcasters Banquet Raises Money for Local Charities
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
The Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association will hold their annual banquet tomorrow at noon at the Edgartown Whaling Church. More than 100 recreational fishermen are expected to attend the luncheon in the Baylies Room. The event is open to club members and prospective members during this celebration of the club’s…
Grant Writing for Nonprofits Made Easy
Grantwriting is critical to Island nonprofits, but many lack the skills to research and identify the right grants. Those organizations with skilled grantwriters still may find their resources stretched going to Boston, the closest place to house a comprehensive database of grants — the closest, that is, until now.
The Martha’s Vineyard Donors…
Fourth Graders Make Dramatic Debut In Vineyard Playhouse Theatre Project
“Chickens! Are you ready?”
Upstairs at the Vineyard Playhouse on Tuesday, artistic director M.J. Bruder Munafo was calling two actors for their cue.
Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day
A man
Stood in the sunlight
And spoke
And the crowd listened
and heard him.
He spoke of hope
and of hard things and
he spoke of darkness
and as he spoke the
…
By Dawn’s Early Light
I went to the inauguration thank s to my college friend, David Skaggs, a former Colorado congressman, now the chairman of the board of the newly established Office of Congressional Ethics. From Republicans who had other things to do, David accumulated enough tickets to invite not only his own family but a group of Wesleyan…
Untended Gill Nets Are Killers of Fish and the Environment
Editor’s Note: The following letter was sent to Paul Diodati, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The letter was also signed by Chuck Hodgkinson, Emmett Carroll, Jennifer Clark, Jonathan Mayhew, Virginia Jones and Tom Osmers.
Regarding the request for consideration of a tending requirement on bottom tending or sink gill nets…
Sea, Snow and a Certain State of Mind
Last week after the snowfall, I went walking. I always try to beat the plows and the sanders, and for awhile I did. The only sounds were the squeaking snow beneath my boots and the wind soughing. It was just about dusk and a bird or two was uttering a goodnight chirp before tucking its…
On Ice
On Ice
For a Good Cause
For a Good Cause
The Community Preservation Act has been a fact of Island life for a relatively short period of time — it was only three years ago that all six towns had finally signed on to participate in the benefits of the state legislation, which matches a three per cent property…
Town Coffers on Empty
Town Coffers on Empty
Calling Town Democrats
Calling Town Democrats
The West Tisbury town Democratic committee is holding a caucus meeting for all registered Democrats residing in West Tisbury on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. at the Howes House. The purpose of the caucus is to select delegates to attend the Massachusetts Democratic convention. A general meeting of the…
Chilmark Strikes Scallop Deal, Seeks Details on Home Port
Chilmark’s most diehard scallopers will have a chance to increase the bushel limit in exchange for some community service.
Menemsha seafood retailer Karsten Larsen convinced selectmen at a meeting Tuesday to raise the small pond limits from two to three bushels a day, arguing that those ponds are oversubscribed with small scallops which…
Two Blazes Test Tisbury Firefighters
Tisbury firefighters were kept busy this week battling a pair of house fires — one that completely destroyed a home on Codding Lane on Tuesday and another that partially destroyed a home on Spring Hill Road last Friday. No one was injured in either fire, and the cause of both remains under investigation.
…
New Alcohol, Obscenity Charges Filed Against School Teacher
Additional charges were brought this week against a West Tisbury school teacher who is accused of providing alcohol and pornographic materials to former students and hosting underage drinking parties at his home.
Daniel K. Johnson, 43, of Vineyard Haven was arraigned in Edgartown district court Tuesday on five new charges of furnishing alcohol…
NAACP Brunch Finds There is Much to Celebrate This January
The line for breakfast was long at the Oyster Bar on Circuit avenue last week, but well worth the wait. “Are you going to eat? Because if you are, you’d better hurry. It’s good,” said Natalie Dickerson, president emeritus of the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
…
Petition Seeks to End Black Sea Bass, Scup Spring Fishing Season
A fisheries petition that began on the Vineyard last summer to throttle back the commercial season for black sea bass and scup is gaining favor among state fisheries managers.
The petition from Island recreational and commercial fishermen asks the state to end the spring commercial season for black sea bass and scup and…
It Takes a Village to Shore Up Town’s Collapsing Waterfront
Fittingly, Tuesday’s meeting on plans to repair the crumbing town waterfront in Oak Bluffs took place at the same time as the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C., when Barack Obama spoke of the importance of rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges and infrastructure.
The parallels were literal and figurative. Earlier this month the town…
Lawmakers Confirm Cuts in Local Aid
Cape and Islands Rep. Timothy Madden and Sen. Robert O’Leary were on the Vineyard Wednesday night to brace town officials for massive cuts to local aid to cities and towns expected in the next fortnight.
At a meeting of the all-Island selectmen held in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven, the legislators…
Inauguration Day 2009: Island Pauses To Witness History in Washington
The last time a new president was sworn in the only Vineyard party to make the news was an anti-inaugural street march complete with protest placards and a theme song.
A Green Light For Cape Wind
After more than seven years of investigation and controversy, Cape Wind’s proposal to build 130 massive turbines across 25 square miles of Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound now seems all but sure to go ahead, following a favorable environmental assessment.
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-687-9239
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
Intimations of hope and health in the economy are about as rare nowadays as white buffalo, but a couple of dollar signs are going ca-ching! in local cash registers. The other day I visited my old buddy in real estate, Lisa Lucier, in the chapel-like…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Jan. 16 20 4 .14*
Jan. 17 20 4 .00
Jan. 18 36 15 .05*
Jan. 19 38 30 .54
Jan. 20 34 29 Trace*
Jan. 21 33 20 .04*
Jan. 22 28 21 .00
…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
What an emotional week this has been! Makes it hard to focus on the ordinary again. Happy citizens gathered at the Chilmark Community Center for an inauguration ball on Jan. 20. It was the perfect way to end that exciting day. Here is a…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
It looks like I’m going to miss the Robbie Burns dinner at the Harbor View tomorrow night, but you don’t have to. Call Cynthia at 508-955-9024 to see if there’s still a seat for you. I love all things Scottish, especially this annual celebration of…
Starry Nights
With the moon in new moon phase on Monday, skies will be moonless this weekend, and ideal for stargazing. From sunset to nearly sunrise, through the weekend, the sky is without the brilliant moon to interfere. If the weather cooperates, even the faintest of stars will be viewable.
Dining Out With Andrew Jackson: The Gazette Guide to Cheaper Eats
The Appetite Stimulus Plan
If you’re in London and Paris, you can find on the Internet maps to “recession restaurants” — because as Jaunted, the pop culture travel guide so eloquently puts it, “This financial crisis thing-y is global, and everyone everywhere still has to eat (lavishly).”
Felix Neck Invites Campers, Young Leaders to Register
Felix Neck offers summer camps for children 4 to 13 on its 350-acre wildlife sanctuary, with programs that encourage kids to actively investigate and observe their surroundings, make their own discoveries, appreciate nature and have fun. The camps incorporate outdoor games, activities, hikes, stories and crafts.
If you would like a brochure mailed…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Many thanks to Abigail Higgins for chairing the monthly meeting of Homegrown. This was our third meeting attended by 20 or so would-be gardeners. We had the table heaped with seed catalogues and had a lively discussion about starting seeds indoors. Abigail encouraged us to purchase our starting mixture as…
Playful Otters
I am looking for a good romp.
A romp is a group or pack of otters and in this season of snow and ice, these mammals have left their mark. The evidence can be seen at watering holes Islandwide. Elusive river otters (the Island’s only variety) leave behind tracks, slides, and scat (droppings).
Theatre Tryouts
Theatre Tryouts
This Sunday, Jan. 25, the Island Theatre Workshop, Inc. is holding tryouts for two programs of one-act plays to run at the end of March. Artistic director Lee Fierro and board member Kevin Ryan will be joined by Leslie J. Stark to direct the five plays. The tryouts will be held…
Family to Family Program Offers Mental Health Course
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts is sponsoring a free family-to-family educational course in Oak Bluffs for family members of individuals with a serious mental illness. The course has been given nationwide to over 100,000 family members since its inception. It is taught by two trained family member volunteers and is intended to…
Stars Shining Bright on Vineyard Early Education
Teachers and parents from across Massachusetts took part in the Rising Stars of Massachusetts celebration, an annual event sponsored by the Early Education for All campaign to highlight the positive impact high-quality early education has on young children and families. But the real starring role was played by pre-kindergarteners from Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Early…
Young Island Artists Show Off Their Smiles in New Exhibit
On display at the Steamship Authority’s Vineyard Haven terminal Thursday, Jan. 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. will be a special collection of works by young artists Islandwide. Their subject: Vineyard smiles. The show is meant to be a teaser for National Children’s Dental Health Month, coming up in February. Sponsored by Vineyard Smiles, an…
Here Comes Maisy
Here Comes Maisy
Children’s author Lucy Cousins’ story-book character, Maisy, is making the rounds to all the Island libraries. Children are invited to come and meet Maisy during the following story times:
Chilmark Public Library, Saturday, Jan.24, 10:30 a.m.
West Tisbury Public Library, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 10:30 a.m.
…
Welcome Alexander
Welcome Alexander
Samantha and Michael Horton of Nantucket announce the birth of a son, Alexander Meverll Horton, on Jan. 5 at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Alexander weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and measured 19 and a half inches at birth. He is the grandson of Anne and Meverell Good of Vineyard Haven and…
Announcing Bess
Announcing Bess
Shannon and Daniel Carbon are happy to announce the birth of Jack’s sister, Elizabeth Graciosa Carbon. Bess was born on August 12, 2008 in Porto, Portugal. Her grandparents are Virginia and Jack Carbon of Edgartown and Pat and Dorothy Gregory of West Tisbury.
Geese, Ducks, Swans
Don’t look now but those large gray and white geese out in a field near you may not all be Canada geese. It is worth checking through those flocks carefully just now. The reason is that several unusual but similar species have appeared in our region recently that are most likely to be found mixed…
Chapter 36: Quincas Writes a Letter
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. His staff includes Quincas, a Brazilian. Abe has a paranoid hatred of Richard Moby, the CEO of an off-Island wholesale…
