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
March 27, 2009
Everyone’s a Winner at Electronics Disposal Day
On Saturday, April 4. between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host their 5th Electronics Disposal Day in the agency’s parking lot at 111 Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. This event provides residents of Martha’s Vineyard with a location where they can safely get rid off their old computers, monitors, televisions and…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
March 20 52 35 .08
March 21 42 29 .00
March 22 45 27 .00
March 23 49 27 .00
March 24 35 23 .00
March 25 40 29 Trace
March 26 49 26 .00
…
Sophomores Speak Out
As spring approaches, students become stressed and anxious about MCAS tests. We are told “you’ll do fine” and “just do your best” by our teachers and parents. But these exams are still very stressful for students. MCAS is a standardized test. Based on your results, it puts you in categories ranging from receiving a warning…
Across the Water, Into the Skies
Oct. 23, 2003
New Hospital Evokes Memories of Old
O n Saturday, Feb. 14, we set out in the morning from Chilmark for a shop in town and a Valentine’s Day drive. It was a sunny day though terribly cold and strangely still back in Vineyard Haven on this long winter weekend to mark Presidents’ Day — a great opportunity for Islanders to escape…
In Memoriam: Luther Madison
My dear friends on the Island and off the Island who came to honor my incredibly wonderful husband Luther who lost his battle with cancer, I thank you for walking and driving the last miles with our good friend.
Vale the Pink Squid Yacht Club, 1995-2009
They called themselves the Pink Squid Yacht Club. They were a fun group of hardworking Vineyarders who liked to party and raise money for one worthy cause or another, but the PSYC has disbanded. Call it a sign of hard times. Call it a group of anglers and golf enthusiasts who have shifted their interests.…
Letters to the Editor
HEALTHY FOR VNA
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
I have been reading about the VNA’s efforts to start a hospice and thought my experience with their agency might be instructive.
Gazette Chronicle: Man Bites Cow
Man Bites Cow
From Gazette editions of March, 1934:
Almost everyone is familiar with the famed definition of news, that it isn’t news if a dog bites a man, but it is if a man bites a dog. But right here on the Island there is a new definition. A story…
Thoughtful Disposal
Thoughtful Disposal
Moore’s Law states that “the number of transistors and resistors on a microchip doubles every 18 months.” It’s technobabble to most of us, but its effect is real enough: our gizmos go obsolete every one and one-half years.
With the rise in popularity of gadgets like iPods and high-definition…
Seasonal Shuffle Again
Seasonal Shuffle Again
Now begins a yearly ritual: the search for affordable summer rentals. College students from around the world are already searching for arrangements. Those attempting to work the Island tourist season for the first time are often unaware of how daunting this can be, and they leave it for after the…
Beach Renourishment Stimulus
Beach Renourishment Stimulus
Vineyarders got their own shovels ready and recently delivered their own stimulus package to the area’s most critical infrastructure: the beach. Over a hundred volunteers planted beach grass on Joseph Sylvia State Beach, and crews followed them with dibbles at Bend in the Road beach in the days following. The…
Welcome, Emma
Welcome, Emma
Elizabeth Salvo and Jason Sullivan of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Emma Joyce Salvo, born on March 18, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Emma weighed 9 pounds, 9.6 ounces at birth.
Habitat for Humanity Holds Double Header
In warmer weather, construction begins to pick up speed, and Habitat for Humanity is certainly not slacking. On Friday, April 3, Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard will hold two important ceremonies, a testament to the fine progress that organization has been making in putting roofs over Island heads. First, a Dedication Ceremony, wherein the…
Division of Fisheries Stocks Island Ponds With Trout
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
The Vineyard’s four popular freshwater ponds were stocked with more than 1,100 trout on Wednesday. Officials from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife came over with a special truck filled with bubbling water, loaded with rainbow, brown and tiger trout.
Steven Hurley, fisheries manager for the…
Venus
It was only a few weeks ago that Venus was high in the western sky at sunset. We got a number of calls from observers who wondered what that bright planet was residing high in the west after sunset. Tonight you can’t find it in the night sky.
West Tisbury
John S. Alley
phone
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Well, it did not feel spring-like earlier in the week, what with the high temperature barely making 38 degrees. We’ve been getting a little warmer each day so I trust we’ll have a decent weekend. Wednesday is April Fools’ Day so be wary of…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
It has been a cold and windy week in Chilmark. It was a disappointing week for some of us who wanted to work outside but it is still a week closer to warmer weather, we hope!
Oak Bluffs
TOM DRESSER
508-693-1050
(tomdresser@aol.com)
Bowling returns to Oak Bluffs. At 2:30 this Saturday, March 28, the Oak Bluffs library invites the public to go bowling. At the library. Yes, indoor bowling is now possible on the library’s Nintendo Wii. Also, reference librarian Mat Bose screens a slideshow on historic…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.com)
The sun has been shining and I have a daffodil that has bloomed in the yard and you can see the buds on the trees getting bigger and bigger everyday. We also planted our peas on St. Patrick’s Day as we were told if we…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
The fickle month of March is on its way out. Perhaps by the time you read this, you will have heard peepers or seen a daffodil blooming. The beginning of the week, with its below-freezing temperatures and chill winds, certainly showed no signs that those…
Kickball Classic Puts the Fun in Fundraising
By COOPER DAVIS
The grass parking lot of the West Tisbury Fire Station was filled with some classic Vineyard vehicles — Volvo wagons, small pickups and of course, Subarus. Some cars were left running, stereos sending reggae music wafting through the stiff April winds. The bleachers were crowded with Islanders young and old,…
West Tisbury Board Battles Over Use Of Town Attorney
By JIM HICKEY
West Tisbury selectmen last Wednesday clashed over the town policy regulating access and use of town attorney to answer legal questions.
Public Projects Get Green Light, Oak Bluffs Voters Get Final Say
The Oak Bluffs Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday unveiled a list of 10 public projects slated to receive funding this year through the Community Preservation Act, which raises funds through a local real estate surcharge and matched by the state. All the community preservation funding needs final approval by voters at the annual town meeting…
Saturday Night: Lights Out, Lots to Do
Lights Out Martha’s Vineyard? “I saw something on TV about it,” drawled the NStar service representative. When he learned it was scheduled for 8:30 p.m., he scoffed, “You can’t do it on Saturday night. Everyone’s home watching TV.”
That’s the point.
Navy Pilot Returns to Boyhood Shores With Stories from War
While his youthful memories consist of August summers spent sailing the Vineyard Haven harbor, 27-year-old Lieutenant Mason W. Berry collected a different memory late one afternoon last August.
He was flying from Kuwait to Iraq in a sandstorm. The storm winds were clocking over 60 miles per hour. He was piloting a Navy…
Affordable Home Lottery On As Edgartown Eyes New Deals
Four couples will compete Monday for the chance to buy a three-bedroom affordable housing property in Edgartown.
The house, which is located on a 2,100 square foot lot on 22nd street and will be on sale for $262,000, was bought back by the town after the previous owner died before a ten-year restriction…
Director Takes Conservation Step By Step
It’s a pretty safe bet that among the small group of people who walked a couple of miles through the Sheriff’s Meadow Middle Road sanctuary last Saturday, none was happier to be there than Adam Moore.
Not just because of the beautiful surroundings, with those views across Chilmark Pond to the Atlantic. Nor…
Trader Elio’s? Mr. Silva Brings in the Bargains
When Elio Silva quietly opened his State Road store the Tisbury Farm Market last fall with a limited stock of coffee, yucca and a few more low-cost products, he began expanding immediately — responding to customer requests to include gourmet and organic produce and substantially undercutting Island competitors in the process.
Meanwhile, down…
Seasonal Population Is a Moving Target For Census Bureau
As a team of surveyors prepares to prep the Vineyard for the 2010 U.S. census, the dismal economy is adding bite to questions about accurately counting the transient Island population — since census numbers translate into government spending numbers.
The census provides a population snapshot of one day in April. It’s also a…
Trying to Map Vineyard Winds
Everyone knows Martha’s Vineyard is a very windy place, right? The “Saudi Arabia of wind,” to use the vogue cliche among the boosters of wind energy.
Wrong. And, thinks Tyler Studds, who is something of an expert on wind generation, that’s a most regrettable perception.
County to Act For Pet Shelter
Moving quickly to fill the potential void created by the loss of the Island’s only animal shelter, the Dukes County Commission voted without dissent on Wednesday to take over the Katharine M. Foote memorial shelter in Edgartown after the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Animals pulls up stakes and leaves the Island May 1.
Consumer Price Watch
Gas
Prices for regular unleaded gas as of Mar. 25:
Edgartown
Airport Mobil $2.699 Depot Corner $2.599
Edgartown Mobil $2.659
Oak Bluffs
deBettencourt’s $2.699
Jim’s $2.729
Vineyard Haven
Citgo $2.629
Tisbury Shell $2.659
…
Bicycle Rickshaws to Ply Circuit Avenue
A trio of enterprising young men appeared before Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday with a proposal to reduce summer traffic, raise money for charity and help the environment: bicycle rickshaws to transport people up and down Circuit avenue and other parts of town.
The three men are from Newburyport Pedicab — John Pasquina, 26,…
County Officials Approve Takeover
In a change of course from previous years, the Dukes County Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted to endorse a bill, now before the state legislature, that would merge the Island sheriff’s department into the state system and place it under control of the Executive Office of Public Safety.
Selectmen Resist Push to Put Schools, Cops to Separate Vote
Giving voice to what has long been a source of tension during budget season, Oak Bluffs selectmen on Tuesday held a sometimes lively discussion with the finance and advisory board over their differing views on the budgets of the town police department, elementary school and regional high school.
Island Freemason Returns From New Orleans Trip
Oriental-Martha’s Vineyard Lodge recently welcomed one of its own Masonic ambassadors, John Hirt, back from a trip to New Orleans. While there, Mr. Hirt carried warm fraternal greetings from Masons on Martha’s Vineyard to Étoile Polaire (Pole Star) Lodge No. 1, with which he is still affiliated. Founded in 1794, this is one of the…
Library Holding National Poetry Month Contest
April is National Poetry Month, and the Vineyard Haven library is issuing a call to all Island poets who would like their work shown in the library’s main display case.
Poets may submit a maximum of three poems. They should leave their names off the poems, but include another sheet of paper with…
Helping Hands for Island Families on Easter Sunday
The Vineyard Committee on Hunger along with several of our local houses of worship and Reliable Market are working together to ensure that Island families in need will have a great Easter meal. Help by contributing the cost of one family’s meal, $25.
The Easter Basket includes a ham, five pounds of potatoes,…
Katama Snowy Owl
The internet is a great boon to birders. We can share our sightings daily, or if you are really intent, hourly. The net is also a way to keep birders honest.
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Island Pools & Spas, Inc. Wins Regional Design Awards
Island Pools and Spas, Inc., a family owned and operated pool design, construction and servicing company, took home two awards Tuesday, March 17 at the APSP Region 9 Design Awards Competition: first place winner in the Water Feature category, and second place in Pool & Spa Renovation category. The Design Awards Competition recognizes outstanding achievement…
Telephone Pioneer Hall of Fame Inductee
Robert W. Sylvia, formerly of Oak Bluffs, now of East Falmouth, was inducted into the Telephone Pioneer Hall of Fame in New Orleans, La. in February. The Telephone Pioneers consist of active and retired employees of nation-wide telephone companies. They are the largest industrial-connected volunteer organization in the world. The organization performs many community service…
With Edgartown Buffs
By KATE J. CONDE
Spring Brings Drama to Island Schools
It’s the season of The School Play, the least cynical theatrical event in the business. Behind the curtains — that is, where there are stage curtains — schoolkids across the Island have been cooing over each other’s costumes, sketching each other’s faces with greasepaint, and studying lines and stage directions as well as for their…
Lily Morris and the Art of Sailors’ Knots
Lily Morris holds three feet of line, with one end in each hand and the rest dangling between her arms.
“This is the bitter end,” she says, indicating the portion in her right hand, “the end that you work with when you’re tying a knot. And this is the standing end, the part…
The Sisters Come to Dinner at Vineyard House
Vineyard House is hosting a potluck with The Sisters, including Sister Rose and Sister Maurice from the Bronx, bright, big-hearted, down-to-earth women who tell engaging, funny tales of living with the daily struggle of a habit, from the perspective of a nun’s habit.
National Tartan Day Celebrates Local Scots
Scots and non-Scots are welcome when the Scottish Society celebrates National Tartan Day, April 6, with a potluck supper at the Federated Church in Edgartown. There is no charge.
Entertainment will be a mini-concert by Joe Keenan, whose performance will include the well-known Scottish traditional tunes.
A special tribute will be…
Chicago Improv Benefit Will Feature Wimp Originals
On April 4, laugh with WIMP and get the IMPers to the Chicago Improv Festival. The IMPers, Martha’s Vineyard’s teen professional improv troupe, scored an invitation to perform at the international Chicago Improv Festival alongside headliners from major motion pictures and television shows like Mad TV and Saturday Night Live. In the history of the…
Chapter 45: Let the Wild Rumpus Begin
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 fears and detests Richard Moby, the CEO of an off-Island wholesale nursery, Broadway. Convinced that Moby wants to destroy…
Frisbee Golf Tournament Takes Flight
Walking into the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest off of Barnes Road, the sound of clinking chains echoes in the air. It may not mean much to the unsuspecting listener, but it is a sweet sound to the frisbee golfer. It means that their frisbee found the basket. Last Saturday, Martha’s Vineyard hosted their annual…
Don’t Be a Fool
Don’t let Mother Nature fool you. She can take a joke.
She was, perhaps, the original jokester, fooling us with species such as “false albacore” and “false foxglove,” and fooling us at this time of the year with crazy and variable weather. From snowstorms to sunny skies, anything is possible in April.
Soccer Registration
Soccer Registration
Walk-in registration for youth soccer’s spring recreational season will be held on Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School cafeteria. Online registration is now open at mvsoccer.org. This program is for: Minikickers (kindergarten-first grade), Under-8s (second and third grade) and Under 10s (fourth…
